In the center of the forest glade, Taran El's mental entity, which had been stagnant due to "protective sinking", suddenly blinked - as if his self-awareness disappeared with the erosion of the creeping sun disk. Finally returned to this shallower dreamland.
Duncan and Lucretia noticed this immediately and walked towards the elf scholar in unison. The latter woke up after just two or three seconds and looked at the scene in front of him in astonishment.
Everything was different from what he remembered - the forest illuminated by the sun fell into a strange dusk at some point, the skylight was mixed with vague shadows, and many new figures appeared in the field of vision, none of which he knew. We all know each other (including Morris, whom we haven’t seen for decades).
After just looking around blankly, Taran El finally got excited and hesitantly broke the silence: "Why is my situation so serious?"
Lucretia, who had just walked over, was stunned when she heard this: "What are you talking about?"
Taran Ayre pointed at himself, and then at Heidi, Vanna and Morris, who had noticed the movement not far away and were walking towards here, with incredible expressions on their faces: "In just a moment, everything happened. Has it developed to the point where so many people are consulting?”
Lucretia's expression trembled for a moment, and she almost lost her composure.
Taran El continued: "If you really can't wake me up, let me try my own method. The 'sudden death method' is actually very effective..."
When Lucretia heard this, she immediately interrupted the scholar: "Don't worry about your 'sudden death method'. Do you know what happened just now?"
"Just now?" Taran Ayre looked confused, "What happened just now? I was just stunned..."
"The minions of the Black Sun invaded your dream, and even brought the projection of a descendant of the sun," Lucretia said seriously, while observing the change in Taran El's expression, "You are completely unaware. Arrive? If my father had not appeared in time, the mental entity you left here might have been destroyed by the aftermath of the battle."
Taran El's expression became serious when he listened to the first half of Lucretia's words, but when he heard the other party's last sentence, he was suddenly startled, and then gradually came to his senses, hesitantly and horrified while slowly moving towards Duncan turned his head and said, "Your...father?"
Lucretia nodded silently, and Duncan smiled as kindly as possible and stretched out his hand to the respected scholar: "You can just call me Captain Duncan."
Taran Ayre did not reach out to respond. He seemed to be stiff. He only stared at the tall figure in front of him with wide eyes, and then suddenly took a sharp breath. His whole body seemed to "shake" violently, and then The figure disappeared into the forest.
Duncan looked at this scene in confusion, turned around and asked, "What is going on?"
The shock on Lucrecia's face was not much lighter. After hearing Duncan's words, she was stunned for two or three seconds before finally realizing what happened. She said with a strange expression: "...'Sudden Death Method' worked."
Duncan: "...?"
At this time, Heidi, Vanna, and Maurice also happened to come over. They wanted to say hello to the awakened Master Taran El, but they only saw the latter disappearing out of thin air, and heard Lucretia again. The last murmur suddenly caused different expressions.
Heidi's face was full of exclamation that "this actually works", Morris's eyes showed a little regret, and only Vana's expression was blank - she was a sports student and didn't quite understand the operations of these psychology experts. .
When she encounters nightmares, she just cuts through them and runs away.
"I wanted to say hello to Master Taran El," Morris said regretfully. "We haven't seen each other in many years."
"He won't recognize you when he sees you," Heidi shook her head. "He remembers you as a young man studying abroad, and he can't even imagine that you have a daughter now."
Morris thought for a while and sighed softly: "That's how dealing with elves is."
"It seems that you have explained the situation clearly?" Duncan looked at the atmosphere between the three people in front of him and asked curiously.
"I understand," Fanna nodded, and spread her hands helplessly, "I have been scolded for a long time."
Heidi didn't say anything, but couldn't help but carefully look at the "famous" captain in front of her. Her eyes swept between the several people on the scene, and she didn't know how many times they turned around in these few seconds. idea.
Lucretia did not pay attention to the situation here. She had been carefully observing the changes in this "forest" since just now, and then she suddenly broke the silence softly: "As I suspected, Taran Ai I woke up, but the 'dream' itself still exists...there are other 'dreamers' maintaining this place."
Hearing her words, Duncan just nodded slightly.
Because it is temporarily unclear what the "dreamer" behind this dream is, and this dream seems to be connected to many ordinary people, so he did not "set fire" here, but from just now, he has been carefully sensing this place.
