Night Journey

Chapter 8 The Dream of the Soul
As noon approached, Ciri took a thorough bath and changed into clean clothes. Even if he died during the ceremony, he could at least leave with dignity.

Tim and Mick had just finished a night's patrol and were still fast asleep. If they saw Cillian like this, they would definitely tease him about who he was going on a date with.

Cillian did have a date today, but the date wasn't with any pretty girl.

Given the tragedy that had occurred in White Cliff, Cillian did not mention it to anyone, nor did Nunn.

The ceremony will be held in secret today. If Cillian succeeds, everyone can gather in the mayor's hall to celebrate the birth of another extraordinary being. If Cillian fails, he will be silently beheaded by Nun, without affecting anyone.

Both Cillian and Nunn were satisfied with this approach.

"Teacher, I'm here."

On the wilderness outside White Cliff Town, Cillian met Nunn, who had been preparing for a long time.

Nunn remained as aloof as ever, merely nodding slightly at Cillian's arrival.

Behind him, a complex ritual array was drawn on the ground, with a ring of soul essence sprinkled on the outermost edge, encompassing everything within it.

Nunn's voice was devoid of any emotion. "Are you ready?"

"of course."

Cillian remained confident.

"Then I'll repeat it one last time..."

Nunn drew his cross-shaped longsword from his waist, tip pointing downwards, and rested his hands on the hilt, like a weathered statue.

"The soul is real."

He spoke first.

"The soul of all life originates from a vast ocean called the Sea of ​​Origin, which is the sum total of all souls and powers."

The Sea of ​​Origin surged and roared, its vapors rising and overflowing, enveloping it layer upon layer, thus forming a realm known as the Spirit Realm.

Nunn tapped the solid ground beneath his feet with the tip of his sword and continued.

"Outside the spirit world, the water vapor in the Sea of ​​Origin becomes increasingly thin and dry, no longer possessing any extraordinary power, and this is the material, real world we live in."

Three worlds, nested layer upon layer.

This is not some myth or legend; it is the truth of this crazy world… or at least it used to be.

"All souls have corresponding projections within the Sea of ​​Origin, slumbering together in a great dream of the soul."

To become an extraordinary being, one must first awaken one's consciousness within the Sea of ​​Origin, waking from the dream of the soul to become a conscious and independent being. Only then will you possess the 'idea' to tame the Sea of ​​Origin and cease drifting with the tide.

Nunn recalls the overlap between mythology and history.

"Several eons ago, there was a transcendent being who completely tamed a sea, created his own miraculous creation, and anchored his existence through the miraculous creation. He reached the extreme of his destiny, shed his mortal nature, and sublimated into a being called a giant god."

Afterwards, more and more giants were born. In order to enable those who came after them to better embark on their destiny, the giants used their own miraculous creations as fulcrums to build a destiny system called the Bound Source Long Path.

"Any mortal who awakens within the Sea of ​​Origin and ascends the steps can embark on a path of extraordinary destiny."

Cillian had learned about this history from books and knew that the turning point was about to begin.

"But... all of this changed with the outbreak of the Dayless Catastrophe."

At this point, Nunn involuntarily gripped the hilt of his sword, making a creaking sound.

"I don't know the truth about the Dayless Cataclysm, but the fact it left us is that countless giants died, the Sea of ​​Origin was in turmoil, the power of chaos invaded the world, and the Binding Source Long Staircase collapsed and shattered."

"The world was plunged into an absolute dark age until the rise of the Three Sages a century ago, which brought a glimmer of hope."

When the rise of the Three Sages was mentioned, Nunn's eyes glazed over, as if he were recalling something, and he affirmed.

"The Sage of Secrets created the Society of the Prophet, which soothed the Sea of ​​Origin and drew forth the River of Silence, allowing mortals to safely embark on the path to the extraordinary."

Tiangong Tiefu built the Wanji Tonglu Academy, rebuilt the industrial base, and enabled civilization to develop rapidly.

The last sage, the conqueror, forged a legion, ventured into the dark world, and brought lost territories back under the light of the torch.

Nuen stroked the sharp blade of the cross-shaped sword and said nostalgically, "As the torchbearer, the path I embarked on was the path of the conqueror's torch."

"This is also the long stairway to godhood that you will be taking next."

Ciri had heard the same story many times before, but only when it came from Nunn's mouth did it seem like a hallucination. Ciri could hear the terrifying roar and smell the blood on the swords.

After removing his armor and coat, Cillian stepped into the array drawn by Nunn and knelt down quietly.

"For an ordinary person to become extraordinary, at least one scholar must be present. Through the scholar's guidance, your consciousness will awaken in the River of Silence."

It was on the River Silent that Nunn embarked on his extraordinary journey. Recalling the past, he suddenly realized that it had happened a hundred years ago.

"The Silent River?"

Cillian looked at Nunn curiously.

He had read snippets about the Silent River in books, but no one could answer what it was. All that was known was that the existence of the Silent River was one of the important achievements that led to the oracle being named a sage.

