Dream Awakening

Yulan Calendar, November 29, 9998.

At dusk, Akes had just returned from training in the back hills when he saw Yale standing outside the dormitory, his expression grave.

"What's wrong?" Akes asked.

Yale lowered his voice. "Fourth Brother went out a little while ago, and something was off about him. Reynolds secretly followed him. When he came back, he said Fourth Brother was on Champs-Elysees Avenue...and saw them."

Akes's heart sank.

"Saw what?"

" Alice and that guy," Yale said. "Walking hand in hand."

Akes fell silent for a moment. "Where is he?"

"In the back hills," Yale said. "Reynolds said Fourth Brother went there alone. He looked frighteningly pale."

Akes turned and headed out.

"Third Brother!" Yale called after him. "Let him be alone for a while."

Akes stopped and looked back at him.

Yale sighed. "There's nothing outsiders can do about something like this. What he needs right now is some time alone, not for us to go comfort him."

Akes thought it over, then nodded. "Then we'll wait in the dorm."

The two returned to the courtyard, where George was already waiting. Reynolds was crouched in a corner, not saying a word. None of the four spoke. They just sat there.

The sky gradually darkened.

No one ate dinner. The night wind blew past, carrying the chill of early winter. The moon rose, round and bright, bathing the courtyard in silvery white light.

Akes stood up. "I'll go check on him in the back hills."

The back hills were quiet at night.

Akes followed the familiar path. Moonlight streamed through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. After walking for about the time it took to burn a stick of incense, he saw Linley.

Linley stood motionless in front of a huge boulder.

The boulder was enormous, about two meters high and three or four meters long. It was the same bluish-gray rock commonly found in the back hills. Moonlight fell across it, giving it a cold sheen.

Akes didn't call out. He simply stood some distance away.

He saw Linley's back—the figure that was usually so straight now looked somewhat forlorn. His shoulders drooped slightly, and his head hung low, as if something weighed him down.

After a long while, Linley moved.

He took a Flat Blade from his robes and gripped it in his hand. Its edge gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

Then he began carving.

Without hesitation or pause, the Flat Blade became an extension of his arm, sweeping across the boulder. Stone chips flew through the air like tiny snowflakes in the moonlight. His movements were so fast that Akes could see only a blur of blade.

But strangely, there was no sound.

The Flat Blade should have made a grating noise as it cut into stone, but Akes heard nothing. It was as if the chips vanished into thin air and the grooves formed on their own.

He stood there, watching Linley.

Watching him carve away the excess stone, one stroke at a time. Watching his forlorn bearing turn resolute, his weariness give way to concentration. Watching him sink completely into another world, forgetting time, pain, and everything else.

The moonlight shifted slowly.

Akes neither left nor drew closer. He simply stood at a distance, watching the boy carve the stone.

Around midnight, Reynolds arrived.

"Third Brother," he said in a low voice. "Why haven't you gone ba—"

He stopped when he saw Linley in the distance and fell silent.

The two stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the figure beneath the moonlight.

As dawn approached, George and Yale arrived too.

The four stood at the edge of the woods, watching Linley from afar. No one spoke or left. Every so often, the wind blew past, bringing the chill of early winter, but no one moved.

One day passed.

Two days passed.

Three days passed.

Linley was still carving. He never stopped—not to eat or drink, not to sleep or rest. The Flat Blade seemed to have come alive in his hand. Every movement was precise to the utmost, every stroke landed exactly where it should.

The boulder slowly changed. Its shape grew clearer, its details more distinct. Faintly, five figures could be made out, each lifelike.

The fourth day. The fifth day. The sixth day.

Akes and the others took turns keeping watch. During the day, someone brought food and water, though Linley didn't touch a single bite. At night, someone lit a fire to keep the area warm. They didn't know what Linley was carving, but they all knew not to disturb him.

The seventh day. The eighth day. The ninth day.

Linley's movements grew slower and slower. Not because he was tired, but because every stroke became more deliberate. Sometimes he would stand before the stone for a long time without moving, then suddenly make a cut. Sometimes he would circle the boulder several times, carefully examining every detail before continuing.

The tenth day.

At dusk, Akes came to relieve the others as usual. He reached the edge of the woods and saw Linley still standing before the stone. Just as he was about to sit down, he suddenly sensed something.

"This is..." Yale's mouth fell open.

"His spiritual force has liquefied," Akes said softly.

The hallmark of a Level Seven Mage—spiritual force changing from a gaseous state to a liquid one, marking a qualitative transformation. It was the threshold between level six and level seven, where countless mages were stuck for ten or even dozens of years.

