Mysteries:Lord Of The Dream Realm

Chapter 17:Stardew Valley

Meng Xian jolted awake with a sharp hiss, her breath catching in her throat as she sat up abruptly in bed. The remnants of the dream clung to her like a cold sweat, her heart pounding in her chest as if it were trying to escape the haunting remnants of the dreamscape. Outside the window, the silver moon hung serenely in the night sky, casting a soft, ethereal glow over the world. The gentle rustling of leaves, stirred by the cool night breeze, filled the air with a peaceful melody that contrasted sharply with the turmoil inside her.

Panting heavily, Meng Xian wiped the sweat from her forehead, her hands trembling as she tried to calm herself. But even as she focused on the serene night, a gnawing sense of loss settled deep within her.

It was as if something vital had been stolen from her in the instant she awoke. She had been so close—so close to understanding the nature of the dream world, to unraveling the mysteries that had plagued her sleep for months. Yet, just like every time before, the knowledge had slipped through her fingers, leaving only fragmented memories and a profound emptiness.

This was far from the first time she had felt this way. Ever since she had purchased that enigmatic white book from the dusty old bookstore, her dreams had become more frequent, more vivid, and far more disturbing. At first, the dreams had come sporadically, once every few weeks, but now they plagued her nearly every night. Her sleep schedule was in shambles, the constant disruption wreaking havoc on her mind and body.

The toll was undeniable—dark circles had taken up permanent residence under her eyes, and the relentless headaches that greeted her each morning felt like cruel punishments for venturing into that unknown realm.

With a heavy sigh, Meng Xian turned her gaze toward the bookshelf at the foot of her bed. The white book sat innocuously among her other volumes, its spine facing out like any ordinary book. But it was anything but ordinary. She hadn't touched it in months, having forgotten about it until that fateful day when she decided to give it another look. The pages were filled with symbols and characters that she couldn't begin to decipher, a language lost to time or perhaps not meant for human understanding. After a brief, futile attempt to make sense of it, she had returned it to the shelf, dismissing it as an enigma beyond her comprehension.

And that was when the dreams began.

At first, Meng Xian hadn't connected the book to the dreams. It seemed too far-fetched, too fantastical. But as the coincidences piled up, she could no longer ignore the possibility that the book was somehow responsible. It was as if the book had a life of its own, reaching out to her through the veil of sleep, pulling her into that strange, disorienting world where nothing made sense, and everything was possible.

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that the book was a key—a conduit to the dream world. Perhaps it was placed there by some unknown entity, a being of immense power who sought to influence reality through dreams. The idea wasn't far-fetched; she had heard of similar occurrences. Zhou Mingrui had once performed a luck ritual, and others like Huang Tao had encountered mysterious objects that drew them into a web of the supernatural. Those who interacted with these objects found themselves suspended in a state between worlds, caught in cocoons within the enigmatic Sefirah Castle.

Could it be that this book was another such object? A tool used by an ancient, unknowable power to pull her into its world, to mark her as one of its own?

The thought sent a shiver down Meng Xian's spine, a mixture of fear and curiosity warring within her. Despite the persistent headache that throbbed behind her temples, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She needed to examine the book again, to confront the source of her torment and perhaps find answers to the questions that haunted her every waking moment.