Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chapter 158 Meeting

Kate, Ash, and Amber, carrying the heavy truth and the crystal box containing the remains of the "Dream Core," painstakingly returned to the Light Elf settlement of the Eversong Tree along the hidden path they had come from.

As they passed through the last barrier made of living vines and breathed in the relatively pure, life-filled air again, a sense of relief and relief washed over them.

However, their faces showed little joy, only deep weariness and solemnity.

Their return immediately attracted attention.

Elder Morning Dew and several Thorn Guards, who had been anxiously waiting near the entrance, immediately came forward to greet them.

"Amber! Your Excellency Kate! You're finally back!"

Elder Chenlu's heart tightened when she saw their disheveled and listless appearance, especially Amber's almost translucent complexion and Kate's pale face. "What's the situation inside? You—"

Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by the scene before her.

In the heart of the settlement, the atmosphere, which had been somewhat oppressive and unsettling due to the gloom, seemed to be undergoing a subtle change.

Some of the magical plants, whose leaves were originally curled and dull in luster, seemed to have stretched out a little; the faint, unsettling, cloyingly rotten smell in the air also seemed to have faded somewhat.

Although the changes are extremely subtle, they are clearly perceptible to the light fairies who have lived here for generations and resonate with the forest.

"The erosion—it's stopped spreading?" Elder Chenlu keenly noticed this, her face instantly lighting up with unbelievable joy. "You—you succeeded?!"

The surrounding elves also sensed the change and gathered around, their faces filled with anticipation and questions.

However, Kate slowly and heavily shook her head.

"Elder Morning Dew, please summon all elders immediately, including High Priest of the Deadwood."

His voice was weak and low, yet carried an undeniable seriousness: "We did prevent the worst from happening, but—we have discovered a more serious truth. The crisis in the Silent Forest is far from over."

Elder Morning Dew's joy froze instantly. Looking at Kate and Amber's grave expressions, her heart sank again. She immediately realized things were far from simple and nodded emphatically, "Alright! I'll take care of it right away!"

The news spread quickly.

In the council hall at the core of the Eternal Song Tree—a magnificent hall naturally formed from a huge hollow tree hole—all the high-ranking members of the Light Elf tribe quickly gathered.

Elder Qingye sat in the main seat, while Chief Priest Kumu and his followers sat to one side, their faces still gloomy and scrutinizing.

Elder Morning Dew and the elders who supported her sat on the other side, their faces showing worry, while more elves gathered outside the hall, watching anxiously.

When Kate, supported by Amber, and Ashe, whose light was dim and hovering beside his shoulder, entered the hall, all eyes were on them.

Kate didn't engage in much small talk, but concisely and clearly recounted what they had seen and heard deep within the ruins.

The reversed ancient sealing array, the true source of the darkness, and most importantly, the astonishing truth conveyed by the "Dream Core" about the "Seed of Darkness" stealing dream power and successfully escaping were all presented in their entirety.

As he recounted his story, the atmosphere in the hall gradually shifted from initial shock to horror, and finally to a deathly silence of fear.

"So," Kate concluded, her gaze sweeping over each elder, especially the withered tree priest whose expression had changed drastically.

"We have cut off the energy supply to the Dark One, and the external erosion will gradually stop, giving the forest a chance to breathe. But this does not mean victory."

He held up the crystal box in his hand, which contained cracked amber fragments.

"The true enemy is a seed of nightmares, capable of weaving nightmares and distorting the perception of reality."

It has already fled into the depths of the Eternal Night Forest with the power it stole.

It is very weak now and needs time to recover.

But once it recovers, even without recovering all its power, it can utterly destroy the Forest of Tranquility on a spiritual level in ways we cannot even imagine, and even affect a wider area.

At that time, it will be more insidious and more difficult to deal with than simple erosion.

A deathly silence enveloped the entire council chamber.

Even the most stubborn of the withered tree priests gaped open, their aged faces drained of color, and for the first time, their eyes, which were always filled with criticism and anger, revealed a fear bordering on despair.

He originally firmly believed that it was "divine punishment," a punishment for contact with the outside world.

But now, the truth is something older, more evil, and more cunning—a catastrophe that transcends traditional understanding.

