Extending to five times in size, the whip blade twisted through the air, slashing the threads of air currents that held the glasses in the air. However, it wasn’t the endpoints that Dallion was targeting, but rather the source. Razor sharp fragments of indestructible sky silver sliced inches away from the fury’s body. Losing their connection to her, the glasses poured onto the floor and counter like puppets that had had their strings cut. One of them spilled the orange liquid, creating a small puddle. However, this time Dallion didn’t lose any health.

“That one,” he pointed to the glass.

Just as he expected, all the glasses merged into one.

“Good guess.” The fury used a thread to put the glass back on the counter. The moment she did, a green rectangle emerged in front of Dallion.

You have broken through your forty-fifth barrier.

Your level has increased to 45.

Choose the trait that will serve you best.

“That’s it?” Dallion asked in near disbelief.

“You thought there’d be more?” The fury filled the glass, then poured herself one as well. “You’ve figured out the principle. From here on, it’ll all be the same. I can fill this entire room with glasses and you’ll still guess which one has the drink.”

“Because I’m proactive and not reactive,” Dallion said, remembering her words.

Like with all trials, it made a whole lot more sense now that he had completed it. This was a test of many things, but most of all, it was a lesson on how to deal with the mage in the real world. Dallion didn’t know magic, he didn’t even know what was possible and what not. The only thing he knew for certain was that in order for a spell to be cast, a pattern was needed. If he could find a way to disrupt the pattern, he’d ruin the spell.

“What trait should I value the most?” he asked, looking at the five options beneath the green rectangle. “Reaction?”

“Reaction is good for bards and mages, not so much for you. Not now, at least.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because you’re thinking it,” she smirked. “I’m an embodiment of your thoughts, remember?”

That she was, which meant that her answer was as good as Dallion’s. After close to a minute hesitation, he decided to go with reaction after all. There was no way he could go wrong with having fast reflexes, especially since that was a trait he had been neglecting lately.

The moment he made his choice, Diroh disappeared, along with the bar and all the shelves. That was a pity—Dallion could have used a bar in his realm. Maybe at some point he’d have Gen make one.

It took you longer than it should have, Nil said with slight disappointment. I would have expected you to figure it out by the third round.

“I’m glad you have such a high opinion of me.” Dallion closed his eyes again. Even after the end of the trial, the pain hadn’t gone away completely. “What’s next? Do I get to face the rest of the hunter party?”

What’s next is you getting some rest. You’re given the option to rest between trials, so take advantage.

As tempting as that sounded, Dallion would have preferred if he didn’t. Every moment here made his return to the real world more difficult. That was one of the basic principles of awakened—don’t level up during a fight unless you absolutely have to. In more cases than not, it was the slight disorientation after leaving one’s personal realm that brought defeat.

Ariel was waiting for Dallion as he left the trial room. The echo didn’t seem the least concerned with that had happened, as if he’d known the entire time that it would be a success.

“The next will be physical,” Ariel said with certainty.

“You know something I don’t?” Dallion asked, shielding his eyes from the sun. Bright light didn’t help the pain he was feeling.

“Because you’re weak.”

“Harsh.” One thing about echoes was that they always spoke their mind.

“Okay, you’re weakened,” Ariel corrected. “Your greatest fear right now is to face something that would take advantage of that weakness, and so it will.”

“You make it sound so simple.”

“It’s usually simple when you think about it. Nil’s right, by the way. You need a bit of rest. You’ve already been in the realms long enough to forget the real world, so at least maximize your stay.”

There was no point in arguing. Dallion conceded the point and agreed to be taken to the realm’s bedroom. The building had been built exclusively for him. Echoes, guardians, and familiars—with the exception of Nox—didn’t sleep. Awakened, in contrast, usually had to. Originally, Gen had built it so that Dallion could rest while walking through the wilderness. As such, he was still annoyed that Dallion preferred the traditional methods of sleeping in items. There had been a few discussions on the topic, but no matter what was said, Dallion stuck to the old tried-and-true methods, despite having no logical reason behind it.

The “bedroom” was the top of a three-story tower—one large circular room with a single large bed inside. All the walls were made of water that thoughtfully turned opaque when one wanted it to.

Sleep caught up to Dallion the moment he lay down. And with sleep came dreams. This time Dallion found himself in the middle of an ocean on a raft made of clouds. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but water. There was no sun, not even moons, the sky was covered with thousands of stars forming constellations. Looking closely, Dallion could see that part of the stars were green, while all the rest were the usual whitish-yellow.

“Not a bad view,” a voice said beside Dallion.

