Northern Shore of Conquest Sea, Navaha.
In the depths of the night, beneath Navaha, the False Cocoon, which had been slowly growing underground, rapidly matured due to the catalyzing ritual conducted beneath the city. All remaining Dream Cocoons that hadn’t been fully absorbed were forcibly drawn into it. As the giant cocoon finally cracked open, an incredibly powerful hypnotic force emanated outward, centered around the cocoon, affecting the entire city of Navaha. Every waking creature within the city succumbed to this force and was forcibly put to sleep—including Dorothy, who had been conducting her investigation.
Having observed the peculiar behavior of the Moth’s believers and the patients with Sleep Decay Syndrome in the mental hospitals, Dorothy had already become alert. Thus, when the overwhelming sleepiness descended, Dorothy, having prepared herself, had a brief moment to resist. She understood that she couldn’t allow herself to succumb to this deep sleep; doing so would leave her at the mercy of the Blackdream Hunting Pack. Currently, she had only one method to temporarily resist the induced sleep.
"Ugh… Ahhh!!"
Inside her hotel room, Dorothy sat trembling on her chair, arms crossed tightly over her chest, involuntarily letting out cries of discomfort from the tingling pain. Her eyes widened, rolling upward to reveal large whites. Dorothy had never imagined that one day she would experience being shocked by her own electric ability. Even though she controlled the voltage and current, the sensation was still extremely unpleasant. This self-inflicted shock was undoubtedly the most intense physical discomfort she’d experienced since arriving in this world.
After the electricity surged through her body, Dorothy slumped weakly in her chair, her mouth agape, staring blankly ahead. Her legs resting on the floor and her arms hanging down twitched occasionally. Despite appearing somewhat disheveled, at least she hadn’t fallen asleep. The intense sensation of the electric shock had temporarily staved off the powerful hypnotic force, preventing her from falling into unconscious sleep.
"Huff… huff… I didn’t expect I’d experience the taste of electricity myself so soon after acquiring Thunder Summoner abilities."
Panting heavily, Dorothy sat upright again. She knew clearly that this was not the time to rest; she needed to seize this brief moment of clarity to perform more crucial tasks.
"Now... during this short time I’ve earned by shocking myself... I must prepare properly…"
Seated firmly, Dorothy closed her eyes and began self-suggestion, preparing herself for lucid dreaming.Only a few minutes after Dorothy closed her eyes, another powerful wave of hypnotic force emanated from beneath the city, quickly reaching her. The clarity she had gained through the electric shock began to fade again under the overwhelming sleepiness.
This time, Dorothy did not shock herself awake again. Instead, she allowed this sleepiness to overtake her, falling into sleep while sitting on her hotel chair. However, this time, her sleep was not unconscious.
After fully succumbing to sleep, Dorothy’s consciousness swiftly coalesced within her dreamscape. Soon, her dream-self took shape clearly within her dream space, appearing inside her study at No. 17 Green Shade Town.
Thanks to her lucid dreaming preparations, Dorothy successfully entered the dream realm while maintaining clarity of mind. Had she not prepared, she would have fallen into unconscious sleep. In this lucid dream state, she could rationally analyze and respond to her current predicament.
"Finally, I have some time to think. A mystical phenomenon suddenly affecting the entire city, and in more than one wave—what exactly is happening? Has something gone wrong with the Blackdream Hunting Pack and the False Moth they were cultivating?"
In her dream space, Dorothy muttered thoughtfully from her chair. She hadn’t expected such a drastic event while preparing to investigate the Blackdream Hunting Pack.
Having witnessed many awake people abruptly falling asleep during her earlier surveillance, Dorothy understood that this sleepiness wasn’t aimed solely at her; it was a large-scale hypnotic phenomenon targeting the entire city. Such a widespread effect exceeded the capabilities of any typical White Ash-rank Beyonder. According to the little fox’s intelligence, only the False Moth cultivated by the Blackdream Hunting Pack could achieve such a feat.
