From the end of the world

Chapter 396 Dreams Begin and End 2
I stepped into the entrance to the fifteenth-floor basement, as I had done before, and moved down the stone steps, letting the floor around me sink over my head.

Soon, I descended to the bottom. Looking back, the stone steps behind me and the entrance above disappeared unconsciously. I couldn't tell at what moment they disappeared. This is a dream, an ambiguous place, so this kind of thing is not surprising. I just kept moving my eyes and looked around.

Unlike the actual fifteenth floor basement, the fifteenth floor basement in this dream could not be called a room, but just a mysterious space of endless darkness. There were no furnishings or lighting, but I could inexplicably see my own body clearly, as well as the bodies of others.

Deep in the dark space, I saw a little boy in an elementary school uniform, hugging his knees and sitting on the ground. Should I say "ground"? Although the ground is invisible in this dark space, it does feel like I am down to earth. The little boy opposite me, Xiao Chang'an, is also sitting like this.

Just like the last time I invaded Yin Yue’s spiritual world, I once again saw Yin Yue in the form of Xiao Chang’an.

The last time, Yin Yue appeared in the spiritual world as Little Chang'an, it was because the Yin Yue part inside his soul had been severely damaged by my fire; and this time, Yin Yue had clearly recovered initially, but he still appeared in the image of Little Chang'an. As expected, the previous resurrection ceremony must have caused a huge loss to Yin Yue's self-awareness.

As for the exact extent of the loss and whether it will be based on Changan’s own self-perception, I am not sure yet.

I first called out tentatively: "Chang'an."

"I am Yin Yue." Little Chang'an buried his face in his knees. "I told you last time, Chang'an is just a dream I had, a bubble of nothingness... What are you doing here?"

"Of course I'm here to save you," I said, "but I'm also here to kill you, Silver Moon."

"You really don't listen to others. How is the difference between you and Ying Lingyun?" said Xiao Chang'an.

"Ying Lingyun..." I thought about what happened before, "The one he resurrected just now was the real Yin Yue, right?"

"That's right." Xiao Chang'an said.

"But why would Ying Lingyun deny that Yin Yue?" I asked.

"Haven't you figured out the answer? What Ying Lingyun wants to revive is the me that exists in his beautiful memories." Xiao Chang'an said, "He is destined to not be able to fulfill his wish. This is because humans always beautify their memories and add unnecessary value to original things, calling it 'meaning'.

"But that is just an illusion in the human mind. The more you add meaning to things, the more they deviate from their original nature.

"How many years has it been since he last saw me? And how much meaning has he attached to those memories of the past during that long period of time, which can be said to be a long time for humans? I am afraid that from a certain stage on, what is engraved in his heart is no longer the real me, but a beautiful illusion that makes the real me pale in comparison.

"After all, has he ever really understood the real me? Is he in love with the real me, or the me that he imagined?"

Little Chang'an seemed to have seen through everything from the very beginning.

Strangely enough, the things that Ying Shen Yin Yue could see through, the real Yin Yue who was resurrected did not seem to see through, but was shocked by Ying Lingyun's change of attitude.

This may also be the difference in personality between Yingshen Yinyue and the real Yinyue. Yingshen Yinyue has the experience of living as Chang'an - as a human being, while the real Yinyue is a complete monster. The real Yinyue, who has never lived as a pure human being, cannot understand the fickle hearts of humans, and naturally cannot see the huge delusion entrenched in Ying Lingyun's heart.

"Changan made the same mistake. He thought he knew you, but the real you was completely different from what he imagined."

Little Changan slowly raised his head, looked at me expressionlessly, and said, "You have superpowers, so you firmly believe in the existence of strange things from the beginning. This is completely opposite to Changan who once wanted to prove the existence of strange things and finally gave up sadly. Changan, however, regarded you as a stronger self. He is so self-indulgent. Now he is in disillusionment and it is his own fault.

"The same goes for you, Ah Cheng. Don't make me tell you so many times, it's time to give up on Chang An. He is just an illusion created by Yin Yue, just a castle in the air."

"So what?" I said, "You are the incarnation of Silver Moon. You have the power to manipulate reality as an illusion, and you can also turn illusion into reality. So, don't keep using such meaningless words in front of me, such as illusion and reality.

"Although you said that Chang'an was just a dream you had, there is never an absolute thing in the spiritual world. Aren't you also a nightmare that Chang'an had?

"Besides, even if Changan is disillusioned with me, so what? Changan and I have been friends for such a long time, and his perception of me is not always fantasy. He has also seen more of my real side during close contact. When people come into contact with each other, it is inevitable to be sentimental. It is normal to be disillusioned and touched occasionally.

"I just want to ask you one thing, Yinyue. Were you happy with your dream about Chang'an?"

Hearing this, Xiao Chang'an fell silent.

