Chapter 445
Blade in the Dream
Eivass had been having a strange dream recently.
He stumbled through a forest of burning maple trees, their leaves like flame butterflies fluttering their wings. His whole body was covered in burn wounds, blackened by smoke. He seemed to be searching for something, or perhaps fleeing from something.
Casually looking up, he saw only a patch of dark red in the night sky, illuminated by fire. In that blackish-red night sky, there were no sun or moon, only a giant, continuously bleeding wound. It looked like a wound pierced by a sharp blade, or perhaps a spear. Thick, black blood dripped from the wound, forming a sparse waterfall.
For some reason, Eivass in the dream felt compelled to approach the waterfall beneath the wound, despite his burns. But each time, he couldn’t reach it. As he drew closer, he would stumble and fall from exhaustion. Then he would suddenly wake up, the vivid dream fading into momentary panic and melancholy, leaving only vague memories.
This time, however, perhaps because Eivass had taken “Drunken Dream T” before sleeping, his dream became more stable. He walked for a very, very long time and finally reached the bottom of the wound. It was a small, open clearing in the dense forest. The blood flowing from the wound in the sky collected into a vast lake, and in the lake was a small island. On the desolate island stood a single two-handed sword, stained pitch-black by the thick, waterfall-like blood.
Eivass stared intently at the two-handed sword. He approached it in a daze. But just then, he suddenly heard a bear’s low growl from behind him.
“Roar—”
Eivass’s pupils constricted sharply. He turned his head, but his perspective suddenly dropped drastically. It was as if he were no longer human, but a weak, four-legged little beast. And in the burning maple forest behind him, a giant bear, engulfed in flames with scarlet pupils, was slowly approaching him. As it drew nearer, with its heavy footsteps, Eivass felt the ground around him shake more intensely. The entire world shattered and collapsed, with ever-growing flames soaring into the sky. More and more black blood surged from behind Eivass, forming white foam, gradually submerging him.
The moment Eivass met the giant bear’s gaze, he saw a human-like smile on its face.
“—Whoever wields the blade shall perish by the blade.”
A low voice echoed in Eivass’s mind. This sentence was clearly etched into Eivass’s heart like a carving, and it was as painful as a burn mark from fire. Then, an intense fear overwhelmed Eivass. He suddenly opened his eyes, breaking free from the dream.
“…Bear Heavenly Envoy?”
While the memory was still fresh, Eivass blurted out. But Eivass soon realized that he could never forget that moment—because he felt his chest was somewhat wet and itchy. When he reached out to touch it, he felt pain. It was a prickling pain, like an insect bite.
Eivass unbuttoned his clothes and found three fresh scratches on his chest. They looked like three knife wounds, or traces left by a bear’s claws tearing through flesh and blood. Blood had just stained Eivass’s white Fox Down Pajamas, not even soaking through—it was clear he had only been injured recently. The wound appeared on Eivass’s chest as he woke up, or rather, he had woken up suddenly because of this wound.
“Lily.”
Eivass sat on the bed and called out softly. Just two seconds later, Lily emerged barefoot and silently from the servant’s room next door. The soft red carpet made no sound. She looked searchingly at the wound on Eivass’s chest, her expression suddenly becoming solemn and nervous. Lily immediately lit a candle and handed it to Eivass. Eivass grasped the flame and closed his eyes, praying devoutly. The room, previously illuminated by the candlelight, suddenly grew dark again, the flame in Eivass’s hand trembling violently. The candlelight distorted into demonic shapes through Eivass’s shadow.
In Lily’s eyes, the wound on Eivass’s chest was healing at a visible rate. But soon, Lily’s eyes widened—the “Fire Worship” technique, capable of healing almost any injury, seemed to have suddenly failed… The wound on Eivass’s chest only stopped bleeding. It did not fully heal, but scabbed over, forming an amber-like residue. However, if he pulled on it with force, it would bleed again. Eivass could clearly feel this as well.
At this moment, a notification appeared before Eivass’s eyes.
[You have obtained the Trait: Authority – Imprint One]
[Authority – Imprint One: The Bear Heavenly Envoy swung his future claw, declaring he would end your life with such a blow. This is the first imprint, its number cannot be seven—]
[Your chest will always be considered a “weakness,” regardless of whether you take effective measures to protect it; you will always be detected and hunted by the Bear Heavenly Envoy and his Discs; when you fight the target hunting you, this fight will always be considered a “duel”]
…It’s a hunting ritual by the Bear Heavenly Envoy.
Eivass actually relaxed and opened his eyes, releasing the hand that held the candle flame. The light in the room stabilized again.
“What’s wrong, Eivass?” Lily asked anxiously in a low voice. “Did something happen?”
“It’s not a big problem,” Eivass replied easily. He chuckled and pointed to the wound on his chest, “This is an imprint the Bear Heavenly Envoy left on me. He swore to kill me with such a fierce blow.”
—To tear open my chest with a ferocious claw strike! If his attack had truly landed, all that would be left on Eivass’s chest would not be this shallow wound. Therefore, this dream was merely a routine warning of a hunt. Eivass had repeatedly woken up from dreams before precisely because, even in his dreams, he instinctively sensed the danger… But before he formally accepted this warning, the nightmare would forever cling to him, preventing him from resting normally or entering dreams for Ascension. Eivass had vaguely guessed this, which was why he used Drunken Dream T to stabilize the dream and accept this challenge.
Clearly, the Bear Heavenly Envoy was pleased with Eivass’s choice. He even smiled! The imprint left by the Bear Heavenly Envoy was like the dashed line on a “cut along the dotted line” instruction, pre-determining Eivass’s death, even choosing the manner of his death… and pre-determining the final blow of the future. It was as if he never considered the possibility of failure, nor harbored the utilitarian thought of “as long as I kill them, it’s enough.”
“This is the way the Pillar God of the former Path of Power, ‘Supreme Heaven,’ operated…” Eivass mused. “The stronger becomes the strong, and the actions of the strong need no hesitation, no regret, no second thought. When victory is achieved, the strong shall obtain and dominate all of the weak…” This was the fundamental law of the world before the birth of “Authority.” The former Supreme Heaven had long since died and was resurrected in the Dream Realm. He had ascended again to become the Bear Heavenly Envoy, possessing a new constellation.
The imprint left by the Bear Heavenly Envoy on Eivass’s chest allowed his followers and Discs to easily locate Eivass, like a signal flare on prey, revealing its direction no matter how it fled. After all, he was a Heavenly Envoy and could not easily descend to the Material Realm. Thus, he needed his Discs to act on his behalf, hunting Eivass in the Material Realm.
However, Eivass relaxed upon receiving the imprint from the Bear Heavenly Envoy. Because this also meant something else—since you’ve marked me… does that mean you can’t kill me directly right now?
