Remiel, an angel recorded in the Book of Enoch, holds dominion over illusions, including dreams.
This angel also possesses authority over souls. As Morpheus invoked Remiel's power and cast the corresponding magic, the restless sleepers began to slip into peaceful, sweet dreams.
They slept soundly, their dreams no longer under assault.
Then, Morpheus sensed a presence... an intangible force that couldn't be seen but was undeniably there!
"Not fully formed? No, it hasn't yet gained a true physical body?" Morpheus rubbed his chin, letting the force strike him. It couldn't breach his defenses, rendering the attack useless.
Then, a book appeared. Morpheus blinked, then let out a soft chuckle.
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?"
Indeed, the culprit he'd suspected to be a grimoire was a nursery rhyme book, its cover clearly titled Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Morpheus wasn't surprised, though. Even a fairy tale could be transformed into a unique grimoire, a fact he was well aware of.
This made him even more fond of the book before him.
But after further inspection, Morpheus's expression turned puzzled.
"It's actually a Servant?! No way, has Nasu changed his style? A book as a Servant?"
At that moment, the book continued its assault on Morpheus, though the attacks weren't lethal or meant to injure. Their sole purpose was to put their target to sleep.
Morpheus, however, ignored the book and turned his attention elsewhere.
"Why are you hiding over there?"
A boy... or rather, a somewhat smug-looking shota... stepped out, smiling at Morpheus. "You're Morpheus?"
"That's right. And you're Andersen, aren't you?"
Through Jeanne Alter's shared vision, Morpheus had already seen him, though this was Andersen's first time meeting Morpheus in person.
Andersen nodded, glancing at the book. "This book isn't an ordinary magical entity. It's supposed to be a Servant that reflects its Master's mental state. Only after forming a contract with a Master can it gain a physical form... not as a book, but as a humanoid entity."
He smirked. "But all of us Servants in this summoning have no Masters. For us, it doesn't matter much, but this one's different. It's putting people to sleep to absorb their dreams, searching for a suitable Master to gain a physical form."
Andersen's grin grew even more insufferable. "So, it's tough to deal with. Since it has no physical body, your attacks won't work on it."
Morpheus listened calmly. When Andersen finished, he replied, "If my attacks are completely ineffective against it, then its attacks are equally ineffective against me. Understand?"
"You're saying force is mutual?"
"You could put it that way," Morpheus nodded. "As long as it can affect this world and put people to sleep, this world can affect it too... unless it's reached the ultimate state."
"The ultimate state?" Andersen didn't quite follow.
Morpheus smiled, drawing a cross in front of himself. "May the Lord bless us, Amen."
Andersen suddenly understood.
To affect the world without being affected in return would be a paradox, only possible for one entity.
The omnipotent God!
But Andersen still couldn't grasp why Morpheus was so confident.
"It's 1888. The debate about God and the stone should be long over, shouldn't it?"
Andersen nodded, then scoffed. "But isn't that just sophistry?"
Morpheus laughed. "Don't try to understand God with a mind that can't yet grasp the mysteries. In some theories, 1=0 and 1≠0 can coexist."
Seeing the conversation veering toward mathematics, Andersen shut his mouth.
Perhaps realizing he'd lost the verbal spar, Andersen added, "So, you'll keep believing in God forever?"
Morpheus smiled. "I'm striving toward the Lord's path, that's all."
Andersen fell silent, convinced the man before him was utterly mad.
If another believer had said that, Andersen would assume they meant ascending to heaven. But coming from Morpheus, it could only mean one thing.
This guy wanted to attain God-like power!
As Morpheus casually drew something in the air, a strange eye appeared before him. With the emergence of this eye... the Eye of Horus... a force enveloped Morpheus.
The peculiar attack, meant to put Morpheus to sleep, was intercepted before it could even touch his clothes.
Not only intercepted, but with the power of the Eye of Horus, the attack was reversed, sent back along its original path!
Andersen stared in shock as the book suddenly snapped shut and fell to the ground with a thud, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"What... what just happened?!"
"I just redirected its own attack back at it," Morpheus explained offhandedly, stepping forward to pick up the book and flipping through its contents.
"You're not going to destroy it? Send it back to the Throne of Heroes?"
"I thought it was a grimoire, but it's a Servant. Now I'm thinking about how to form a bond with it and summon it myself," Morpheus replied candidly, scanning the book's pages.
"You could try summoning it with the original text, though that's hard to find. Or you could use a copy of this book," Andersen suggested, their earlier bickering set aside. As a Servant, he saw no issue offering advice to someone aiming to summon a specific Servant.
