Chapter 75: Dream Abilities
The moment the dream was created, the phantoms vanished, leaving only the empty Dawn Laboratory.
The same cold atmosphere, yet filled with a familiar scent.
Bai stood there for a long time, then slowly walked to one of the stools and sat down.
“Just a dream, yet so real…”
She looked at the transparent container that had once held her and Ara. Only a few tubes remained. No nutrient fluid, no Ara.
And the two small stools… this dream of the Dawn Laboratory must have been from a time shortly after Ara’s birth.
It had been the happiest time in Bai’s memory.
“The past… can never be changed.”
She closed her eyes, and another of her large tails began to glow with a faint pink light, floating among the others.
Dream Demon Ability, Number Two.
“Real Dream Body”
The ability to manifest a dream body in the real world. With enough energy, one could theoretically create a Calamity Class or higher dream body, indistinguishable from a real one.
This ability could be used on others as well.
Bai had chosen this ability to free her comrades from her dream.
“Go back to the Empire. You don’t have to follow me anymore…”
The images of her comrades faded from her mind, and she watched them go, a silent farewell.
The path she had chosen was a lonely one.
The only one who would walk with her was Ara.
Another pink tail began to glow.
Dream Demon Ability, Number Three.
“Dream Sending”
She touched the purple necklace around her neck. Even in the dream, she still wore the necklace that was Ara.
It was warm against her skin, as if she could feel Ara’s heartbeat…
Dream Sending, the ability to project one’s dream body into another’s dream, through an object with a strong connection to the target.
And it could be used on others as well.
In the past, some kind-hearted Dream Demons had used this ability to allow the lingering spirits of the dead to meet with their loved ones one last time in their dreams.
A blood relationship was also a strong connection, which was why it was usually family members who were seen.
Bai didn’t use Dream Sending immediately. She didn’t know what would happen.
She was still in the Tide of Madness, her consciousness split, searching for a way out.
Although she hadn’t seen any crazed beasts for a while, it was still a dangerous place.
Using Dream Sending might require her full concentration, leaving her physical body vulnerable.
And although Isabelle was with her, she felt that Isabelle was more dangerous than any crazed beast…
If she fell unconscious, who knew what strange things Isabelle might do to her body.
So, she suppressed the urge to see Ara, for now.
The crazed beasts hadn’t approached her for two reasons.
One, she now carried the strong aura of Queen Shaya, an aura that the mindless beasts instinctively avoided.
And two, she was acquiring new abilities.
As she had guessed before, when a Dream Demon acquired a new ability, a small amount of dream power was released.
And “small,” for a Calamity Class Dream Demon, was equivalent to the full power of a mid-level Destruction Class being.
…Of course, most Dream Demons didn’t acquire new abilities so easily. It took centuries of accumulation.
Bai’s situation was different. She wasn’t acquiring new abilities, but… “reclaiming” old ones.
After acquiring these two abilities, she still had three red tails, three empty skill slots.
But she didn’t have the energy to acquire any more.
“Real Dream Body” and “Dream Sending” were two abilities she had prepared for, so the acquisition process had been relatively simple.
Normally, a Dream Demon would need a long time to acquire a new ability, and would need to rest afterwards.
Usually, after another awakening, they would find a secluded place and sleep for a few days, months, or even years.
It all depended on how long the Dream Demon wanted to sleep…
And when they woke up, they would have their new ability.
…No matter how many times she thought about it, the Dream Demon race was a mystery to her.
“Compared to the Ice Demons, the Dream Demons seem even more… out of place in the Abyssal Demon Realm…”
Lazy, whimsical, mischievous…
Their impulsiveness was similar to some other demons, but their impulsiveness was… pranks.
Of course, the information she had received didn’t say much about the Dream Demons’ origins.
It seemed even the author of the dossier didn’t know much about them.
And…
“This dossier’s writing style is very familiar.”
She thought for a moment, but couldn’t place it.
For now, it was enough that the information was accurate.
She channeled a portion of her power to create real dream bodies for her comrades.
Although it wasn’t a huge drain on her energy, creating them for others, based on their consciousnesses, was more difficult.
And with four of them, the energy consumption was considerable.
So, she didn’t create them all at once, instead doing it slowly, over time.
She was still in a dangerous situation, and she couldn’t afford to exhaust her power.
With everything arranged, her consciousness returned to her physical body, her dazed eyes refocusing.
“My current location…”
She looked up. The sky was now a deep black, with only a faint, dim light.
The ground was a dark, silent wasteland, the crimson horizon in the distance being consumed by the darkness.
After Bai had taken the rune left by Queen Shaya, the Tide of Madness had undergone another drastic change.
Of course, that no longer had anything to do with her.
Even if the Tide of Madness collapsed now, it would only be a small pocket dimension, lost in the void near Solor.
With her abilities, she could easily return.
And now, on Solor… no one was more familiar with the void than she was.
“The exit should be nearby,” she murmured, looking in a specific direction.
She could feel a strange pull from that direction, a subtle ripple in the fabric of space.
