Chapter 4: Dreams and Demons

Klein stared heavily at the family eating food together at an inexpensive diner, which was barely functioning, but so far was still out of the Scenarios, being in a more remote town away from the main cities of China. In China, the 5th scenario had not yet ended.

Zhou Mingrui…

His parents were also there.

This was strange, to see his past self, and a family he had yearned to return to so often. But Zhou Mingrui looked somewhat older than Klein had been before he transmigrated, and the family looked very happy together.

This is not the history I know…

Klein silently left.

He spent some time in the Foodaholic nation, which was now both familiar and unfamiliar. The feeling was very nostalgic, and bitter. Much of China had already been taken over by the 3rd Murim World, so much had already been destroyed. The situation was not very different from Korea, and when Klein entered Shanghai where he had gone to university, Klein found himself participating in strange subscenarios and hunting monsters to collect coins.

[The constellation that likes to switch genders cheers you on.]

[Some constellations wonder when you will return to Korea.]

[Some Chinese constellations say that the incarnation Klein Morretti is rather suitable here.]

[You have been sponsored 500 coins.]

When the 5th scenario had ended and the zone of the scenarios expanded, Klein returned to the small hometown he had been raised in and, wearing a different face, donated his coins to a young man that was not him and to parents that were not his.

He told them to be safe, and wrote down as many instructions as he felt could be useful.

"Is this a new religion of the apocalypse?" asked the mother that was not his, taking the letter. "You seem to be a nice young man. I'm sure we'll get by."

"Thank you," the father that was not his said seriously.

Klein bowed. His lips twitched.

"This is only my job. Praise the Fool!"

The young man that was not him said nothing, but stared at him discerningly.

Klein excused himself.

.

Klein had just returned from his trip. After some effort, he was able to find Kim Dokja's companions in the middle of Seoul—they were apparently very popular now, but he was able to brush past the crowd and reach the clearing party.

However, the news they told him was not good.

"What?" Klein repeated with shock. "Kim Dokja died?"

I was gone for too long.

His cousin's companions looked haggard and somewhat depressed. They explained the story of the Demon King of the 10th Scenario, and how the Dokkeabi had forced someone to play the role of the Demon King—and Kim Dokja had taken the role. They also explained Olympus' prophecy regarding Kim Dokja's death—the one he loved most would kill him. Shamefully, hang-necked, they admitted that they had all killed him together.

Klein absorbed all of this information, then abruptly left, somehow unable to bear talking with them right now.

Alone, he breathed out slowly, then did a divination.

Kim Dokja's location…

Kim Dokja's location…

Klein saw flashes of a dark and red-hued place, and a face that was haphazard and almost falling apart, made up of different patched together stories. Klein saw an ominous-looking creature fly by.

Klein frowned, but was relieved. His 'cousin', Kim Dokja, was still alive after all, even if he looked disfigured and strange.

… The Demon Realm?

In all of the restarts, Klein had not wandered too far before. He had stayed in Earth in a dream-like manner, the time passing quickly. He had heard of the Demon Realm from survivors in the later scenarios, but he did not know how to get there.

Hmm, I do have the Door authority, however. I have a unique authority over space and time. This is how I arrived in China. I am just a little less practiced in this…

I seem to need the spiritual coordinates to arrive there.

"Hello?" he asked out loud, hoping any constellations might chip in. "Does anybody know the spiritual coordinates to the Demon Realm?"

[Secretive Plotter wonders why you are only talking out loud now.]

[The constellation that likes to switch genders is confused by your request.]

[Some constellations mock your request.]

[Constellations that like tragedy boo at your calm and collected demeanor.]

Klein's frown deepened. Of course, they do not understand things in the same terms that I do. How do these 'constellations' travel around then? Hmm, do they travel? They speak like people, but perhaps they really are just stars shining in the sky…

Klein realized this theory was a little ridiculous. Kim Dokja had always talked of the constellations like they were people, in any case, and Kim Dokja had an unusually thorough understanding of this world. In later scenarios, some survivors had also even mentioned meeting their 'sponsors' directly.

In any case, the constellations didn't seem to have any understanding of the spirit realm. However, the spirit realm was the medium in which divinations and teleportations could work, carrying imprints of a subtle reality; the spirit realm was an inherent property of the world that Klein could constantly vaguely sense. While the spiritual realm did not appear similar at all in this Dream, at least the principles must be the same.

He attempted to divine the coordinates directly himself, but blue sparks lit up his fingers, and it was uncomfortable. This was some form of resistance from the Dream itself.

[Some constellations are alarmed, and are wondering what you are doing!]

Then I should ask someone in the spirit realm…

Arrodes?

Can I summon Arrodes?

Ah, I left him in the junk pile of Sefirah Castle. Perhaps Creeping Hunger and him have been enjoying each other's company… Klein thought wistfully.

