Chapter: 179
Sssst.
“….?”
Lost in his own thoughts, Lian jolted back at the sight of a palm-sized leaf falling onto his face. As he reflexively retreated, his view filled with a shower of dry leaves tumbling down.
“…?!”
Just moments ago, the branches and stems were adorned with shy flower buds as if spring had just arrived. Now, they had all turned brown, withering away. It felt like the death of the season, autumn had come.
‘So this is what I get for wishing to live in such a reality—getting hit with the realization that it’s just a dream…’
Lian wasn’t as shocked as one might expect. After all, such events were a dime a dozen in the Gag World. What truly shook him was the soft, warm weight pressing down on his forearm.
Psss…
Before Lian could finish that thought, the world around him began to rapidly decay. Leaves fell, leaving only skeletal branches, and the once-browning grass crumbled into black dust.
The vibrant plants that had once brightened the path with their colors were now dried up, leaving the ground barren like a wasteland.
Still dazed by the scene that felt like the God of Death had passed through, Lian suddenly snapped back to reality.
‘…! Could it be that this is why Noah can’t wake up?’
Whipping his head around, he gazed at Noah, who was still clinging to his arm. As soon as she turned her gaze back, their eyes locked.
The once-frozen expression on Noah’s face melted into something softer in an instant.
“It got suddenly cold. Should we go in before we catch a cold?”
Her voice, warm like spring sunlight, carried an underlying chill that made Lian shiver. At that moment, the pressure wrapping around his arm tightened.
‘Oh no..’
The warm sensation that had been pleasantly squishing his arm quickly dispersed, and the awkwardness filled his mind.
With icy winds drifting past them towards the cozy cabin hidden in the forest, a suspenseful atmosphere hung in the air, as if something dreadful were waiting to pounce, reminiscent of a scene from a horror movie.
*
Creeeak.
“Uh, um…”
The charming cabin that had resembled a scene from a fairy tale just a moment ago now exuded a strong abandoned vibe.
The enormous tree beside the cabin looked as if it were a sinister gallows, and the three steps leading up to the door felt like they were about to collapse any moment. Watching the once-sleek wooden door crack and splinter made Lian’s body freeze.
‘W-ait, could this mean… ghosts are gonna show up?’
Having ghosts in the house wouldn’t be too big of a deal. What was the real problem—the mischief those ghosts might pull? He thought he might end up playing the role of the burglar invading the house from that hit winter movie “Home Alone.”
‘But… since I’m the same kind of ghost, I can’t see how it’d be a huge problem… right?’
As such thoughts swirled in his head, Lian stepped into the cabin, only to find the situation even worse than expected. The kitchen, where warm sunlight used to pour in, now radiated a chilling atmosphere as if it were a crime scene, and the once high-quality wooden furniture looked faded and cracked, having succumbed to the passage of time.
It felt as if only the interior had aged significantly. But that wasn’t the only difference.
In place of the warm-colored rug was a bow as large as Lian’s upper body, and several swords were mounted on the wall. A massive animal head was taxidermied above the fireplace that had once displayed wedding photos.
It felt less like a newlywed’s cabin and more like that of a hunter’s.
‘Did I wander into the wrong place?’
The change was so striking it made Lian think that, for a fleeting moment.
Swoosh.
While Lian was busy processing the shock, Noah casually released her grip on his arm and strode into the cabin. The softness that once graced her face had turned dry, and her long brown hair that had cascaded down to her waist was now bobbed, barely brushing her shoulders. The airy clothing she used to wear had transformed into rough, hunter-like attire.
Striding into the room, Noah, as if familiar with her surroundings, unlatched a small bag from her waist and casually placed it on the kitchen table. Then, she opened a cupboard, took out a glass jar filled with water, and poured herself a refreshing drink.
It was as if she had completely forgotten Lian’s existence, and she was going on as if he wasn’t there, leaving Lian unable to conceal his panic.
“Uh, Noah?”
“…”
Noah didn’t respond to Lian’s call. Wondering if she couldn’t really see him, he hurriedly approached, trying to grab her arm.
