Everyone had entered the dark tower, leaving only the two Players outside.
Nol didn't invite them to follow, nor did he close the door at this point. The black tower stood amidst a sea of corpses and blood, and the surrounding silence was terrifying. The fog silently rolled, licking across scattered flesh and bones, and the nearby wind seemed to be heated by the corpses. Anakin shivered and reluctantly moved towards the tower.
After all, Nol had explicitly said that they needed to witness until the end.
To be honest, Anakin couldn't understand what Nol's situation was.
Her and Solo's actions had nothing to do with their own thoughts. It was purely motivated by the dangling quest "carrot" that was in front of them. Nol was different; his actions contained a bit more sincerity, but compared to pure sincerity, he seemed to be completing some kind of mission.
What kind of past did such an NPC have?
"That Nol must not be of ordinary origin. His feelings for Queen Hyacinth are unusual. Maybe Hyacinth was his teacher or something," Solo said with lingering fear.
He thought assisting in protecting the tribe would require a grand battle, but now it seemed like it was almost like winning by laying down. This "free ride" with blood splattering everywhere made people feel uneasy deep down.
Anakin didn't respond. The two of them stepped into the darkened door for the first time. Like breaking through a layer of black fog, their vision flickered for a moment, nearly blinded by the suddenly overflowing light.
The situation inside the tower was completely different from what they had thought.
The interior of the black tower seemed even more spacious than the outside, with a dozen circular floors built against the inner walls of the black tower. Even ignoring the huge holes in the center of these ring layers, each floor had an area of four or five football fields.
In the center of the black tower stood a square, spiral staircase built of wood. At every turning platform, a cross bridge would protrude, connecting to the nearest floor.
The exterior of this tower clearly had a spire. The sky at the Dream Edge was a hazy blue-purple, but inside, the top of the tower was connected to a piece of blue sky.
The brilliant sunlight made the inside of the tower incredibly bright. Soft vines hung down from the third floor with clusters of purple flowers blooming. Dense mist swayed on the fourth floor, casting shadows of rocks. The waterfall on the fifth floor gushed down into a pool, splashing silver-white water. Higher up, Anakin saw protruding giant tree branches.
Each floor of the tower had a "scene" that seemed somewhat different. Only the first floor—the floor they were on—was orderly. The floor was covered with large chessboard-style tiles. Load-bearing stone columns were decorated with potted plants and soft armchairs, and gargoyle-shaped wall lamps burned quietly.
Thousands of succubi were tightly squeezed into a corner of the first floor, occupying less than a quarter of the space. Perhaps because the environment here was too good, their panic had nowhere to be placed. Many people couldn't help but look up, fascinated by the sky at the top of the tower. Even more people didn't dare to make a sound, looking from afar at the figure lying in the sunlight—
The reigning queen lay asleep under the sun, her light golden hair shining dazzlingly in the sunlight. The succubus, wearing an old man t-shirt, stood by the queen. At the moment, she was tilting her head back, opening her mouth to this magnificent sight.
"We have brought the queen back." Nol's gaze accurately locked on to Succubus Doni. "So from now on, Teest is your crown prince."
Teest stood on the other side with his arms crossed while tapping them with his fingertips. His daydreaming was blatant as he walked.
Succubus Doni looked at the queen and then at Nol, the fear in her eyes deepening.
When giving up his memories, he had pleaded for them to save their tribe… Had he made his wish to completely wrong entities?
These two had done so many inconceivable and absurd things, but they indeed conformed to the "heir selection" rules, he thought in a daze.
Teest hadn't deliberately harmed any succubi, only stopped their counterattacks. Although Nol's methods were rough, they didn't cause substantial harm. He just transferred them all inside the tower.
Then, they brought back the queen, even the missing Knight Malvina.
"…Yes, the process is without problems." After a while, Succubus Doni squeezed out an answer.
Behind him, the succubi huddled even tighter.
"Should I wait for this woman to die on her own, or should I put on the 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and ascend the throne now?" Teest seemed to have regained his senses.
Doni bit his lip. "As long as the time 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is taken off doesn't exceed ten minutes, the 'Dream Dominion' sheltering here will be fine. I suggest…"
Teest ignored him. He directly took off the queen's earrings and threw one to Nol, who was beside him. Ma Zhigang, who was next to her, was about to have an outburst, but Teest had already placed the A Midsummer Night's Dream crown on his head.
