Chapter 240
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: The Eye and the Dream
It felt different from all the other times he had returned to the physical world from the spirit world.
His body was sucked into the halo of light he had thought was a mirror, and afterward, it seemed he had returned to his original body, but…
The body he regained was merely an 'image' without substance. Like a reflection in a mirror.
So the 'himself' standing beside him now, looking at him with concern, was not 'himself' either.
Loan finally realized the identity of this 'self' that felt so familiar.
As their eyes met.
“Ah, my apologies. I've been in this form ever since that day. I've grown quite fond of it, haha.”
The other Loan scratched his head and apologized, then changed his form.
A large man with long hair and a full beard. At a glance, his rugged features made him look almost like a barbarian.
For the first time, Loan was face to face with the true form of the guardian of the Reverse Side of Phenomena, the guardian of the Magic Tower of Phenomena.
“Well, well… Loan, you truly surprise me in many ways. How on earth did you enter the spirit world?”
Loan, utterly bewildered by the situation, barely listened to the guardian, busy taking in his surroundings.
It was a vast space, one that contained everything a human would need to live.
Though it lacked walls and a roof, there was a house with a bedroom and a kitchen, a shop, and a blacksmith. There were also rice paddies, fields, and an orchard.
It was strange how he could see it all at a glance, and just as strange that there was no one else alive in this space.
Only the guardian was here.
“Hello.”
As he offered a belated greeting, the guardian let out a chuckle and asked again.
“So, your answer?”
“Ah… I obtained a certain magical tool, and using it allowed me to enter the spirit world.”
“Hah, to think such an item still existed…”
The guardian frowned, searching his memory, but seemed to come up with nothing and shook his head quickly.
“Well, regardless, welcome. It’s been hundreds of years since anyone visited this place, so I’m a bit flustered. For now… hmm, why don’t you sit over there and rest for a moment while I get something…”
Loan sat on the sofa the guardian pointed to. It was much harder than it looked.
And as he watched.
The guardian began to appear in several places at once.
A guardian busily picking something from a flowerbed, a guardian harvesting crops, a guardian baking something in a bakery, and so on.
At the end of all this bustling activity, the guardian brought over cookies on a fine plate, a porcelain teapot with a long spout, and a pretty, flower-patterned teacup.
It didn't quite match the guardian's appearance.
“When you’re alone for a long time, your tastes tend to become eclectic.”
Reading Loan’s mind, the guardian offered an explanation as he handed him the tea.
He lifted the steaming cup, but felt no warmth.
The same went for the taste and texture.
“Well, that’s just how this place is. You’re smart, so you’ve probably already noticed.”
To be precise, this space was a place without the 'essence' of 'existence'.
Including the guardian.
It wouldn't be wrong to say everything was composed of reflected images, but even so, it was clearly part of the spirit world.
Well, none of that was important right now.
Placing the teacup on the table, Loan asked.
“When you called me earlier, you thought I was being chased by something, didn't you?”
“Hm? Ah, that’s right. Weren’t you being chased by the ‘Eye’? Or perhaps the ‘Dream’.”
“The Eye? The Dream?”
Loan asked, pointing to his own eye.
The guardian conjured a cigarette with a flick of his wrist, placed it in his mouth, and nodded.
Smoke soon rose from it, but he couldn't smell the distinct, acrid scent of tobacco.
From his demeanor, it seemed this would be a long story.
“*Hooo*… Well, my home is unaffected by such things, so it doesn’t matter here, but you must be careful when you go outside. Just as you entered the spirit world, there are other beings within it that can influence you.”
With that, the guardian began to explain that the spirit world was not an entirely safe place.
“The Eye is literally someone’s ‘eye’ that observes the spirit world. I do not know the identity of this someone. However, I have seen those captured by the ‘Eye’ become subservient to the ‘Dream.’ The two are not one and the same, but you could say they have a symbiotic relationship. *Hooo*… Speak of the devil. Look over there.”
The guardian pointed to the sky with the hand holding the cigarette.
Though it was a house, it had no ceiling. The top was open, and the spirit world stretched out like a night sky. The countless halos of light looked like stars.
And a moment later.
The very thing Loan had been wondering about appeared, disturbing the halos of light that were scattered like the Milky Way.
It was, quite literally, an ‘eyeball’.
A single, massive eyeball, radiating a black aura, was slowly gliding through the space.
The eyeball’s size changed from moment to moment.
When passing through a narrow gap, it would shrink accordingly, and if its path was blocked by a halo of light, it would expand to push it away.
The eyeball rotated diligently in all directions as it moved. It didn't seem to be searching for anything. It simply felt like it was observing.
“Is it dangerous to be seen by that eye?”
“It’s hard to say it’s immediately dangerous. That eye takes in everything. But think of it this way: it’s like a hunter surveying a hunting ground for potential prey.”
“So even if it’s not hunting right now, it’s scouting out what’s where?”
The guardian smiled, satisfied.
“Exactly. And within the same hunting ground, there will be targets suitable for hunting, and others that it sees but pays no mind to.”
“Then what is the Dream? Does that signify the hunt?”
“Well, one could see it that way, or not. It’s tied to the question of whether the Eye and the Dream are the same entity.”
“So even you don’t know, Guardian.”
“I do not. To me, what happens in the sky above and what happens inside that mirror are all matters of another world.”
After stating this firmly, the guardian added a bit more explanation.
