Vampire: World of Blood-Chapter 136: Dreams That Never Die IV

"Ah, my dear companion, allow me to guide you in the use of your Dream Magic, corrupted though it may be. It is your unique power to harmonize the impossible that has granted me the ability to leave this place, something I had long thought beyond my reach."

Silk remarked, taking Merciless by surprise, as she continued to walk towards the Celestial tree, Merciless still embracing her from behind, although this was more like her giving him a piggyback ride. Merciless, on the other hand, began speaking while Silk started walking.

"Ha, so you are able to use my magical nature to escape, how so? I thought no one could break that seal, well not now at least."

Silk chuckled at Merciless’s response, as she gave back one of her own.

"Indeed, the seal upon me remains unbroken, unyielding. What I accomplished, to slip beyond the confines of this place was less an act of my own power and more a consequence of your unique existence. It is through you, my dear, that I found a conduit—a passage where none should exist. Your aspect of Nothingness, an enigma even to the cosmos, allowed me this fleeting freedom. Were it not for that, I would still be bound here, chained by the very essence of this curse."

At these words, Merciless looked up confused his tail under his chin as he began to ponder.

"So you’re saying that you used me as a conduit, how the hell did you even pull that off?"

Silk proceeded to explain as the two of them approached the celestial tree, the cool night breeze flowing on their body.

"After I gifted thee my aspect of Nothingness."

Silk began.

"I believed I had merely created another like me; an extension of the Nothingness. But thou art no simple creature of the abyss. Thine aspect, after I delved into the depths of thy mind, reveals something far more peculiar. It doth correspond with other sources, a phenomenon unheard of, at least within my knowledge."

"This power of correspondence, combined with thine unique null blood, harmonizes everything within thee, drawing it all under a singular source; thine own to be precise."

She paused, her many eyes narrowing as she analyzed the implications of her words.

"As I am part of thine inner world, I too became more deeply connected to thee. Although my power of Nothingness remains sealed due to the Origin, and I also said before, I can’t even draw power from you either, as I am unable to draw from thy inner world without permission, well not completely for say."

Silk paused once more before she continued.

"Thou seest, by our shared origin in Nothingness, I found a way to connect with thy magical nature via correspondence, as tainted as it may be due to the corrupted essence of the Shoggoths. I was able to escape in a kind of way."

"Yet, it is because I am now entwined with thy chaotic source, which bears my own aspect in the form of your unique variant of it, that I can wield thy magic nature as if it were mine. I did not use my own strength to escape the confines of the orb."

"Rather, I didst harness the dream’s magical power, transforming mine own self into naught but a figment, a living dream basically."

"Whilst my mind remains within, by the peculiar nature of thy magic and thy unique power, I hath altered my very existence, weaving my consciousness into the essence of thy magical nature."

"Thus, I doth dwell within thy domain as a living dream, whilst my true power remains sealed away. In essence, I hath forsaken mine own aspect, choosing instead to inhabit thine."

Silk said, to which Merciless began to reply.

"So, if I understand correctly, you basically replicate your mind into my Dream magical nature. Using that as a conduit to escape and exist outside the confines of the seal, as such choosing to live on for the time being as the conscious mind of my Dream magical nature, as you employ the power of my correspondence to accomplish these feats."

"Yeah basically."

Said Silk.

"So tell me, why choose to go outside my own inner world the moment you found a way to exist beyond your seal?"

Merciless asked Silk, as he began to wonder, what exactly is Silk’s intention to do something so dangerous, especially given the fact she is kind of limited at this very moment.

Her reply was as follows.

"Thou art indeed correct; ’tis a perilous move on mine part, especially considering that the mental plane is the very home and domain of the Second Originator, the Alteration. I am not one to court such risks lightly, but rest assured I have my reasons."

"As you already know Nothingness and Chaos are natural enemies, which is why I never fully built mine inner world even while sealed; lest she catches wind of my presence which should not be here, but what they do not know is I have a great affinity for the mind. It is how I got an inner world to begin with, albeit incomplete of course."

