Chapter 115
Loti gave a shy little smile.
“It is scary. Mostly because I don’t understand anything. I never wanted some big, dramatic adventure. I’m just a simple maid who would be happy with a strong, handsome husband, enough money for three generations to live comfortably, a garden full of flowers, and five loyal servants.”
“?”
“But… I think it must be even scarier for you, my lady.”
Loti scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“Please do whatever you and the Duke think is best. Everything I have now, you gave me. I belong to you.”
The warm firelight made her face blush pink—and she looked prettier than usual.
I couldn’t help but laugh happily and hugged her head tightly.
“My sacred relic really is the best! Now go finish your spelling homework. You’re almost done—fighting!”
“Aah… nooo!”
I waved goodbye as Loti pouted and walked away to study.
Then I curled up in bed with a sleepy Shuran.
Meanwhile, Winter took one dried Seraphin flower, placed it in a small glass bowl, and set it on the table beside the bed.
As I pulled the blanket over myself, I asked:
“Duke… do you think that key could unlock the sealed box inside your mind too?”
Winter had some sealed memories.
Since Noe Rustin can bring real-world things into dreams… maybe he could use the key to open Loti’s mental doors—or even Winter’s sealed memories.
“If the box doesn’t have a keyhole… maybe we can create one.”
After all, physical rules don’t matter in the mind.
Winter nodded slowly.
“We can change the shape of the box. But if Noe Rustin can’t control his powers, we won’t be able to try it.”
He whispered something, and the dried flower in the glass bowl caught fire. A sweet, soft floral scent spread through the air.
As sleepiness crept in, I closed my eyes and mumbled:
“The sacred relic… maybe Noe Rustin’s relic is related to his loss of control. If I meet him in my dreams tonight… I’ll try to talk to hi—…”
But before I could finish my sentence, my mind faded into darkness as I fell asleep.
***
Inside the Dream
When I opened my eyes, I was in a very familiar place:
A quiet study room from 21st-century South Korea, filled with desks and chairs. A place teenagers go to study—known as a “reading room.”
“Noe Rustin!”
I looked around and shouted.
I wasn’t alone, but everyone else was just fake people created by my dream. As I yelled, they all vanished with soft “pop” sounds.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
When the last one disappeared, silence filled the room.
I waited alone in that quiet space…
But no matter how long I waited—Noe Rustin never showed up.
Eventually, I accepted the truth.
“He’s not coming tonight.”
The Next Morning
“Yaaaawn.”
“Yaaaawn~”
I yawned, and sleepy Shuran copied me.
Noe Rustin never came to me in last night’s dream. And he might not show up tonight either.
As soon as I woke up, I realized:
This is a serious problem.
“I’m… really tired.”
“That’s both true and not. Your body slept well, but your mind stayed awake all night.”
I had technically slept—but it didn’t feel like I did. And if I can’t reach Noe Rustin soon, I’ll be exhausted like this every day.
“I have to catch him. For my own sleep, if nothing else.”
I sighed.
“He’s probably not at home right now.”
Three years ago, after a dream where he failed to save his mom, Noe Rustin ran away from home.
“I already sent people to search the places he might be hiding.”
“Still… I can’t just sit here doing nothing.”
I bit my nails anxiously.
Just one lucid dream had me feeling like I’d been up all night.
“Whatever his sacred relic is… it must be hidden where he was born and raised.”
“But the Rustin family moved as soon as he was born. At that time, the Southern and Eastern Empires were desperately searching for [Ampellos]. There’s a chance the relic was lost during the move.”
***
The Dark History of [Ampellos]
After the [Ampellos Star] rose in the sky, both Southern and Eastern Empires went mad trying to find the prophesied child (called the “savior”).
The Southern Empire even began child trafficking supported secretly by the royal family.
They kidnapped babies born not only in the empire but also from nomadic people who had no national protection.
Babies born on the night the [Ampellos Star] appeared were taken, tested secretly, and held in hidden facilities.
If they weren’t the real “savior,” they were either abandoned—or sold in black market auctions.
This was so horrifying that the Northern and Western Empires outlawed all slavery and gave severe punishments for any involvement.
The Eastern Empire pretended to care—but behind the scenes, they joined the Southern Empire in kidnapping and selling babies from their own people.
When those stolen babies were found not to be [Ampellos], they created a sickening “buy-your-baby-back” market.
They told grieving parents they could see the babies and reclaim them—for a huge price.
In many ways, it was even worse than the Southern Empire’s crimes.
***
Noe Rustin’s Parents
Noe’s parents saw all this coming. So when he was born on the same night as the [Ampellos Star], they panicked.
Even if he wasn’t the real [Ampellos], others might think he was.
As nomads without citizenship, they had no power to protect their child. So they fled deep into the forest with just a few things.
At first, they didn’t believe he was special.
But as time passed, they saw that Noe could walk inside dreams—and started to realize he might be the real [Ampellos].
Then one day… Noe’s mom, Mila Rustin, disappeared—caught in one of Noe’s out-of-control dream episodes.
***
What Happens If We Don’t Stop Him
“If we don’t stop him, Noe will kill the Southern and Eastern Emperors.”
“Not yet. That happens a little later.”
“But it’s not that far away either.”
In the original story timeline—the one where he never met Winter—Noe ran away, saw the world’s cruelty, and decided to take action.
He learned about the kidnappings, the baby auctions, and the corruption.
So he entered the emperors’ dreams, pretending to be a god—Huérion—and scared them.
He shut down the baby markets and slavery rings.
But then, he returned to their dreams and twisted time so that 1,000 years passed inside a single night.
The Southern Emperor died from a heart attack, unable to handle the dream.
The Eastern Emperor went insane and was removed from the throne.
But in reality, only one night had passed.
To make 1,000 years pass in a dream, Noe had to stay inside those dreams too.
That means he lived through 2,000 years (1,000 in each emperor’s dream).
When he woke up, he was no longer mentally stable.
From then on, in that timeline, Noe became corrupted, his powers went wild, and his dreams started swallowing reality.
Eventually, the world collapsed into nothingness when he died.
That timeline was the first time Winter realized just how dangerous [Ampellos] truly was.
“Did you know, Duke?” I asked.
“Noe Rustin has sometimes succeeded—and sometimes failed—to control the emperors through their dreams.”
But Noe himself can’t escape fate.
“He can’t fully control his power. If he’s lucky, he scares the emperors, gets his revenge, and dies with the world in his arms.”
“If unlucky, he just loses control and dies anyway.”
Either way—he always dies.
So in this timeline, he goes after the emperors again…
He’ll die. And the world will go down with him.