“However, the Dream only began to appear in earnest not too long ago. The Eye, on the other hand, has shown itself since ancient times.”
“And the Dream?”
“In the grand scheme of things, it appeared from time to time, but it only started to run rampant recently, within the last ten or twenty years. My curiosity was piqued, but I lack the means to investigate it.”
For some reason, it seemed he could not leave this space.
Was it like an ordinary person yearning for the sky but being unable to fly?
“It may be the world of the reverse side, but it’s also like you’re trapped here.”
Nodding, the guardian gestured subtly toward a large mirror.
That must be the giant mirror he had seen in the Magic Tower of Phenomena, the ‘Reverse Side of Phenomena.’ Loan had, in essence, entered the mirror.
The guardian said.
“In any case, the Dream is like a night fog or a dark cloud. From here, you can actually see it stain the sky black. But the Dream cannot affect the stars. The stars here are tightly bound to the physical world, so they aren't swept away by mere fog.”
It was a story filled with metaphors.
Seeing the faint look of expectation on the guardian’s face after he finished, it seemed he had posed it as a riddle, a playful urge taking over when he saw how quickly Loan understood him.
This was a place with no entertainment. And he likely had no one to talk to, either.
Loan nodded slightly and stated his understanding.
“So you’re saying that the Dream can’t affect human souls immediately because they are firmly connected to the physical world. In other words, it *can* affect those with unstable connections.”
“Precisely. Precisely…”
The guardian’s voice trailed off as he wore an expression of admiration.
Loan looked up at the sky.
The scenery after the ‘Eye’ had passed looked the same as when he was out there, yet it felt distinctly different.
It was thanks to the realization that the countless stars floating in the clear night sky—all those lights—were connected to the beings of the world.
He asked as he gazed.
“Are the beings with incomplete or severed connections the wandering souls of the dead?”
“There are such wandering beings. They aren't only affected by the Dream. They also respond to summons from the physical world or descend due to specific phenomena.”
“Does that include those who are possessed by demons or have had their souls stolen?”
“It does.”
The guardian added to his explanation.
According to him—
When one is possessed by a demon or has their body stolen by one, either two souls coexist in the body, or only the demon's soul remains. The original soul stays in the spirit world, following the body.
This is why, even without their original consciousness, they sometimes retain memories of their time under the demon's control.
Loan thought of Sophie’s case.
Sophie had appeared empty, as if soulless, but she had all her memories from when she was being controlled by Amy.
That was why she had developed special feelings for Lucas.
It felt like some of his questions had been answered. Including what Bella feared.
“There’s someone who was once possessed by a demon… she said she’s been feeling like she’s dreaming lately. She described it as resolute, dark, and heavy.”
“It must be the same thing. I can’t say for certain what form the Dream takes, as I haven’t experienced it myself. But from what I’ve gathered, it seems to be transmitted literally as nightmares, or as illusions.”
Nightmares and illusions are transmitted.
The moment he heard that, certain things naturally came to mind.
The visions he had seen, like prophecies of the future—could they also be the Dream’s influence, from moments when his own soul was unstable?
Perhaps the visions through which Le Tell receives its directives are the same?
Loan tilted his head and asked the guardian.
“But Tower Master Werner didn’t seem to know much about this.”
The guardian nodded.
“That’s to be expected. If he could at least see the spirit world, or enter it like you, he might understand to some extent. That’s why the names ‘Eye’ and ‘Dream’ are just what we guardians arbitrarily call them; we don’t know the details either. If anyone is an expert in that field, it would be the Guardian of Recognition, who presides over all the world’s books.”
“I see. You mentioned before that the guardians can’t visit each other’s places. To be precise, it means you can’t leave here, right?”
“That’s right. That’s why I was so surprised when you asked if you could enter the mirror before.”
“But you can speak with the others, can’t you? Like how you all gathered in one place before.”
“If we convey our opinions through the Tower Masters, the Tower Master of Embodiment shares our consciousnesses. It’s quite a cumbersome process, but… how about it? Would you like to talk with them?”
“No, it’s all right.”
Loan shook his head and suddenly rose from his seat.
He then walked toward the mirror.
Inside the mirror—or more accurately, outside the mirror—was the interior of the Magic Tower of Phenomena.
It must have been late at night, but the lights were bright on every floor, and the many people coming and going made it look quite busy.
That made sense. Schwerin had also opened its Magic Tower and was at war with Grave.
Loan gazed at the mirror and spoke.
“Your connection to your physical body must be severed as well, Guardian. And you’ve likely lost your essence, too. I think the first condition for you to leave the mirror would be to find that essence.”
“Essence?”
“Yes. Specifically, the essence you all had before you became the divine objects known as the Reverse Side of Phenomena, the Reflection of Recognition, the Manifestation of Sensation, the Reversion of Spirit, and the Symbol of Embodiment. I think you need to know what that was. The fact that Schwerin-style enchanting is based on essence also seems to be an extension of this concept.”
“Hmm…”
The guardian frowned deeply, as if he had no idea what Loan was talking about, and ran a hand through his hair.
Loan smiled faintly.
“It’s just a hypothesis for now. In any case, since I’ve managed to enter the mirror, if I can get back out, it will add credibility to my words. I’ll have to look for some books myself.”
Having said his piece, Loan extended his foot toward the mirror.
“Wha-what?”
And just like that, Loan’s body was sucked out of the mirror.