Anakin and Solo, who were watching, weren't spared either. The necklace was thrown onto Anakin's face, and Solo quickly reached out to catch it—
Soft light engulfed the sight of several people, and Nol closed his eyes first, taking a deep breath.
'This is a dream,' Nol thought.
Like the dreams people often have, it was just a moment in reality but felt incredibly long.
The dream left by Succubus Queen Hyacinth. The answer he was seeking was here.
[A beautiful boy and girl fell in love. Decoste often came to the Dream Edge to visit Hyacinth.]
["It's always so peaceful here. I really want to live a lifetime." He lay on the grassy hill full of tiny flowers, with his hands cushioned behind his head.]
["Then live a lifetime," Hyacinth said with a smile.]
…This was originally a small conversation arranged by the production team.
But in the dream left by Queen Hyacinth, the environment was the same, the protagonist was the same, but the lines were worlds apart.
"You said bodies are lost at the Dream Edge?" The boy lay on the grassy hill, eyes wide in surprise. "Has this never happened before?"
Hyacinth sighed. "I'm afraid someone has invaded the Dream Edge."
"What would they want with stealing bodies? It's so strange." Decoste frowned.
...
[The boy grew into a young man, but his lover still looked the same as a girl. Interlocking ten fingers became difficult, so he covered her hand with his palm. 'It's okay,' Decoste thought. They still have a long time. Hyacinth was his destined one. Love could break through all difficulties.]
["Now I'm a whole head taller than you!" He laughed, comparing his height to Hyacinth's. "If I lower my head to look at you, will you cut it off, Your Majesty?"]
["You're about to become a formal businessman yet you're still so informal." Hyacinth laughed.]
In the dream, Decoste was wearing the same set of clothes and looked solemn.
"The Eternal Church wants to trade succubus bodies through me, claiming it's for 'collection needs'."
Young Decoste pressed his soft hat to his chest, his tone worried. "They urgently need a large number of bodies. I guess they will not wait for the succubus to die naturally."
Hyacinth nodded. "The magic that protects the lair should be upgraded, and I will also pay attention to the tribe members who have contact with humans."
Decoste kissed her brow. "Don't work too hard, Your Majesty. I will help you with all my heart and soul."
...
[As Decoste stepped into middle age, specks of silver appeared at his temples. Due to some indescribable emotions, he could no longer hold his lover's hand as freely as before, allowing her instead to link arms with him.]
[Would he receive love or pity from her as he grows old? Decoste began to fear "standing beside Hyacinth". She sensed this, and concern filled her eyes. They no longer talk about the future.]
["I'm so reluctant to leave you," Decoste said. "I always calculate the opportunities we have left to meet. Hiya, why are the gods so cruel?"
"If you detest me, please tell me," Decoste said. "Your eyes break my heart. I dare not look into them."
He was obsessed and repeated this over and over. The sweet innocence of his youth had turned into bitterness and anxiety.]
["A brave man has found fresh forget-me-nots."
One day, Hyacinth brought two beautiful flowers still covered with fresh dew. "Decoste, dreams don't lie."]
Across from Hyacinth, Decoste looked frighteningly thin.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was sparse and gray. He looked as despairing as a corpse sunk in a swamp.
"Hiya, I cannot sleep."
Decoste's emaciated face twitched. "The Eternal Temple knows about our relationship. They found me again, saying there is a way for us to grow old together."
Decoste's voice was like sandpaper rubbing.
"They can transfer the power of monster corpses to humans. A girl with only half her body can restore it using the healing ability of a monster's… I know, they just want to get succubus corpses from me."
"But I always wonder—should I give them the corpses of succubi from other tribes? Or give them the succubi who committed capital crimes instead? Just once, just once, and we don't have to be separated by time."
"Every time I see you, I think of this. Every time I leave you, I still think of this. The path is right there, Hiya… The path is right there."
Hyacinth listened quietly.
"Even if I become a monster, I want to stay by your side. But I don't want to disappoint you…"
Decoste gently caressed his lover's face. His thin hand was a stark contrast against her skin that was as white as jade. "My Queen, can you make this pain stop?"
Hyacinth closes her eyes. She gave her lover a hug. She hugged him for a long time, as if it was a farewell.
