Which do you prefer for non-mission moment like this, 1st POV or 3rd POV?
———
Time always moves differently inside the Training Field. What you think is very fast development, could actually have been happening for more than 10 years inside it.
Like the process Kiriya went through. After an unknown amount of time and an unknown number of attempts, because he did not care about time or counts anymore, he finally succeeded in capturing the sensation of transition when moving between realms.
Various experiments were conducted to find out whether he actually shifted realms completely, or if it was only his soul that moved while his physical body remained in the real world.
As a result, surprisingly, Kiriya did not transform into a non-physical being upon entering the dream realm. He was actually sleeping and only his mind entered the realm. Mostly. Then, why did he suddenly appear in the middle of the road previously?
It is tied to how much he used his Kanvas. If he uses too much of it, he will get moved to the presented place in the real world. It is like he accidentally creates a temporary anchor from the overload of his energy inside the Dream Nail. If he used too much, it can protect his physical body to enter the dream realm and move along in it.
This opened up many opportunities and answers for subsequent experiments.
Kiriya placed the Dream Nail into the Item Storage.
"Since it is literally a dream, if I create a spell to access the dream realm without using the Dream Nail, then…"
Space cracked and shattered like glass, submerging Kiriya into the dream realm.
He had successfully accessed the dream realm using his own power.
He tried again three or four more times.
"No injuries, no mistakes. The spell was easier than I thought," Kiriya murmured. He used his spell once more and exited the dream realm a moment later. He checked the newly added video camera to see the result.
Because Kiriya had successfully resolved one question, another question emerged in his mind.
The dream realm is a realm that exists on a higher layer than the material world; is there an even higher layer?
To find out, Kiriya used his knowledge of the Dream Nail and his own spatial perception to look into the abyss. One new spell emerged in its place.
A sliver of silver mist appeared from Kiriya's eyes. It's invisible through the normal eyes, but people with powers to access the dream realm will realize the change of tone and aura immediately.
In his vision, the worlds slowly overlapped with one another. Some colors inverted, and Kiriya could see something different from the creatures he summoned.
Their mind, will, and emotions.
However, inside the minds of all those enemies, there was only Kiriya and their desire to prey on him, considering they were lycans. Their minds were focused solely on Kiriya, and besides that, empty.
Kiriya let them move, and the lycans immediately lunged toward Kiriya like mad dogs. Their speed was a minor inconvenience for him, and their teeth and claws would never be able to pierce his Distortion Barrier. Kiriya used that opportunity to observe their mental activity longer.
The white empty space in their mind filled with red and darkness. It's likely because of their beastial instinct taking control of them. The lycans, who previously stood quietly with empty minds, changed instantly the moment their reins were released again. "At this point, instead of providing answers, the Training Field is difficult to use as a control condition."
So Kiriya decided to get out of the Training Field and touch some grass. He needs inspiration from people outside.
***
Kiriya's eyes calmly watched everyone passing by in the park. Some of them had already started wearing coats and thick clothing to welcome the fall. The bottle of strawberry milk in his left hand was only a quarter gone, while in his other hand, the strawberry sandwich was half-finished.
His mouth did not stop chewing the sweet-sour sandwich that gave a bit of satisfaction to his dull and plain soul.
The smile, the shock, the cheer of people around makes him remember that he's still a human being that needs those kinds of feelings.
[Dreamless]—name of the spell he just made—was indeed reading other people's minds. Every letter and piece of words was loaded with directions and positions that were constantly moving, but the meaning could still be deduced, like glitter ball, but less random and more slower. Every word they wanted to express was written down, and every fantasy and imagination they thought of while chatting with their partner was clearly displayed. A person with normal emotions might be shocked and traumatized by some of the thoughts, but Kiriya did not have that kind of privilege right now.
His theory was correct. It could indeed read what was inside people's heads. Or more precisely, the thoughts sent back and forth between the physical body and the soul. The dream realm is the boundary between soul and body. It is like a gateway that will be passed through by data sent by two devices, namely from the body and the soul.
"... The longer I look at it, the more humans become similar to computers. Or is it actually that computers have been resembling humans all along?"
Whichever it was, the point was that the world always works in the same way. Causality and transactional. Even the exchange of words could be called a transaction. Dialoguing is also a transaction, where someone gives words to another so that their chatting partner knows what that person is feeling and thinking.
As Kiriya devoured the last bite of his strawberry sandwich, his phone rang with a notification. From his inner chest pocket, Kiriya took out his usual flip phone and read the incoming message.
[Masami: Senpai. I managed to pass the phase 1 audition.]
…
[Kiriya: Congratulations *\(^_^)/*]
…
[Masami: Will you come later?]
…
[Kiriya: When and what time is the event?]
…
[Masami: On the 28th. About 10 AM in Building A.]
…
[Kiriya: That's a weekend. Sure. I can accompany you and Groza later.]
…
[Masami: Thank you, Senpai.]
Kiriya closed his phone and put it back into his chest pocket, before finishing the rest of his canned strawberry milk in a few gulps.
He did not expect that Masami would already be one step closer to her dream. However, no matter the result, Kiriya would still provide a place she can call "home". Since he had decided to help Masami, he would do it with totality.
While he provided security for Masami, Kiriya gained satisfaction from Masami's security. This was the unwritten transaction happening between Kiriya and Masami.
Kiriya rested his chin on his hand. "...."
After being too busy and focused on the second mission for so long, he remembered that there was something he had always set aside all this time. "... Come to think of it, Masami hasn't even graduated from high school, if she can even attend one. She's just 17 now. Which means what I'm doing right now is illegal…"
'I'll need to get her documents soon or she'll be too old to go to school. I need to tell Groza to teach her later.'
Kiriya stood up from the park bench and threw away his trash.
"Well, who cares if it's legal or not. Her parents maybe did not care anyway. If there's people looking for trouble, I'll just shut them away."
Illegal or not, he didn't care.
He would throw away the rules for anyone he cared about.
He was not a good person, because whatever he did was due to the selfishness of his own heart.
The world moves within the laws of causality and transactional. Consequences will always follow those who cause something, and Kiriya will pay for the peace of his family and comrades with dominance and tyranny over the world if necessary.