Klein reached into the air, and summoned a historic projection of Arrodes. This was the easiest way—as Arrodes was a unique existence born from the Chaos Sea, this should also summon the real Arrodes…

He was successful on the first try.

A silver mirror laid in his palms, and immediately, the shining glass brightened, scrawled letters appearing on it.

"Master! Oh, exalted ruler, grand master! I missed you! It is I, Arrodes! Did you miss me?"

Confetti blew excitedly on the mirror screen.

"Yes," Klein smiled.

[Some constellations are confused by the existence of this mirror!]

[Secretive Plotter urges you to explain your actions.]

"Where are the spiritual coordinates to the Demon Realm Kim Dokja is in?" Klein asked, not wasting time.

Arrodes displayed the coordinates. "This is for the 73rd Demon Realm, Master."

… There are 73 demon realms? Why do they need so many?

Klein nodded, then still holding the mirror, stepped sideways into a blue, vibrant and odd space. Colors deepened, then brightened, and for a moment, everything was vague and murky, looking like chicken scratch and crayon drawings.

[Warning! You have stepped out of the main scenario!]

[The service of planetary system 8612 angrily insists you stop freeloading!]

Klein popped out into a realm full of red-hues, smoke, and darkness, blue system messages blaring urgently at him. He ignored them. He glanced up at the sky; amidst tall, ugly buildings, a creature with bat-like wings flopped by overhead. A demon.

This looks like the right place, Klein thought.

.

Klein observed the Demon Realm curiously. Despite it being called a Demon Realm, there were also many humans living there, and it looked very industrial, with tall buildings like First Era Earth, except darker.

[Warning! Warning! You have stepped out of the main scenario!]

[The service of planetary system 8612 petulantly says it will no longer support you!]

After bugging him for a long time, the system messages suddenly cut off with an annoyed blip. Klein hadn't been very worried about them beforehand, since most of the time he had spent in this Dream was without the Star Stream, but suddenly he felt…

He glanced down at his right forearm. The skin had just rippled concerningly, as if worms were wriggling around uncomfortably under his skin.

Klein felt he suddenly could understand the accusation of 'freeloading'.

"Arrodes," he asked suddenly, "What do you know about the nature of this Dream?"

"Master," the mirror explained eagerly, "in your sleep, you seem to have entered someone's else's dream. I can detect the presence of something calling itself the Star Stream, which is sustaining the rules of this dream. You could say that this dream is like another reality, or another dimension, but also can be influenced illogically in the manner of a dream with the usage of 'plausibility'. Master, are you satisfied with this explanation?"

"Yes," Klein murmured. "Arrodes, I will ask you more questions later."

The mirror played emojis of heartbreak, and then waved a hand goodbye.

Klein dismissed the mirror.

This Dream is certainly unique. In Sefirah Castle, I had already discovered the Dream was serving as an extra stabilizing presence. Could the 'planetary service' have inadvertently been serving as a powerful anchor, simply by my existing here?

Ah, and now it is no longer 'observing' me, so I have lost a critical anchor.

This seems to be proof that my anchors are not yet fully stabilized…

Then I have two choices. I must leave here quickly and return to the main scenario, or I must enter a more dream-like state in order to preserve my humanity. This is the price for my current coherence. I seem to have some time, however, before I become fully unstable.

First, I will find Kim Dokja.

Klein cast another divination, this time dropping his cane to point the way. When he was already in the same realm, this was simpler and more familiar than dream divination.

It seems he is not too far… Thank you, Arrodes.

Klein walked on the gloomy, emptying streets, until he came across a clock shop.

.

Kim Dokja, when Klein found him, was not in a good shape.

He appeared even worse than in the dream divination, his face distorted, his nose different and slightly displaced, and there were many other things that were wrong.

Kim Dokja looked surprised to see him, then casually asked about his trip to China, almost like it had been a normal business trip.

"I confirmed what I needed to confirm," Klein said.

"Is that so? That's good."

At first, Klein was concerned that his distortion was similar to Kim Dokja 'losing control', but he talked normally and showed no other abnormalities. Only his body was falling apart.

"Kim Dokja, how did you survive?" Klein finally asked, after chatting and catching up about trivial matters like it was a game. "Your companions said you became a demon king, and they killed you."

"Yes. That did happen."

Do people usually survive after being killed? 'Cousin', you could provide some additional explanation.

"Then?" Klein prompted.

Kim Dokja reluctantly explained how, when he was outside the scenarios, he had bargained with a wenny in order to enter the 73rd Demon Realm during the scenario clean-up. However, because he was still technically outside of the scenarios, his body was now falling apart, and was only being held together by patchwork stories the clockmaker Aileen had transfused into him.

However, he had a plan.

Kim Dokja tried to leave it on this front, smiling widely and mysteriously.