At the end of the hug, she extended her hand. In her palm lay two wrinkled purple buds.
"A brave succubus has found fresh forget-me-nots."
She said, "Decoste, dreams don't lie."
...
[For the ruler of the succubus, traversing through dreams was a piece of cake.]
[In the deepest dreams, the lovers met in the cabin where they first met. Wildflowers were all around the cabin, and the roof was covered with dark green rose vines. The clear lake reflected the blue sky, white clouds, and the aged Decoste.]
[His back was hunched, and his robust body shriveled like a deflated pod. He had lost all his teeth, and sparse white hair stuck tightly to his scalp. Beneath the stacked, dry skin, a pair of murky eyes could vaguely be seen.]
[Opposite him stood a familiar yet unfamiliar old lady.]
[Her back was also hunched. Her lips enveloped bare gums, and the remaining strands of hair were styled into a silver-white bun. Her purplish-blue eyes seemed to have faded, turning into a misty gray. ]
[They stood face to face, like any ordinary old people in this world. The sun was shining all around, birds were singing, and someone started to laugh. They looked at each other's aged faces, laughing louder and louder, until they were out of breath and coughing.]
[So it turns out that this was their deepest desire—to be at the same place, with the same person, at the same time.]
["Quickly remember my appearance, so you won't be curious later." Hyacinth's voice was old and hoarse.]
["Compared to this appearance, I'm still very handsome now." Decoste opened his toothless mouth.]
[The two of them laughed and played as if everything had returned to the best of times.]
["There's something I should have told you a long time ago," Hyacinth said. "Deco, meeting you is the best thing that's ever happened to me in this life."]
For the ruler of the succubus, traversing through dreams was a piece of cake.
The cabin where they first met was right in front of them. The wind was warm and filled with the fragrance of roses. The aged Hyacinth wobbled towards the small house, where her lover, who had been waiting for her for decades, was nearby.
Decoste was standing in front of the cabin, just like the day they first met. He was an almost perfect young man.
His back was straight, his muscles were beautifully sculpted, and his lips were as bright as petals. He had beautiful curly golden hair, and his honey-colored eyes were incredibly clear.
Hyacinth stopped in front of Decoste, subconsciously touching her sparse white hair on her head. They stood face to face, one as beautiful as an angel and the other as old as Death.
Young Decoste stood still, tears incessantly rolling down his eyes.
"I'm sorry!" he cried out loud. "I can't forget the temptation of that road. I can't forget… I don't want to leave you. I can't deceive my true heart…"
He hadn't betrayed her yet, and his love wasn't a lie. It was just that the balance in his heart eventually leaned slightly toward darkness.
…In the end, they no longer looked in the same direction.
The beautiful young man, even crying, was unbearably moving. Decoste cried until he couldn't breathe. He knelt in front of his aged lover, tears splashing on the green leaves.
The aged Hiya bent down and hugged her sobbing lover. She held him sorrowfully and calmly until he stopped crying.
"Let's part, Decoste," she said.
The young man with red eyes: "Part? How is that possible? I will find a way. There will always be a way…"
"No."
Hyacinth patted his back and spoke in a gentle tone, as if telling a bedtime story to a real child.
"I'll tell you a secret. Humans always have an illusion that love is a problem that needs an answer… To prove that they are right, some even have to endure painful choices."
"You can't possibly be the wrong choice," Decoste choked.
"The problem distinguishes 'right' or 'wrong,'" Hyacinth said softly. "To us, people just happen to walk together. It's just that sometimes one of them walks fast or slow, or stops, and has to part. The journey that belongs to us both has ended. That's all."
She stroked her lover's sunlit golden hair. "Decoste, you are the smartest person I have ever met. You understand, don't you?"
Their relationship had become a festering wound, held tight by the Eternal Church.
Decoste's heart was already wavering. If he didn't amputate to survive in time, what awaited him would only be more temptations or threats, until Decoste compromised.
"There's something I should have told you a long time ago." Hyacinth kissed the top of his head, slowly letting go of her embrace. "Deco, meeting you is the best thing that's ever happened to me in this life."
Decoste didn't respond for a long, long time.
"I heard from the traders that the Eternal Church specifically brought back the Demon King's corruption from Desolation Island. I suspect they want to artificially create the Demon King's minions as a kind of weapon—to fight against the succubi."