"...How can I be happy?" he said, "My father doesn't care about me at all. He just treats me as a living sacrifice to revive his lover. My grandfather despises me and has no feelings for me. He only trains me as a weapon and shield to protect the family. Hisayuki must be cursing me in her heart. It's because of me that she has to take on the responsibility of protecting the family and step into the dangerous and bloody world of demon hunters...

"Looking back, my life is full of disappointment, failure, and the shame of powerlessness... such a nightmare..."

I continued, “But… there must have been happy times as well.”

“……” Little Chang’an looked at me silently.

The stone collar appeared in my hand. This was the sealing item I got after killing the Ancient Moon God. It could seal the Silver Moon, who had the same properties as the Ancient Moon God. It had now been repaired by Ma Zao to a usable state. Holding this stone collar, I said to Xiao Chang'an, "Silver Moon... No, Chang'an, this time I'll make the request. Become friends with me."

"No... normal people would take out the collar first when making friends with others?" Little Chang'an complained, "All the truths and touching words you just said were wasted by your action. Do you know that? You also said that it is normal for people to be disappointed and touched occasionally when they interact with each other. Your behavior makes me feel pure and frightened."

"I'm sorry, although it was a request just now, your and Chang'an's opinions are irrelevant. Whether you agree or refuse today, you must continue to be my friend, and you must wear this stone collar around your neck." I walked towards little Chang'an step by step.

Little Changan loosened his arms around his knees in panic, got up from the ground, and then smiled as if he had thought of something, saying, "I almost forgot that this dark area is the spiritual space formed by Changan's heart knot, symbolizing his fear of the underground space on the 15th floor, and the regret and shame for finally encountering the strange event that he longed for, but ultimately did not dare to set foot in it...

"Unless he can overcome his fear of this place, you won't be able to take him out of here. And as long as I'm here, his self-awareness won't be able to rise, let alone overcome his fear."

"Is this the only obstacle?" I nodded. "That's easy."

As I was talking, I gestured to the surroundings, and a sea of ​​fire suddenly spread out. All the darkness was dispelled, revealing a space about two-thirds the size of a classroom. Surrounding it were concrete walls without any decoration, doors or windows, and gray shelves that were as lonely and empty as a closed convenience store...

This scene is exactly what the basement on the fifteenth floor should look like.

"How is it possible?" Little Chang'an was stunned. "Even if you have a replica of the Moon in the Water, you don't have the technology to manipulate dreams. You can't create such a scene out of thin air to alter the space formed by Chang'an's heart knot.

"Unless this is not made up, but you... No, this is impossible... Could it be that..."

He seemed to be thinking of something, and his expression changed.

"I don't think I've told you yet. Although Chang'an didn't dare to enter the basement on the 15th floor, I sneaked in. I know exactly what it looks like inside." I said, "And through my previous experience in the independent reality space of Doctor Silver Mask, I also learned a piece of knowledge.

"When a new person enters a dream, this new person will also become the dreamer supporting the dream, and his spirit will become the material to fill the dream. As long as his mental strength is strong enough, he can even affect some settings of the dream.

"The speed of time in this dream is synchronized with the speed of my consciousness, which is a clear proof. And since I have memories of the scene in the basement on the fifteenth floor, but you don't, then my memories can certainly become the material here to fill in this unsightly darkness."

I came to Xiao Chang'an, grabbed his wrist, and then pulled him to my side while he was in a daze.

"Is this place scary for you?" I said, "I'm here to save you."

"You...how did you know that?" He looked at a loss.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He said in bewilderment: "That was probably your first time to encounter a strange incident. How did you know that you could come back after going down..."

"I don't know," I said.

He muttered stupidly: "You don't know..."

The stone steps leading out of the basement on the fifteenth floor appeared not far away.

I held Xiao Chang'an's wrist and went all the way back up, then pushed open the wooden lid that was sealed above, and then returned to the living room of the room on the fifteenth floor.

Little Changan looked around and said in disbelief, "They actually... just came out like this..."

"The secret lies in the English letters on the carpet," I said. "After entering the basement on the fifteenth floor, the entrance and stairs will disappear, and the basement will become a different space that cannot be left by any means. However, as long as you draw the English letters on the carpet at the position on the ceiling corresponding to the entrance, you can fill in the missing lines of the magic circle on the living room floor.

"It took me a long time to finally solve this puzzle. Now I'm telling you the answer directly. How about it? Are you not afraid anymore?"

After listening to this, Xiao Changan was silent for a long time, then nodded: "... Yeah, I'm not afraid anymore."

After saying this, he let out a long breath, as if he had let go of something.

Then he smiled with relief.

"Acheng...you are really amazing." he said.

As the words fell, the dream released an illusory light as if to signal its end.

(End of this chapter)