I had a dream. Truly, it had been a long time since I last had that familiar dream. And there I was, as a child.
In the morning, I saw myself eating the stew my mother had cooked, and then happily tearing into some sweet bread for dessert.
I also saw my mother. Her face, which I could never forget no matter how much time passed, still wore a kind smile as she looked at me.
After I finished eating, she picked me up and spun me around before putting me down, perhaps because she grew tired. Now I understand why she did that.
Because I really was heavy back then. Since I didn’t even harbor any resentment in the first place, just watching her brought me endless joy.
That way, I lived today like yesterday and expected tomorrow to be the same. If only things could have stayed that way forever; I would have been happy.
I don’t know why I’m dreaming this again now, something I used to dream about when I was little. But I already knew what was going to happen next, so I just lay down on the grass and passed the time.
Soon, an outsider would appear. Suddenly, my mother rushed out of the house, pressed a necklace into my small hands, and urged me to run away somewhere.
Confused, the young me just stared at her until she pushed me from behind, finally getting me to move. My face was still filled with confusion and slight fear.
I would probably hide in some nearby bushes after that.
It’s time. Rising from my seat, I pulled my greatsword from the earth. Even though I knew it was just a dream, I couldn’t bear or ignore it.
I took a deep breath and circulated mana throughout my body. My body twisted, my skin split, and I transformed into a grotesque form, but…
To fight something monstrous, you have to become monstrous yourself. I ran toward where that thing would come from. Despite being in this state, my sanity remained intact within the dream.
After running for quite a while, I saw it beyond the white void. With all my might, I swung my greatsword at it—
“Who are you? Come here and sit. Hmm? Ah, so you’ve lost your reason too? You must have suffered greatly. I had a hunch… Did you really go through with it? I told you not to use that method.”
An unpleasant feeling woke me up. The bonfire had burned for quite a while and was almost extinguished. The magician was leaning against the wall, talking to someone.
But there was no one there. However, I could sense something. What is this strange and repulsive sensation? After concentrating, I figured out what it was.
Something semi-transparent was struggling against an invisible barrier surrounding me.
Trying to get in, it was using every method possible, but to no avail.
Are these ghosts? Just as I wondered, I noticed my necklace glowing brightly. It usually emitted a faint light, but it had never shone this brightly.
Could this necklace be preventing those ghosts from attaching to me?
Looking at Myungho, he also seemed to have some kind of protective barrier, and Akashi was trying to communicate with them. Only Yuna was asleep, with several ghosts clinging to her.
Her expression wasn’t bright, as if she were having a nightmare. She quietly muttered “Mom” or “Dad.” Does she have bad memories related to her parents too?
Rubbing my eyes, I threw some firewood onto the bonfire and approached Yuna.
As I got closer, the ghosts retreated and detached from her. Once they were gone, she relaxed further and fell back asleep.
“Huh, can you see them too? Oh, you wouldn’t understand this yet. Let’s see if you get it…”
Akashi, seeing my reaction, pointed to his own eyes, then to the ghost floating in the air, and gestured towards me.
So… Is he asking if I can see them? Since I could, I nodded.
“You can see them? Or was that an obvious question? This necklace… It’s none of my business. Fine, do as you wish.”
Apparently, Akashi just wanted confirmation and muttered something before losing interest in me. How uninterested.
I briefly took off my necklace, which acted as a barrier, and tried to punch the ghosts to drive them away, but my fists just passed right through them.
Worse, some of them clung to me, causing me to panic and retreat back into the necklace’s barrier, shouting angrily.
…Why can’t I drive them away? Normally, I’d use a deep voice from my gut like when I scared wild animals, but I can’t do that now with everyone sleeping.
Compromising, I let out a low growl from deep within, which made them flee momentarily, only to return soon after.
Ah, how annoying. These things frustrate me more because I can’t do anything about them. It feels like they’re mocking me, treating me as if I’m nothing.
“Hah, is that because you’re worms? Your thinking level matches worms. Want to drive them away? Then you need to remove whatever is anchoring their souls. That’s it.”
Akashi watched me struggle and pointed at the skull, then indicated the door leading outside. Ignoring his insult about worms,
he meant I should throw the skull outside?
Though skeptical, since the ghosts couldn’t harm me, I put the necklace back on and picked up a skull. If anything went wrong, the necklace would protect me.
Immediately, one ghost became frenzied and lunged at me. Though blocked by the barrier, it acted as if determined to stop me.
Curious about the connection between the skull and the ghost, I opened the door and tossed the skull down the slope.
Sure enough, the ghost followed the skull’s trajectory exactly, proving the connection.
Now knowing how to drive the ghosts away, I gathered more bones and stepped outside.
Despite many ghosts clinging to me and pounding on the barrier, I ignored them and threw the bones down the hillside. Watching the ghosts dragged away with the rolling bones, I returned to my bed.
Most of the ghosts were gone, leaving only living people in the room. Much better.
Trying to sleep again, it was impossible since I’d already gotten enough rest. Well, the rain must have stopped by now. I’ll take the watch. Someone had placed bowls inside while I slept, so I set them aside and kept watch until sunrise.
Though the ecology and scenery differ from where I came from, the sky remains the same.
Connecting stars to create constellations unique to me, I waited until dawn, growling or throwing stones to scare away approaching beasts.
With the sun rising from the west, now a familiar sight, I entered the room and woke everyone up— the mage who had managed to nap, the archer troubled by nightmares, and the ever-peaceful Myungho.
A quick shake or tap with my tail quickly roused them. Yuna, though disoriented from her nightmare, quickly regained composure.
“…Hm. You were awake early? Now that you mention it, weren’t there skulls here…?”
When Myungho questioned the missing skulls, I told him I threw them away. After explaining, he quickly understood.
“Are the ghosts attached to the bones? So that’s why we had nightmares… Thank you, Alterra.”
Yuna, hearing Myungho’s explanation, thanked me in a language I could understand.
No, technically, Akashi gave the advice, but since I acted on it… the thanks should go to me. Yes.
“…Uh, the water container seems fine… so let’s have a simple breakfast.”
He said that and placed tiles into the bowl of water. They immediately swelled up and turned into porridge-like substance.
Am I supposed to eat this? It’s cold and strangely watery, not at all appetizing.
I’d rather eat bugs. Surprisingly, many bugs taste good. Apart from their appearance, they’re quite edible.
“…I know this doesn’t look tasty. Still, isn’t it better than arguing for hours over a piece of meat? We were supposed to forage locally, but I didn’t expect the smell of blood would attract trouble.”
Myungho handed me a bowl of the synthetic food while making excuses. Its looks and scent made me want to hunt and fight for real meat instead.
The moment I took a sip, the texture was off, the flavor bizarre, and it was bland overall—a complete disaster.
The taste, smell, temperature, and texture—nothing felt edible.
“…Fighting for hours and eating meat would be better. It’s like drinking sand and dust mixed with water.”
Yuna, Akashi, and Myungho also grimaced, clearly unwilling to eat. We considered seasoning it but decided against wasting spices on such garbage.
“Hey, let’s just fight for a few hours and eat real meat. We’re not weaklings, are we?”
“No. Who knows what might jump out in the mountains? Wasting energy now might ruin us when we actually need it later.”
“Rather, I’d tear off the sole of my boot and eat it…”
“…Myungho. While I don’t agree with Akashi, I know some edible plants and insects. Let’s eat those instead. This… gets worse with every bite…”
Everyone complained. Somehow, we each finished our portion, washing it down with large gulps of water.
There’s another reason to hurry and cross this mountain.
