The orange, waxy cocoon was slowly being peeled away from Past Ethan Justice, while Sylvia Blue blushed, at a loss, staring at me.
"What's wrong, Sylvia?"
"I can't sleep. I don't think I'll dream either. It's been so long since I last had a dream."
I smiled and shook my head helplessly.
"It's okay, just take your time. Lie down a little longer."
Sylvia leaned against me again. I gently rubbed her back, glancing around—there was no water or anything else here. Otherwise, a hot shower might help her feel better, and lying on a soft bed would make it easier to dream.
But we didn't have that luxury. The orange wax covering Seven was half gone now, and Past Ethan Justice had stopped.
"We'll leave it like this for now. Little sister, you need to fall asleep soon and find your brother."
Sylvia frowned and shook her head.
"He's not my brother."
I looked at Sylvia in surprise. She seemed to harbor some hostility toward the Seven inside the wax, and I glanced at Future Ethan Zhang in the distance—perhaps she was influenced by her father.
"Sylvia, you and Seven were both born from your mother's womb, so..."
"Alright, alright, I get it."
Sylvia took a deep breath and lay back down on my lap, closing her eyes again. I was getting drowsy too, leaning back against something hard and uncomfortable. But sleepiness quickly overtook me. Suddenly, both Sylvia and I floated upward—a stream of white-hot energy flowed from the mouth of the Spirit Gourd that Past Ethan Justice had opened, supporting us. Soon, the current transformed into a warm, transparent bed, almost invisible.
Future Ethan Zhang walked over, a faint purple glow emanating from his hand, waving it before my eyes. Very soon, I drifted off to sleep.
A burst of giggling echoed in my ears. I opened my eyes and was instantly stunned—I was back in that ring-shaped street of darkness from before. In front of me stood the barbecue shop that Ethan Justice used to run. I hurried over and saw Sylvia sitting alone inside, happily eating and drinking, but there was no sign of Ethan Justice. I almost pinched my cheek, but quickly stopped myself—this really was a dream. My dream and Sylvia's dream had merged into one.
"Go on, Rachel Lan."
Future Ethan Zhang's voice came from behind me. I nodded. This feeling was unprecedented—in the past, I couldn't control my consciousness in dreams, but now I was clearly aware it was a dream and could move freely. I went over and sat beside Sylvia.
"Come on, eat with me!"
As soon as I sat down, Sylvia grinned and said this. I hummed in agreement and started eating with her. The dream felt incredibly real—the street was bustling with people, and a full moon hung in the sky, the stars dazzling above.
Unlike the black curtain of sky I saw before in the land of darkness, now I could see all kinds of people clearly. Some faces I even recognized. As soon as I put the food in my mouth, my eyes widened.
"It's delicious, right? I marinated it myself afterward."
I smiled and nodded. Just then, I sensed a presence on the street, and when I turned, I saw Seven standing among the crowd, wearing a floral mask and staring at us motionlessly. Sylvia snorted coldly.
"I've already helped you dream. Go away, don't come in."
Sylvia spoke icily, glancing sideways at Seven in the crowd. I put my hand on Sylvia's shoulder. Seven lowered his head, sadness flickering in his eyes, and turned to leave. I quickly got up and caught up to him.
"Come eat with us."
"No, thank you."
Seven glanced at me nervously, looking shy. I reached out to remove his mask, but Seven stopped me, bowing his head timidly. Ignoring Sylvia's pout, I pulled Seven over to the table.
"Sylvia..."
Seven had just spoken when Sylvia turned her head and replied.
"Don't act so familiar."
"Sylvia, why are you..."
Before I could finish, Seven shook his head at me.
"What I hate most are weaklings. You have no idea—ever since I was little, this guy would cry in my dreams all the time. In a world like that, what does having a body even matter? I'd rather stay in the dream realm!"
Sylvia spoke. I smiled and shook my head helplessly, deciding not to try persuading her further. Gradually, Seven's emotions stabilized, and he glanced at me now and then.
"Seven, you know what's going to happen next, right?"
I asked. Seven nodded.
"Sorry. It's because of me."
I placed a hand on Seven's forehead.
