Volume 6, Chapter 50 – Overlapping Dreams

A colorless image, only black, white, and gray, slightly yellowed. Her legs felt nonexistent, with no sensation of standing on solid ground.

A dream.

Very familiar with this scene, Nola curled her lips. If nothing unexpected happened, this would soon turn into the dream she had seen countless times—her young self escaping in the fire, then being blocked by soldiers suddenly jumping out of the flames.

Truly unpleasant.

However, to Nola’s surprise, the changing yellowed image didn’t distort into a fire scene, but changed into another place familiar to Nola. Or rather, the second floor of the tavern opened by Tsukuyomi where she had stayed not long ago.

Sitting in front of her was a petite elf, slightly shorter than her, with jet-black long hair tied in twin tails. She didn’t notice Nola looking at her, but was fully focused on controlling the fireball in her hand, relaxing the restraint on the fireball bit by bit.

Not dreaming of the fire scene? Did my impression of Fia overshadow the nightmare?

Before Nola could rejoice that she finally stopped having nightmares, the fireball in Fia’s hand suddenly expanded with a poof . The wall of flames rushing toward her instantly made Nola’s skin feel scalding hot. Nola even felt her eyelashes would be ignited by the high temperature in the next second. She had seen a similar scene—when escaping from the fire, burning beams smashed down on her head and face. Intense burning pain accompanied by fear welled up in her heart, so much so that she froze on the spot for a moment, forgetting how to react.

She suddenly realized that it wasn’t her impression of Fia overshadowing the nightmare, but that when she tasted Fia’s flames in the tavern, Fia brought her a new unforgettable memory. The fireball that expanded instantly, as if to devour her, made her re-experience the panic and weakness of her childhood, so much so that she connected the surging wall of fire in front of her with the fire scene. She hadn’t escaped the nightmare; she was having a new one.

The epiphany disappeared in a flash. The scalding heat felt on her skin was desperately reminding Nola to quickly solve the wall of fire in front of her. But fear made her mind blank, not knowing what to do, only subconsciously wanting to escape.

Until Fia’s voice sounded.

“Nola, now!”

Now?

The voice woke Nola up like thunder. Her brain jolted, snapping back from fear abruptly. This wasn’t a fire scene, but a tavern in Brinkat City. She and Fia were trying the taste of magic flames. More importantly, she was no longer her past self.

Her broken train of thought reconnected. She hurriedly used the Fire Cat Tribe’s innate magic. The temperature of the wall of fire, originally arrogant and monstrous, dropped rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it lost its temperature under Nola’s magic, like a tamed evil dragon, obediently following Nola’s command and becoming Nola’s nourishment together.

Almost lost my composure.

Nola breathed a sigh of relief secretly. If Fia knew she was so scared just now that her mind went blank, Fia would definitely laugh her head off.

Even though I would never associate enemy fire magic with that encounter on a formal battlefield, I did so at a time like this. Probably because I was completely unprepared and it happened suddenly.

Nola tried to glance at Fia’s face, but the magnificent taste surging onto her taste buds instantly washed away her thoughts. Fia’s flames made her feel as if she were looking directly at the winter sun. Vast warmth wrapped her whole body. Long-lost relaxation made every cell in her body groan, and she almost couldn’t control herself from emitting a comfortable sigh. Intense drowsiness rushed to her brain; all pressure disappeared, and all fatigue hit like a tsunami at this moment. Right now, she just wanted to sleep soundly.

Sleeping like this isn’t bad—no, maybe I should take the opportunity in the dream to tell Fia that actually, her flames taste quite good…

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Just as the thought flashed through her mind, the scene before Nola changed abruptly. The dim light and warm atmosphere disappeared, replaced by a dark night filled with thick smoke.

The smell of scorching mixed with the smell of cooked flesh filled her nerves. All around were women’s cries and the sound of cracking wood. A massacre was taking place in the village, and she could only watch indifferently from a bystander’s perspective.

“Tch.”

Fell back into that nightmare of escaping in the fire again.

