Chapter 999: Too Perfect a Balance
Aiwass felt as if his consciousness was gradually sinking into the warm sea.
A kind of water wave like a hot spring was pushing and shaking his body.
The feeling was similar to that of the Full Moon Ceremony, yet different. The strange, enveloping warmth was more distinct and drowsy. And the depth of his "dive" wasn't that great—he only lost consciousness briefly for a moment before regaining consciousness quickly.
When Aiwass woke up, he looked around.
He immediately realized the biggest difference between this ordinary dream and the dream world promotion ceremony—
This seems to be a junior high school, and theoretically it should be a girls' school.
The students all wore black uniforms—black skirts similar to nun's uniforms, but more aesthetically pleasing. Aiwass looked at this uniform, which looked like a modified version of a nun's uniform, and felt that it slightly resembled a black and white maid outfit.
Judging from their body shapes, these students are mostly only thirteen or fourteen years old.
The reason I say "basically" is because some of them clearly look older, around seventeen or eighteen years old; a few appear to be in their twenties, like college students, and their physiques are much taller than the others. This is probably because the dreamer's impression of them is stuck in different age groups.
Yes, “they” - although the school uniform and campus look like those of a girls’ school, there are inexplicably some male students there.
Some students' faces are completely blurred, as if many faces have been merged together. It feels like the image quality isn't very clear, and even their features are gradually changing. If you don't look closely, it looks like they don't exist.
——Just like some people have 4K resolution, while others have less than 1080P resolution.
Mia, the dream's owner, had a much lower clarity of vision—nearly the lowest among the crowd, aside from the Stitchers. She looked to be around twenty, completely different from the students here. Her face seemed shrouded in a mist, her features constantly shifting and changing… That feeling inexplicably gave off a chilling sense of terror.
The tables here are for two people.
Next to her sat a much younger Yasen.
This "Yasen" looked to be in his late teens, early twenties at most, even younger than Mia. His face, though a bit childish, was handsome and confident.
He was different from everyone else. He wasn't wearing a school uniform, but a tuxedo like a band conductor. He looked like he was about to attend a banquet, with stars shining in his eyes.
This "young Arsene" looks completely different from the calm and elegant Arsene outside.
He stared at Mia intently, his face adorned with an obsession that was evident—or, to be more polite, a smirk. He even slipped his hand under her skirt. Mia blushed and gently slapped his hand, but it wasn't resistance so much as anticipation.
The teacher on the stage was giving a rather hypnotic lecture, apparently on some kind of modern and contemporary literary theory. But the nun teacher, who looked to be in her thirties or forties, with her heavily reflective round-framed glasses and a rather nerdy demeanor, was blind and didn't notice their little movements at all.
And only about half of the students in the classroom were listening to the lecture.
Some of the others were whispering with their deskmates, while others were sleeping peacefully. One girl, in very high definition, had pulled out a notebook and was concentrating on drawing. Another pair, also in very high definition, who looked like a couple, sat by the window, the golden sunlight streaming down them. The girl with short hair slipped her hand through the sleeve of the girl next to her into her bosom, while the girl with long hair collapsed directly into the short-haired girl's arms.
Obviously, these students with high clarity are Mia's familiar and impressive friends or classmates.
——As for the teacher on the stage, she still didn’t see all this and was still standing still and reading the textbook.
“…I really miss it.”
Aiwass suddenly heard his deskmate say, "I never thought that one day I would be able to see myself in my youth."
He turned around and looked at Yasen, who looked to be in his forties but was wearing a junior high school uniform.
Iverson was suddenly a little overwhelmed - when Yassen wore that formal suit, he looked like an elegant and dangerous thug in a suit. But now that he changed into a junior high school nun's skirt... he felt like a pervert.
……etc?
When he thought of this, he was suddenly stunned.
He lowered his head and looked at himself.
——Haha, it turns out I’m wearing it too, so it’s okay.
"When you were young?"
Aiwass tried not to look at Yassen, who was in her forties and wearing a black dress. Instead, she turned to look at the pleasant young couple by the window and asked casually, "Weren't you a sailor and a loader when you were young?"
"It's already after that."
Yasen said with nostalgia: "When I was a sailor, the ship I was on encountered a shipwreck and collided with a huge sea monster.
"Including me, only three people survived on the entire ship. Before his death, the captain gave me his personal belongings... It was a tantra called 'The Secret Sutra of Stealing Heaven'.
“That book is where I started my journey to transcendence.”
"...Are you the successor?"
Aiwass was a little surprised: "That's quite rare."
Although professionals can also read secret books and learn skills, and inheritors can become professionals by learning extraordinary skills at a low level... but it is obvious that Yasen does not have a "mentor".
"Yes, I am the inheritor."
Yasen said frankly.
“Devotion and adaptation?”
Aiwass asked.
