The stars above shimmered unnaturally.
Lin Xuan floated in the void left by the destroyed mountain ridge, Chaos Core thrumming softly within his chest.
Each breath drew in the residual energy of the battlefield.
But something new lingered in the wind now—an echo, a pull, a dream half-remembered.
> "Seek the Mirror Orchid…" the whisper came again, soft as silk and sharp as prophecy.
"In the Sea where dreams are born and buried."
---
[System Notification]
New Realm Detected: The Sea of Forgotten Dreams
Access Conditions: Requires Entry Through an Anchor of Sleep or a Nexus Tear
Warning: Memory Corruption Risk – Mental Clarity Required
Key Objective: Locate the Dream-Walkers
Side Objective: Bloom the Mirror Orchid
Estimated Time Limit Before Tribunal Interception: 18 Days
---
Creating the Portal
Lin Xuan drew a deep breath.
He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, gathering the fragmented celestial essence from Seraphis's attack and weaving it into a temporary rift spell.
> "Dreams are just memories you didn't bury deep enough," he murmured.
His Chaos Core pulsed once—deep and slow.
A crack opened in space before him, not with light or thunder, but with soft laughter and weeping.
> "Let's see what truth dreams hide."
He stepped through.
---
Arrival – Sea of Forgotten Dreams
Lin Xuan opened his eyes… and gasped.
He stood on water—but it felt like silk. The entire sea shimmered with reflected stars, but none of them matched the sky.
Floating above the ocean were islands of drifting memories—some crumbled, some golden, some bleeding shadows.
Waves whispered languages he had never heard… yet somehow understood.
> "Xuan…"
"Do you remember the knife in your back?"
"Do you remember her kiss?"
"Do you remember who you almost were?"
He closed his eyes. Focused.
Chaos flared around him, pushing back the illusions.
---
The Dream-Walkers
As he moved forward across the sea, the waters rippled—and figures emerged.
They wore cloaks of starlight. Faces hidden.
Eyes glowing softly, not with power, but understanding.
> "You are not of the Dream. You are not of the Sky."
> "You are the Chaos Between."
One stepped forward—shorter than the rest, but more radiant. A young woman with pale skin and silver strands of hair braided with memory-thread.
She tilted her head.
> "Why do you seek the Mirror Orchid?"
Lin Xuan replied without hesitation.
> "To find the next Pillar. To stop the Tribunal. To end the cycle of silence."
The Dream-Walker nodded slowly.
> "Then you must face what you dream of when no one watches."
---
Trial of the Inner Dream
A bubble of memory rose from the sea.
The Dream-Walker extended her hand, and Lin Xuan was drawn inside.
---
Dreamscape Trial
He awoke in a familiar place—the same mountain garden where he once trained as a child.
No battles. No pain. No betrayal.
Just wind.
And peace.
At his side—Yun'er, alive and smiling.
> "You're home, Xuan."
It was too perfect.
Too warm.
> "Stay here," her voice pleaded. "You've fought enough."
> "Why chase pain again?"
He stood there… staring.
Then he whispered:
> "Because peace without truth is just a cage."
He stepped back.
The dream shattered.
---
The Orchid Blooms
Outside the trial, the Dream-Walkers watched silently.
A silver island rose from beneath the waves, and at its center—
A single flower. The Mirror Orchid.
It bloomed only in the presence of one who rejected false peace.
Lin Xuan approached and knelt before it.
Its petals opened, revealing a violet crystal fragment—etched with shifting runes.
The Fourth Nexus Key Fragment.
---
[System Update]
Fourth Nexus Key Fragment Acquired: 1/3
Dream-Walker Favor Gained – May request one memory revelation
Chaos Core Adaptation: Dreamwalk Layer Added – Immune to sleep, dream, and memory manipulation
Tribunal Awareness Spike Detected – Estimated Confrontation Window: 14 Days
---
The Dream-Walker stepped beside him.
> "You passed the first veil. But the Fourth Pillar lies deeper still—beyond the Dreams of Death."
Lin Xuan rose, holding the key fragment tight.
> "Then I'll dream deeper."
And as the sea shimmered around him, the skies above split with a thin crack of divine pressure.
> "They're coming," whispered the wind.