The relaxation felt earlier was swept away. The drop from heaven to hell made her look disappointed, then turn into resentment as she clicked her tongue heavily. This nightmare was like a ghost haunting her. Even after ten years of precipitation, there was no sign of it disappearing from her mind. Now it even rushed out suddenly when she felt good, beating her black and blue.

Just like people who have experienced famine and earthquakes must fill their refrigerators to feel at ease, the pain experienced in the past wouldn’t be annihilated with the passage of time. They were like poisonous insects lurking in the corner. Just squatting there staring at the owner could make the owner sit on pins and needles. Once the owner relaxed their vigilance, they would jump on the body and tear off a piece of flesh fiercely, making people remember their existence with pain and fear.

Even though I’ve become a Holy Son, I’m still troubled by this dream. Is it that I haven’t fully matured, or is the impression the nightmare left on me too deep to forget…

The scene full of shrill cries and begging for mercy continued. Nola saw herself searching for an exit in the fire. The young fire cat in the picture had crawled to the low wall at the edge of the village. Although raging flames were burning there, there was a gap for people to escape the village. The noise was left behind, and opposite the gap was a dark and deep forest. It seemed that as long as she crawled out, she could escape this hell of fire.

But this was just the malicious taste of the nobles’ private soldiers. They deliberately let her slip away, creating the illusion that hope was right in front of her. Hiding on both sides of the low wall, as soon as she approached, they would appear from the flames instantly, amusing themselves with her despairing expression.

Part of her fear of fire came from this. Soldiers with hideous faces and strength far exceeding hers would jump out from behind the grand flames. That cruel smile remained vivid even today. To use an analogy, it was like a person scared out of their wits always worrying someone would jump out from the other side of the corner to scare them when passing a corner. The difference was just that her degree was deeper.

How long will this boring dream last?

Nola tried hard to calm herself down, but her fists clenched uncontrollably until they turned white. She wished she could replace the young fire cat in the picture and kill these bastards who committed all kinds of evil with her own hands again. The pleasure brought by blood flashed through her mind, but this deepened her unwillingness at being unable to intervene in the dream.

Tch.

Nola clicked her tongue again. Now the self in the picture had crawled to the front of the gap, eyes full of joy at the prospect of escape. She looked away, not wanting to see her helpless and despairing eyes. She was the clan chief of the Fire Cat Tribe, the Holy Son of Cold Night; she shouldn’t show such a cowardly expression, even if it was in the past tense.

“Haha! You think you can escape?!”

Piercing laughter came from the other side of the flames. Her young self froze abruptly as if seeing a demon. Fear and dread quickly climbed into her purple cat eyes. Her legs trembled uncontrollably. While retreating, tears seeped from the corners of her eyes.

Weak fool.

Precisely because the person afraid was herself, Nola cursed like this. She understood that she wasn’t as strong then as she was now, but she still couldn’t help resenting her own loss of face.

However, just when Nola thought the plot would be like before, with soldiers jumping out from the other side of the flames following the voice, the raging flames around suddenly rose up with a roar as if oil had been poured on them. Immediately after came the panicked screams of men being burned by the fire.

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Not only that, but her self collapsed in the fire was picked up by a black figure. Accompanied by the black figure’s cold voice devoid of any emotion, the surrounding flames, as if manipulated by this girl, swept toward all the soldiers in an overwhelming, magnificent wall of fire. Fire snakes spitting tongues brought shrill wails one after another. No begging for mercy could stop the flames from devouring life; they even drilled directly into the throats of those soldiers opening their mouths to shout. In just one minute, the village was dead silent, with only the crackling of burning wood remaining.

Although it was just a dream, the joy of being saved filled Nola’s heart. She didn’t know who this black figure was, but dreams were such nonsensical existences. Now she felt like a Prince Charming riding a dragon suddenly appeared to save her when she was driven to desperation by beasts. Gratitude difficult to describe in words appeared on her face. She even had the thought of repaying this benefactor for the rest of her life.

It must be said that one shouldn’t think Nola was too simple because of this. People who hadn’t experienced being pulled up when driven to desperation would find it hard to feel the gratitude of being helped by others firsthand, let alone having their lives saved.

Is it Claire? Or my Goddess?