Linley had broken through while carving.

Linley stood perfectly still.

Then he moved.

The final stroke.

The Flat Blade descended gently, shaving off the last chip of stone. Then he stepped back and looked at the boulder before him.

Beneath the moonlight, the sculpture's true form finally emerged.

Five women, five poses, five distinct spirits.

The first bowed her head, evoking tenderness. The second turned her face to the side, cute and playful. The third blushed, shy and alluring. The fourth tilted her head back, coquettish and passionate. The fifth turned her back, cold and resolute.

So lifelike, they seemed real.

"Dream Awakening," Linley whispered.

Then he turned and looked toward the edge of the woods.

The four of them stood there, watching him.

Akes walked over and handed him a waterskin. Linley took it and drank a few sips. His face was very pale, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

"Eleven days," Akes said.

Linley nodded.

Reynolds came over and looked at the sculpture. He seemed to want to say something, but swallowed his words. Yale patted Linley on the shoulder without speaking. George stood nearby, his eyes a little red.

"Let's go," Akes said. "Let's head back and get something to eat."

Linley nodded and followed them back.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back at the sculpture. Beneath the moonlight, the five women stood silently, as if bidding farewell—or saying goodbye.

"Come on," Akes said.

Linley looked away and followed.

Back at the dormitory, Yale set about preparing a table of food. Reynolds bustled back and forth, while George helped lay out the bowls and chopsticks. Akes sat beside Linley and poured him a cup of water.

"Drink some water and warm your stomach first," he said. "You haven't eaten for eleven days. You can't start with anything too greasy."

Linley nodded and took the cup.

The food they brought out was all light and simple. Linley ate slowly, and the others kept him company without rushing him.

Halfway through the meal, Linley put down his chopsticks.

All four of them stopped and looked at him.

Linley gazed at the food on the table, his voice calm. "I met her last year. She said she liked me, so I believed her. She said we'd always be together, and I believed that too. I thought...I thought it was real."

He paused.

"Today I saw her walking with someone else. His name is Kalan, the young master of the Debs Family. They've known each other since they were children. They grew up together."

Reynolds started to say something, but Yale stopped him with a look.

Linley continued, "There were signs all along, actually. She was always busy, always making excuses. I thought she had a heavy workload. I never imagined..."

He left the sentence unfinished and took a sip of water.

Looking at him, Akes suddenly recalled how he had felt when reading the original story before transmigrating. Back then, he had only been reading a story and had felt sorry for Linley. Now that he had witnessed it all firsthand, watching his brother go through it step by step, it felt completely different.

"Fourth Brother," he said.

Linley looked at him.

Akes picked up the wine jar and poured Linley a cup, then poured one for himself. He raised his cup. "Drink."

Linley stared at the wine, fell silent for a moment, then picked it up and downed it in one gulp.

The wine was strong, and it made him cough.

Akes didn't laugh. He simply poured him another cup.

"Want another?"

Linley looked at the wine and suddenly smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, but something he couldn't quite explain.

"Another cup."

He raised the cup and downed it in one gulp again.

This time, he didn't choke.

Akes poured again. Linley drank again. One cup after another, until the jar was empty.

Linley leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"Fourth Brother," Yale said. "What are you planning to do now?"

Linley was silent for a long time.

"Keep training," he said. "Get stronger."

"That's all?"

Linley thought for a moment. "Put the stone sculpture somewhere no one knows about."

Akes knew he meant Dream Awakening. It was something he had created with eleven days of painstaking effort—and something he had gained at the cost of a relationship.

"I'll find a place for it," Yale said. "My family's merchant guild has a secure vault."

Linley nodded.

"Thanks."

That night, the five of them drank late into the night.

Reynolds got drunk and clung to George's arm, shouting, "Fourth Brother, don't cry!" George pushed him away, but he went and grabbed Yale instead. Yale couldn't get away, and Reynolds slung an arm around his neck and babbled a stream of nonsense.

Akes wasn't drunk, and neither was Linley.

The two sat in the courtyard, looking at the moon.

"Third Brother," Linley suddenly said.

"Yeah?"

"Did you know all along?"

Akes was silent for a moment. "I saw them once. At the end of October, on Champs-Elysees Avenue."

Linley nodded and didn't ask why Akes hadn't told him sooner.

"Afraid I wouldn't believe you?" he asked.

Akes nodded.

Linley gave a slight smile. "I might not have."

The two fell silent for a while.