Friday. In the dead of the night, in Audrey's bedroom.
After receiving a signal, the golden retriever, Susie, opened the door and left by herself, slumping down outside to prevent anyone from disturbing Audrey.
Audrey took the Dreamwalker's Beyonder characteristic, the corresponding supplementary ingredients, and the apparatus used for concocting the potion out from a hidden spot. Most of the supplementary ingredients came from the City of Silver, and they were things that she hadn't paid for since Little Sun hadn't thought of something he needed.
She concocted the potion skillfully and looked at the liquid that was dotted with darkened points of grayish-white light. She took a step back, clasped her hands, and placed them in front of her mouth as she chanted softly, "The Fool that doesn't belong to this era..."
Just as her prayer ended, countless figures in an indescribable form appeared in front of her.
They quickly swam and meshed with one another as though they were active in the sea. Above the sea were seven pure beams of differently-colored light that seemed to contain infinite knowledge.
Above these seven lustrous brilliances was an endless grayish-white fog. And above that was a towering and magnificent palace.
At that moment, the door to the palace opened as a figure formed from golden light spread out its twelve pairs of wings formed from scarlet flames and flew down, landing in front of Audrey.
The twelve pairs of fiery wings were layered as they wrapped the blonde, green-eyed girl into an embrace.
Such a scene only lasted for a second or two before vanishing. It was as if she was hallucinating, but Audrey always had the feeling of being immersed in this kind of holy and lofty feeling.
She calmed down and sincerely thanked Mr. Fool.
With Angel's Embrace, she could maintain lucidity in her dream and wake up whenever she needed to. She didn't have to worry about being engrossed in her dreams and being unable to extricate herself.
This meant that she had already held the corresponding ritual for Dreamwalker, and the effects were definitely better than what it could've been.
After all, not every Hypnotist can obtain such benediction from a hidden existence and be embraced by a special angel such as this... Audrey, all the best! Audrey mumbled inwardly before she stopped hesitating and picked up the glass bottle, drinking down the potion inside.
The potion wasn't as bad as she imagined it to be. It was a little sour, a little sweet, a little bitter, a little surreal, and a little stimulating. It was like a wild dream she could let herself loose in.
Before she could feel the effects that the potion exerted on her body, Audrey was suddenly startled before she regained consciousness.
She saw that the night was becoming dawn outside the window, with the sun rising from the horizon, dyeing the sky red.
Within the garden, flowers were blooming, the tips of the blades of green grass shimmering with crystalline dew.
It was as if Audrey had become the ruler of this world. Her consciousness floated up as she looked down upon the various scenes:
Her father and mother held hands as they strolled down the garden trail, taking in the fragrance as they bathed in the morning light;
Having worked through their differences, her two brothers, Hibbert and Alfred, rode on horses and brought servants along with them. Laughter accompanied them as they entered the woods, competing against each other for a more successful hunt;
The ambassadors or special representatives of the various countries like Feysac, Intis, and Feynapotter signed an agreement at Loen's Sodela Palace, announcing to the world that a war wouldn't happen; thus, dispersing all the dark clouds in the sky;
The smog situation in Backland improved. Every company's factory had passed the double review of the alkaline industry inspector and National Atmospheric Pollution Council, and they had promoted such standards to other countries;
Maximum working hours and the basic labor environments for workers were guaranteed, and the development of every industry was getting better. The number of tramps had dropped to an unimaginable level, and all kinds of protective measures spearheaded by the kingdom covered everyone;
There were more and more workers who could afford bicycles. On the streets, the bicycles clustered together like a huge army, driving in different directions amidst ringing sounds;
Children didn't need to work in factories at a young age. They could giggle and fool around, running into classrooms with tables and chairs. Inside, they flipped open their textbooks and began listening attentively. If they didn't wish to study, it was solely of their own choice, not because they lacked the conditions;
Women were no longer discriminated against due to their gender. Even a laundry maid could rely on studying to obtain knowledge and find better jobs. There were reporters, teachers, policewomen, soldiers, miners, and civil servants—seen in every walk of life;
All kinds of mechanical items appeared on the streets and alleys, bringing the people convenience and joy;
In the square in front of the Evemight cathedral, pigeons flew up and landed. People were either sitting or playing the accordion, fully enjoying their lives...
This was Audrey's dream for the future. Unaffiliated Beyonders didn't have to worry anymore. As long as they received a checkup of their physical mental condition, they could walk openly and use their Beyonder powers to earn money in a legal way.
This is really wonderful... If it weren't for me being clear-headed, I would've lost myself to this. I would've descended from my commanding position in my consciousness, taking a stroll with my parents, hunting with my brothers, and occasionally going to school to teach children... I would often work hard for the extension of the world's peace... Audrey stared at the dream, feeling a bout of poignancy.