His beliefs were challenged like never before.

"Nightmare — Weaving Nightmares —"

A young elder repeated in a trembling voice, as if it had taken a great deal of courage just to utter the word.

"It—it can hide in our dreams? Then—how do we defend ourselves? By sleeping?"

Another elf whispered in fear.

Panic began to spread among the elves like a plague.

The most terrifying enemy is the one that cannot be defended against.

"Silence!" Elder Qingye's voice rang out, though aged, it carried a calming power.

He surveyed the room, his gaze finally settling on Kate, his expression a mixture of emotions: lingering fear, gratitude, deep worry, and a faint glimmer of hope.

"Your Excellency Kate, thank you for risking your life with Amber to bring back this crucial truth."

It was cruel, but it allowed us to see the real enemy.

The Grand Elder spoke slowly, his voice heavy, "So, in your opinion, how should we deal with this now? How can we find and destroy this—the Seed of Nightmare?"

All eyes were once again focused on Kate.

Kate took a deep breath, enduring the piercing pain in her mind and the weakness in her body, and clearly said, #

"The only clue and hope at present lies in these fragments of the 'Dream Core'."

He gestured again to the crystal box in his hand.

"That lingering consciousness told me that only by analyzing and mastering the laws of the dream contained within the fragments could I perceive the unique dream ripples left by the Seed of the Nightmare in the forest, thus pinpointing its location."

He looked at Elder Qingye and the other elders, his tone becoming extremely solemn: "I need time, I need an absolutely quiet, undisturbed environment to try to analyze these fragments. At the same time, I need your full assistance."

"First, immediately dispatch all guards skilled in stealth and reconnaissance to closely monitor the entire Eternal Night Forest, especially the border areas and energy anomaly points."

Any event involving unusual dreams, collective mental breakdowns, or the discovery of new, but different, minor erosion points must be reported immediately.

That's a sign that it might start to move and draw "nourishment."

"Second, the settlement must remain on the highest alert level while I attempt to analyze it."

No one can predict whether the "Seed of Dream Demons" possessing the power of dreams will turn around and spy on us, or even attempt to infiltrate our minds.

"Third," Kate's gaze swept over the Deadwood Priest and the others, "the tribe must stop all pointless disputes and unite as one."

Faced with such an enemy, any internal strife could be fatal.

His words were clear and logical, with a well-defined objective, and carried a calm and collected demeanor that subtly calmed some of the panic.

The High Priest of the Deadwood moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just snorted heavily and turned his head away, which was considered tacit approval.

Faced with the truth, his remarks about "divine punishment" and "tradition" appear pale and powerless.

Elder Qingye nodded without hesitation: "Everything as you say. Your Excellency Kate, whatever you need, the Tranquil Forest will provide with all its might! Morning Dew."

"Yes, Elder!" Elder Chenlu responded immediately.

"Immediately proceed according to Her Excellency Kate's request."

Open the "Tranquil Roots" meditation room, which is the purest and most secure core node of the Eternal Song Tree's energy, where you will never be disturbed.

The most reliable Thorn Guardians were dispatched to guard the area day and night.

"Yes!" Elder Chenlu immediately accepted the order and left.

Elder Qingye then looked at Kate: "Your Excellency Kate, please go and rest to recover. We will notify you once everything is ready."

Kate nodded. "Thank you very much."

He has indeed reached his limit.

With each breath, I felt my mental energy twitching.

Led by Amber, Kate and Ashe left the council chamber and headed higher up the Eversong Tree.

The "Tranquil Roots" meditation room is located in an extremely secluded place deep within the trunk of the giant tree, requiring one to pass through layers of passages naturally formed by the revitalized wood and inscribed with ancient runes.

The air here is so pure that it's almost tangible life energy; you can feel the soothing of your soul with every breath.

The surrounding walls, like living jade, radiate a gentle glow, isolating all noise and external disturbances.

"It's perfectly safe here, Kate," Amber whispered, her eyes filled with worry. "You focus on recovering; leave the rest to us."

Kate looked at the perfect retreat and felt a little relieved: "Thank you, Amber. You should go and rest too; you've exhausted yourself."

