Chapter 2 Heidi

Heidi followed the staff member in the dark blue uniform towards another ward inside the medical facility, listening to their explanation along the way.

"The 'patient' woke up first and found you unconscious next to the bed. She ran to the hallway for help, and that's how we knew something was wrong in the ward…

"Because you instructed us beforehand, we had the Church's Guardians and stationed priests check the area around the ward, but they found no signs of supernatural contamination. Only you remained in a deep sleep… We moved you to a ward closer to the chapel…

"The elven girl is still in the facility. Her mental state is good, but she doesn't seem to remember what happened in the dream, nor can she explain how she suddenly fell asleep. We've asked her to stay a little longer, in case you have any questions for her.

"Her family is here as well, so you can ask them about anything…"

The staff member suddenly stopped, a hint of hesitation on their face, and turned to Heidi, "I'm sorry, I forgot that you just woke up from your own deep sleep. You need to rest now…"

"I don't need to rest. I've slept long enough," Heidi waved her hand, but her eyes couldn't help but dart around the other person's face. Fortunately, she quickly controlled her expression and gaze, and then asked casually, "Before you came in, were there any strange noises in my room?"

"Strange noises?" The staff member frowned, thought for a moment, and shook their head, "No. Did something happen?"

*There was an uninvited guest who crossed the rift in the timeline and invaded the ward—and then left after spouting a bunch of mystical nonsense.*

Heidi recalled what had just happened in her mind, but quickly shook her head and said calmly, "No, I was just asking to confirm whether anything unusual happened in my room while I was asleep."

The "staff member" in front of her was just an ordinary person responsible for liaison, and the feeling that the mystical End-of-Days Evangelist gave Heidi was too strange. Out of caution, it was best not to tell ordinary people about the "Evangelist."

*I should report this directly to the Church when I get back, or to the city-state's central cathedral.*

*Perhaps I should also tell my father, and that… Captain Duncan?*

Various thoughts ran through Heidi's mind, some of which even made her feel a little horrified. Accompanied by these complicated thoughts, she was led to the end of the corridor.

The staff member responsible for leading the way made a brief handover and quietly left. Heidi took a deep breath in front of the ward, quickly composed herself, and then reached out and pushed open the door.

In the clean and bright ward, the elven girl who had previously fallen asleep was sitting quietly on the bed, leaning against the pillows and cushions, reading a book in her hands. A plump and amiable-looking elven old woman was sitting on the edge of the bed, diligently peeling an apple.

When Heidi entered the room, the elven girl immediately looked up, and then a bright smile bloomed on her face, "Ah! Doctor! You're awake?"

"I'm here to check on you," Heidi returned the smile, nodding to the amiable-looking elven old woman as she walked towards the bed, "Hello, may I ask who you are…"

"She's my grandmother!" the elven girl on the bed interjected.

The old woman gave her granddaughter a helpless look, then turned to Heidi and said with a smile, "This child is a bit too familiar… Thank you very much for your help with Flotie, Miss Heidi."

A trace of embarrassment appeared on Heidi's face, "I feel like I didn't help much. I, the 'doctor,' even fell asleep myself."

"But I heard from the staff here that you fell asleep in order to wake Flotie from her nightmare," the old woman handed the freshly peeled apple to Heidi, her warm and sincere attitude showing that she wasn't just being polite, "And Flotie also said that she felt someone protecting her in her sleep—when danger approached, a series of gunshots dispelled her fear."

*A series of gunshots? Approaching danger? Was she referring to the annihilation cultist who tried to get close to the bed by relying on the "entrance of suggestion" that he opened when the dream backlashed?*

Heidi instantly had some guesses in her mind. She thanked the old woman for the apple, then sat down on the chair next to the bed and looked very seriously at the elven girl named Flotie, "Your name is Flotie, right? Do you remember how you fell asleep?"

"I remember… I was reading a book at home," Flotie frowned and thought, "Before, the sun went out, and Grandmother said it was dangerous on the street, and told me to stay in my room. Later, the sun came back on, and I was really bored, so I found a book to read—after all, the sun was shining again, but I don't know why, after reading for a while, I suddenly felt very sleepy and fell asleep…"

"Reading?"

Heidi muttered, her eyes sweeping over the book that Flotie had been holding in her hands. On the light purple cover, a string of gorgeous letters caught her eye—*The Crystal Garden of the Dreamless Prince*.

"I say, she's always reading these messy books," the plump elven old woman started nagging from the side, "Her head is full of unreliable fantasies. She's going to be contaminated by these things sooner or later. The gods won't protect the romance between two men…"

Flotie immediately corrected dissatisfiedly, "Not two, several!"

