It is said that when people dream, they often donât realize they are dreaming, even if a pink whale is flying in the sky.
Originally, dreams are the thoughts of the sleeping person manifested through the five senses, so itâs difficult for the creator themselves to recognize the inconsistencies.
However, there is one thing. People living in the real world can recognize that they are dreaming if the situation in the dream is too unrealistic or doesnât make sense.
Even that, itâs not clearly known what triggers this awareness, but the further removed from reality, the more likely a dream is to be exposed as a dream.
Then, for people who live in a world already filled with magic and monsters, where a pink whale flying in the sky wouldnât be too strange,
What is unreal?
ââ¦What is this.â
The scene before my eyes was close to the fantasy that people living in a fantasy world would imagine.
The sun and moon popped out of the sky at high speed and then went over to the other side, and yet the sky remained clear and bright without getting dark.
The Milky Way flowed continuously to the left in the clear blue sky.
âElodie, does she not realize this is a dream while picturing such a world?â
As expected, for a mage beyond the norm, this is the level of dream they have.
The scale of the dreams I had in the past, like flying in the sky or encountering a giant monster, seems insignificant.
First, itâs fortunate that Iâm clearly aware that this is a dream. It would be a big problem if even I didnât know this was a dream and just wandered around absentmindedly.
Meibe because this isnât my dream, I immediately knew it was a dream.
âFirst, I need to find Elodie.â
I was in a forest with lush green trees. I couldnât see my surroundings because the view was blocked
If the place I entered the dream from wasn't here, I would have been able to observe the absurd scale of this dream more closely, but so far, the only thing that feels dreamlike is the ridiculous state of the sky.
That alone is enough, though.
âBut where should I go?â
Thereâs no path to be seen around here. If anything, itâs rather suspicious that only this spot is an open space in this dense forest.
It canât be helped. I have no choice but to fly.
âMenosorpo.â
I spread the rune and used Aura to lift my body into the airâ
âI couldnât do any of the things I just said.
ââ¦What?â
Menosorpo wouldnât activate. No, it wasnât just activation, the rune itself wouldnât even form. Weaving was completely out of order.
âDonât tell me, this isâ¦â
I gulped. Only then did I examine my body.
â¦There was literally only a speck of Mana within my body. Weaving didnât exist in the first place, so all the Offense and Defense, Menosorpo, and all kinds of weapons derived from it were gone.
And above all,
ââ¦Small.â
My hands were small.
I looked at both my hands. They were small. No, let me rephrase that. These were the hands of a child.
Thereâs no way my body is fine and only my hands are like this.
Iâve become a child. Probably around the same age as the Elodie I saw in the cabin.
âDid I go back to the past too?â
Did I get affected by Ospreyâs magic while entering Elodieâs dream?
â¦No, that doesnât make sense.
Weaving is Frondierâs unique skill. He probably had it from birth. I understand having low Mana, but not having the Weaving skill itself is incomprehensible.
Frondier at this age would have been able to weaving, regardless of anything else.
âWhat on earth happened to my body?â
The moment my head was filled with such questions,
âFron~~!â
A voice, both familiar and unfamiliar, cheerful and cute, echoed through the forest trees.
At the same time, there was a light pitter-patter of footsteps and the sound of bushes rustling.
With movements too agile for a childâs body,
âFound you!â
A small figure popped out from between the trees.
It was, needless to say, Elodie.
Elodie was looking at me with a bright smile.
ââ¦â¦.â
âHuh? Fron, why are you just standing there?â
I found myself staring blankly at Elodie.
Lake-like blue eyes. Elodieâs face, as a child, sparkled with innocence.
Above all, her dazzlingly bright smile stole my mind.
At that moment, a simple fact came to mind.
ââ¦Iâve never seen Elodie smile.â
Others might have seen her smile a little, but the face I had seen from Elodie in the past didnât have even a trace of a smile.
âCome on! Fron, donât just stand there, come here. Itâs dangerous here.â
Elodie walked briskly and pulled my hand. The series of actions felt very natural.
âWhere are we going?â
I asked. I realized only then that my voice sounded childish.
âWhere else, the cabin.â
Elodie replied as if it were obvious.
I didnât even know the way out of this forest, but Elodie walked slowly as if she was sure of the direction.
It wasnât very noticeable, but the bushes and branches around us subtly moved out of the way as Elodie walked.
ââ¦Ah, this is probablyâ¦â
The open space in the forest where I appeared.
Elodie, who knew my location exactly and didnât find it strange at all that I suddenly entered the dream.
âEven Iâm included as an element of this dream.â
Right now, Iâm the Frondier of Elodieâs imagination. The Frondier of that time who found everything bothersome, lazy, and incompetent.
Exactly as Elodie saw him. Thatâs why I donât even have the Weaving skill. Elodie doesnât know about it at all.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
As if to prove it, I started to feel out of breath after just a few steps following Elodie.
It was clear how weak Elodie perceived Frondier to be.
âThis is dangerous.â
The me created from Elodieâs memories was truly incompetent. I was probably even weaker than the actual Frondier of that time.
Moreover, this was Elodieâs dream. Anything could happen. Yet, I was almost incapable of responding.
âDonât worry.â
As if reading my mind, Elodie said with her shining eyes,
âIâll protect you.â
As she said those words, I could feel her grip on my hand tighten.
âBecause I promised.â