"So it really is like this?" I muttered, and Crimson King nodded.
"Just as you thought, Ethan Zhang, Dreamborn and Dream Wraiths can transform into each other. However, this dream world is about to meet its end."
As Crimson King spoke, he raised his hand, and Nolan and his father floated up together.
"What are you doing?"
"No need to worry, Ethan Zhang. I'm just sending them back to where they belong."
As he spoke, I watched Nolan and his father gradually fade away in midair. I stared in astonishment as a large space opened up in the woods. I stood up, and then Crimson King stretched out his hand, gesturing for me to climb up. I stepped onto his arm, and he lifted me onto his back.
"Where are you taking me?"
I asked, and Crimson King smiled.
"Only someone with Instinct, Ethan Zhang, can restore this world on the brink of destruction."
I stared at Crimson King in astonishment as he dashed through the woods.
"What exactly do you need me to do?"
"Your Instinct is a little special, Ethan Zhang."
We went deeper and deeper into the woods. I had no idea how long we had been walking when, gradually, I saw something ahead—something multicolored, glowing. As we got closer, my jaw dropped in astonishment.
A massive fissure, stretching as far as the eye could see, filled with dazzling colors. On either side—black on the left, white on the right—just like what I saw in my Instinct.
"What is that?"
Crimson King stopped in front of the enormous fissure. From a glance, it looked like a vast canyon, with the worlds on either side painted only in black and white.
"The Dream Rift, Ethan Zhang. This fissure is about to swallow the entire Dream Realm. Bit by bit, this world is disappearing."
I climbed down from Crimson King's back, staring in confusion at the place he called the Dream Rift.
"This began over seven hundred years ago, with small changes at first."
"Was it Martin Ouyang?"
I asked, and Crimson King sighed and nodded.
"What about Mona Ouyang? How is she connected to all this?"
"She is the ruler of the Dream Realm, and also the sovereign of Dreamborn and Dream Wraiths. Ever since she took control of the Dream Realm, it has been this way."
I stared at Crimson King in surprise as he began to explain.
Over seven hundred years ago, Martin Ouyang began to dream. At that time, the world had crushed the spirit of that young boy, and only in the endless expanse of dreams did Martin Ouyang feel he had found a place to belong.
I finally understood why Martin Ouyang kept dreaming—except for waking up to eat, he lived almost entirely in the Dream Realm.
Things were far more complicated than I had imagined. As for Mona Ouyang, that Ghost Sovereign, she exists as a bridge between the Dream Realm and the real world.
Yet all of this happened because Mona Ouyang, that malevolent wraith, succeeded in controlling the Dream Realm. She became its ruler, and everything within obeys her.
But at that time, Martin Ouyang still bore the burden of his family's rise and fall. He had to rely on Nathan Ouyang's care, and gradually, for the sake of the Ouyang family's prosperity, he directed Nathan Ouyang to do all sorts of things in the living world.
It was from that moment that Martin Ouyang began to have nightmares. In a person's life, sweet dreams and nightmares are equal—no one can have only good dreams forever.
"Great power is often born from illusion," said Crimson King. I thought of that shard.
"So, what exactly is the shard Nathan Ouyang holds?"
"It was born from illusion—a shard called the Endbringer."
Suddenly, my mind recalled the Endbringer. I had seen it before, in Exile Town, in that dream I entered, intending to end the existence of both humans and ghosts. It was called the Endbringer. At that moment, terror crossed my face—I remembered Ironmask. In the dream he gave me, he spoke of something called the Endbringer.
This Endbringer was born from Martin Ouyang's endless torment in nightmares. Having lost all hope in the human world, he wanted to transcend the Dream Realm and return to reality. But at one point, he was betrayed by Nathan Ouyang, who was still human.
With nowhere left to turn in the Dream Realm or the human world, Nathan Ouyang discovered the Endbringer and obtained a shard of it.
"From the moment the Endbringer Shard entered the Dream Realm, the world began to destabilize. Now, as you can see, the rift between nightmares and sweet dreams has formed—they can no longer interact or complement each other."
I nodded and looked over. Vaguely, I saw that at the boundary between black, white, and the Dream Rift, the black and white seemed to flow, but were blocked by the fissure.
In the Dream Realm, the roles of Dream Wraiths and Dreamborn aren't what I've heard. Because of the world's instability—because of the Dream Rift—Dreamborn and Dream Wraiths, once peaceful, became enemies when Nathan Ouyang brought the Endbringer Shard.
Everything became chaotic. Dream Wraiths began attacking Dreamborn, seemingly driven by the Endbringer's will. Now, there are fewer than four hundred Dreamborn left. If they all die, the Dream Realm will collapse.
"What happens if the Dream Realm collapses?" I asked. Crimson King turned to me.
"If the Dream Realm disappears, humans will never dream again for the rest of their lives."
I let out a surprised gasp—the more I heard, the stranger it all seemed.
Then Crimson King explained: Dreamborn are responsible for giving humans sweet dreams, taking something in return as the price. Dream Wraiths, on the other hand, create nightmares and slowly consume them as sustenance.
This way, humans don't become fearful because of nightmares—many nightmares are forgotten entirely. And sweet dreams, if too plentiful, won't make people arrogant.
Both nightmares and sweet dreams exist to help people cope with everyday stress or monotonous lives, providing comfort and stimulation—it's essential.
But now, everything is in chaos because of the Endbringer. I asked again.
"What about those Blue Wraiths under Mona Ouyang?"
"They serve Dream. No one knows when it started, but a rumor appeared in the Dream Realm: Nathan Ouyang holds something that could resolve Dream."
"Can the Endbringer Shard really defeat Mona Ouyang?" I asked. Crimson King nodded.
Back when Mona Ouyang was powerful, the Endbringer—just a shard—couldn't affect the Dream Realm. But now things are different. Mona Ouyang is much weaker, so she had to bring her Hundred Ghosts into the Dream Realm, deep within her domain, to balance the Endbringer.
"Because of one person—he stirred up Mona Ouyang's Hundred Ghosts."
A playful, irreverent grin flashed in my mind—Old Moe. For some reason, I always felt only Old Moe could pull this off.
"Remember this, Ethan Zhang—you must not let the last Dreamborn disappear. If that happens, the world will end. Now, Mona Ouyang's Hundred Ghosts just want to escape the Dream Realm. If they do, the balance of power will be lost, and the world will end prematurely."
"What should we do now?"
I asked anxiously.
"Listen carefully, Ethan Zhang. Find a way to get the Endbringer Shard. Your instincts can suppress it, but you must also prevent all Dreamborn from dying."
I nodded. Right now, Mona Ouyang's Hundred Ghosts want her dead and to escape, while Nathan Ouyang holds the crucial Endbringer Shard but refuses to hand it over—he just wants to stay here. He won't give it up easily. The Dream Wraiths are all obeying the will of the Endbringer, hunting the Dreamborn.
Everyone has their own agenda, but if any side succeeds, the world of dreams will come to an end.