Chapter 711 — Deep in Slumber
Blade of Dawn · Page 4 of 4
He sat once more at the long table and felt his Adam's apple move up and down, as though preparing to speak.
But a hand suddenly settled on his shoulder, making him start violently.
A long-lost clarity surged abruptly into his mind. A flood of memories, seemingly forgotten for a century, rushed forth all at once—along with the tension, dread, and other emotions from the moment before he had plunged entirely into the dream. But before Bard could sort through these contents that had reappeared in his mind, he heard a voice—authoritative and steady—coming from behind him: "Awake?"
Compared to this terrifying dream, the sudden voice nearly made Bard leap from his skin. He sprang to his feet and turned to see the tall figure of Gao Yang Cecil standing behind him.
For a moment the sense of unreality washed over him again, and he could scarcely distinguish reality from dream.
Gao Yang spoke again, his voice seeming to carry some power that roused one to clarity within a dream: "Stay awake. You are still in the dream, but your consciousness has woken. So long as you do not engage in unnecessary doubt or association, your spirit-body is safe."
"A dream? Oh right, this is a dream..." Bard blinked, gradually shaking off the aftereffects of the terrifying dream and slowly recovering his capacity for thought. The next moment, he finally registered the incongruity of Gao Yang's presence here. "Wait—this is a dream... so why are you in—"
"I am still above. Right now I am speaking with you through my consciousness," Gao Yang explained briefly, then began surveying the council chamber. The "meetings" in the hall were still proceeding again and again, yet to his eyes they seemed like one farcical play after another. "Interesting. I never imagined the roots of this giant tree would contain a dream..."
Bard stared at Gao Yang in sheer astonishment. He had already vaguely realized that this dream was likely connected to the "technical exchange" between the Eternal Sleeper and the Order of All Things' End—which made Gao Yang's direct projection of his consciousness here all the more shocking. He could not fathom how the other had managed it.
Perhaps this was one of Gao Yang Cecil's secrets.
And now he had come into contact with this secret.
Bard's heart went cold, and he grew all the more cautious.
Gao Yang noticed the change in Bard's expression and had a fair idea of what the man was thinking, but he paid it no mind. Instead he turned his head and regarded the entrance on the other side of the hall with keen interest.
A new individual had appeared in the dream—a figure was emerging there.
After making out the outline of that figure, Gao Yang raised an eyebrow.
Beyira Augustus walked into the hall.