Based on the little fox’s descriptions, the False Moth was equivalent to an Apprentice during its egg stage, Black Earth during its larval stage, White Ash as a cocoon, and Crimson as an adult. Such city-wide hypnotic waves clearly suggested near Crimson rank mystical power.
"Crimson rank… Has that group’s cocoon already hatched into a False Moth? Could it really be such bad timing? I was just about to move against them, and they succeed in hatching? This seems almost too coincidental... Could my luck truly be this terrible, arriving in Navaha just before their Moth matured?"
Within her dream space, Dorothy held her forehead, feeling frustrated. If the situation truly was that the False Moth had hatched, the problem was indeed significant.
"In any case, I can’t determine anything clearly within a dream. I need more information from the real world. I should try waking up first."
Dorothy thought quickly. Although mentally clear in her dream, her physical body in reality remained immobile and vulnerable, making her current situation dangerous. Thus, waking up physically became her top priority.
Dorothy immediately attempted to wake herself up. However, no matter how hard she tried, she remained asleep. Faced with this, Dorothy frowned deeply.
"This is… deep sleep? As expected, after being influenced by that ability, it’s impossible to wake up voluntarily. In that case, I need to find another way."
Dorothy thought to herself within the dream, relieved that after Vania had been deeply hypnotized unnoticed previously, she had anticipated similar occurrences and had devised several strategies with adequate preparation.
In the dream space, Dorothy, sitting in her chair, concentrated intensely and began activating her mystical abilities. Indeed, as long as Dorothy remained conscious within her lucid dream, she retained the ability to use her powers.
Dorothy chose not to use her Thunder Summoner’s ability to shock herself awake. She was uncertain whether a non-lethal electric shock could awaken her once fully entrenched in deep sleep. Even if successful, subsequent waves of influence might again lull her into sleep, forcing repeated shocks, which she doubted her body could endure for long.
Therefore, instead of using her Thunder Summoner’s powers, Dorothy activated her abilities as a Threadweaver Shaman. She employed her "Living Marionette" ability to connect with the Marionette Mark she’d placed upon herself earlier, anticipating emergencies. Thus, Dorothy took control of her sleeping body as a living marionette.
Under Dorothy’s precise control, her physical body, previously deeply asleep, gradually opened its eyes in reality. Within the dream space, Dorothy’s spiritual form now saw a screen appearing before her, displaying what her physical body currently observed.
By utilizing the Marionette Mark, Dorothy successfully operated her deeply sleeping body from within the lucid dream. She could now perceive the real world even while dreaming.
Because Dorothy’s essence was technically still asleep—her waking body being nothing more than a living marionette—she was immune to further hypnosis. Regardless of how powerful the hypnotic force became, Dorothy’s real-world actions remained uninterrupted, as she was already effectively asleep and thus unaffected by any subsequent hypnotic attempts.
Employing the combination of lucid dreaming and living marionette control, Dorothy rendered herself completely immune to hypnotic influence.
"Heh...feels like piloting a giant mech from inside a cockpit," Dorothy’s spiritual form remarked playfully, looking at the screen depicting reality. She glanced around the study room briefly, snapped her fingers, and watched as the environment around her blurred and reshaped according to her thoughts, finally transforming into a futuristic cockpit where she sat, ready to act.
"Alright, first order of business is figuring out what’s going on..."
Dorothy muttered softly, maneuvering her body in reality to rise slowly from her chair.
...
At Navaha Harbor, numerous Church vessels remained anchored.
The powerful hypnotic force emanating from beneath the city swiftly reached the harbor. Patrol sailors succumbed without warning, collapsing into deep sleep. Even the most devout prayers in the cabins failed to withstand the overwhelming drowsiness and fell unconscious.
This even included Giorde, who had been working in his cabin. The sleepiness overwhelmed him instantly, causing him to collapse at his desk. Other White Ash-ranked Beyonders aboard similarly could not resist, collapsing at their posts.
If White Ash-ranked Beyonders were overwhelmed, it was needless to mention those below their rank and ordinary individuals. In mere moments, the entire fleet descended into profound silence and slumber.
