After seeing Benladann's innocent and cute dream, I decided to leave her sleep for some time, as I tried to pull back my consciousness.
But then, I met a certain somebody, the called "Miranda" who is supposedly the ego of the Mold itself.
I told it the truth about her existence, and that she was a fabrication of Benladann's Unique Skill and not the actual Mold brought to this world, but some sort of magic.
She took it seemingly well, but I believe she might have gotten more affected.
I decided to leave her after we ended discussing and the conversation was just getting pointless, I didn't want to damage her for the moment, and if she were to get me angrier, I might have done it in a heartbeat… But that's why I left.
However…
Instead of going back to the outside world, to my body…
I ended elsewhere.
And this place was definitely not Benladann's soul!
What is this place?!
I glanced around my surroundings, to find a place of darkness.
However, as I continued to glance around and walk through it, I found pink-colored mist and the presence of someone else…
Someone watching me through this pink mist.
"Another Dream Walker?" said the voice of a mysterious figure behind me…
What is this? Where am I? And who is this?
I quickly turn over to glance at the voice, but I don't find anything…
"Hm. I see… You're not ready yet? Or is it…? Ah… Fafnir, is it? Hmm… A Dragon…"
The voice continued to speak as it moved around the mist, I tried to catch up to it, but I could not.
I also couldn't identify the voice's gender or age because it sounded strange, as if distorted.
"I am amazed that your soul hasn't been consumed yet. Despite its low level of cultivation, it seems that there are several powers attached to it. You're an odd one, aren't you?"
"Who are you? How did you find me? What do you want?!" I roared, trying to look for the voice, as I dived into the sea of pink mist, but there was only that and darkness…
The voice answered as it began to laugh.
"Fufu, I am just a playful little fox… I can't believe that you have not realized where you've stepped into…" she said, her voice suddenly turned feminine, like that of a girl around her teens.
Playful little fox? I don't realize where I have stepped into?
Those are not really good clues, you know?!
"A girl… And what do you mean? Can't you answer any of my questions?" I asked.
"Hm, but it is no fun if I just give you all the answers to your questions, right, little dragon~?"
Flash!
Suddenly, within the pink mist, someone emerged…
It resembled a… little girl. Her eyes were bright purple, her hair long and pink, and she had two fluffy fox-like ears atop her head, alongside several fluffy fox-like tails behind her. She was wearing… something that resembled a kimono, clearly not of this world.
Who is she?
Wait…
Dreams… a Fox girl that might be a beast-woman…
Is this? No way… Why from all people and things… I get to see…
"You're… Dream-Seeking Fox Demon Venerable!" I said, I was shocked.
The little girl begins to chuckle cutely.
"Fufu, I guess you realized faster than I thought. You're interesting…" she said.
"Wait, but aren't you dead?" I asked.
"My body might be gone, my soul might be gone, but my thoughts, my emotions, my will… it remains within my dreams, the dreams all across the world, I brought the dreams here, and I control them even after death. I have not seen someone capable of entering other people's dreams in a long time. It is a power that not many develop naturally," she said.
SHE'S REALLY HER!
W h a t ? !
I am already meeting a Venerable and I am not even 100 days old!
"This… I don't know what to say… I just developed my abilities, and I was just able to do it," I said.
The fox girl walks towards me as she looks over my body. I am in my dragon form, so I am naturally taller than her little girl figure.
"Hmm~ You have talent, yes… Let me give you a clue of what this place is…" she said, walking around the pink mist.
"A clue?" I asked.
"Long, long ago… When I was about to die, I thought "hey, why not leave all my legacy within dreams? This way, no one who is not capable of entering dreams will never reach it, and only those worthy will be able to find it…", or so I thought… Well, my real body and soul thought that. I am but a mere residual will of my former self…" she said.
"Your legacy… Draugann spoke about something like that… When Cultivators or Immortal Cultivators are close to their death, they leave inheritances that contain all of their life's efforts and treasures, for someone worthy to find them and continue their legacy…" I said.
"Bingo! You're very intelligent for being a little dragon… This is, as you thought, my Inheritance!" laughed the fox girl.
No… fucking… way…
It seems that out of nowhere, I was brought into the inheritance of the Venerable of Dreams…
Wait, will I be trapped here forever until I solve this?
"Can't I come back later? Am I trapped here? And how did I even reached this place?"
"Hmm… It wouldn't be fun if I answered them all… Right? After all, you're still not even inside of the inheritance. You're in what I call "the waiting dream"… Within it, you must solve my puzzle, a labyrinth within dreams. After that, you might be worthy of entering my inheritance," she said.
"A labyrinth… within dreams… Like a dungeon?" I asked.
"Hmmm… Not really. But maybe you could call it that, why not? Well, for now, you should go back, you must come prepared, and with a stronger soul next time…" she said.
"Wait! How will I be able to come back here then?!" I asked.
"Look through dreams, and the path to my inheritance shall open… You're a worthy one, so it will not be so hard~ Fufu, bye-bye!"
And just like that, I suddenly woke up.