She then felt her Astral Projection rise once again, breaking out of the confines of the hazy world.
She saw that her dream was like a huge bubble that grew out from the island of consciousness while silently enveloping it.
The "air bubble" was surrounded by a gray fog. From afar, she could vaguely see other "air bubbles," and below them were their corresponding islands of consciousness.
Deep within the gray fog was a silent, undulating, shimmering "wavy" illusory sea that seemed bottomless.
The sea of collective subconscious... This is the scene of a mind world for a Dreamwalker... Only from Manipulator onwards is one really able to interfere with the sea of collective subconscious... Audrey nodded in enlightenment and retracted her gaze. Without staying any longer, she forcefully escaped from her dream.
Her vision returned to normal immediately as it remained pitch-black outside. Only the street lamps around the garden were emitting light.
She then cast her gaze on the full-body mirror in her bedroom. She felt that she didn't seem too different from before. Only when she observed carefully did she realize that her pair of green eyes were becoming more limpid and deeper, as though they could reflect the souls of others.
Closing her eyes and taking in the knowledge brought by the potion, Audrey quickly grasped the core power of Dreamwalker.
By guiding and controlling a dream, she could obtain information and affect the enemy.
There were two aspects:
First was "Guidance," which was similar to Nightmare of the Evernight pathway, by using the different changes in a dream to guide a target into revealing one's deepest secrets. The difference was that a Nightmare could forcefully pull a person into a dream. However, Dreamwalkers weren't capable of doing so unless they were combined with "Hypnosis."
The second was "Alteration." By modifying a target's dream, one could influence a target over a long period of time, changing them and making them do things they wouldn't usually do without them realizing it. The principle behind such an "Alteration," used a dream as the incisive points and the Astral Projection as a point of leverage, slowing contaminating the target's Soul Body before affecting the Body of Heart and Mind, planting it deep in the subconscious. Compared to directly using Hypnosis, a control that stemmed from dreams was more mild and furtive, making it difficult to be noticed and suitable for targeting targets at a higher level.
From the looks of it, most matters that involve love at first sight might've had a few hidden cases that were a result of Dream Alteration... Yes, amongst many popular best-selling novels, the female lead often dreams of a figure and spends a beautiful, romantic time with him. Therefore, when they encounter the male lead who's similar to the figure in their dreams, they will quickly succumb to them and have a strong penchant for love. Hmm... Audrey recalled the novels she read in the past and suddenly found it amusing.
To her, be it "Guidance" or "Alteration," they weren't an essential enhancement over Hypnosis. Instead, there was another Beyonder power that she liked even more; it was "Dream Traversal."
This made her body turn incorporeal as if she was an elf in a dream or a Dreamwalker. Not only could she directly hide in someone else's dream, but she could also jump from a dream to another dream, completing a "Blink" in the physical sense.
The restriction of such traversals was that the distance between two dreams couldn't exceed 500 meters, and they had to belong to intelligent creatures.
In special environments, this can effectively hide myself... Hmm, why didn't Hvin Rambis directly affect me through "Dream Alteration"? Because this place is protected by the Church? The Evernight pathway is also skilled in the domain of dreams... Audrey thought as she began converging her spirituality.
In the ancient palace above the fog.
Along the long bronze table, Klein sat a few seats diagonally across from Leonard.
"Why are you suddenly looking for me?" Leonard leaned back in his chair and asked lazily.
Regardless, he still remembered that this place belonged to Mr. Fool, so he didn't dare appear too casual.
Klein glanced at him and said, "I need your help with something."
You need my help?" Leonard pointed at himself and asked in surprise, "Are you referring to Pallez?"
He didn't think he could help a demigod like Klein.
"You have a very clear understanding of yourself," Klein tsked. "However, I'm really looking for you this time. It mainly involves a few dreams."
Dreams... Leonard came to a realization as he said with a hint of puzzlement and laughter, "Klein, you seem to have changed a little. I mean, you've become more like the past, no longer wearing that gloomy expression."
Without waiting for a reply, he straightened his disheveled hair and smiled.
"That's a good thing. Well, I'm still quite good at dreams. Who do the dreams belong to?"
Without batting an eyelid, Klein replied, "A Loen soldier from more than a hundred years ago, a Fourth Epoch aristocrat, an ascetic from the Third Epoch, and an elf and giant from the Second Epoch."
"What?" Leonard asked with his green eyes wearing a blank look, wondering if he had heard wrongly.
Ignoring the elves and giants from the Second Epoch, even the nobles of the Fourth Epoch had to be from particular Beyonder pathways and to have become saints before they could survive to this day!
It can't be that they're all angels aside from that Loen soldier, right? Entering the dream of angels... I think it's better to find Old Man... Leonard's thoughts churned instantly as though he was in a dream.