Swoosh.
Noah deliberately avoided Lian’s touch without even glancing at him. The dramatic shift in her demeanor, as stark as the temperature between a hot spring and ice bath, caused Lian to momentarily unleash his comedic instincts, unable to hold back his shout.
“Was our love just a joke until now?!”
As if a clean brush dipped in colored water had been thrown into a clear pond, a comedic filter began to ripple outward from Lian, affecting everything around him. In no time flat, his expression transformed into that of a delicate drama heroine.
“Wah… I truly loved you…”
Just as Lian was startled by the change, Noah was similarly taken aback by the sudden shift, her mouth agape as she got swept up in the comedic filter’s effects.
“That’s… a misunderstanding.”
Noah didn’t understand why she had blurted that out, but it felt like something she had to say.
“Liar! You left me so coldly!”
If Lian had a physical body, he might have been teary-eyed, patting his belly as if… there were a child inside.
Fortunately, the comedic filter was only partially intact, preventing things from spiraling into complete absurdity. Even with that level of humor, Noah was at a loss.
The slightly silly, light atmosphere began to peel back the tightly hidden feelings.
“Stop it.”
“Are you now refusing to listen to me—”
“Stop it!”
With an expression filled with repressed emotions, Noah lunged toward Lian. Startled, Lian stepped back and bumped against the wall with a thud. Noah shot him a fierce look, gazing up from below.
“Stop with your pointless antics, you fake.”
“…?!”
“I know this is a dream, so do me a favor and vanish from my sight.”
Noah had lost Lian countless times. There were moments she had turned a blind eye to reality, and times when despair overwhelmed her and rendered her powerless. The only reason she endured for so long was that somewhere, Lian had always played the role of her support, appearing time and again, smiling and assuring her that everything was alright.
But this time was different.
Her mentor, who once kept her steady, had fallen into a deep slumber, and Lian had been swallowed into the abyss.
She found herself engulfed in a deep sense of loss and despair, overtaken by profound powerlessness. Nothing felt tangible anymore, even breathing felt wasteful. The escape she chose was the “dream.”
For Noah, who battled nightmares, the flower left at her head by the butler served to eliminate nightmares and grant her sweet dreams. Once the beautiful flower bloomed by her bedside, she could finally meet a smiling Lian in her dreams.
After thrashing around in the sweet dreams for as long as her heart desired, waking up brought her face-to-face with overwhelming despair and powerlessness. It was only natural she became stuck in the dream.
But even sweetness has its limits.
Like a sudden revelation one might find themselves hit with while talking to a sage, Noah felt a deep sense of strangeness toward dream-Lian, realizing that she was indeed dreaming.
And at that moment, the beautiful forest lost its vitality, becoming a forest of death, and the home that once brimmed with happiness turned cold and lifeless. Every landscape mirrored Noah’s shadowed heart, turning desolate.
From the lifeless forest, black monsters sprang out, attacking Noah, leaving only her eyes exposed. These weren’t the mental attacks of an Outsider or the Demon King’s Army.
It was the self-destructive urge to harm oneself.
The desire to hurt the self, who couldn’t protect anything, manifested and assaulted her.
Believing it was only natural to be punished for her sins, she didn’t perceive this as a nightmare and felt the flower meant to ward off nightmares fail to intervene.
Since it was a dream, the blend of sweet and terrible daily life often created chaos. It became a problem when Lian, who should have only emerged from sweet dreams, chased after Noah, who became conscious of the dream.
Initially, she clung to Lian like a child confessing sins to a deity, simply crying, as if seeking forgiveness.
But after this repeated several times, she began to feel nauseous about the notion of wanting forgiveness. Simultaneously, she began to repeatedly voice that the living, breathing Lian right before her was a false existence.
With that sharp awareness of reality, Noah pushed away the ‘fake Lian.’ Those days repeated endlessly.
“How dare… How dare…”
As always, Noah didn’t hide her anger directed at the ‘fake’ right in front of her.
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