"Before the Dayless Cataclysm, even if mortals could not awaken their true selves within the Sea of ​​Origin, they would be safe and sound after the ritual ended."

Nunn explained in detail that this was something that had never been recorded in the books.

"But since the Great Calamity of No Day, the Sea of ​​Origin has been filled with terrifying chaotic power. Once mortals awaken, there is a very high probability that they will be corrupted by the chaos and fall into madness."

"In order to enable mortals to safely ascend to the realm of the extraordinary, the Sage of Secrets ventured into the spirit world and arrived at the Sea of ​​Origin. She sang day and night, soothing a small area of ​​the sea and calming its restlessness. At the same time, she purified the chaotic power within it, transforming it into the Silent River we know today."

As Nunn explained, he picked up the package, took out a bottle of pre-mixed potion, and handed it to Cillian.

"In other words, if a scholar guides you, your consciousness will awaken in the tributaries of the Sea of ​​Origin, the River of Silent Silence, and even if you fail, you will not be polluted by chaos."

Ciri understood, "But there are no scholars in White Cliff Town, so success depends entirely on luck."

“My previous students were just trying their luck.”

Nunn gave an awkward smile. "They say they might be able to resist the pollution of chaos, or perhaps they'll be lucky enough to wake up in the Silent River."

That's a terrible joke.

Ciri weighed the potion in his hand. At that moment, Nunn repeated the ritual procedure again, giving repeated instructions.

"After drinking this potion, your consciousness will awaken from the Sea of ​​Origin. You need to maintain a strong sense of self in order to break free from the shackles of the Dream of the Soul."

"After that, you need to find a way to surface, find the broken Binding Source Stairs, and climb the stairs."

Nunn placed his hand on Cillian's shoulder, his eyes filled with worry and sadness.

Perhaps this was the last time he would speak with his students.

Without wasting any words, Cillian deftly unscrewed the bottle cap, and a pungent smell wafted out.

Drink it all in one gulp.

A strong sour and astringent sensation filled my mouth, and an uncontrollable burning pain spread, as if a raging fire was burning through my mucous membranes and drilling into my stomach and intestines along my esophagus.

It swallowed the flames, burning its body to ashes.

Nunn gripped his cross-shaped longsword and withdrew from the formation, lit a match, and tossed it into the surrounding, scattered soul essence.

Swah——

Suddenly, pure white flames rose up, transforming into a ring of fire that enveloped Ciri.

This was a contingency plan left by Nunn. If Cirion failed, the power of chaos would travel through his body from the Sea of ​​Origin to reality, and the Soulfire could greatly prevent the spread of contamination.

"Stay rational and don't waver."

Nunn's exposed arm veins began to turn red and hot, like burning-red pipes, displaying dense, crimson patterns.

If it is his student who returns from the Sea of ​​Origin, Nun will embrace him warmly; if it is a demon that awakens, then Nun will cleanly and decisively cut off its head.

Within the ring of fire, Cirien's eyes were tightly closed, his brows furrowed. The burning phantom pain melted through his stomach and intestines, spreading along his blood vessels and bone marrow like a smoldering, withered tree, sparks and ashes drifting in his nostrils with each breath.

Just when Cillian thought he was about to be burned to death, the rising temperature in his body suddenly dropped, and a gentle warmth surged through his limbs, bringing waves of intoxicating comfort, as if he were standing by a fireplace on a cold winter's day.

Cillian heard a faint sound of the tide.

……

The boy was enveloped in a soft, warm embrace, as if he were in amniotic fluid before life was conceived.

He vaguely remembered that he was carrying out some kind of mission, but he couldn't recall it now. He tried to open his eyes to observe where he was, but his eyelids felt heavy and his mind was drowsy, making it difficult for him to wake up.

"sleepy."

The boy struggled to open his eyes a crack.

He vaguely glimpsed that in the deep blue abyss beside him, there were countless people just like him, indulging in the dream of the ocean tides.

People, men and women, young and old, were all huddled together, like cocoons, their outlines existing in a blur between reality and illusion, like ghostly figures without any clear physical form.

"Go to sleep now."

Seeing everyone else in such a state of blissful ignorance, the boy prepared to succumb to the power of sleep and drift off to rest in this warmth. But just before his consciousness completely faded, the boy suddenly heard something.

"The outside world!"

The boy was somewhat confused; his tired mind made it difficult for him to think effectively, and he only wanted to fall asleep as soon as possible.

"wake up!"

He shouted loudly.

"Wake up, Cillian!"

The sound was deep and resonant, yet it was like a great bell, ringing out with a deafening sound.

“Cillian?”

The boy's gaze gradually cleared from its murky state, becoming as sharp as a knife. His mutterings, once filled with uncertainty and doubt, became unwavering.

“I am Cillian Sofrava.”

The boy grabbed the invisible cocoon in front of him with both hands, his fingernails digging into it, and tore it open with his bare hands.

"I want to go out into the world!"

Ciri opened his eyes, awakening from the dream of his soul, standing alone amidst the tides of the Sea of ​​Origin.

(End of this chapter)