This forest that looks extremely real is essentially a dream, and what is connected behind it should be the dreamer's subconscious. And he intervenes here through "walking in the spiritual world". In theory, he can touch and even perceive this " Subconsciously", just like the emotions and superficial thought fragments he sensed when he touched those "starlights" while walking in the spiritual world.
However, here, no matter how far he extends his perception, no matter how carefully he "listens", he can only feel a huge... emptiness.
There is nothing, no fear, no thoughts. Outside the forest is still a forest, and deep in the earth is still the earth. There is no trace of the dreamer's personality. Rather than saying that this is a "barrier" created by the subconscious to protect the deep dreams, The feeling of this forest to Duncan... was more like a chaotic fog.
The barrier has a purpose, but the fog, it just gathers here chaotically and spontaneously, without purpose or consciousness, and only operates according to some ancient rules.
Duncan was thinking about what was behind this empty and huge dream, but at this moment, a gust of disorderly wind suddenly blew from the depths of the forest, and the coldness that came with the wind interrupted his thinking.
"...This forest is no longer welcoming to us," Heidi frowned immediately, with some confusion in her tone, "But why didn't you respond before?"
"Perhaps it's because Taran El is awake," Lucretia said thoughtfully. "His awakening did not cause the dream to disintegrate, but it was equivalent to closing an 'entrance' for those of us who broke in. Uninvited guests will naturally be rejected.”
"Looks like it's time to leave." Duncan sighed regretfully. He instinctively felt that there were still many secrets hidden in this dream, but he also knew that he had to continue when the dream had begun to produce rejection reactions. If he were forced to stay here, the harm caused would probably not be much less than that "deformed sun" in the sky before.
"Okay, I have to return to the real world as soon as possible to confirm the current situation of Taran El," Lucretia said, she looked a little relieved, "Don't really die on my ship."
"Well, go ahead," Duncan nodded to her, "We will talk about more things when we meet in the real world - I will find you soon."
The expression on Lucretia's face seemed tense for a moment, but she quickly recovered and showed a smile: "Okay, but don't be in a hurry. It doesn't matter if you take your time. From the Cold Sea to the Southern Sea, there is a long way to go." It’s a long journey, so be careful…”
"I mean, I will find you soon - probably this afternoon," Duncan waved his hand, "The Homeless Ship is already near Breeze Harbor."
The smile on Lucretia's face solidified instantly: "...Huh?"
Duncan looked calm: "Perhaps due to some influence after the sun went out, the Lost Home crossed a long distance in an instant, and now I have arrived."
Lucretia was stunned, and then her figure "flickered" twice in an instant, and then disappeared out of thin air in front of everyone.
Duncan, Heidi and others were left looking at each other.
The awkward silence lasted for a while, and finally it was Fanna who spoke first: "Did she wake up with a fright?"
No one answered her.
"It's time to leave," Duncan shook his head to relieve the sudden embarrassment. "If you have anything else you want to say, please contact us later."
It was time to say goodbye to this brief reunion. Heidi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in her heart. She looked at her father and friends standing next to Captain Duncan with complicated emotions, and suddenly thought of one thing: "Wait, how should I contact you?" You?! You are on board the Lost Home..."
"Just write a letter," Morris said with a smile. "You can send it directly to the antique shop in the lower town. The captain will hand it over personally."
"Huh? Just write a letter?"
Heidi was stunned, and before she had time to react, she heard Vanna next to her speak: "If it's just a simple message, you can also go to the cathedral. Bishop Valentine can help deliver the message."
Heidi continued to look confused: "You mean the cathedral!?"
"Or you can wait until the ship has a holiday," Duncan added, "I have been very busy during this period, but there should be a holiday after that, and I can send them back to Pland."
“There’s even a vacation on the Homeless?!”
However, Heidi's questions went unanswered.
The wind blowing in the forest has gradually brought obvious coldness and hostility, and the rejection of the dream has gradually reached its peak. In her eyes, the figures of Captain Duncan, her father, and Vanna are gradually becoming blurred.
Finally, even her own consciousness became chaotic and hazy, and she sank into darkness amid a sudden feeling of weightlessness.
The next second, the darkness faded, and she suddenly woke up from her dream.
Heidi opened her eyes and saw that she was lying on a bed in a ward of a medical facility, and her original "patient" had gone somewhere.
It seems that after he fell into a dream, someone noticed something unusual and sent him here.
The psychiatrist took a deep breath.
This long and tortuous dream is finally over.
(End of chapter)
