Aslan was wrapped in the same cloak as Ereta, sitting close together near the fire, their backs leaning against a tree.
Sparse trees grew in the wilderness.
And those two figures, a man and a woman, were leaning against each other under one cloak.
Despite the situation that could have created an awkward atmosphere, Aslan felt a faint sense of ease even while some part of his body remained tense.
The reason was the lack of worldly knowledge.
Thus, Aslan could rest assured there would be no untoward incidents, and Ereta, for her part, was content to be so close to Aslan.
In the midst of their mutual satisfaction, a touch was suddenly felt.
A touch that gave Aslan a strange sense of foreboding.
“Ereta…”
Even as Aslan softly called her name, Ereta’s hand did not stop but moved closer to him.
It was a clear and warm touch that could be felt through his armor.
Aslan realized then that this was not a time to relax.
Three months had passed since Aslan’s death.
During those three months, who knew what kind of knowledge Ereta might have acquired?
Aslan understood he couldn’t escape from Ereta’s current actions and closed his eyes, mingling astonishment with anticipation.
Fortunately—and yet not—what Ereta desired wasn’t anything particularly special.
“…Is it not allowed?”
Ereta chuckled, taking Aslan’s hand.
The woman fidgeted under the cloak, moving her hands to place Aslan’s palm upward.
Then she grasped his hand firmly, interlocking their fingers with a swift motion.
Thus, Ereta intertwined her fingers with Aslan’s.
Though capable of doing much more, she seemed content merely to hold hands, smiling gently as she pressed closer.
The warmth and heartbeat transmitted through their clasped hands, the tingling sensation as their fingers intertwined.
“No, do as you please.”
For Aslan, it was a unique sensation.
Rarely experiencing such human warmth, Aslan let himself pretend to give in, leaning his eyes toward Ereta.
Not long after, he counted the stars above and drifted off into sleep.
Slipping away like being drawn into a bottomless swamp, Aslan entered a dream.
A peaceful unconsciousness without dreams.
Or rather, a tranquil dream that couldn’t be clearly remembered.
In this dream, a comforting flame accompanied him.
Warm and soothing, this flame burned the darkness, warming Aslan kindly. The flame took on a human form, and within its embrace, Aslan’s consciousness found peace.
Since his resurrection, Aslan had never experienced nightmares.
Until now, he had refused sleep, instead meditating to replace it, because whenever he closed his eyes, he would wake up tired after only brief periods of rest.
Considering that what stirred behind his closed eyelids were either guilt-induced nightmares or invitations from evil deities, it was only natural.
Rejecting sleep in favor of meditation was inevitable when rest brought only temptations, threats, and attacks from evil deities.
Therefore, Aslan now felt both unfamiliarity and joy at the absence of such disturbances.
Perhaps it was because he had nominally become a high priest of the Formless One.
Whatever the reason, Aslan was extremely satisfied with the current situation.
Even now, while rarely dreaming, his mind was calm enough not to overthink things.
In this dream, Aslan found himself in a plain bordered by a forest.
Strangely familiar, Aslan realized that this plain was the same one where he had fallen asleep in reality.
The dream was not very different from reality.
If anything, it was eerily similar.
The only differences were the excessive darkness and Aslan’s solitude.
Opening his eyes, Aslan looked around.
The forest where Aslan had been sleeping in his dream was surrounded by black mist.
Wrapped in the cloak Ereta had provided, Aslan glanced around.
There was no sign of life in the campsite.
This would have been a clear danger if it were reality.
However, since it was a dream, his instincts didn’t react.
Had this been real, Aslan would have already been warned by his highly developed senses.
The fact that this warning didn’t come indicated that this situation was either a dream or a comparable illusion.
Thus, Aslan quietly raised his head to observe his surroundings.
All he could see was the thick black mist.
It resembled finely crushed coal scattered about.
At first glance, it seemed threatening, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t.
Rather, it evoked a soft and comfortable atmosphere, akin to gazing at the night sky from a safe place.
The familiarity also contributed to this impression.
Lifting his head amidst this familiarity, Aslan saw a woman approaching.
A woman walking lightly, with long black hair flowing down her back and deep purple eyes blinking.
As expected.
“Lewena.”
Through the encroaching black mist, Lewena approached.
Her veil lifted, revealing a black dress that billowed in the wind.
She met Aslan’s gaze with a face filled with melancholy and longing.
Her face brightened slightly upon meeting his eyes.
“…Lewena.”
Aslan called her name again because the Lewena before him was genuine—not a disguise used by an evil deity to tempt him.
For the first time since Aslan had lived as himself, this was happening.
While it was true that Lewena’s illusionary magic could manipulate dreams easily, this encounter was something else entirely.
There was divine power in this connection.
Divine power from the depths that Aslan hadn’t felt in a long time.
“I’ve missed you, Hyunwoo.”
