Chapter 396 Dream Begins and Ends 2

I stepped into the entrance to the fifteenth-floor basement, just as I had done before, and then moved down the stone steps, letting the surrounding floor go over my head.

Soon, I reached the bottom. Looking back, the stone steps behind me and the entrance above had vanished without my noticing; I couldn't pinpoint the exact moment they disappeared. This was a dream, an ambiguous place, so such things weren't surprising. I simply continued to move my gaze, surveying my surroundings.

Unlike a real 15th-floor basement, this dreamlike 15th-floor basement cannot be called a room; it is merely an endless, dark, and mysterious space. There are no furnishings or lights, yet one can inexplicably see one's own body clearly, as well as the bodies of others.

Deep within the dark space, I saw a little boy in a primary school uniform, sitting on the ground with his knees drawn up to his chest. Or should I say "ground"? Although the ground was invisible in this dark space, there was definitely a feeling of solid ground beneath my feet. The little boy opposite me—Xiao Chang'an—was sitting in the same way.

Just like when I invaded Silver Moon's spiritual world last time, I saw this incarnation of Silver Moon, disguised as Little Chang'an, once again.

The last time the incarnation of Silver Moon appeared in the spiritual world as Little Chang'an, it was because the Silver Moon part of its soul had been severely damaged by my flames; and this time, although the incarnation of Silver Moon had clearly recovered initially, it still appeared as Little Chang'an. Sure enough, the previous resurrection ritual must have caused a huge loss to Silver Moon's self-awareness.

As for the specific extent of the damage, and whether it will be based primarily on Chang'an's own assessment, I am not sure at the moment.

I first tentatively called out, "Chang'an."

“I am Silver Moon.” Little Chang’an buried her face in her knees. “I told you before, didn’t I? Chang’an is just a dream I had, a mere bubble… What are you doing here?”

“Of course I’m here to save you,” I said. “At the same time, I’m also here to kill you, Silvermoon.”

"You really won't listen to reason. How are you any different from Ying Lingyun?" Xiao Chang'an said.

“Ying Lingyun…” I thought about what had happened before, “The one who just revived was the real Silver Moon, right?”

“That’s right,” said Xiao Chang’an.

"But why would Ying Lingyun deny the existence of Silver Moon?" I asked.

“Didn’t you already figure out the answer? What Ying Lingyun wants to resurrect is the version of me that exists in his beautiful memories,” Xiao Chang’an said. “He is destined not to be able to fully realize his wish. Because humans always beautify their memories, adding unnecessary value to things as they are, calling it ‘meaning’.”

"However, that is merely an illusion existing in the human mind. The more meaning we attach to things, the further they deviate from their true nature."

"How many years has it been since he last saw me? And during that long period of time, how much meaning did he attach to those memories of the past? Perhaps from a certain point onward, what was engraved in his heart was no longer the real me, but a beautiful illusion that pales in comparison to the real me."

"In the end, did he ever really understand the real me? Did he love the real me, or just the me he imagined?"

Xiao Chang'an seemed to have seen through everything from the very beginning.

Strangely enough, the things that the incarnation of Silver Moon could see through, the real Silver Moon that was resurrected did not seem to see through, and was instead greatly surprised by Ying Lingyun's change of heart.

This may also be the difference in personality between the manifested Silver Moon and the true Silver Moon. The manifested Silver Moon has the experience of living as Chang'an—as a human being, while the true Silver Moon is a complete demon. The true Silver Moon, who has not lived as a purely human being, cannot understand the ever-changing human heart, and naturally cannot see the enormous illusion lurking in Ying Lingyun's heart.

"Chang'an made the same mistake. He thought he understood you, but the real you was completely different from what he imagined."

Xiao Chang'an slowly raised his head, looked at me expressionlessly, and said, "You have superpowers, so from the beginning you have firmly believed in the existence of strange things. This is completely opposite to Chang'an, who once wanted to prove the existence of strange things but eventually gave up in despair. Chang'an, however, regarded you as a more powerful version of himself. He was really delusional, and now he has only himself to blame for his disillusionment."

“You’re the same, Acheng. Don’t make me say it so many times, it’s time to give up on Chang’an. He’s nothing but an illusion created by Yinyue, just a castle in the air.”

"So what?" I said. "You are the embodiment of the Silver Moon, possessing the power to manipulate reality as fantasy, and to turn fantasy into reality. So, stop spouting these meaningless words like illusion and reality in front of me."

"Although you say that Chang'an is just a dream you have, there is never anything absolute in the spiritual world. Aren't you also a nightmare that Chang'an has been having?"

"Besides, so what if Chang'an is disillusioned with me? Chang'an and I have been friends for so long. His perception of me is not always based on fantasy. He has also seen more of my true self through close contact. It is inevitable that people will have some unrequited feelings in their interactions. Disillusionment and being moved are normal."

"I only have one question for you, Silver Moon, did you enjoy the dream of 'Chang'an'?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chang'an fell silent for a moment.