Amber nodded, glanced at him again with concern, and then slowly retreated. The heavy door, naturally formed from ancient wood, closed silently, completely isolating the inside from the outside.

Only Kate and Ash remained in the meditation room.

Kate could no longer hold on and sat down cross-legged. She took out the highest quality mental energy recovery potion and life essence and drank them in large quantities. She also shared some with Ash.

Pure energy, like a sweet spring, flowed into the parched meridians and spiritual sea, nourishing every inch of barren land.

The severe headache and weakness began to subside slowly.

He did not immediately begin analyzing the fragments, but instead first entered a deep meditative state, fully activating the Heart of Samsara.

He needs to consolidate the unexpected gains from this adventure and get himself into peak condition.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the Heart of Reincarnation slowly rotated. Although its light was slightly dim, its core structure seemed to have become more refined after this extreme pressure and the realization between life and death.

In particular, the application of the rules of life and death has achieved unprecedented precision and high synergy in the fight against the Dark Puppet and the Reversal Array Nodes.

The feeling that under extreme pressure, the two opposing forces of life and death are not simply superimposed, but form a dynamic, mutually transforming, and mutually amplifying "cycle" of millstones, gave him a deeper understanding of his own path.

[Mental Strength Limit Slightly Increased: 291/377]

[The completeness of the Heart of Reincarnation has slightly increased: 73%]

[Deepening Understanding of the Rules of Life/The Rules of Death]

[Improved proficiency in applying spatial rules (Aish feedback)]

Although the improvement was not significant, the foundation became more solid.

The fact that he successfully reversed the magic array under such extreme conditions was irreplaceable in forging his confidence and willpower.

At the same time, he carefully sorted through the massive amount of information fragments he had passively received from the dying "Dream Core".

Those fleeting glimpses of ancient high elf sealing techniques, the perceptions of the dark essence, the subtle fluctuations of the laws of "dreams"—though chaotic, they were like fragments of a treasure, waiting for him to piece them together and understand them.

Several hours later, Kate had recovered most of her condition. Although she was still far from being at her peak, she was ready to take the next step.

He carefully opened the crystal box containing the largest fragment of the "Dream Core".

The moment the lid was opened, an indescribable, faint yet incredibly strange fluctuation emanated from it.

It is not as vibrant as life energy, nor as cold and lifeless as death energy, nor as fluctuating and flowing as spatial energy.

It's more like a hazy, ever-changing ripple, somewhere between reality and illusion, as if it can be reflected directly into the heart, stirring up waves in the subconscious.

The fragments themselves have a warm amber color, and although most of the complex structure inside, composed of countless extremely fine light filaments, is broken and dimmed, it still exudes a mysterious charm that calms the mind and makes one want to explore.

Kate held her breath and focused all her attention on the fragment.

Instead of rashly using his spiritual power to directly attack, he first used the domain of the Heart of Reincarnation to gently envelop it, as if caring for an infant, attempting to achieve the most basic resonance and perception.

His consciousness cautiously approached, gently touching the peculiar ripples as if for the first time.

Buzz————

A faint, almost imperceptible murmur, as if from a distant dream, resounded deep within his consciousness.

More fragmented and blurred images and sensory fragments emerged uncontrollably:

A boundless, magnificent sea of ​​clouds, its colors flowing and shifting (fragments of perception from a dream dimension?).

—A wondrous sense of power capable of freely weaving light and shadow and shaping mental images (a rudimentary application of the laws of dreams?).

—A strong pang of heart palpitation and a feeling of disgust at being spied on and imitated (most likely a negative mark left behind when the "Seed of Nightmare" escaped);

—And there remains a trace—an extremely faint yet incredibly tenacious attachment and protective obsession with all living things in the forest (a remnant fragment of the "Dream Core's" consciousness)—

The information was still disorganized, but it was slightly clearer than when it was passively received before.

Kate gradually began to understand.

Deciphering these fragments of the "core of dreams" may not be merely about learning a new spell or rule, but rather a deep exploration and reshaping of one's own spiritual essence, learning how to communicate and interact with the omnipresent yet elusive "collective unconscious" or "dream dimension."