NOVEL NEXT Chapter 368: The Siblings Who Dream Together
Listen While Reading: 05. Every Day Is a Good Day
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We gathered inside the Heavenly Empress's Inner Realm to celebrate. A massive feast, beautiful music, and a gathering of immortals and mortals filled the air with joy. Both demonic and orthodox, tonight we celebrated. Nobody held grudges anymore. They set aside differences and rejoiced together in taking another step forward.
I joined the celebration, ate, drank (juice only!), and laughed at the jokes. Seeing people laughing and smiling warmed my heart. I felt happy. My friends enjoyed everything too. I felt happy, yes… I felt happy.
But I was so tired!
Honestly, I wanted to sleep for a whole week.
Despite the inviting festivities, I slipped away and sat on the terrace, savoring the cold wind.
["Feeling tired? You've done a lot. You've changed so much I can hardly recognize you from back then sometimes…"]
Gram spoke to me. As I sat down, he had been silent all day but was finally speaking again.
"Well, look who's awake. Have you been sleeping these last few days? You barely talk now," I sighed.
["And what if I sleep sometimes? I'm a magic sword, so I need to rest for days to stay in good shape!"]
"Oh, so you were actually sleeping?!"
["Yeah… I mean, not really. I mean, yeah, I was sleeping, but not completely."]
"Okay?"
["With Sepa, Bastet, and Fang Shuan at your side, I don't need to talk as much anymore. I used to speak because you felt lonely without your friends or brother."]
"Oh…"
["But with your Egos and everything else, you'll never be truly alone. Hell, my ability to speak isn't natural. I didn't speak with my master, you know?"]
"You didn't?!"
["No, my ability to speak appeared when you purified me from my demonic state… I don't know why, but you sparked this… ember within me."]
"I didn't know…"
["You always do incredible things without knowing, my wielder."]
"Gram… You're calling me 'my wielder'?! Aww!"
["However, I feel this ability… it's slowly fading away."]
"Huh?"
["I've felt sleepier lately. That's why I slept so long."]
"…"
["One day, I might not be able to speak to you again, Anna…"]
"Is that so… Well, if I keep upgrading you, I'm sure you'll be fine!"
["I don't think so. My soul hasn't changed, and it's slowly losing its form. In a few days… maybe a week or two, I might disappear."]
"Oh my god! Why didn't you tell me before?!"
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
["I didn't want to scare you… I'm sorry."]
Gram…
I can't believe he's like this, dammit!
Is he really going to disappear?!
What can I do?
"Wait, can't you eat the souls I give you? That way, you'll—"
["It doesn't work like that. My Soul and Sense of Self are sustained through my Story. Because I've been broken for so long, I'm deteriorating inside. Once my Story fully vanishes, I might remain a weapon like before, but my internal powers will fade rapidly."]
"Shit… So it's because you're broken."
["Yeah…"]
"That's easy to fix, right? I'll ask my brother to give me your other half, and we'll combine them with Hilda's help!"
["I knew you'd say that… But even when I was complete, I couldn't talk. I'm an anomaly, my ability to speak born from several circumstances."]
"Don't be like that. We've shared so much together!"
["I'm sorry…"]
["…"]
He fell silent and wouldn't respond to my words anymore.
"Gram?"
I shook him, calling for him.
"GRAM!"
No response…
No, wait…
This can't be happening out of nowhere!
I was so happy, and then this…
Damn Gram.
"Why are you like this, stupid sword?" I sighed, shedding a tear over his blade. "How long are you going to sleep now?"
I caressed him, feeling his soul still trying to exist.
His ability to speak was born from strange circumstances.
But why? How did it even happen?
If I want him to stay as he is and not revert to a lifeless sword, I need to find out what happened.
"Don't worry, I'll repair you, then find a way to bring you back." I tried to stay positive. "Sleep all you want. I got this, partner."
["…"]
As I sighed and glanced at the moon, a new notification appeared.
Ding!
[Excellently done! You have completed the {Special Quest}: {The Last Battle for the World of Bestia Begins: Act 2}!]
[Rank: SSS]
[After clashing against the machines, you and your allies reached the Second Mechanical Tree, where you fought a model named Zero Three, a third iteration of Zero One with advanced "improvements." She piloted an overpowered mecha and had a twin made of pure data to defend the Mechanical Tree's database.]
[In a hard-fought battle where you gave everything, you helped Zero One hack the second of the three Mechanical Trees and defeated Zero Three and her powerful Mech, possessed by a mysterious Void Ruler, the Universal Computer.]
[With every machine on this island now injected with Emotions by Zero One, fulfilling her purpose as a machine made to "feel," you've gained many allies. It remains unclear if Zero Three, her twin, and the Mega Computer, "Mechanical Tree #2," will join you as allies, but they've become neutral in the conflict.]
[With two of the three Mechanical Trees conquered, only one remains before the Grand Finale. The Trial End is near, but many challenges await. Do you have what it takes to save Bestia and forge an alliance between the Machines and the Beast People?]
[Completion Rewards]: [+300,000 Plot Points] [Heavenly Yin & Yang Elixir (SS Rank)] x5 [Black & White Heaven Pearl (SS Rank)] x5 [Martial Arts Enhancing Scroll (SS Rank)] x5 [Primordial Yin
Crystal Fragment (SS Rank)] x5 [Primordial Yang Crystal Fragment (SS Rank)] x5 [Mechanoid Themed Treasure Chest (SS Rank)] x1 [World of Bestia Themed Skill Book (SS Rank)] x1]
"Huh, a quest…"
I hadn't seen this pop up before. I must've missed it in the heat of battle. The rewards are plentiful, and I'm grateful.
With this, I have 500,000 Plot Points! So many…
This could sponsor more people.
But for now, I should save them. After all, I owe the system two million Plot Points after sponsoring the Venerables.
The rewards are standard but solid. This might be the last reward before the trial ends.
The last item, a Skill Book themed after the World of Bestia, is strange. How does that even work?
"Haahh…"
I yawned, so damn sleepy. This dumb sword made me cry. I need to sleep and settle my thoughts.
Too much happened today, but more might happen tomorrow. I must prepare my mind and prepare.
So much has happened, honestly.
So many memories, experiences, and lessons learned…
This world feels like my second home.
I hope the next trials aren't as long or at least don't feel as long.
I guess it's kind of my fault. I wanted to become their apprentice and learn from them.
This has lasted so long because of me.
But I needed this break more than I thought.
A new perspective, a new world, new friends, new strength, and new lessons.
Above all, I found a family here…
But I haven't forgotten my family back home.
My brother, Dan Baihe, Annabelle, Kevin, and everyone else.
They're precious to me too, and I can't wait to see them again.
I miss them!
"Haah… So tired…"
I rested on my bed and fell asleep instantly…
I had a weird dream that night.
Yeah…
A dream where I ate dinner with my brother and my adoptive family here.
Song liked to talk with my big brother, who would act nicely and pet his head.
And he was happy too.
Even Fenrir was there for some reason, I guess.
What a weird, yet heartwarming dream…
[The {The Seamless Abyss} dreams with you.]
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