Chapter 94: An unidentified dream.
Blink.
Dorian found himself at the heart of a vast garden, the emerald grass a velvet cushion beneath him.
Around him, the bushes swayed in a silent, mournful dance, responding to an unseen wind.
The morning sun, usually a source of warmth, now felt like a cold, unfeeling spotlight, harshly illuminating the brilliant light construct against the melancholic green.
He scanned his surroundings, a strange blend of curiosity and terror gripping him.
Why was he here?
A void echoed in his mind, a terrifying emptiness where memories should have been. He couldn’t recall who he was or how this sudden displacement had occurred.
Then, a sudden chorus erupted from behind him. "Lord Dorian! My Lord! Master!"
He whirled around, his heart pounding, to find three women, breathtakingly beautiful, standing a short distance away.
One, with hair like spun gold, smiled wistfully, a blue fan slowly concealing her lower face, drawing attention to her ethereal blue dress.
Beside her, a woman with eyes and hair as dark as midnight stood, her black gown exuding an aura of regal sorrow.
The last, clad in leather, offered a smile that was both innocent and heartbreakingly pure.
’I know them,’ a whisper echoed in his mind, a fragile thread of recognition.
He reached out, a desperate plea forming on his lips, when another hand, firm and unyielding, gripped his. He turned, and there she was—Maria.
Of all the faces, hers was the only one that flickered with vivid memory.
Her red eyes, burning into his soul, held a terrifying honesty, a chilling coldness that pierced him to the core.
"Maria..." he breathed, her name a fragile hope, a key to unlocking the forgotten past. He planned to gently coax his memories, to gather the fragmented pieces.
"I love you." A chilling, terrifying voice shattered the air, a sound that crept into his very soul.
He clutched his chest, a primal fear seizing him, making him dread turning to face the source of such a deep, malevolent sound.
"Lord Dorian..." Maria’s voice, now laced with an unbearable sorrow, called to him again. He dared not raise his head fully, not after witnessing a horrifying sight: parts of her body were slowly, inexorably, disappearing.
"What is happening...? Why is this happening?" His voice was a raw, desperate whisper.
Maria, with a strength born of despair, took his hand and placed it on her chest, the left side of her face already a swirling vortex of dust.
"I will always remember you, my lord. Always."
As he finally met her gaze, he saw the silent tears streaming down her dissolving face.
But the sight that truly shattered him was the other girls, all fading into nothingness at the same horrifying speed. Panic, raw and unadulterated, seized him.
"Where are you all going? Why are you leaving?" he cried out, his voice cracking, his eyes squinting against the tears he fought to hold back.
He couldn’t explain the agony that tore at him, the profound sense of loss that threatened to overwhelm him.
"I love you," the terrifying voice uttered again.
"I love you."
"I love you."
"I love you~"
"Shut up!" Dorian screamed, squeezing his eyes shut, feeling Maria’s fragile grasp slowly, irrevocably, slip from his. "Please shut up."
"I love you."
"I love you, don’t you love me as well, Jacob."
Suddenly, a hand wrapped itself around his shoulder from behind, a chilling touch that promised more terror.
...
Baam!
Dorian opened his eyes.
"No fair, that was mine! You cheated!"
"Uhn? What do you mean I cheated? Are all bats as dumb as you or what?"
"ACK! How dare you say such?! I’ll have you know I am my master’s most reliable servant!"
"Keep quiet before you wake up my big brother!"
’Too late.’
Dorian kept his eyes on the ceiling, not moving a muscle even though he had woken up.
From their voices alone, he could gather that Lili and Yelena were playing a game at the foot of his bed, which was probably why they still hadn’t noticed his eyes had opened.
’I had a dream, right? Sigh, my head is all fuzzy. What exactly even happened? Right, I defeated that damn dragon, and then—’
He glared a bit.
’I collapsed from mana exhaustion. Sigh, that seems to be happening a lot these days. I wonder how long I was asleep for.’
[3 days.]
’...’
"What?!!!"
Dorian jerked up, his eyes widened in shock as he quickly focused his gaze on the two women.
"Ah, brother, you’re awake."
"G-good morning, Master! I-I didn’t mean to wake you."
They both looked at Dorian as if they were guilty of something.
"Forget about that! Lili, why the hell didn’t you wake me up?! Where is that dragon? Also, the war, has the Viscount attacked? What’s happening with the army? And where is Maria?!"
As he asked each question, Dorian got down from the bed, already intending to head straight for the door if the two were to respond too slowly.
"Brother, you need to calm down, you only just woke up. I should get Mother first," Yelena said, standing up, while Lili transformed into a bat and settled on Dorian’s shirtless shoulder.
"Like hell I will! Do you even understand what is at stake here?!" Dorian grabbed Yelena by the shoulder.
"..."
She said nothing. Instead, her gaze kept falling to his lower body, with saliva dripping from the side of her lips.
"The Viscount is going to launch an attack on us, especially now that his daughter came with her own two legs to our front door! That man’s pride is on the line here! How are you even calm? Is the war still happening?"
"I-M-" Yelena looked to the side, her face beet red. "Brother, maybe you should put on some clothes first. I can’t concentrate if it keeps waving at me."
"Uhn?"
’What is she talk—’
Dorian slowly lowered his eyes to his crotch. Upon seeing it, his face shrinked in horror. His cock was out in the open, meaning he had been sleeping naked all this time..
’Oh.’
....
[A/n]
Let’s start up this week and vol with a new goal in mind. Or perhaps next month.
200 power stones- For 2 extra Chapters, 100 = 1 extra Chapter.
50 gt= 2 extra Chapters.
Special gift= 5 extra Chapters.
Thank you all for your support this month, once again, i truly appreciate it.