"No," Yassen objected. "I have no connection to the path of adaptation. My path is one of devotion, balance, and beauty."
“…Three Paths Tantra?!”
Aiwass was surprised.
The inheritance of the three paths - this means it is extremely dangerous.
The dual paths are basically the limit of human beings, because if even one more path is added, the result of the path deviation will become extremely serious.
The principle is simple—just like "three points define a circle." If two of the points are defined as paths, then both points must lie on the circle. This circle can then go up or down, left or right, large or small—it's actually quite flexible.
But if three paths are determined, it means there is no way out.
From then on, any wavering in one's path would lead to the collapse of the "circle", causing the loss of extraordinary power, or even losing control and turning into a twisted phantom demon.
"It's actually not that bad," Yassen was the one comforting Aiwass. "The sacred number of the Path of Devotion is three. A triangle is extremely stable, and this happens to be the number of three paths. The Path of Balance and the Path of Beauty both emphasize mirroring and balance. These three paths are basically the most compatible and stable. Look, haven't I been balancing the power of the paths until now?"
"...So that's when you became a Phantom Thief?"
Aiwass asked in a low voice: "You showed your face? I remember you had the ability to disguise yourself... but you hadn't learned it yet at that time?"
“I’ve been able to do it since the beginning.”
Yasen shook his head and said frankly, "It's just that I feel that if I believe I'm right, I shouldn't hide my identity. Just like if the reason for killing someone is revenge for a friend, then you shouldn't hide the evidence or the crime. I give all my stolen goods to the poor, and I'm proud of it - why should I hide my identity?"
This middle-aged man with a vicissitudes of life who wears a skirt calmly is undoubtedly a respectable pervert.
He said seriously, "Furthermore, I believe...when anyone embarks on a path of crime for any reason, no matter how they explain or argue, they cannot deny that they are embracing sin itself. Doing the right thing and walking the path of sin are not contradictory. Just revenge is also revenge, but it is also sinful murder. And I walk between the two, just as I balance the 'hourglass' and the 'twin mirrors.'
"Based on this belief, any alteration or disguise on my face would imply 'I'm running away from sin,' a sign of cowardice. It could even potentially shift the blame onto innocent people. Therefore, when I first took on the Phantom Thief job, I abandoned my original identity and life—I simply used my true face and real name to commit theft.
"But even so, they can't catch me. I can disguise myself as someone else to evade capture—but I won't steal in the form of someone else. Or rather... after the theft is complete, I'll reveal my true form and put the blame on myself, not the other person I transformed into."
As he spoke, Yasin looked over there. "My real face appeared in many newspapers at the time because I had been interviewed. The Iris police were extremely angry about this provocation and didn't believe I would distribute the money to ordinary people as I had promised. The name 'Phantom Thief' was also spread around at that time... She would become one of my lovers, probably because she read that newspaper when she was a child.
"But... a thief is still a thief. No matter how righteous my excuses are, they can't hide the fact that I'm a thief. So I never consider myself a 'savior of the poor' or a 'punisher of justice.' Ultimately, I'm hurting others, even if their crimes are unforgivable—so even if I'm arrested or killed one day, I deserve it."
“…A remarkable realization.”
Aiwass turned around and looked at Yassen.
There was a hint of appreciation in his tone: "I think I know why you became Sherlock's friend."
"It is truly an honor to be praised so highly by His Holiness the Pope."
Yasen nodded gently and said, "However, Your Majesty—now that you have entered the dream world, why don't you remove your disguise?"
"Why do you think I became a child of the moon?"
Aiwass stopped acting altogether and spoke directly and frankly.
"I think it's probably to give others face. If I appeared at Iris as the Pope, no matter what I did, it would appear that I was overbearing... Even if no one dared to abuse this power, you might find it embarrassing."
Obviously... as a fellow devotee, Yasin could understand Aiwass, just as Aiwass could understand Yasin.
"That's part of the reason."
Aiwass nodded. "Another part of the reason is that this body of mine is a mask given by the Twin Mirror. It does possess the power of the Moon Child... This allows us to deal with more situations. After all, in the dream world, anything is possible...
"—Speaking of which, do you know how to enter the dream world?"
“…I know a little.”
Yasen hesitated and said, "Ride the 'unmanned ship with white sails' on the seashore in the dream... But Mia didn't dream of the seashore. Another method is to jump off the cliff. But I'm not sure if this will work... After all, we entered in the flesh, and it would be bad if we accidentally fell to our death or fell into the void. Do you have any suggestions?"
"Of course," Aiwass nodded, "Come with me."
The update is complete, I will just take a break today!
I have been taking the tranquilizing and brain-tonifying liquid for five days, and I feel very good. Yesterday, my sleep time returned to seven hours, and I no longer have to wake up at night or have palpitations. Today, my head doesn’t feel mushy anymore!
I feel like my body is recovering, and I should be able to resume my double updates tomorrow!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