"It's alright. If I survive, I'll still try to help you. I believe Ethan Justice feels the same—didn't he give you half his instinct without hesitation?"
Seven hummed in response. Sylvia kept eating in big mouthfuls. Gradually, everything calmed down. Seven took off his mask and started eating too. Looking at him and Sylvia, they were almost identical—except Seven's features were softer.
I quietly watched the brother and sister. It seemed they'd known each other for a long time. Even in the dream world, maybe Sylvia just hated Seven's timidity, not anything else about him.
Suddenly, I felt a jolt and snapped awake. Sylvia was drooling on me, fast asleep. I swallowed, and thinking of the food from the dream, I felt hungry. Future Ethan Zhang stared at me coldly.
"What's wrong?"
"It's about to begin. Wake Sylvia up and have her protect you."
I hummed in response and gently patted Sylvia's cheek.
"I want to eat more. I'm not done yet."
Sylvia rubbed her tired eyes, still half asleep. At that moment, I saw the orange wax on Seven's body had disappeared, replaced by a mass of black blood wrapped in white light. The blood floated in the air, and I felt a chill. Sylvia instantly woke up, her silver hair trembling slightly as I sensed a wave of warmth.
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"Dad, let me try. How about it?"
Future Ethan Zhang glanced back, then shook his head.
"This isn't a game."
But soon, Past Ethan Justice started laughing.
"Let her try. As I suspected, the Wraithlord's corpse, which died in this shattered unreal realm, is gathering on this child's body. Especially now that his blood is guiding it, these scattered flesh and powers have found their coordinates."
I looked at Seven's body—it had grown much sturdier, but he still showed no sign of consciousness. Gradually, Seven's body slowly stood up. The black blood was being absorbed into him bit by bit, and I felt a faint tremor.
Seven's body floated into the air, streams of colored energy visibly pouring into him from all around. Future Ethan Zhang looked grave. Sylvia stood up and started warming up, grinning as she drew a slender, silvery-white sword and slung a gun with azure-blue patterns at her waist.
"Young lady, that's a very special weapon."
"Prayer and Dawn Set."
Sylvia announced the names of her sword and gun, her eyes flashing with a silvery brilliance like fire. Her body slowly floated upward as well.
"Young lady, don't push yourself too hard. If you can't handle it, I'll step in right away."
Past Ethan Justice spoke, while Future Ethan Zhang glared at him angrily.
"This isn't a game. If..."
Past Ethan Justice immediately placed a hand on Future Ethan Zhang's shoulder.
"Enough. She's your daughter. At least give her some confidence—you're her father, after all."
Sylvia stared fixedly at Seven. Suddenly, Seven opened his eyes, and cracks began to form on his floral mask. His blood-red eyes glared at us.
"Do you really think you can kill me again, Ethan Justice?"
A strange, forceful voice came from Seven's mouth, rumbling continuously. Gradually, Seven's body began to swell. With a crisp cracking sound, the mask shattered completely. I was stunned. Seven's cheeks writhed like mud, slowly changing—his features became sculpted, and his icy eyes stared at us.
"Wraithlord, old man, your opponent is me."
Sylvia's clear voice rang out. At that moment, more and more power began to gather toward the Wraithlord's body. He laughed heartily, as if reborn.
"As expected, his consciousness has returned."
As Past Ethan Justice spoke, the Wraithlord suddenly drifted far away. Sylvia immediately chased after him, and the Wraithlord stopped, continuing to laugh loudly.
"I've waited in this illusion for so many years. Humans are still as foolish as ever. Your plan is to let me gather my flesh, then destroy it again so I can't reassemble it, and sever this boy's soul from his body to delay my resurrection. But you're a bit naive—have you both forgotten how terrifying I am?"
Past Ethan Justice smiled and replied.
"You were indeed terrifying before. But do you know how many years I've lived since you died—and so has this person beside me?"
As Past Ethan Justice spoke, Future Ethan Zhang suddenly moved to Sylvia's side.
"Take the instinct for slaughter with you."
As he spoke, a stream of blood-red particles surged into Sylvia's body. She looked at Future Ethan Zhang with dissatisfaction.
"You treat me like a child all day long. I'm grown up now, you jerk dad."