The Dreamer's Epilogue-Chapter 14: Rebirth

Chapter 14 – Rebirth

Océane found herself in an immaculate white, groundless space, floating in the air with no support whatsoever.

"W-Where am I?" Océane murmured, feeling a sense of calm wrapping around her in a tender embrace.

Given the situation she had just been in, the difference was striking, her brain struggling to adapt.

She began to look around in haste.

"Emrys!" She shouted. "Emrys, where are you?"

Her golden eyes were wide with hidden fear, her body aching and bleeding from all that had just happened.

She gingerly looked at her hand, half expecting to see the gun, but there was nothing.

Right then, the memories of the man she had killed with the gun flashed through her mind.

Océane remembered his eyes, wide with fear and pain, fixed on her as life left his body so easily it was frightening.

Humans were so fragile, she realized.

She should have felt bad, even vomited, for killing the first human of her life...yet Océane’s face was like stone.

"Emrys..." she muttered, clenching her bloodied fists. "I did it for him. I did it for him!"

She repeated it, trying desperately to convince herself. In truth, Océane knew well that she had killed that man mainly for herself.

She had killed him because she was angry at being betrayed and trampled on like trash.

She had killed him because she was afraid of what she would become without Emrys by her side.

She knew, with chilling certainty, that she could not walk this path alone. Not after what had happened to her brother.

So yes.

Océane had killed him, and until now, there was no regret in her mind, even less in her heart.

Why would there be?

The world had killed her handicapped brother. Then why wouldn’t she have the right to kill anyone threatening her and the only one who stood beside her?

The world was no more. And Océane, the struggling McDonald’s worker, was no more.

She only prayed that Emrys had managed to enter the portal.

If not...

As those thoughts churned viciously in her mind, something finally flashed in front of Océane, pulling her attention back to the situation at hand.

[NEW ACHIEVEMENT! Boss Killer!]

[You, alongside Emrys Frost, killed the Boss Monster. It was nothing but the weakest, trashiest and shittiest boss monster with low GeumGeum. Nothing to be proud of. But you have achieved something none of Earth has done.]

[Rewards: Token of Purple → Token of Gold; Weapon Ticket.]

Océane looked at the notifications flatly, but it wasn’t over yet.

Another one appeared.

[NEW ACHIEVEMENT! Cold-Blooded Killer]

[You killed a fellow human for the first time without an ounce of regret. It’s a deed worthy of those bloodthirsty Crimson Daggers. Don’t take it as a compliment. You’d better not let those White Order folks see you in action.]

[Rewards: Heart of a Killer (Passive Special Skill – Mortal Self rank); Mark of Daggers.]

Océane watched the panels pop up continuously until finally everything stopped.

Her rewards were transported into her inventory, which was now unlimited in space.

Then a sourceless green light erupted in front of her, bathing her entire body in a sweet embrace, healing her perfectly.

Océane instinctively moaned, feeling her body mend itself like a repaired toy.

The scar on her right cheek, however, did not disappear. It would remain as a memory of her first kill.

Once her body was in peak condition, another voice echoed.

This one was different from the regular system notifications of achievements and rewards.

It was the same voice that had announced the end of the world days ago.

The {Mother}.

{Congratulations, Océane de Campbell, for earning the right to go through the Tutorial Floor of the Tower and enter the World of Premier.}

Océane straightened instinctively, her heart quickening as she listened carefully.

{Being in this place means you have been reborn, shedding the past reality you lived in until now.}

{Congratulations, for there was no other way to enter this place without it. Remember this feeling well, Océane de Campbell, and adapt as fast as you can.}

{Now, let us complete the Act of Rebirth.}

The {Mother} paused, then continued with heavier impact.

{Brace yourself, Océane de Campbell. You are awakening!}

A sudden, instantaneous pain tore through Océane’s entire body, caused by a tidal wave of colorless GeumGeum essence.

She yelped, her mind swallowed by thick darkness as the process began.

...

Océane was not the only one.

Emrys was in the same situation as her, floating in an achingly white place that threatened to burn his eyes with its intensity.

His melted back had been healed, yet scars remained, shaped in a strange pattern. Emrys tried to make sense of them, but nothing came to mind.

Still, during the brief moment he had endured the pain of burning, he had been on the verge of losing his mind.

The pain had been far too much. Emrys had almost blacked out.

Now, however, everything felt like a dream. Or rather, a nightmare he had managed to wake from.

But had he?

Emrys could not forget the sight of Océane killing the man. He knew well that without that act, he would have died with Earth.

Yet his mind still struggled to adapt to this new reality.

However,

’There is no other choice,’ Emrys whispered inwardly, taking uneven breaths. ’This is my new reality. Kill or be killed. There is no choice, Emrys. You have no choice.’

He repeated the words again and again, forcing his brain to accept them. It was easier than he expected, for his mind already held all the proof it needed.

Sighing, Emrys looked at what he had obtained from killing the boss: the upgrade of his Token of Purple into a Token of Gold, and a Weapon Ticket.

In addition, there was another achievement.

[NEW ACHIEVEMENT! Killing Strike!]

[You delivered the final killing blow to the Boss with overwhelming recklessness bordering on insanity. Perfect. We love insane people. You are rewarded for being one.]

[Reward: Enhancement Potion (Mortal Self rank); Chosen Tattoo (Special Item)]

Emrys felt a flicker of excitement. This was the first Mortal Self–rank item he had obtained. Then again, he didn’t even know what that rank truly meant.

His thoughts were cut short by the familiar female voice of the {Mother}.

{Congratulations, Emrys Frost, for earning the right to go through the Tutorial Floor of the Tower and enter the World of Premier.}

Emrys focused intensely.

{Being in this place means you have been reborn, shedding the past reality you lived in until now. It means you are aware of the necessity of change and adaptation, and you chose to walk that path.}

{Remember this feeling well.}

{Now, let us complete the Act of Rebirth.}

The {Mother} paused, then slowly...

{Brace yourself, Emrys Frost. You are awakening!} 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Emrys’s mind went blank as a ridiculous surge of pain crashed into him, GeumGeum flooding deep into his body.

The awakening had finally begun.

—End of Chapter 14—