Klein prompted him one more time, and Kim Dokja finally revealed the situation with the revolutionaries and the demonic duke Syswitz, who owned this industrial complex.

"Ah, so there is a way to enter the main scenario here?" Klein was enlightened.

Kim Dokja, who was still quite literally falling apart, nodded. "Yes, I need to become the Revolutionary, so I can join the main scenario. Klein, did you enter somehow via a subscenario?"

"No," Klein said seriously. "In fact, I will also begin falling apart soon. It would be good for me to also join the main scenario."

Kim Dokja looked at him strangely.

"Klein. I became a constellation."

"Oh?" So it's possible to become a 'constellation' from being an 'incarnation'. What exactly does this process involve? Is it similar to how one grasps and digests potions in order to become a higher being?

But how is this relevant?

"This is why my body is falling apart the way it is," Kim Dokja said slowly, gesturing at his face. "This is also why I can still survive outside of the scenarios. Normally, it would not be possible for an incarnation to bear the plausibility."

Is that so?

Klein had made a mistake.

That's strange. It seems like everyone requires an anchor in this Dream to remain intact, and the anchor is in the form of scenarios and the Star Stream. However, because I have a sufficient number of other anchors, I can survive as I am. Like Gods, constellations similarly seem to have anchors, and so they can also temporarily survive without the stabilizing effect of the Star Stream.

Are these anchors 'Stories'?

"I have some stories of my own," Klein said slowly, after Kim Dokja had stared at him silently for too long. "They are stabilizing my presence here as well, but soon they will no longer be enough."

This seems to have been the correct response.

"Then, how did you arrive in the Demon Realm?"

"I had a way."

Kim Dokja looked dissatisfied and puzzled.

"Cousin, why are you so mysterious?" he remarked, slumping back. "Sometimes, I don't understand you."

Klein chuckled. I do have a lot of practice acting as a mysterious, powerful figure. Actually, I have even become that mysterious, powerful figure now…

In that moment, Klein's cheek rippled grotesquely. He hurried to cover it, but Kim Dokja had seen.

Kim Dokja blurted,

"Cousin, did you also become a constellation? You also didn't have a sponsor... What exactly is your attribute?"

"Ehm," Klein coughed. "Please ignore that."

Klein's brows furrowed. The damage was still small, but the more damage and instability he accumulated now, the harder it would be to recover the lost progress, ruining much of Klein's good work over the years.

Should I leave quickly, or remain here in a more dream-like state?

"How could I ignore that?" Kim Dokja, with his own distorted face, said incredulously, nearly standing from the bed. "Cousin, you keep too many secrets."

"As do you," Klein pointed out.

"But you already know all of mine," Kim Dokja countered. "I had told you all about TWSA, and you know about my past…"

Klein was silent. This was true. Even if Klein himself didn't know a thing about TWSA, he did know more about Kim Dokja than Kim Dokja did about him. It was also hard to resist someone who so earnestly and truly believed he was his cousin.

"I am something like a constellation," Klein admitted finally.

"... Something like?"

"The Star Stream still refers to me an an incarnation."

Kim Dokja nodded.

"Ah, so you've become a constellation, but you still have your incarnation body," he said knowingly, as if that explained everything.

Klein nodded. Thank you for making up an explanation on my behalf!

He didn't want to reveal that he was technically a god. Not only would it be embarrassing to admit he was the very Mr. Fool he was proselytizing about, it just wasn't wise to advertise this around, even in a dream. Because this Dream wasn't his own, anyway.

Kim Dokja finally stood all the way. He smiled, looking more relaxed again. "Alright, cousin. Let's go catch some revolutionaries. I'll figure out a way for both of us," he promised.

Klein smiled and moved to follow him, but paused at the doorway. This time, Klein's left hand had rippled in an ugly, inhuman manner. He had to deliberately focus to control it and remain as Klein.

He grimaced.

The rate is increasing…

This isn't very good…

"Klein?" Kim Dokja looked back questioningly, but Klein had already sat on the bed. He instinctively felt tired, his lids closing slowly. I shouldn't let the damage keep increasing. For now, let's do it this way.

"Wake me up in an emergency," Klein murmured.

At least this way, I can still be here to help, if anything happens… For example, if the situation becomes truly urgent, I can teleport us both away from here.

The last thing Klein saw before he closed his eyes was Kim Dokja's worried, lost face.

How cute…

Then he drifted off.

.

Kim Dokja stared at his softly sleeping cousin, who was breathing quietly, sitting in a slumped position on the same bed Kim Dokja had just emerged from.

Why did you come here if you were just going to fall asleep? he thought, bewildered.

How did you get here from China? Was there a hidden scenario I didn't know about, or did you really somehow come from outside of the scenarios somehow?

Klein…

Kim Dokja felt a bit frustrated, but feeling his own face, he knew he didn't have time to waste. He left Klein sleeping there on the bed.