Chapter Forty-Six: The Boomerang of Nightmares

Why?
How does he know what happened in the dream?
Could it be... he also...?
"Um..."
Furina instantly recalled the events of last night, an odd sensation churning within her heart. Though she had already gotten out of bed, she dove back under the covers, wrapping herself tightly in the sheets, occasionally letting out a series of unintelligible sounds.
Yesterday, she had actually been awake. She thought it was just a dream, so she’d acted unusually bold—if she were to meet Lu Mingfei in reality, she’d surely be far more reserved.
If he really was in my dream...
Then didn’t I last night...
Ah—
Oh no, I can’t go on, let the world end!
The bundle of blankets squirmed restlessly, and before long, a small head poked out. Furina, her cheeks flushed crimson, whispered to herself, “I... I think I’m still not fully awake. Maybe... we should just sleep a little longer?”
“All right, let’s catch some more sleep then.”
Dream Eater, activate!
...
The House by the Fireplace
The servant jolted awake from a nightmare, sitting up abruptly as the image of Lu Mingfei cutting her down with a single stroke still echoed in her mind.
She stared blankly at her room, at all the familiar things within. She was certain she was awake. And yet, what felt utterly unreal was that the pain of being slain lingered even after the dream faded—the agony still spread through her being.
“It hurts...”
Gently peeling back her clothes, she examined her body with a furrowed brow. Her skin was flawless, unmarred by any blade. The pain seemed to be a wound inflicted on her mind, not her flesh.
This detail—the injury originating in the dream and carrying over into reality—made her shudder. If she were killed a few more times, and the mental trauma accumulated, she might actually die.
Who did this?
Was it that Furina?
Yesterday’s dream was undoubtedly drawn from the day she attacked Furina. When she first entered the dream, she even forgot she was dreaming—she simply acted on the Empress’s will, stealing the Heart of God from the Seven.
But, unlike reality, in her moment of despair, Furina called out a name—a name the servant had never heard before.
Lu Mingfei
When she cried out that name, a gray-haired, golden-eyed youth tore through the void and cut her down in an instant.
"I would never dream such a thing. This must be someone plotting against me, or perhaps the true Water God’s warning. That Lu Mingfei could well be the real Water God, and Furina is merely his puppet."
But...
"Why, in my elemental vision, is his power shrouded in darkness? If he truly were the Water God, his power wouldn’t look like that, and he wouldn’t be able to simply nullify my control of elemental energy. Undoubtedly, that isn’t an ability the Water God should possess."
"Absolute command over fire, and eyes like a dragon’s vertical pupils—he feels more like the Fire Dragon King. That domineering aura, the Dragon King’s Domain, is proof enough. Within the Fire Dragon King’s Domain, all fire elements are subject to the ancient dragon’s authority."
But he can’t be the Fire Dragon King. Never mind that the Fire Sovereignty still rests on the divine throne, the true Fire Dragon King is...
Then who exactly is he?
Black power, a dragon, possessing ancient draconic authority...
Could it be!
A possibility with near-zero odds suddenly surfaced in her mind.
He... no, It is... Nibelungen?
The Supreme Dragon King who sits on the throne!
No, that can’t be—wasn’t Nibelungen already defeated by Phanes...
Boom!!
Just as she pondered, an invisible sound resounded within her mind. Her once-clear thoughts instantly blurred and faded; desperately, she bit her lip to stay conscious, but the dizziness continued to ripple through her head until... she fell into a deep sleep.
Damn, I’m being pulled in again...
...
Lu Mingfei’s authority over the mind is formidable, but the Dream Eater itself cannot attack across worlds. A pure Dream Eater can only reach Furina’s mind and enter her dreams.
But...
Furina is no ordinary person!
Though she lacks the Water God’s divine power, her body remains the vessel of the former Water God. Even without divinity, her body possesses exceptional elemental conductivity.
She isn’t proficient with many elements, but among them are spirit and water. This is why she can create so many conscious water constructs.
No ordinary person could do such a thing!
With her remarkable spiritual conductivity, when Furina is affected by the Dream Eater, her mind instinctively conjures up her deepest nightmare—the servant.
Moreover, when Lu Mingfei cast Dream Eater, he didn’t specifically choose Furina as the attack target; he simply allowed the power of the Word Spirit to pass through to her.
Therefore...
The Dream Eater, originating from Lu Mingfei, was transmitted spiritually to Furina. At the same time, Furina, whose body has unparalleled conductivity, thought of the servant—naturally passing on the effect of the Dream Eater.
Of course, if that were all, Dream Eater still couldn’t have attacked the servant. Furina herself only carried the spiritual transmission, with no targeting capability; she couldn’t lock onto the servant and thus couldn’t launch an attack through Dream Eater.
But fate had another twist—Furina happened to have a divine incarnation, and this divine Furina was, by chance, providing energy to all of Fontaine through the Oracle Judgement Engine. Her spirit was linked with Furina’s human side and with all of Fontaine.
In other words...
Lu Mingfei → Dream Eater → Furina → Divine Furina → Oracle Judgement Engine → Servant
In this process, the targeting was completed by Focalors, the divine side. She could sense the black spirit transmitted to her, as well as the intended target.
Although Focalors felt her mind buzzing, reason told her it was best not to let this black spiritual power remain with Furina. She simply guided it to its intended destination.
And so...
The servant was thus brought in...
...
A familiar night, a familiar bench.
The servant sat trembling on the bench. Forced into the dream while awake, she could clearly feel the terror emanating from the unknown. This was supposed to be Furina’s nightmare, and yet now the one afraid was her.
This was karma come full circle!
Furina appeared soon after, humming a little tune and swaggering down the empty nighttime street. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, “Lu Mingfei, come quickly!”
Lu Mingfei?!
The servant’s heart clenched with dread. She crouched behind the bench, watching Furina call for Lu Mingfei, not daring to approach her at all.
Crack!
The void shattered, and the gray-haired, golden-eyed youth emerged from the other side. Smiling, he patted Furina’s head and replied gently, “I’m here.”
Then, his gaze shifted toward the bench, and a strange smile played on his lips.
Servant, beware!