Breakthrough in the Dream

Yes.

If Ian had failed to truly defeat Cthulhu, Saruman, armed with the memories of a thousand years, knew full well that the altered history would become nothing more than a mirage—briefly existing before losing all meaning.

It was even possible that history would slide in an even worse direction.

Of course.

Since they had already shaken history, completely changing it was no longer mere fantasy.

Saruman knew.

According to the original "history," he and Karg should have been on the verge of collapse beneath the pressure of Cthulhu's will by now, while Lina's treatment should have failed due to the delay. But reality was that Lina had been successfully saved. Though they were in a sorry state, they were still alive and moving away from the core area. All of it was because of that mysterious Ian Prince.

And because of a little intervention from himself.

In fact.

The fact that the other man could still lead him safely away along the normal timeline after several of his teammates had died proved that he truly possessed the power to fight Cthulhu head-on.

And knowing that was enough.

"He is our only hope."

Saruman finally spoke. His voice trembled slightly from exhaustion and excitement, but his tone was incomparably firm. "The only thing we can do is trust him and make sure we do not become a burden to him."

He glanced once more at Lina beside him.

Though the girl was weak, clarity had returned to her eyes. There was even a depth to them that she had not possessed before, as if she could glimpse fragments of the future. The aura of the Raven Prophet around her was faint, but it could not escape Saruman's perception. This only further confirmed the conclusion he had drawn from the memories