CHAPTER 94: DECEPTION VS DECEPTION

The world had turned dark once more. But that only lasted until he heard the echoes of his thoughts—a sensation he had grown familiar with.

“What the—”

Soren cut himself off. This was the sentence he wanted to say before being whisked away somewhere by the enigmatic saint.

‘Whisked’ was an appropriate description too. What he was currently seeing shocked him greatly.

An endless blue sky, sprinkled with faint clouds here and there. Storms raging in the distance, moving ominously across the endless ocean floor beneath his feet.

Soren was back in a very familiar place.

The Echo of Mind.

“Relax,” said the boisterous voice that seemed to cause more and more ripples around him. Soren nervously glanced down at the dark ocean… Something was hiding there.

His thoughts echoed out more and more as he raced to understand his situation. But when he did, he finally snapped back into his senses and began to suppress his thoughts as much as possible.

“I see… That’s very smart of you to do.”

Soren frowned. If he hadn’t reacted fast enough, many of his secrets would have been revealed… The Whispering Dream had invaded his three layers.

A grim sensation took over his body—he leaked one of his thoughts to the mad saint:

“So this is how you control your puppets?”

No answer came, but it was pretty much a confirmation. Soren’s frown only deepened. If the Whispering Dream could invade any person’s three layers at any moment, what’s stopping him from going down to his Heart’s Shroud to read his memories? He could also try to take control of his True Self, which Soren didn’t doubt held the key to his ability to control others… Better yet, he could simply invade a person’s Veil of Perception and create subtle changes unnoticeable to anyone…

The Whispering Dream could steer you to the left and make you think you are going to the right…

A shiver ran down his spine. This person was too dangerous. There was no way for him to escape…

His thoughts leaked again, causing even more ripples.

The enigmatic saint chuckled. “No worries, I have no intention of taking over your body. It would do me no good—especially not with that vile thing hiding itself down there…”

“The whispers of the rift…” Soren thought. “So even he can’t counter them… No, he could be lying.”

“Believe whatever you want to believe!” The being said confidently.

Soren continued to suppress his thoughts until the next one showed itself:

“You need me to contact Tazzith, correct? Will you promise to let me go afterwards?”

Another chuckle rolled across the dark and calm ocean. “Maybe? Depends on what Tazzith thinks! I might need you to be my messenger for longer if our cooperation takes a deeper approach…”

“That’s a lie,” Soren thought accidentally and the enigmatic saint replied:

“Interesting. What makes you say so?”

Not suppressing his thoughts again, he answered, “Our affinities are shades of our true selves, and yours marks you as a bigger deceiver than I am.”

“Ah yes. Your affinity! When you tried to play that trick earlier, I noticed just how similar it was to mine… Though, you are mistaken about one thing.”

Soren’s frown deepened. “And that is?”

He could almost feel the sinister grin from beneath the ocean waves:

“Simple, really. If your affinity is that of misdirecting the truth, mine simply ignores it. So no, you are still the bigger deceiver out of the two of us.”

He raced to suppress his open thoughts but the echoing voice continued. “Truth requires someone to believe it is the truth. But who would know the truth if they weren’t even listening?” He chuckled.

Soren grit his teeth. “Bastard.”

He had purposefully leaked that thought out so that it could be heard. And, he was perfectly reasonable for being angry as well. Soren had finally understood what that asshole’s affinity was. Simply put, rather than deceiving others through direct deception, his was a much crueler game.

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While Soren might use illusions to twist the truth to make his enemies believe in his lies, the Whispering Dream would snake his way into his enemy’s mind directly and simply hypnotise them to ignore the truth. The manipulation was far less detectable and much more subtle—even for the person being hypnotised themselves.

As of this moment, Soren was essentially facing his direct counter. Because if a person could be controlled to ignore the truth, then they could just as likely be able to ignore lies. And worse yet, as enemies, they might be comparable to fire and water, but as allies…

He had a creeping suspicion, but it was now somewhat obvious. Even if Soren completed the task required of him, The Whispering Dream would still try to enslave him.

Why would he not?

With their abilities paired together, who could even stop them? External and internal illusions, ones that influence reality directly, while the other subconsciously… The Whispering Dream would be a fool not to covet a powerful tool like Soren…

All of these thoughts leaked out, causing the ocean to grow more unsteady. Waves rose and fell, and the skies turned grey, foreshadowing a coming storm.

Opposing his thoughts, the enigmatic saint laughed loudly as the echoes propagated across the world.

“Your worries are fairly logical, I must say. I wonder what I would have done in your shoes?.. You see, in my youth, I studied philosophy. Those groomed to be the next saints of Yadria had to be the most brilliant scholars of their generation on top of being competent magi. I was one such genius in a pool of many. But do you know why none of them were capable of making it to the grand position I now take for granted?”

Soren stayed silent, trying to suppress his escaping thoughts.

“It is because they had a goal, while I didn’t. All of them had desires, hopes and dreams. Desire to reach for the heart of the Spirit Blossom Willow. Dreams to ascend above their current lives and reach for the status they had revered all their lives. Hopes of becoming what their parents demanded from them… They all clung to such fallacies.”

