Chapter 91: The Nightmare-Manipulating Monster
Leona and Flora weren’t surprised by Princess Givia’s first goal, but her second plan shocked them.
“You said Outer God?” Leona asked, her eyes wide with disbelief. “You mean an Outer God is tormenting you? What does he want from you?”
Flora was also concerned. “Which Outer God? We have some knowledge about them. Their power is immense. Mortals can’t fight them. Countering them is… extremely difficult. How did you attract the attention of an Outer God?”
Although Flora had witnessed Abyss subdue the Lord of Submergence in Leona’s dream realm, she wasn’t blinded by their victory.
Abyss hadn’t defeated the colossal monster through brute force, but through a clever trick. He had exploited his elevated status in his follower’s dream, forcefully raising his mortal rank to match the Lord of Submergence’s, allowing him to control the severed tendrils and turn them against their owner. He had also manipulated the Lord of Submergence into accepting a wager, securing his submission.
Abyss was a risk-taker. His plans were always audacious. If the Lord of Submergence’s rank had been higher, or if he had been slightly more intelligent, Abyss’s plan might have failed, and Leona would have had to abandon the Face of Hell for her own safety.
Flora knew that challenging an Outer God, let alone countering one, was practically impossible for a mortal.
“I initially thought my brother, Kevin, was simply pursuing me for political reasons, to secure his throne and gain time to earn the people’s trust,” Givia said, realizing that Flora and Leona had some knowledge about Outer Gods. “But subsequent events proved me wrong.”
Leona and Flora sat up straight, eager to hear Givia’s story, leaving Abyss to sleep peacefully.
“Kevin wasn’t aiming for any political ambition… He seems to be using something to create nightmares,” Givia said, frowning. “I fled the capital right after he ascended the throne. His position was still unstable, and he didn’t pursue me. I thought I would be safe for a while. But a few months later, the nightmares began.”
“These weren’t ordinary nightmares, not just illusions caused by stress. In my dreams, I encountered an indescribable, constantly shifting and monstrous creature. It was trying to consume me, and I could only run.”
“Its attacks weren’t fierce. It simply wriggled towards me, reaching for me with its morphing tendrils, its movements slow and predictable. But it appeared in every dream I had, and eventually, it got to the point where I could see its grotesque form even with my eyes closed…”
“Can you imagine the despair of having nightmares every day? And these nightmares weren’t just illusions. If that creature touched me in my dreams, my real body would be injured… Look.”
Givia extended her arm towards Leona and Flora, rolling up her sleeve. A scar, as if burned by a hot iron rod, marred her skin, an unusual sight on a princess’s arm.
“In one of my nightmares, I let it touch me, wanting to see if it was just a terrifying illusion or something more, something that could affect my mind. That’s how I got this scar,” Givia said, her voice laced with pain.
“My spirit was on the verge of breaking, and the wound wouldn’t heal. Every time I saw it, I was reminded of that monstrous creature in my dreams… It was the care and support of my people that gave me the will to live. Then, one of my veteran soldiers gave me a pendant. He said several men had died to obtain it. It had the power to soothe the mind and accelerate healing. That’s how my wound finally healed, and I no longer saw that monster every time I closed my eyes.”
Givia chuckled wryly, wiping her eyes. Her makeup smudged, revealing dark circles. Her energetic demeanor was a facade. She desperately needed rest.
But how could she rest? Sleep brought nightmares, an endless cycle of terror and escape. Reality, despite its challenges, was preferable to those dreams.
Flora looked at her with sympathy. Now she understood how her Fountain’s Draw had been lost. Givia’s loyal soldiers had risked their lives to steal it from her tomb, hoping to save their princess.
Flora also recalled that on the night she had regained consciousness, Abyss had mentioned protecting someone from the Church’s pursuit…
Could it be them?
“I researched extensively, consulted with my knowledgeable advisors, and finally reached a conclusion. Kevin is utilizing the power of a deity from another world, what people on this continent call an Outer God. His ambition isn’t limited to the throne. He might be planning something far more sinister… I have to uncover his plans and stop him from harming our people. But first, I need to find a way to counter this Outer God.”
Leona bit her lip, thinking. Several pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.
The mage with half a head, the one she had encountered, might be a servant of this Outer God… His smoky projection possessed the ability to induce sleep, perhaps a necessary condition for activating the power of the Outer God Givia described…
It explained why the smoke’s hypnotic effect was so potent. High-ranking undead were practically immune to hypnosis. Only the power of an Outer God could make Leona drowsy with just a brief exposure.
“Givia, I didn’t tell you this before because I thought you wouldn’t believe me, but the corpse I brought back, it’s not an ordinary corpse. He only had half a head, but he could chant spells and sense my location. It was very strange,” Leona said.
Flora gasped. Leona had faced such a terrifying enemy?
“A mage with only half a head?” Givia asked, surprised. “No… I haven’t encountered anything like that. What is Kevin up to? Or could it be…”
“Could it be that he has gained a deeper understanding of the Outer God’s power over time?”
“Yes… That’s a possibility…” Givia said, her voice laced with anxiety.
“I need to examine that corpse again!” Leona said, her intuition screaming at her that something was wrong. She jumped out of the wagon and rushed to the one carrying the corpse.
But the corpse was gone. On the wooden floor of the wagon, only a puddle of tar-like substance remained, emitting a pungent, fishy odor…
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