"...How could I be happy?" he said. "My father doesn't care about me at all; he only uses me as a living sacrifice to resurrect his lover. My grandfather despises me and has no feelings for me whatsoever; he only raises me as a weapon and shield to protect the family. Hisayuki must be cursing me in her heart too; it's all because of me that she has to shoulder the responsibility of protecting the family and step into the dangerous and bloody world of demon hunters..."

"Looking back, my life is nothing but disappointment, failure, and the shame of powerlessness... such a nightmare..."

I continued, "But... there must have been happy times too."

"..." Xiao Chang'an looked at me silently.

The stone collar appeared in my hand. It was a sealing item I obtained after killing the Ancient Moon God. It could seal the Silver Moon, which had the same properties as the Ancient Moon God. It has now been repaired by Asahi to be usable.

Holding the stone necklace, I said to Xiao Chang'an, "Yinyue... no, Chang'an, this time I will make the request to become your friend."

"Wait...would a normal person take out their collar before making friends with someone?" Xiao Chang'an complained. "All the reasoning and seemingly touching words you just said have been wasted by this action of yours. Don't you know that? You said that it's normal for interpersonal relationships to be sometimes disillusioned and sometimes touching, but what you did just shocked me."

"I'm sorry, although I said it was a request, your and Chang'an's opinions are irrelevant. Whether you agree or refuse today, you must continue to be my friends, and you must wear this stone collar around your neck." I walked towards Xiao Chang'an step by step.

Xiao Chang'an hurriedly released his arms from his knees, scrambled to his feet, and then, as if remembering something, smiled and said, "I almost forgot, this dark area is the mental space formed by Chang'an's inner conflict. It symbolizes his fear of the fifteenth-floor underground space, as well as his regret and shame at finally encountering the strange events that he longed for, but ultimately daring not to step into them..."

“Unless he can overcome his fear of this place himself, you can’t get him out of here. And as long as I’m here, his self-awareness can’t rise, let alone overcome any fear.”

"Is this all the obstacle you've encountered?" I nodded. "That's simple."

As I spoke, I gestured to my surroundings, and instantly a sea of ​​fire erupted, dispelling all darkness and revealing a space about two-thirds the size of a classroom. The surrounding area consisted of unfinished concrete walls without doors or windows, and desolate, empty gray shelves resembling those of a run-down convenience store…

This is exactly what the basement on the fifteenth floor should look like.

“How is that possible?” Xiao Chang’an was stunned. “Even if you have a replica of the moon in the water, you don’t have the technology to manipulate dreams. You can’t just conjure up this scene out of thin air to alter the space formed by Chang’an’s inner turmoil.”

“Unless this isn’t just a figment of your imagination, but rather you… no, that’s impossible… could it be…”

He seemed to be thinking about something, and his expression kept changing.

“I don’t think I’ve told you this yet. Although Chang’an didn’t dare to go into the fifteenth-floor basement, I secretly went in. I know exactly what it looks like inside,” I said. “And through my previous experience in Dr. Silver Mask’s independent reality space, I also learned something.”

"When a new person enters a dream, this new person will also become the dreamer who supports the dream. Their spirit will become the material that fills the dream. In fact, as long as the spirit is strong enough, it can even influence some of the dream's settings."

"The flow of time in this dream is synchronized with the speed of my consciousness, which is proof of that. And since I have memories of the scene in the basement on the fifteenth floor, but you don't, then my memories can certainly become the material here, filling this unsightly darkness."

I approached Xiao Chang'an, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him, who was in a daze, to my side.

"Does this place scare you?" I said. "I'm here to save you."

"How...how did you know?" He looked completely bewildered.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He said, bewildered, "That must have been your first time encountering strange events. How did you know you could come back after you went down there...?"

"I don't know," I said.

He muttered blankly, "You don't know..."

The stone steps leading out of the fifteenth-floor basement had appeared in the distance at some point.

I took Xiao Chang'an's wrist and led her back up, then pushed open the wooden cover above us, and we returned to the living room on the fifteenth floor.

Xiao Chang'an looked around in disbelief and said, "We actually... just got out like this..."

“The secret lies in the English letters on the carpet,” I said. “After entering the fifteenth-floor basement, the entrance and stairs will disappear, and the basement will become an alternate dimension from which you cannot leave by any means. However, as long as you draw the English letters on the carpet on the ceiling in the position corresponding to the entrance, you can complete the missing lines of the magic circle on the living room floor.”

"It took me a long time to finally solve this puzzle, but now I'm telling you the answer directly. How about that? Are you no longer scared?"

After listening, Xiao Chang'an remained silent for a long time, then nodded: "...Yes, I'm not scared anymore."

After saying that, he let out a long breath, as if he had let go of something.

Then, he smiled with relief.

“Ah Cheng…you really are amazing,” he said.

As soon as the words were spoken, the dream seemed to signal its end, releasing an illusory light.

(End of this chapter)