In the blink of an eye,five years had passed.
I am now approximately ten and a half years old.
A lot has changed during these years, and yet, at the same time, nothing has changed at all.
As occurred in the novel, after the Winter Solstice and Seishan's entry into the Dream Realm, she did not return. Initially, the change wasn't obvious, but after a full year of her disappearance, a heavy shadow loomed over my mother and sisters.
My mother insisted that Seishan was still alive,
which meant she was out there somewhere in the Dream Realm, facing its horrors alone. Well, I know exactly where she is, but it's not like I can tell them. At the same time, I can't do anything about it yet. At least, my sisters found solace in the fact that she was alive, holding onto hope for her eventual return.
As for Jet, she was doing remarkably well. Only two months after her adoption, she was infected by the Nightmare Spell and underwent her First Nightmare. When she returned, she possessed the exact same Aspect mentioned in the novel.
I could almost swear my mother's eyes flickered toward me for a brief moment when Jet announced that her Aspect Rank was Supreme.
After all, to my mother, she had adopted a girl from the outskirts who was almost destined to die. Instead, she gained one of the clan's most precious assets.
This time, Jet's Flaw was managed much more easily than in the original timeline. She was now a princess of a Great Clan; providing a few nightmare creatures for her was no longer a difficult task.
A month after returning from her First Nightmare,
she returned again as an Awakened. Two years later, she braved her Second Nightmare, becoming the youngest person in the world to transcend it.
Shortly before she entered, I couldn't help but feel anxious. Despite knowing her capabilities, I still had a bad feeling.
In the end, I kept dropping hints about her Aspect Legacy. I told her that the name of her Flaw was "You Are Dead" and that she was effectively a corpse. Finally, after hours of rambling, I told her that perhaps the Spell hated her so much that her Aspect Legacy would only unlock if she killed herself.
After all that nonsense, I left quietly, knowing that the blood, lineage, and descent of the Beast God within her would handle the rest. Jet's senses were startlingly exceptional—and I don't mean the ordinary senses, but her sixth sense. The moment I told her she had to die, I was certain she felt something that confirmed my words.
Thus, she and my mother spent an entire month searching for a way to kill Jet without her actually staying dead.
Eventually, my mother used a Supreme Memory that allowed her to duplicate anyone she wished, though the copy only possessed a quarter of the original's power.
Good God, it was hilarious when she used the Memory on Jet and another Jet appeared! Before we could even mock the situation, the real Jet killed the copy immediately, knowing that having a double near us was a very bad idea.
After the kill, Jet froze in place for several minutes.
Finally, she emitted some mist from her hands and transformed it into a weapon. Jet had finally unlocked her Aspect Legacy.
When my mother learned of its power, she took Jet on a private journey and helped her slay five Great Creatures.
A month later, Jet entered the Nightmare alongside Revel, Yunbeinn, and Hel They soon returned as the first Ascended Princesses of Song.
Jet had become far more powerful than what was mentioned in the original novel, thanks to the early unlocking of her Aspect Legacy, her refined training, and descent of the Beast God flowing through her veins.
Since Jet constantly needs to kill nightmare creatures to stay alive, my mother gave her a simple task: closing Nightmare Gates in the waking world. Now, Jet is the most famous of the Song princesses. I had to admit my mother's plan was as brilliant as it was devious.
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As for me,
I am the most famous, mysterious, and secretive person in the world. Since I entered the Dream Realm five years ago, I have only returned to the waking world a few times, all in total secrecy. In fact, there is no official photo of me. All descriptions of my appearance come from those in Ravenheart who happened to see me.
As for the reason for my immense fame, it was quite simple:
theft.
Yes, after waking up in this world, I researched it—specifically the eras before the Spell—to find out if I was in the same world but in the future.
Unfortunately, I never found a definitive answer, but I could confirm that this world exists at least a century or two after our time. When I read about the pre-Spell eras, I found that science was highly advanced. Then the Spell came and destroyed everything.
Now, despite recovering much of the lost technology, the path of development has shifted toward magical technology. Nevertheless, I found something far more interesting, which is the real reason behind my fame...
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Author's Note
Hello everyone, the author here!
With this chapter, Orion's journey has officially reached 15,000 words, which means the Ranking List has finally been unlocked!
If you've been enjoying the story so far, I would truly appreciate it if you could leave a Review and support me with Power Stones. Your support keeps the chapters coming!
By the way, there will be another time skip soon, after which Orion's First Nightmare will finally begin.
I've been thinking... what if his First Nightmare takes place on the Forgotten Shore? What do you think about that?
Also, what kind of chaotic things would be fun for him to do there? Maybe hunting down that despicable Vile Thieving Bird? Hahaha!
I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Have a wonderful night, everyone!