"Yet, with thine awakening, my aspect of Nothingness hath corresponded with thy mysterious chaos source, making me appear as a being of Chaos rather than Nothingness. This veil fools existence itself, rendering me indistinguishable even to those who could sense aspects."

"However, it works both ways in your case at least; thou art now an anomaly among anomalies. I cannot tell if thou art truly a being of Nothingness or Chaos, for thou art stuck between both, impossible to distinguish without touching thy source directly to see that y our actually both."

As Silk finished her explanation, Merciless began to ponder the situation, his thoughts on Brunhilde, these turns of events were just, how does he put it, rather coincidental, it was as if someone already knew what was going to happen and orchestrated it from the start.

And the only person Merciless could think of, was the very same person who gave him Silk to begin with, this made him inwardly thought as such.

’Honestly, what a terrifying woman.’

At these words, Merciless was knocked out of his thoughts as Silk stopped, causing him to open up his eyes once more, this time, the two of them stopped in front of the Celestial tree, as Silk began to speak up.

"Well then, I think it is about time, we get down to business."

Said Silk as she sat down in the field of alien-like flowers; Merciless released his embrace and took a seat next to her. From there his mouth began to open, as the dream fragment he had hidden within himself resurfaced, as he began to gaze at them and say, recalling Silk’s previous discussion on the subject.

"Defense, huh? So just make sure I am understanding this properly these things make my inner world harder to invade?"

Merciless asked Silk.

"Exactly. But it’s more than that. To create a true inner world, thou art need ten specific things. The first is a Dream Beast. This creature can either be stolen from another’s inner world or cultivated from your own mind. It will have its own law of authority, making it the guardian of your inner world."

Silk explained to Merciless who began to listen intently to her explanation, on the subject at hand.

"A Dream Beast... so it’s like a personal guardian?"

Merciless asked Silk who just nodded her head as she continued her explanation.

"Indeed, and a powerful one at that. But that aside, the next requisite is a Dream Law. Each Dreamer or Esper harbors a unique law within their inner world. You may acquire this through Divinity energy, or, should you possess a natural inclination toward law-based powers, you might forge a law that governs your inner realm with absolute authority."

Merciless immediately thought of his Grand Order when he heard this, and Silk, who was connected to him, figured out what Merciless was thinking of in this particular instance.

"Bear in mind, however, that this process can be undertaken only once. The law you establish will be infused with the power of the mental plane, provided you meet the necessary requirements. And before you inquire further about these requirements, I shall address them in due course."

Announced Silk, Merciless, on the other hand, could bring back recollections of Jordan, who, like him, has an incomplete inner world but is far more developed. As he recalls, he mentioned one of the crucial elements to Lorraine, who was assisting him in developing it, using underhanded ways.

As such he began to ask Silk about it.

"And what about this mental bridge?"

Silk more or less, knowing where he got this info from began to reply as such.

"Ah, indeed, the third essential element. The mental plane is a vast expanse, woven with various imaginary and metafictional sectors. A mental bridge is what links your inner world to these realms, and its construction hinges upon your potential and mastery over the mind. Thus, you must cultivate your mind diligently to forge these connections."

"Sounds complex, but I guess nothing in life is easy if you really want something. Sigh!! So, what’s next?"

Naturally, Silk responded.

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"The fourth requisite is a Mind Settlement. Entities born from the collective unconscious often seek sanctuary within inner worlds. By amassing enough of these beings, your inner world can transform into a Mind Kingdom. Such a kingdom grants you access to the most pristine forms of energy: fate, divine, faze, and conceptual energy. Furthermore, it is the sole means to acquire Plato’s energy, second only to Aether itself."

"Mhm, interesting, and the mental borders?"

"I swear thine memory acquisition is by far your most convenient ability in thy arsenal, you soak in information from others, as a sponge does with water as if it is nothing."

"Of course, it is, it’s what helps me catch up to others quickly, given how deep my memory acquisition goes, all things considered."