Maybe it was the figure, or perhaps the temperament vaguely revealed by the girl, but Nola faintly felt she had seen this girl before. This girl squatted down and picked up the young Nola. Although her arms were exceptionally slender, obviously a young girl’s arms, they still made Nola feel at ease. It seemed that as long as this girl was here, no one could harm her—a sense of security even stronger than what her parents brought her.

It wasn’t until this moment that she realized she had unknowingly switched from the bystander’s perspective to the young self in the dream. Her face full of joy, she raised her head, wanting to thank the person who might be Claire or the Goddess, telling them how much she missed them, and even wanting to see their faces clearly.

But at this moment, everything in the dream receded and whitened rapidly. Whether the dancing flames or the dead silent village, all were moving away from her quickly. She hurriedly reached out to keep them, shouting in terror, but found her throat unable to make a sound no matter what.

Then—

“Nola, Nola?”

The feeling of standing on solid ground fed back to her limbs. Nola, whose body was being shaken, gradually regained consciousness. However, the urgency to keep her benefactor in the dream still remained in her heart. The first thing she did upon opening her eyes wasn’t to look at what was happening around her, but to gasp for breath like someone who almost drowned. She thought she was still in the dream, searching around with panic in her eyes, looking for the person who saved her in the dream.

Fortunately, such a time lasted less than a second. The strong light shining into her eyes and the surrounding noise made her dazed for a moment. Then, as if waking from a dream, she finally realized she had woken up from the nightmare. Her head muddled, she held her forehead with one hand, trying hard to calm her chaotic heart.

Where is this? What happened before?

“Sleeping so soundly. Were you so excited seeing those Charm Cats crawling all over the floor last night that you didn’t sleep all night? Solving physiological problems during estrus is important, but pay attention to moderation too.”

Fia’s teasing came from the side. Nola looked over subconsciously. Normally, her focus would definitely be on Fia’s slander, but having just woken up from a nightmare, she wasn’t in the mood to argue with Fia. Her eyes slowly regained focus, finally remembering her own situation.

This was a temporary sentry post built behind the checkpoint, fully fifteen meters above the ground. Its completely wooden structure plus the fact that it only served as a lookout allowed it to be built in just one day. She was sitting on a chair in the sentry post, supervising soldiers resisting monster harassment.

In just one night, monsters rushed out of the forest again. Although the number was small and the intensity not high, with the lesson of the Crystal Golem, she couldn’t rest assured without personally sitting at the checkpoint. Who knew if a second Crystal Golem would pop out of the forest? If she weren’t there, it would invite devastating consequences.

That being said…

Nola looked strangely at the speaking Fia. The space on the sentry post was very narrow, only three or four square meters. She seemed to have fallen asleep in a lying position just now. Now only she and Fia were here. When she got up, she also rose from Fia’s direction. In other words, did she sleep on Fia’s lap in her daze just now?

Lap pillow?

Even Claire hadn’t done this before.

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Even though it looks like there’s no cushion, the lap is quite comfortable to sleep on.

No, that’s not right. The key point should be that I actually slept on the romantic rival who stole Claire. What kind of weird thing is this!

For a moment, Nola’s muscles stiffened. She wished she could pat away all of Fia’s scent from her back, but her reason didn’t allow her to do such an offensive act.

First, Fia willing to give her a lap pillow was absolutely preferential treatment. One must know, this was the Eldest Princess of the Silvar Kingdom, the next Elf Queen. The one truly offending was herself. Second, Fia did this out of kindness to let her sleep a bit more comfortably. If she responded with harsh words, she would be worse than a wild dog on the roadside. Finally, Fia always had a pleasant, soft princess scent on her. Although she had resistance toward Fia, honestly speaking, this girlish sweetness made one linger and forget to return, reluctant to pat it away. It was something she, born a commoner, didn’t have.

She showed embarrassment, blocking her face with the action of pretending to wipe the corner of her mouth, and asked in a low voice.

“How long did I sleep…”

“Just ten minutes or so.”

