Blade in Dream

Iver has been having a strange dream lately.

He staggered through the burning maple forest, the maple leaves resembling fluttering flames.

His body was covered in burns, blackened by the smoke. He seemed to be searching for something, or perhaps fleeing from something.

Looking up casually, the night sky, illuminated by the fire, was only a dark red.

In that dark red night sky, there was no sun or moon, only a huge, constantly bleeding wound.

It looked like a wound pierced by a sharp blade, or like one pierced by a spear. Thick, black, viscous blood dripped from the wound, forming a sparse waterfall.

For some reason, in his dream, Iver insisted on going to the bottom of the waterfall despite being burned.

But each time, Iver was unable to reach it.

As he gradually approaches that direction, he always stumbles and falls due to exhaustion. Then he suddenly wakes up, and the vivid dream fades into a momentary sense of unease and worry, leaving only a few vague memories in his mind.

This time, perhaps because Iver had taken "Drunken Dream Tincture" before going to sleep, his dreams became more stable.

He walked a very, very long way and finally reached the bottom of the wound.

It was a small, empty plain deep within Dense Forest. Blood flowing from the wound in the sky had gathered into a vast lake, and in the middle of the lake was a small island. On the empty island, a lone Two-Handed Sword, stained pure black by the cascading, viscous blood, was stuck in the ground.

Iver stared intently at the Two-Handed Sword.

He walked toward that place in a daze.

But just then, he suddenly heard a bear growl behind him.

"Roar--"

Iver's pupils suddenly contracted.

He looked back, but his perspective suddenly became much shorter.

It felt as if I was no longer a human being, but a thin, four-legged beast.

Behind him, in the maple forest ablaze with flames, a giant bear engulfed in flames, with scarlet pupils, was slowly approaching him.

As it drew nearer, with each heavy step, Iver felt the ground around him shaking more violently. The entire world shattered and collapsed, and flames roared ever brighter into the sky. More and more black blood, bubbling with white foam, surged from behind Iver, gradually engulfing Iver.

In the instant that Iver made eye contact with the giant bear, he saw a human-like smile on the bear's face.

"Anyone who draws a knife will be killed with the blade."

A deep voice echoed in Iver's mind.

These words were etched into Iver's heart with a clarity as if carved by a knife and axe, and felt as painful as a scorch mark from fire.

Then, a wave of intense fear washed over Iver.

He suddenly opened his eyes, breaking free from the dream.

"... Bear Angel?"

Before the memory faded, Iver blurted out.

But Iver soon realized that he could never forget that moment—

He felt a dampness and itchiness on his chest. When he reached out to touch it, he felt pain—a stinging sensation like a mosquito bite.

—Iver unbuttoned his shirt and discovered three fresh scars on his chest.

It looked like three knife wounds, or like the marks left by a bear's claws tearing through flesh.

The blood had just stained Iver's white Fox Fur Pajamas, not even soaked through—clearly, he had only recently been injured.

The wound on Iver's chest appeared when he woke up; or rather, it was because of this wound that he was suddenly awakened.

"Lily."

Iver sat on the bed and called out softly.

Just two seconds later, Lily emerged barefoot and silently from the servants' quarters next door. The soft red carpet made no sound.

She looked inquiringly at the wound on Iver's chest, her expression suddenly becoming serious and tense.

Lily immediately lit a candle and handed it to Iver.

Iver reached out and grasped the flame, closing his eyes in devout prayer. The room, previously illuminated by the candlelight, suddenly darkened again, the flame in Iver's hand trembling violently. The shadow cast by Iver through the candlelight became distorted and demonic.

In Lily's eyes, the wound on Iver's chest was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

But soon, Lily suddenly opened her eyes wide—

The "Fire Sacrifice" technique, which could heal almost all injuries, seemed to have suddenly lost its effectiveness...

The wound on Iver's chest had only stopped bleeding. It hadn't healed; instead, it had scabbed over and was covered with a layer of amber-like residue. But if you tore it open, the wound would bleed again.

Clearly, Iver could sense this as well.

At that moment, a notification appeared before Iver's eyes.

[You have acquired the trait: Authority - Mark One]

[Authority - Mark One: Bear Angel swung his claw of the future, declaring that he would end your life with such a blow. This is the first brand, and its number cannot exceed seven—]

Your chest will always be seen as a "weak point," regardless of whether you effectively protect it; you will always be detected and hunted by Bear Angel and his apostles; when you fight against your pursuers, the battle will always be considered a "duel."

... It's Bear Angel's hunting ritual.

Iver, on the contrary, breathed a sigh of relief, opened his eyes, and released his hand that was holding the candle flame.

The light in the room became stable again.

"What's wrong, Iver?"

Lily asked anxiously in a low voice, "Has something happened?"

"It's not a big problem."

Iver answered easily.

He chuckled and pointed to the scar on his chest, "This is the mark Bear Angel branded on me. He swore to kill me with such a vicious blow."

—Tearing his chest apart with a ferocious claw strike! If His attack had truly landed, the wound left on Iver's chest would not have been just a shallow scar.

Therefore, this dream was merely a routine prelude to a hunt.

Iver had been repeatedly waking up from his dreams because he instinctively sensed danger even in his dreams... but until he officially accepted this premonition, that nightmare would forever haunt him, preventing him from resting properly or entering a dream to advance.

Iver had a vague idea of what was going on, which is why he used the Drunken Dream Tincture to stabilize his dream and take on this challenge.

Clearly, Bear Angel was very satisfied with Iver's choice.

He even smiled!

The mark left by Bear Angel today is like the dotted line that was made with a needle beforehand when saying "Please cut along the dotted line".

Not only did they preordain the Death of Iver, but they even chose the manner of his demise... and predetermined the final blow. It was as if they had never considered the possibility of failure, nor did they have any utilitarian thought such as "as long as he is killed, that's enough."

"This is the style of the former Pillar God of the path of power, ' Supreme Heaven '..."

Iver sighed, "The stronger are the mighty, and the mighty act without hesitation, without regret, without much deliberation. When victory comes, the mighty will gain and control everything of the weak..."

That was the fundamental law of the world before the birth of "authoritarianism".

The former Supreme Heaven has long since died, but has been resurrected in the Dream Realm. He has been elevated once more to the Bear Angel, and now possesses a new constellation.

The brand that Bear Angel left on Iver's chest was to make it easy for His followers and apostles to find Iver's location. It was like setting a signal flare for the prey; no matter how they tried to escape, they could always find its direction.

He is ultimately a celestial being and cannot easily descend to the mortal realm. Therefore, His apostles are needed to act on His behalf and hunt down Iver in the Material Realm.

But when Iver was branded by Bear Angel, he actually felt relieved.

Because this means something else—

Since you've marked me...

Does that mean you can't kill me right now?