"Ah, indeed, this is not without merit; it hastens the process and aligns our understanding. Now, on to the fifth necessity. Mental borders act as barriers, safeguarding your inner world from unwelcome intrusions. These borders may be layered and fortified as you advance in mind cultivation. To unlock their full potential, you must attain the rank of a Mind Lord, the pinnacle of the first stage of mind cultivation."

"Mind Lord… is that a title?"

Merciless asked, he knew little of mind cultivation so phrases were new to him.

"Indeed, it is a title denoting the apex of the first state of mind cultivation. This path unfolds in three states, each comprising five stages. The Mind Lord stage represents the zenith of the first state, bestowing upon you the strength to reinforce your mental defenses. I shall delve into the details of these stages of mind cultivation at a later time though."

"Ok, sure no problem, so what about the mind core, Jordan wives call it a soul vault, and they protect that shit with their life?"

"Of course, they would protect that shit with their life. It is, after all, the most crucial element of a true Inner World, which brings us to the sixth requirement for its completion. The Mind Core serves as the very heart of your inner world."

"For it is a reflection of your true self. Should it be destroyed, you would face permanent damage to your soul and mind, in your case the information within vampirism since you do not have a soul."

"Yet, given your nature as an aspect of Nothingness and your favor with the Unwoven, you possess the power to reverse such irreversible harm, akin to your ability to self-realize back into existence. However, it bears the same vulnerability as your Prime Essence, of course, this is when you make it."

Silk warned Merciless who just nodded in agreement, as Silk continued her explanation once more.

"Now, for the seventh necessity: the Mind Beacon. This wondrous artifact enables you to transmute the unreal and subjective into tangible reality. Through it, you may project the influence of your inner world and its denizens into the physical realm."

"To forge such a beacon, one must attain the apex of the first state of mind cultivation, that being the esteemed stage of a Mind Lord. Indeed, even the weakest true Inner World holders, at their most fragile, would wield power comparable to that of a Mind Lord."

Merciless nodded, as he began to say to himself, his body dropping into the flower as he lay down, there were many things he had to do before he could even properly traverse the mental plane without worry, yet he was far from achieving his goal.

"Damn, I really need to reach this stage, so much cool shit you can do when one achieves that power is that why Jordan turn Substance into a product of his mind like it was nothing."

"Oh, and Jordan also had one of his wives as the head of that place, with a pretty unusual designation called a representor. Does that have anything to do with the current topic?"

And not to his surprise, Silk nodded in agreement as continued to the next important thing.

"The eighth necessity is the Representor, akin to a second-in-command within your inner realm. This entity wields the second-highest authority in your domain, overseeing its stability and governance in your absence. It is crucial for maintaining order and ensuring that your inner world remains steadfast."

"So it’s basically just another ruling body, mhm... seems simple enough. So what’s the last thing?"

"The ninth and perhaps most crucial element is your Mantle. This artifact or weapon symbolizes your essence as a being of the mind. To forge it, you must seek the Lady of the Collective, Lady Aeon herself—the embodiment of the collective unconscious."

"If you manage to earn her favor, she may bestow upon you the title of a Favored One, thus opening the path for you to ascend into a true Outer Dream. This elevation grants you the potential to wield authority over the collective unconscious, allowing you to reshape the laws of existence according to the realm you inhabit."

"For now, however, you remain in the first realm, and it is hard to even reach the third stage, most who do are all realm 5 and six beings, or even higher."

Silk said ending her grand explanation of the things Merciless needs to complete his inner world. But with that said, he got up and looked at the fragments once more, and commented as such.

"I see… so these dream fragments are more than just defensive measures. They’re the building blocks for something much greater, but they since the most after one creates their beacons right since they have their own unique effects."

"Exactly. They are mostly for defense in the dream world, and if you are fighting someone you can project them through your beacon when you get one."

"Hmmm, I see... well if that is the case can I assimilate them now."

"If you wish to to strengthen your mind further, then yes you may."

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