Lewena stared intently at Aslan and spoke, and Aslan struggled to find the right words as he looked at her.
Seeing Lewena with both eyes functioning properly, just as she was in his memories, was beautiful.
“Hyunwoo must be fine. Hyunwoo… is not someone who would die just there.”
Lewena’s affectionate expression.
“Listen. There’s something Hyunwoo needs to hear…”
As the woman stepped closer, Aslan instinctively tried to stand but—
Whoosh!
Suddenly, flames erupted in front of the approaching woman, causing Aslan to sit back down.
Lewena’s expression hardened at the sight of the flames rising from nowhere, and she glared sharply behind Aslan.
It was an exceedingly familiar expression.
One she displayed during their short honeymoon whenever Aslan conversed with another woman, even briefly.
An almost emotionless sternness, yet heavy with anger.
“…You.”
Following this naturally cold voice, something sprouted from the tree Aslan had leaned against.
They were spider-like legs made of white and transparent flames.
Eight of these legs encircled Aslan, and he recognized a very familiar divine power.
A divine power that left no room for resistance.
Turning his head toward the source of this divine power, Aslan saw another figure emerge with hesitant steps.
Pink eyes that glanced apologetically at Aslan, long white hair trailing behind her.
Angie.
Angie silently stared at Aslan before sighing deeply.
“You’re ‘that person,’ aren’t you?”
After the sigh, a contemptuous tone emerged.
Unlike Lewena’s icy glare, Angie openly displayed disdain.
The high-ranking priestess showed no signs of intimidation under Angie’s steady gaze.
When the other high-ranking priestess confronted her, Angie finally spoke.
“If you closed the door, there must have been a reason, right?”
Though incomprehensible to Aslan, it was clear this was no ordinary dream.
Especially since Angie appeared as if protecting Aslan, standing in front of him.
Lewena’s expression was obscured, but hers was vividly clear.
Irritation and anger, trembling eyes, and a mouth twisted in displeasure.
Lewena stared at Aslan for a while before speaking to Angie.
“How dare a mere insect interfere when I’m talking to my man?”
The deep hostility in her voice.
She looked ready to unleash shadows and wreak havoc at any moment, yet Angie responded with a smirk.
“How can ‘that mere insect’ considerately allow Aslan to rest peacefully when someone claiming ‘my man’ comes to disrupt? What a nuisance.”
By now, a large axe gripped in the woman’s extended hand gleamed with flames.
The woman adjusted her stance subtly.
Witnessing this, Aslan understood.
Since his resurrection, the reason evil deities hadn’t appeared in his dreams was solely due to Angie’s protective divine power.
This confrontation was a continuation of that protection.
Although it didn’t seem to be the entire story.
As Aslan pondered whether to intervene in this standoff and how to release himself from the spider legs, he caught Lewena’s eye.
Upon meeting his gaze, Lewena gave a sad smile.
“Sorry, Hyunwoo.”
An unexpected apology whose meaning eluded him.
Naturally, Aslan blinked in confusion.
It didn’t seem like repentance for past wrongdoings.
It was more of a warning.
With that warning, the woman began to retreat, and only then did Aslan realize the underlying truth.
The black mist creeping from the edges of his dream toward him wasn’t under Lewena’s control.
Instead, Lewena was being pulled into it.
Just as Aslan noticed this, and Angie detected something amiss, Lewena’s lips trembled.
Understanding Aslan’s unspoken question through their eye contact, she managed to speak.
“Be careful.”
With a light thud, the woman disappeared into the black mist.
As Aslan and Angie watched in shock, Aslan woke up from the dream.
Opening his eyes revealed darkness.
Darkness approaching from the horizon.
Shadows that lingered despite the rising sun, creeping from the horizon.
Something ominous was happening.
Awakening still embraced by Ereta, Aslan focused on the unusual feeling, gazing at the horizon.
It wasn’t just him.
All the refugees in the campsite were staring at the horizon.
Even Ereta, usually weak in the mornings, had awakened instantly due to the ominous feeling.
Monsters were swarming from the horizon, along with black mists.
Blackened specters, two-legged creatures wandering in search of the living.
Watching them, Aslan murmured.
“The Abyss…”
They shouldn’t be here.
*
At the border between the Pervere Kingdom and the Empire.
There lies a golden plain kissed by a river and the sea.
People call it the Ory Plain.
On this Ory Plain, near the former territory of the Pervere Kingdom, Angie frowned.
She wasn’t the only one.
The fortifications and stone walls erected, along with the soldiers lined up atop them, all stared grimly at the mist creeping from beyond the horizon.
In that spot, once part of the Pervere Kingdom’s land, where until recently there had been a sea turned white and dead, now lay a sea turned black.
Someone voiced the question.
“Why is the Abyss here…?”
A question no one could answer.
Goo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo!
Suddenly, from the depths of that black sea, the roar of a dragon echoed.