Soren smirked. “Are you sure you’re any different?” If desiring to destroy the world wasn’t a goal, then he didn’t know what would constitute one.

“Indeed, that may seem like it…” The disembodied voice sounded a bit wistful, but Soren didn’t care to trust his own conclusions—there was a chance he was being misled. The Whispering Dream could be called a master of deception, after all. If it weren’t for the fact that he was an enemy, Soren would have loved to have him as a teacher.

“Apologies mistress Sienna,” he chuckled to himself, and the Whispering Dream who heard his thoughts also did the same.

“You know, you really don’t have to view me as an enemy. Our goals align.”

“Did you just admit to having a goal?” Soren couldn’t help but grin. Nothing this bastard was saying had a sliver of truth to it—everything was twisted around.

Rather than denying it, the Whispering Dream simply said:

“My point still stands.”

Seeing this, Soren couldn’t help but sigh. He was exhausted—both mentally and physically. And just when he thought he might finally obtain some well deserved rest, he showed up and ruined everything.

After hearing about the struggles this world was facing from the mistress, all Soren could do was stay silent and state his goal clearly: to be a bystander. He had no intention of being a hero, but also no intention of being a villain. Witnessing how this world ends, if it will even end, was the only thing he could hope to do with his meager abilities. After all, his goal according to Mr. Unknown was to explore, to dream, and to discover…

He was nothing more than a Traveler and Scribe.

But after what he experienced in the Beyond…

A portion of him wanted to be petty. It desired revenge against fate, but also… an escape—no matter the cost. Whether that was killing the innocent or spreading the plague, that part of his mind demanded a solution. The madness from the Astral Anima poisoning had definitely changed him—he could feel it in his bones that he was no longer the same person he was before that dreadful journey. As for memories of that Crimson Eye… They were fueling that fear and rage even more.

The Whispering Dream… His whispers were enticing. The offer he granted felt so so right. It was as if the heavens had answered his calls for salvation, and given him the perfect solution:

Kickstart the end of this world, and maybe fate will go down with it as well. Then, there will be no one left to control you.

Soren sighed again.

“I’ll accept, but only if you guarantee that I'll live till the end of it all. I want to witness the end of this world—that was a promise I made to a certain someone and I don’t wish to break it, as hypocritical of me that sounds.”

“Very well,” the disembodied voice replied. Soren looked around and realized the clouds receding and the waves calming again. It was as if the turmoil within him had ended after his decision became clear.

The enigmatic saint chuckled. “Here. Thought you might need this.” Just as Soren was about to interpret his thoughts, the ocean water in front of him rippled then shot up like a fountain stream. Emerging from within was a hooded figure holding a wooden stave—three black bells were attached to its apex. In his other hand, an ancient tome that radiated in an aura of mystique and power.

He quickly handed the book to Soren, who glanced down at it and frowned. “You went down into my Heart’s Shroud, didn’t you?”

The figure shook his head. “Nay, the book appeared before me on its own. I found it very interesting—it was as if your True Self sensed my intentions and gave itself up. Not that I mind—made my job a lot easier.”

Soren scanned the tome closely and grinned. “Damn traitor.” Without hesitating further, he pulled the cover back and glanced at the first page which listed his status. Soren ignored it and continued flipping.

Standing before him, the Whispering Dream patiently waited as Soren flipped through the book toward the Event Log section.

Event Log

New Message Received: [Title: Contract?] (Author: Tazzith)

For the longest time, Soren had dreaded opening that message. It was simply too risky—especially when he was not even a fully recognized first circle magi yet. Of course, to a being like Tazzith, magi of the first circle were probably comparable to insects in His eyes.

But now, another unreasonable threat was forcing him to confront his other perceived threat. His luck was truly rotten.

Of course, that would be the case if he was even planning on following through with his promises.

With his eyes glued on the book, Soren asked the hooded figure something strange:

“You know, you were definitely right to come to me. I am a very vindictive person at heart—holding grudges is something I am very good at. Which is why, when fate decided to make me its target since my arrival in this world, I vowed to myself to escape its clutches or to destroy its control over me.”

The Whispering Dream nodded. “Indeed. That is why our goals alig—”

Soren cut him off, “But fate isn’t the only one I hold a grudge against.

“Mark my words, Luvin, or whoever you are cowering under that cloak. Your days are also numbered, and unlike fate, ending you is a much simpler process.”

With a cold smile, Soren let his thoughts run wild—a command was sent to his True Self:

Enter the Realm of Realms.

In an instant, his Soul Weapon changed. Covered in a veil of golden light, the shimmering pages turned from an invisible force as it levitated on its own. Then, a strange vortex appeared in the middle of the pages. In an instant, the world dimmed—as if an endless void had escaped the grasp of The Record’s mysterious pages.

The Whispering Dream was stunned, he tried to react, but it was too late. Soren’s body broke apart into tiny golden butterflies, each of them flew in unison, guided by a mysterious current to enter the abyss within his grimoire.

After a million years of solitude, [The Faerie Court] will now welcome a new guest.