"Besides, you handled this troublesome Servant so easily. I have to admit, you're incredibly capable. For resolving London's crisis, someone like you is crucial!"
"That's a good idea," Morpheus nodded. He pulled out a camera and began snapping photos of the book... cover, back, and even its contents, taking dozens of shots. "I'll try using these photos when I get back. Maybe I can summon it directly!"
Andersen was stunned.
He had to admit, Morpheus's approach made sense.
In terms of connection, photos of the Servant itself were far more potent than a book reprinted countless times.
Morpheus photographed the cover, the back, and every page, amassing a collection of images.
With so many photos, the bond was strong. When he attempted a summoning, he'd likely call forth this book as his Servant!
But it felt so bizarre. Others used holy relics or symbolic items for summoning, but Morpheus? He just took photos and used those!
It was cheap and efficient, with the only drawback being that he needed to encounter the Servant first to photograph it.
When he'd taken enough photos, Morpheus put away his camera and raised his hand.
Andersen immediately focused, eager to see what came next.
Morpheus had used a unique method to reflect the book's attack, causing it to put itself to sleep. Andersen could understand that.
But how would he harm this intangible Servant, immune to normal attacks, and send it back to the Throne of Heroes?
"This is basic occult knowledge, isn't it? Most occult studies include summoning techniques... divine invocation, exorcism, and similar curses fall under this category," Morpheus said to Andersen, beginning to draw a magical circle on the ground.
The circle wasn't complex... just a combination of a few geometric shapes.
The only potentially tricky part was the numbers and Latin text written around it.
But Andersen didn't find it difficult. Any scholar could write such things. The real issue was needing to have seen such a seemingly simple magical circle beforehand.
As Morpheus placed the book in the circle's center and began pacing, as if casting a spell, Andersen looked puzzled. Was this magecraft?
After a relatively long preamble, Morpheus completed his preparations and recited the final incantation.
"In the name of YHVH, spirit, return to whence you came!"
Would that work?!
Andersen stared at the unchanged magical circle and the book still sleeping in its center, full of doubt. But then, he sensed an immense surge of magical energy enveloping the circle, and his eyes widened.
A crack appeared in front of them... a spatial rift that felt like it connected to the Root itself!
He was certain his senses weren't wrong. The other side of that rift held the Root!
But if the Root's pathway could be opened so easily, what was the point of humanity's Holy Grail Wars, fighting endlessly?
Then, the book stirred. The sleeping tome began to tremble, then slowly floated, as if confused by the situation.
Morpheus snapped his fingers, and a wave of intent transformed into information, flowing into the book.
"Go back for now. We'll meet again in the future," Morpheus said with a smile, watching the book struggle as it was gradually pulled by the rift's suction, dissolving into spiritual particles and vanishing within.
The rift then disappeared, and Morpheus casually waved his hand, erasing the magical circle.
It was all so simple, as effortless as eating or drinking.
"What was that?" Andersen asked. As a novelist, he had his guesses. "A magical circle for banishment?"
He'd heard of spells to exorcise evil spirits, but what Morpheus did was entirely different... tearing open a spatial rift to the Root and sending the Servant back.
"It's something like that," Morpheus said, thinking for a moment. "It's not entry-level knowledge from my magical society, but mid-tier. Those who master it are fairly common elites."
"Your analogy is odd. Common elites? Like a squad leader in an army?"
"Oh, exactly! Like a squad leader!" Morpheus grinned.
Andersen smiled but was inwardly floored.
"A squad leader? You're saying this level of skill is common?!"
"In my society, only those at this level are sent on missions. We have to ensure our members' safety, right?" Morpheus said, chuckling. He glanced around, noting the people waking from their slumber, yawning. Stretching himself, he turned to leave.
"Where are you going? Not coming to my place?" Andersen called.
"Nah, I'm heading back to keep reading."
The mention of reading made Andersen pause, then he shouted, "Wait, can you take me to the Clock Tower?! This task is critical to whether we save the world!"
Morpheus turned, his expression odd. "Got any materials you need? Tell me... I might've already seen them."
Andersen's jaw dropped. It took him a moment to speak. "You came from the Clock Tower?!"
Morpheus nodded enthusiastically. "Yup! It's a rare chance to infiltrate the Clock Tower without consequences. Gotta make the most of it!"
Andersen's eyes lit up, and he lunged forward. "Take me with you! I want to read too!"
This Morpheus guy was just too perfect!
***
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