While answering verbally, Fia constantly wiped the shoulder closer to Nola with a handkerchief. There were faint water stains there. Nola guessed what the water stains were, but her pride made her dare not admit it. She asked carefully.

“Is this…”

“Smell it yourself and you’ll know. At first, I thought you were just tired and wanted to find a place to lean on. Turns out you slept until drool flowed onto me. You have to be responsible for washing this dress clean for me.”

It really is drool!

Nola’s cheeks turned red instantly, and her heart pounded non-stop. Indescribable shyness occupied her entire heart at once. She stood up as if her butt was on fire, stammering so much she couldn’t speak clearly.

“S-S-S-Sorry! Take off the dress, Fia. I’ll go find Tsukuyomi and the others to help me wash it clean immediately. No, I’ll wash it myself—!”

“Hey, let go! Do you want me to strip down to my underwear here? Calm down!”

Fia clutched the clothes at her shoulder tightly, while also using a [Spatial Hand] to grab Nola’s cat ears, keeping Nola away from her.

Feeling the pain, Nola finally came back to her senses. Her face, possessing exotic charm, was full of awkwardness and shame.

“T-True… but letting you wear clothes with a drool…”

“[Clean].”

A faint blue light brushed past. The water stains on Fia’s clothes disappeared as if erased and bleached. Fia sighed long and deep.

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“I let you lean on me for a while seeing that you were tired. Did you have a nightmare just now? Not only raising your eyebrows but also gritting your teeth.”

“Sort… sort of.”

Not walking out of shame because of Fia’s subject change, Nola twisted her shoulders, answering uncomfortably. Her attention was all on Fia’s shoulder. Then, she suddenly noticed Fia’s black formal dress and jet-black hair. Vaguely, Fia’s figure overlapped with the black figure in her dream. She couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.

Shouldn’t that be Claire or my Goddess?

Impossible. No matter what, it can’t be Fia.

She subconsciously denied herself, but quickly denied again.

No, thinking carefully, dreams are inherently lawless things. Fia appearing doesn’t represent anything. Moreover, the ability of that girl in the dream to manipulate flames, and that grand and magnificent wall of fire, indeed match the magic Fia displayed in front of me.

It’s just that…

Although it was just a dream and she didn’t need to really be grateful to Fia, the feeling of gratitude brought by the sense of being saved lingered in her heart for a long time. So much so that Nola’s eyes looking at Fia softened, and she couldn’t help but feel close to her.

No, overlapping the two people like this is still too arbitrary. Anyway, I didn’t see the benefactor’s face. There is no evidence that that person is Fia. I can’t acknowledge Fia just like this. Besides, confusing dreams and reality is too absurd. I’d better calm down. Mm, that’s right.

Two thoughts constantly clashed in her heart. Nola’s tail kept swinging back and forth. However, Fia didn’t know Nola’s inner struggle. She pinched Nola’s cat ears with a [Spatial Hand], then, amidst Nola’s frowning and unhappy expression, nodded her chin toward the distance.

“I didn’t wake you up for no reason. Something is coming from the Weeping Mountains.”

Just as Fia said, standing on top of the sentry post, one could see a patch of white drifting from the distant forest. At first glance, it looked like clouds, but clouds wouldn’t appear at a height close to the ground. It looked more like fog. Wherever it passed, leaves turned yellow and withered at an extremely fast speed, like moving death.

Switching to Fia’s [See Through], one could discover that there were countless ghosts roaring and coming toward Brinkat City—the Fog Demons Fia and Nola encountered when entering the Weeping Mountains earlier. Because these Fog Demons were still within the range of the Illusion Barrier, they didn’t show their true forms. But at their speed of advance, they were only a dozen seconds away from revealing their true forms.

“Fog Demons?” Nola recognized the opponent’s identity at a glance, her face darkening visibly. “Even these things ran out? Why didn’t you wake me up earlier!”

“I woke you up the moment I saw them; you were the one wasting time. Besides Fog Demons, there are other frightened monsters below. Quickly get the soldiers ready for battle. Prepare yourself too. I have to go down first and get Liti and the others back.”

“Okay!”

Without any hesitation, Nola nodded seriously and jumped off the sentry post in one step.