Turning around, he saw an old man in a green mage’s robe. There were a multitude of emblems embroidered on the green fabric: symbols, numbers, even what looked like chemical formulas. Despite that, Dallion immediately recognized who he was talking to.

“I must be in trouble,” he said.

“What makes you think that?” the green mage asked.

“You only show up when I’m in trouble. So, what did I do wrong this time?”

“Nothing yet. You’ve not done anything right, either.” The mage summoned a staff, then raised it to point at the stars. “Do you know what those are?”

“Your stars?” Dallion asked.

The question made the man smile. It was definitely an amusing take, created by accident. That was one of the things about this type of dream: here, Dallion could do nothing but speak his mind without anything to hide.

“They’re skills you have learned.”

“And the yellow ones?”

“Those that you can learn.”

Dallion stood up, as if to get a better view. Compared to the skills he’d learned, everything else was an ocean. It seemed that he hadn’t learned even a percent of what there was. Thinking about it, that was to be expected. Lately he had been focusing on increasing his traits and existing skill groups, rather than exploring new individual skills.

“You’re very lucky,” the mage continued. “There’s almost nothing you can’t learn. Usually people in this world would have most of the sky in red.”

“So, everyone has this dream?”

“The dream is a metaphor, a metaphor of you. At present, you’re focusing on making the stars brighter, rather than making more of them green.” The man lowered his staff. “I’m not here to tell you what’s right or wrong. I’m just here to show you what you are up against.”

“The mage knows all that?” Dallion should have felt terrified, but in his dream, he only felt impressed.

“The world knows all that. The mage is just part of the world. You’ve already gone beyond the point that you need our protection. You’re just a small spark, but people are starting to notice you. And there’s nothing more than most wouldn’t like than to snuff you out before you become a threat. The mage is nothing in the grand scheme of things, although she might still get to end you.”

“You’re dark today.”

“That’s the price of talking with you through dreams,” the mage frowned. “If we were in an awakening shrine we’d have a normal conversation. Instead, I have to be like this.” He pointed at his robe.

“I don’t know. I think it suits you.” Dallion chuckled.

“I can’t help you on this one.”

“Why are you here, then? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?”

“I can still warn you.” The mage raised his staff and poked Dallion in the chest. “You’re still focusing on the wrong things. Just like you were in your trial.”

“I passed it,” Dallion countered. “That means I’ve learned what to focus on.”

“You’re only proving my point. You’re focusing on a puzzle piece, nothing more. At this point, you don’t even know the big picture despite all the clues you’re already been given. From your perspective, they don’t even seem like clues, but rather random events by no means connected to one another. That’s not how life in this world works.”

“Are you saying that everything is preordained and things are fated to happen?”

“Quite the opposite. I’m saying that there are forces constantly pulling you in different directions. I’m doing it and I’m a lot less subtle than most. You’re like the ball in a pinball machine. The only moment you’re fully free is when you first awaken. After that, all you could do is choose which stream to follow, whether you recognize it as a stream or not. You still have a choice, you just don’t make it. The best you can do is find the choices others offer that coincide with your own.”

Maybe it was due to the effect of the dream, but the explanation sounded deep. All this time Dallion had been doing exactly what others wanted him to do. The really mind boggling thing was that he wasn’t following one person, or even a group of people with similar interests, but he was following everyone around him. Every single person, item, or area he’d seen had had an effect on him. That’s why he had joined the guild, why he had become indebted to the general, why he was living with Eury even… That also explained why powerful races at the peak of their might followed the Star into banishment and near obscurity.

The first rule when making a deal with a monster—don’t, Dallion thought.

“Do I ever get to create choices for myself or just for others?” he asked.

“It’s too early for me to give you an answer,” the mage replied.

“That sounds like a yes.”

“Then consider it a yes.”

There was a small burst of euphoria, yet it quickly faded away. Even with such an answer, Dallion was left with enough doubt to remain unsure.

“Will you tell me when I find the dragonlet?” he asked.

“You seem to have things backwards. I’ve already given you a reward for that task. At the end of the day, debts are nothing but rewards for tasks not yet completed.”

“But when I find it, I can ask for another boon and pay back my debt later?” Dallion persisted.

“Sneaky.” The mage smiled. “Though not as sneaky as you think you are. You’re not the first to come up with this idea. My answer is that when you fulfill your promise, then you’ll learn. Of course, in order to fulfill it, you’ll have to survive.” The man drew a pattern of symbols in the air and levitated upwards. “See you next time you’re in trouble.”

“Was there any point in this conversation?” Dallion shouted as the mage moved higher up into the sky.

“Of course, there was,” came the reply. “What you do with it is up to you. After all, that’s the choice you’re allowed to make.”