Heidi shook her head at the old woman, "Don't worry, it's not the content of this book that caused it."

As soon as she finished speaking, Flotie looked surprised and delighted, "Doctor, you read this too?!"

Heidi: "…"

Relying on the superb skills she had honed over many years, the mental physician ignored the various expressions on Flotie and her grandmother's faces, and instead looked at the elven girl with a serious expression, "In short, you didn't try to observe its surface during the sun's extinction, nor did you gaze at the sky?"

"Of course not, who would dare to," Flotie stuck out her tongue, "Who in their right mind would dare to look around when the sun goes out?"

Heidi was expressionless, and then asked, "Do you remember what happened while you were asleep? Any impression will do—except for the 'gunshots,' I know about that part."

"…Besides those gunshots, I really only have a little impression," Flotie recalled carefully, saying uncertainly, "I just remember lying in the darkness all the time, drowsy and unable to see my surroundings or hear any sounds. And in the darkness, there were many, many shadows, like other people, all standing around me…"

Heidi's expression immediately became serious, "Many, many shadows?"

…

In the depths of the boundless sea, in a city-state far away from Prand and Breeze Harbor, a figure in a thick black coat hurried into a small alley.

The figure was in a hurry, walking a little staggering, seeming to be panicked. He avoided the prying eyes that might be present at the entrance of the alley, and ducked into one fork after another. After wandering for a long time in the maze-like alley that was enough to make people lost, he finally slipped into a house.

It was approaching dusk, and the afterglow of the sun was quietly fading from the city. The gas lamps on the street had not yet been lit, and the dimness had arrived a step ahead, gradually submerging the houses in the city-state.

The sound of a match being struck came, and the oil lamp in the house was lit.

The man threw the thick black coat on the armrest of the sofa, then walked to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of spirits, poured himself a glass, took it to the sofa, sat down, and drank half of it in one gulp. Only then did he breathe a long sigh of relief in the slightly safer atmosphere brought by the oil lamp.

The strong alcohol stimulated his taste buds and nerves, soothing the terrifying pressure that seemed to be entangled in his bones. He felt courage and vitality return to his body again, and his slightly cold hands and feet warmed up again.

A slight sound of chains rubbing together entered his ears. Behind the man, a black chain slowly emerged from the air. One end of the chain was connected to him, and the other end bound a jellyfish floating in mid-air that seemed to be condensed from smoke.

This chaotic and ignorant demon appeared, unconsciously swelling and wriggling in mid-air, transmitting restless signals to the man.

"I know, I know, we almost ran into big trouble," the man grumbled irritably. He knew that the abyssal demon had no heart and could not understand human language, but after years of living with the demon, he had unconsciously developed the habit of talking to his abyssal demon, as if this dangerous cloud of smoke was really a trusted family member and friend, "Who knew that cursed captain would suddenly appear… Damn it, what does this have to do with him…"

He put down the glass in his hand, leaned back on the sofa, raised his head, and stared at the roof with unfocused eyes, his tone full of indignation.

"Those idiot-like sun remnants are also useless, and they can't even deal with that 'witch'… Tsk, the bottom-level believers are all morons, the so-called 'messengers' are just a bunch of brainless dregs, and the so-called children of the sun are just unthinking puppets… Those sun worshippers, from top to bottom, can't find a few people with complete intelligence. They almost killed us…"

He muttered, got up, picked up the glass, took two more big gulps, felt his heartbeat gradually calm down, and then turned his head to look at his symbiotic demon.

"Be quiet, we're safe now. We'll find another opportunity later. If those mystical evangelists are right, more elves will soon be affected by the 'original defect.' We'll always have a chance to enter that dream again…"

He suddenly stopped.

The smoke jellyfish continued to swell and wriggle in the air, transmitting increasingly uneasy signals to its symbiote. The man also seemed to gradually feel something—his slow spiritual intuition finally began to warn him. In a wave of fear stronger than the last, his perception finally broke through the self-protection in his subconscious and began to perceive… that gaze that was close at hand.

With a "gulp," the man swallowed and gradually lowered his gaze.

He looked at the glass in his hand.

The remaining liquor swayed slightly in the glass, reflecting the flickering light of the oil lamp. Under the eerie green light, a gloomy and majestic face was reflected in the glass, calmly watching him.

"Keep talking," he heard a illusory voice echoing in his mind, as if it were his own thoughts, "I like people who have a habit of talking to themselves."

(End of this chapter)