When he spoke again, his face still had tear stains, and his voice was hoarse and solemn. "This is just my guess. But they have been lingering near the Black Forest recently, and sightings of monsters keep emerging. The succubus populations nearby have sharply decreased… If you are willing to believe me, please start defending as soon as possible."
The elderly Hyacinth smiled.
She extended her hands, and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" appeared in her palms.
["We should really thank the person who brought the bewilderment grass," Decoste said.]
["I plan to give 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' to that person," Hyacinth said with a smile. "Your gem, my craftsmanship. Our names will be mentioned together, and in this way, they will be passed down."]
["It's a good idea, my romantic queen." Decoste laughed.]
[From then on, the two of them lived happily together.]
"I have completed the new magic to protect the lair." Hyacinth looked at the "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in her hand. "It can perfectly seal the Dream Edge and then use 'Dream within a Dream' to completely hide the lair."
"There's only one problem. The caster needs to wear this jewelry for a long time. You know, it has an enhancing effect on the power of the succubus."
Decoste was stunned.
"No!" He seemed to have realized something, and his voice became sharp. "Wearing this, you will no longer have normal emotional exchanges! You're a succubus. What's the difference between this and chronic suicide?!"
"Power always comes with a price." Hyacinth sighed lightly. "I am the ruler of our tribe, and I must ensure the survival of everyone… The next ruler and the ruler after that, I believe, will make the same choice."
"This might be the last time we see each other."
With her old, ugly face, she gave him a smile like a young girl.
...
Nol stood like a bodiless ghost, positioned between the two apparitions, watching these images with despair.
He understood everything. Why the two would part ways, why Hyacinth could preemptively defend, why Queen Hyacinth chose to commit suicide years later. Her fate was sealed from this moment. She walked towards destruction with clear awareness.
Don't you feel the pain? Don't you regret it… Don't you hate?
"Don't you hate?" Decoste muttered dispiritedly. "Why particularly us—"
"What are you talking about?" Hyacinth patted his head. "This is a good ending."
"…A good ending?"
"We parted ways by our own will, not because someone sabotaged us, nor due to disappointment, boredom, or betrayal. We just had to say goodbye at the crossroad," Hyacinth said. "I have had a very, very wonderful journey. What about you?"
Decoste's lips parted slightly. It seemed he had countless words ready to pour out. After several deep breaths, he moved his lips gently and uttered a short sentence.
"Me too," he said. "Goodbye, Hyacinth."
"Goodbye, Decoste."
The illusion of the bewilderment grass shattered, and Nol saw Decoste quietly leaving and saw Hyacinth standing atop the grassy hill for a long time.
His mind went blank, and even his breathing stopped.
"This is what I wanted to explain, my successor." Suddenly, it seemed like Hyacinth saw him and turned towards the void.
Her smile was still beautiful.
"Sorry, I had my own selfishness in there. I just wanted to explain that Decoste had nothing to do with those bad things. He didn't betray in the end—I know people have been talking behind his back."
"If you see this message, it means we're still trapped by the tricks of the Eternal Church. Killing the succubi won't yield more bodies. They will turn everyone into livestock. You 're the future ruler. Don't give up. Don't surrender."
She gently looked in Nol's direction, her gaze especially resolute.
"Next, here's a bit of advice from experience. At first, you might find the effects of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' bearable, even beautiful. You have power. You are willing to do anything for everyone."
"But as time passes, you will find yourself a shell carrying all sorts of expectations. No one will see the real you. Reality is just a void constantly consuming you."
"You will start to doubt, question whether everything is worth it, think the responsibility is too painful, and even want to abandon yourself…"
"My dear friend, it's okay to be afraid. It's okay to want to escape. This is a path leading to darkness, not because you are weak nor because you did something wrong."
Through centuries, she bowed deeply to her unknown successor.
"Even if the magic is successfully maintained, the situation will only get more severe. I'm sorry. This is the best solution I could think of—the tribe must survive, even if it's painful. At least, being alive means there's a chance for change."
"My strength is limited. I can't go too far. But regardless of the outcome, I had a good life." Her voice was gentle and relieved. "I have only one piece of advice. Try not to walk alone."
"May your journey lead to light."