[Character Illustration: Tenzin]
Tenzin's words were like a sledgehammer to Owen's head. He stood frozen, his brain trying to process information too immense to handle… Spirits and demons… the Dream Dimension… a Caretaker… and a Guardian… This whole story was too much for him to bear… and now, he was being unavoidably pulled in to become a part of it.
He took a deep breath to collect his scattered thoughts. After steadying himself, he looked up to meet Tenzin's eyes. His gaze was no longer confused but filled with skepticism and a need for clear answers. He chose to ask the most logical question.
"Wait a second…" Owen began, his voice firmer than before. "You said this qualification appears every twenty to fifty years… so how did you know it was me? How did you find me?"
Tenzin gave a faint smile, one that showed his satisfaction with the intelligent question.
"I did not find you… it was the 'Monastery' that discovered you," he answered. "On the day the qualification of a 'Dream Traveler' first awakened within you several months ago… the 'Essence of Dreams' responded to you more violently than it has in a hundred years."
The old monk pointed to the jet-black pool in the center of the courtyard. Owen followed his finger and could feel an invisible pressure emanating from it. "It released an immense amount of energy to open the most stable 'path' directly into the 'Dream Dimension' for you. I only knew that you had traveled into it… but I do not know what or whom you encountered there."
The words "immense amount of energy" and "open the path" struck Owen's senses like a lightning bolt!
Memories that had been hazy exploded in his mind like a movie being rewound at high speed… The image of the nexus dimension filled with multi-colored fog… The image of the mysterious old man in a grey robe whom he had thought was Gandalf… and the old man's question, which still echoed in his memory…
'And where did you get such a vast amount of energy? To be able to travel to this place?' the old man had said.
'Immense energy… open a path… That old man! The one who asked me about traveling through the Dream Dimension!' Thoughts raced through Owen's head frantically.
'So… the reason I was able to meet that old man was because of the power from the 'Essence of Dreams'?'
'And because I got there… I had the chance to sign that crazy 'contract'… and choose the 'Choice System' power! Damn it… The origin of everything… it all started from here!'
Owen's eyes widened, his jaw hanging open. He felt as if the stone floor beneath his feet was trembling, his entire world spinning as all the pieces of his life that had seemed like coincidences were assembled into a single, perfect picture… a picture far larger and more terrifying than he had ever imagined.
Tenzin watched Owen's reaction as he discovered the whole truth and nodded slightly, as if he could read his mind. He waited until Owen's confused gaze became steady once more before his tone suddenly shifted to one that was grave and serious.
"Now… that you understand everything, it is time for you to learn of the crisis that is about to occur."
"The death of the previous Guardian has caused the seal to begin to weaken… Although no large monsters have been able to escape, small 'nightmares' have begun to leak into the outside world… The mist your companions are facing is one of those effects."
Tenzin met Owen's eyes directly, his own gaze filled with a heavy truth. "As the only qualified person in this era… you are the only hope to stop the coming catastrophe."
'What the hell is this? Are they just going to dump a world-level responsibility on me just like that?' Owen thought to himself. He clenched his fists, feeling as if a heavy stone had been tied to his body.
Tenzin gestured towards the jet-black pool in the center of the courtyard. "I understand your hesitation… Therefore, before you make any decisions… you should first experience the true 'burden of duty' for yourself."
"Place your hand upon the surface of that water… The 'Essence of Dreams' will show you everything… the duty, the power you will receive, and the price you will have to pay."
Owen looked at the still, black pool. He could feel a chilling pressure emanating from it. He thought of the image of a terrified Damian, a madly laughing Julian, and Clara's blissfully rapturous face… Was all of that just the "beginning" of the disaster?
'At the very least… I need to know what I'm up against,' he decided firmly.
Owen took a deep breath, then slowly extended his hand towards the black surface of the water to "face the truth"…
And the moment his fingertips touched the surface, which was as still as a black mirror…
A strange, freezing sensation shot up his arm from his fingertips! It wasn't the coldness of water, but a chilling cold that seemed to suck all his feelings away… The image of his surroundings seemed to slowly fade.
Owen's consciousness was violently ripped from his body, pulling him into a strange, endless dimension. It was complete darkness… no sound… no light… not even the sensation of his own body. He floated in that terrifying emptiness… and then, a vision of a future that "might" happen flashed clearly in his mind like a movie.
