It was as though a clap of thunder had exploded within his mind.
Theus's eyes flew wide, and he shot to his feet with a hand braced against the desk, horror written across his face.
Gasping for breath, he looked around.
Documents were piled into mountains. His signature was still on the report he had only gotten halfway through reading. Farther away stood several filing cabinets, with Castel's emblem hanging atop them—a fire that burned without ever going out.
He had awakened.
This was not the Throne Hall, nor was there any of that clamor. This was Castel Cathedral—his office.
The night was quiet. He could hear insects chirping outside, moonlight spilled across the windowsill, and a blanket still covered his body. Everything seemed perfectly normal.
But Theus did not believe it at all. He could no longer tell truth from falsehood, dreams from reality.
He casually picked up the letter opener from the desk and stabbed it into his left hand without hesitation.
The sharp blade pierced through his palm, and blood welled out.
Pain made the corner of Theus's mouth twitch, but his eyes relaxed slightly.
It seemed... it was not a dream.
He gritted his teeth and pulled the knife out. That was far more difficult than driving it in.
Once the knife was removed, the vitality within the Symbiotic Pact flowed faintly, and the wound in his palm quickly vanished.
"Finally back."
Bang!
The door was violently smashed open, and the fully armed Ash rushed in. He had been in the duty room next door, and the moment he sensed an abnormality in the Symbiotic Pact, he had immediately come over.
If Theus had not drawn so little vitality, making it seem like it was not an emergency, Ash would have come straight through the wall.