?


    The Dream Tree pulls the consciousness of everyone in the targeted area inside it.


    Thereafter, its prisoners would be forced to fend against Qantal''s imaginary beasts while protecting their dream cores.


    Each dream world worked like a separate dimension. If your dream core breaks or you die while trapped inside the Dream Tree your soul perishes.


    In short, you die.


    But if this was all. I wouldn''t have called Illusive Dragon invincible inside the Dream Tree.


    Dream Tree was a unique skill that targeted ''everyone'' inside the range. And that includes Illusive Dragon too.


    It was aplex skill with its own ups and downs. But as the skill holder, Qantal has managed to master the skill.


    He can ignore the negative consequences of being caught in Dream Tree while only reaping the positive parts.


    As a result, he has almost infinite strength inside the Dream Tree.


    He won''t get tired, he won''t get injured, he won''t run out of mana. As long as the Dream Tree is sessfully triggered, Illusive''s victory is almost guaranteed.


    It was while I was carefully recalling Qantal''s abilities and the ways to counterattack, the elf obstructed my path.


    "Where are you going?" asked the elven woman.


    She had purple hair that reached her hips. Her face was small and angr. There was a beauty mole under the left corner of her lips.


    The molebined with her fairlyrge bosoms gave her a motherly aura.


    In terms of beauty, she wasparable to Setsuna – I hated to ept it but that chicken was in a league of her own in terms of appearance.


    Faena''s eyes held a strange conviction as she stopped me from moving further.


    "Why is an elf here?"


    "…It''s because we wanted to know more about the letter you gave us." answered Faena with a bit of difficulty.


    The letter I sent the elves talked about mainly one thing: I knew of the uing destruction of the world.


    Elves are able to converse with the World Spirit, Beatrice, with the help of the World Tree located in their vige.


    Being a special existence, the World Spirits cannot interfere with the world freely. Nevertheless, Beatrice was the mostpassionate among the World Spirits.


    She tried to warn her people about the uing destruction of the world – Coalescence.


    Knowing that elves were frantically searching for clues about Beatrice''s message, I sent the letter in hopes of finding a cure for Lumine.


    It was surprising that the Priestess of the elven n – the only one capable of conversing with Beatrice through World Tree – herself came searching for me


    However, there was a time and ce for everything.


    "We''ll talk about thister."


    The Dream Tree and Qantal were more pressing matters at the moment. I didn''t have time to exin the situation to Faena.


    Besides, if she was here, there was a possibility more elves left the vige with her. I couldn''t let them meet Lumine.


    Or it could spiral into another troublesome matter.


    "Where are you going?"


    "You are crossing the line."


    I stared at Faena coldly while she used magic to keep me from moving.


    Dammit, from her reaction she knew about Lumine and me.


    Her actions indicated that Faena was trying to stop me from meeting with Lumine.


    "Move. I won''t repeat myself twice."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "...!"


    I let my mana pressure explode into the surroundings. Faena flinched and staggered, sensing the amount of manaparable to elves.


    The corridors were rather empty. It was strange considering today''s event should''ve made the pce busier.


    Faena probably used some kind of magic to ward off people before meeting me.


    "Shouldn''t you look into someone''s eyes while talking to them?" said Faena while trying to collect whatever dignity she had left after being scared by a human less than 1/10th her age.


    I pulled my gaze away from the window.


    ''The Dream Tree should be bigger than the pce in size. It would be visible from every corner of the capital. It clearly hasn''t bloomed yet so why am I anxious?''


    I had to take the Lumine and hurry to the za in front of the Imperial Pce. It was the only pce inside the capitalrge enough to host the Dream Tree while it blooms.


    "I''m going to meet Lumine."


    As long as Lumine was with me, both of us would enter the same dream world if I couldn''t stop the Dream Tree from blooming.


    ''With Lumine, the price I would need to pay would be huge. But I should be able to avoid the worst case scenario.''


    Faena red at me. She spoke in a grave tone, suppressing her wrath. "I won''t allow you to meet that Subus. As the Priestess of World Tree it is my duty to stop thatscivious woman."


    "..."


    Closing my eyes, I tried to find the core of her magic binding me. For some reason, the sinister sense of foreboding was only growing stronger.


    I needed to leave, even if that meant using the Crown of Massacre.


    "You might not realize it yet. But your desire to meet her is because of her witchcraft. You are about to be her –"


    Thud—!


    Suddenly, Faena fell to the ground.


    Before I could realize what was happening, heavy drowsiness attacked me. My feet staggered as I almost fell next to Faena.


    My thoughts were starting to be sluggish.


    I… I wanted to sleep.


    A strong desire to sleep was taking over me.


    Spurt!


    Without thinking twice, I stabbed a dagger into my thigh. Unbridled pain burst from the injury but it brought much-needed rity.


    ''This is… Dream Tree''s effect…''


    Biting my tongue, I limped toward the window. The sight outside was the same as earlier.


    A terrifying silence enshrouded the capital.


    No matter where I saw, there were no signs of Dream Tree''s appearance. Let alone the massive tree, I didn''t even find a single branch.


    ''H…ow…?''


    My thoughts were beginning to break.


    I didn''t know how or where but it was clear…


    The Dream Tree had bloomed.


    I was toote.