The vision of refusal…
He saw himself turning his back on the monastery, returning to a normal life with his friends and lover. Everything seemed to return to peace… but then the image changed rapidly. He saw small news reports about strange incidents happening all over the city… He saw the shadows of dream monsters beginning to appear in the real world more frequently… Even though the Awakened tried to fight them together, their numbers continued to increase until they were overwhelmed. "Peace" had vanished from the lives of ordinary people… and the final, terrifying image was of Clara and Jessica screaming in fear before a dream creature that had successfully escaped.
The vision of acceptance…
The image changed again… He saw himself traveling through countless dream worlds. He saw himself fighting dream beasts that swarmed him like an ocean. He saw himself facing life and death while his strength grew by leaps and bounds… but his eyes were also filled with the utmost exhaustion…
And as he was sinking into those visions…
The moment the Choice System sensed the immense energy from the "Essence of Dreams" and the critical turning point Owen was facing, it began to manifest its power instantly!
Ting!
The familiar blue screen appeared before Owen in that empty dimension, indicating that this was a "critical situation" where he had to make a decision.
…..
[You are about to connect with the 'Essence of Dreams,' which will permanently affect your destiny.]
[Will you accept your fate as a 'Guardian'?]
[Choice 1: Refuse]: You will be returned to the normal world. Your friends will be safe (for now), but the seal will continue to weaken, and the era of nightmares will slowly begin.
[Choice 2: Accept]: You will become the 69th Guardian. Your destiny will be bound to the Dream Dimension forever… (Enters the path of the Dream Traveler | Reward: Gain the ability [Essence of Dreams] Level: ???, your mana capacity will be instantly upgraded to Level B.)
…..
Owen was still floating in the empty dimension before the blue choice system screen.
The vision of refusal… the image of Clara and Jessica screaming in terror… still replayed in his head, as if to emphasize his own failure.
'What good is a peaceful life… if, in the end, I can't protect them? It's meaningless!' The thought was as sharp and resolute as a sword's edge. All the hesitation he once had vanished completely. 'Even if it's risky… even if I have to fight until I'm half-dead… it's still better than sitting by and watching them face that hell while being unable to do anything!'
His will was fixed firmly on the second choice.
The moment he chose [Choice 2: Accept] in his mind…
Ting!
The blue screen shattered into millions of digital fragments, and his consciousness was violently yanked back into his body in the real world!
The black pool, which had been as still as a mirror, suddenly erupted with violent waves! A jet-black energy, which looked like a liquid but wasn't, shot up from the center of the pool like a venomous serpent. It coiled around Owen's arm, which was still touching the water's surface, and began to seep into his body through his palm with a mad frenzy!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!"
Owen let out a scream louder than any he had ever made in his life! It was a pain beyond imagination… a feeling as if his body was being torn to pieces. The mana channels throughout his body, which had been as small as threads, were being violently ripped and expanded by the immense energy until they became great rivers!
The blood in his body burned like lava. Every muscle convulsed until it was as hard as stone. Millions of memories and nightmares from the "Dream Dimension" flooded his mind until he was almost mad. It was the most brutal and cruel process of "rebirth."
Throughout the process, Tenzin remained standing in the same spot with a calm demeanor. He watched Owen, who was writhing in pain, with an impassive gaze… as if this were a necessary and unavoidable test.
After about five minutes, which felt like an eternity… the frenzied black energy subsided and flowed back into the essence at the center of the pool, completely.
Owen's weakened body collapsed onto the cold stone floor. He lay panting heavily, his body shaking. He was drenched in sweat as if he had just been through the most grueling battle of his life.
But then… he felt it… a completely different sensation. He closed his eyes… and sensed an "ocean" of vast and quiet mana that had now become a part of him. It was no longer a shallow F-level puddle… but a great well!
Ting!
The system screen appeared again, confirming the result.
…..
[Your mana capacity has been upgraded to: B]
[You have gained the ability: [Essence of Dreams] Level: ???]
…..
Owen used his trembling arms to slowly push himself into a sitting position. He looked at Tenzin with changed eyes… they were eyes that were deeper and filled with a power they had never held before.
Tenzin clasped his hands and bowed to him humbly, a sign of the utmost respect.
"The Essence has accepted you… Congratulations. You are now the 69th Guardian!"
Owen looked down at his own palm. He slowly clenched and unclenched it, feeling the immense power circulating in every particle of his body… His life… had been changed forever.
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