"Nightmare."
Tch.
I don't know much about this place. What I do know is that even though Nora came back in one piece—physically unharmed—something in her changed.
After gaining admission to the academy, she became more possessive of Jason.
"Nightmare…" I murmured again.
Yeah, this is a problem.
If this world really draws its power from the nightmares of everyone dragged into it… then maybe—just maybe—there was never any "legacy" to inherit at all. Maybe the whole thing was a trap from the start.
But, come to think of it.
The spirit. It's still here.
"!"
That's right, I need to find Nora.
I can't let her reach that spirit first.
Still, spirit or not, what the hell is the actual point of this "Mystic World"? From what I know,Mystic worlds are supposed to be trials left behind by long-dead gods or ancient beings—meant to pass on their power, or sometimes…
"To find a vessel," I whispered.
"Exactly," said the Lunatic with a grin, casually walking beside me. We were moving through a forest now. No destination. Just walking for the sake of it—because staying in one spot too long with this creep? No thanks.
"You knew all this and still came here?" I asked, side-eyeing him.
Now that I think about it, this bastard did survive the raid.
Diana and Natasha too.
Hmm.
Okay, now I'm getting excited about this.
"I came because my intuition never fails me," he said.
God, I hate this guy.
But if he managed to find me in this messed up place, that means he's figured something out about how this place works.
"Hold on," I stopped walking and turned to face him. "How did you find me, exactly?"
He'd been dodging that question ever since—but I had a feeling the answer could be the key to finding Nora.
He stopped too, staring at me, eyes unreadable. I watched him carefully, then sighed.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Smart," he said, a grin tugging at his lips. "Oh—and just in case you hadn't noticed... Your mask."
My eyes widened.…
Haah.
You know what? Screw it. I'm done hiding my identity, if my calculations are in order, then before we actually leave this place, my identity should be set.
I rubbed my temples. "What do you want?"
His grin grew.
"You don't look like any noble I know. And trust me, I know all the nobles in this kingdom—from the highborns, the prince and princess, all the way down to the dirt-scraping bottom: Even fallen Nobles, Leland Welling, Mikel Eales, Eren Nevena...." he listed several names, watching me closely.
But I didn't react.
Not even a twitch.
It wasn't just that I realised he was trying to connect the dots to who I really was—It was that I no longer gave a damn about Eren.
The more time went by, the less I remembered who I used to be as Eren…
I just hope I don't forget why I am doing all of this at some point.
"Leon," I said flatly. He looked right at me.
"What. The. Hell. Do. You. Want?"
His smirk faded. "Tell me… who are you really?"
His voice was quieter now. Serious.
"That… I can't tell you," I said.
Silence.
"Heh. I figured you'd say that," he muttered, then frowned. "You're a wild card. I don't like wild cards."
Ah. So that's why he's been tailing me.
Do I have to take extreme measures?
"Why are you chasing after the Herions' doted daughter? What am I missing here?" he asked, eyes narrowing.
I sighed.
"Fine, How about this... Can you help me find her?"
"…Maybe," he said after a beat. "But what's in it for me?"
"Three years from now, we'll be in Arcane City. How about I tell you exactly what the first trial's going to be?"
That got him. His eyes widened, then—slowly, oh so slowly—his grin stretched wide.
"Fine. My intuition says you're not bluffing. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but…" he trailed off, but I knew what he was implying.
I'll probably kill him before we graduate. No way I'm letting someone like you leave for too long.
"I'll lead you to her," he said.
I nodded.
We moved forward again, until I suddenly stopped.There—up ahead—something caught my eye.
"Wait… You said this world feeds off nightmares?" I asked, my palm starting to itch.
"Yeah."
"Then…" I began, but he cut in—
"Exactly what you're thinking. Monsters straight out of nightmares."
…Fuck.