In a private cabin on the fleet’s flagship cruiser, a thin, barefooted elderly monk dressed in clerical robes sat cross-legged on the floor, peacefully sleeping before an open holy scripture and a small Holy Father altar. He appeared to have fallen asleep during prayer due to the hypnotic influence, likely to remain asleep until morning.
However, as he slept deeper, an anomaly occurred. Behind the old monk, a translucent whip emitting faint golden light suddenly appeared, striking him harshly. Although the whip left no physical injury, the spiritual lash awakened him, drawing forth a painful shout.
The awakened monk’s eyes opened wide, filled with lingering pain. Quickly scanning his surroundings, he glimpsed the phantom whip fading into nothingness.
"To think I fell asleep during prayer... Holy Father, forgive my lapse," he murmured towards the altar in prayer. Soon afterward, another powerful wave of sleepiness threatened to claim him again. As his consciousness nearly sank once more, the monk forcefully closed the scripture before him, declaring sternly.
"Discipline: Sleep Forbidden."
With the utterance of these strict words, a golden light emerged around his eyes, instantly dispelling the overwhelming sleepiness. Fully alert again, the monk regained his vigilance.
"I didn’t expect to encounter such powerful Shadow spirituality in a place like this..."
Muttering to himself, the old monk rose from the floor, secured the scripture with chains around his waist, opened the cabin door, and briskly walked out, striding swiftly through the ship’s corridor.
Ignoring the sailors who lay unconscious in deep sleep along the corridor, the monk made his way directly to the captain’s quarters. Upon opening the door, he saw Captain Giorde slumped over his desk, fast asleep. The monk raised his hand, materializing a semi-transparent golden whip.
"Sleeping during working hours... Even you, Captain, require discipline."
Whispering this, he mercilessly lashed the whip at Giorde. The ethereal whip passed through Giorde, causing no physical damage but eliciting a sharp cry of pain, jolting him awake and knocking him to the ground.
"Ah! Huff... What just happened? Father Weir, why are you here? I just—ugh..."
Clutching his head, the dazed Giorde stared confusedly at the monk. At that moment, another wave of irresistible drowsiness overcame him, threatening to send him back into sleep.
"Giorde Bianchi, I command you to follow discipline. You must not fall asleep."
The monk’s stern voice resonated firmly. Hearing this, the drowsiness clouding Giorde’s mind began to dissipate, and seizing this brief clarity, Giorde quickly responded.
"Yes, I shall follow your discipline..."
With these words, Giorde felt a strange influence wash over him, instantly dispelling his sleepiness. Breathing heavily, he slowly stood up.
"Huff... This is hypnosis—hypnosis even I can’t resist. Such formidable Shadow power... we’ve been attacked!"
Giorde gasped heavily, immediately grasping the gravity of their situation. Seeing Giorde finally free from sleep’s grasp, the monk nodded in affirmation.
"Indeed, Captain Giorde. We’ve been assaulted by Shadow spirituality. Everyone has succumbed to hypnosis. As soon as the discipline whip woke me, I came straight to you. We are now in grave danger."
"Thank you for your aid. This city harbors powers beyond our expectations. Father Weir, please awaken Santos and the others immediately! We must set up defenses!"
Giorde issued his orders sternly. Just as Father Weir nodded and prepared to leave, a loud explosion suddenly erupted from the distant city.
Exchanging a quick glance, the two hurried out of the captain’s quarters and onto the deck. From there, they looked towards the source of the sound and witnessed a sight that left them astonished.
Amidst the dark silhouettes of buildings far away, a massive object was slowly rising—a twisted, ethereal moth.
Its triangular, semi-transparent wings gently fluttered, covered in dizzying spirals. The massive, ten-meter-long bloated body was densely studded with countless white, cocoon-like protrusions resembling countless grotesque nodules. Where insectoid legs should have been, innumerable writhing, phantom tentacles extended instead. Its head lacked a typical insect’s mouthparts, replaced by countless eyes gazing eerily outward.
Bizarre, distorted, and repulsive—the monster from dreams had emerged from its cocoon, now soaring ominously in Navaha’s night sky.