The Appearance of the God of Dreams

The sudden arrival of the Nephilim, who unceremoniously threw Mahendra into the ocean, had already sent them into a panic. 

Now, that panic grew even more intense as they found Mahendra seemingly lifeless.

His eyes were open, devoid of consciousness, like the eyes of a dead fish. His heartbeat was growing weaker by the moment, and it was unclear if he would survive.

The Wandering King laid the man's body on the ship's deck. Everyone present stared on with sadness, concern, and regret. Liliana, especially, couldn't believe that Mahendra would die just like that.

"This is all your fault!" the Wandering King accused, pointing at the Nephilim.
The man with mismatched wings was startled. His brows furrowed, and he looked confused. He was baffled by the constant blame.

"How can you just say that so carelessly!" the Nephilim retorted loudly.

"It's clearly your fault. Why don't you just admit it? You're the one who threw Master Mahendra into the cold ocean. You're truly cruel," Liliana said, joining in the blame. Though her voice was soft, her anger was clear.

Sometimes, fate is truly amusing. Life and death, once determined, can't be escaped by any living creature. However, the man currently lying on the deck wasn't an ordinary being. He wasn't a god, a demon, or a race with powerful physical and magical strength, because he was a being who surpassed them all.

"A few years ago, I killed him with great difficulty. I didn't even do it alone. So, isn't it strange for him to suddenly die just from being thrown into a cold sea?" the Nephilim said, searching for a reason.

"Your words make sense. It's just that his condition is different from before."

"What do you mean?"

The Wandering King's gaze was fixed on a girl in a white dress. She sat at the edge of the ship, silently looking out at the sea. She didn't seem to want to approach Mahendra, as if this were none of her business.

"What's wrong? You're old, but you're still after a girl?" the Nephilim sneered dismissively.

"Hey, I have five generations of descendants. I have a lot of grandchildren. Why would I go after another girl?"

"I hope that's true. Don't go and get another wife."

"Good heavens, I already have many wives, children, and grandchildren. You're the one who should be looking for a girl, you stiff man," he shot back.

The Wandering King stood next to the Nephilim and whispered, "Do you feel anything strange about that girl?"

"Her aura is similar to mine," the Nephilim replied, releasing a small amount of light power in his palm.

"Oh, I see."

***

Meanwhile, they had no way to save the dying man. In reality, something much worse was happening to him.

Mahendra was on the verge between life and death. His body was deteriorating, cold and stiff. His consciousness had vanished as if swallowed by something.

Darkness. There was only darkness all around. An emptiness that was far too difficult to comprehend, unable to feel anything with all his senses tightly shut. 

Blind, deaf, and mute, Mahendra himself didn't know what he was experiencing.Slowly, his consciousness returned for no reason. He held a single point of light, which caused all his senses to recover. He saw a mysterious figure wearing a dark blue cloth with a star pattern like shattered glass. The dazzling glitter made Mahendra instinctively avert his gaze.

"You should not have been born into any world, because you have no right to live even for a single second."

The sentence spoken by the mysterious man instantly made him furious. Mahendra glared, his hands clenched. Infuriated by the words, he immediately shot back.

"Someone who knows nothing about me has no right to control me!"

"Oh really? How arrogant. It seems no matter how many times you live, you'll never learn to be polite."

The man's hand slowly rose. As he pointed his index finger at him, several threads from all directions pierced every vital point on his body. Mahendra, unable to react to the attack, stood rigidly in place. He couldn't move, and he even lost all his senses again.

Before he could figure out what was happening, the man's figure suddenly appeared near him and sent Mahendra flying backward. In an instant, his senses returned. Lying in the darkness, he tried to process what had just happened.

"Who... are you?"

"I am the God of Dreams, Morpheus. I control the dreams of all beings, and you will never be able to move in my presence, Devourer Destiny."

His eyes, which looked like stars, were both bright and dark. It was difficult to describe in words because to Mahendra, the Dream God looked like a night sky full of stars that were out of his reach.
Knowing this wouldn't be easy to face, Mahendra just chuckled softly. He paused for a few seconds, then laughed again, louder and louder, like a madman who knew no fear.

"Oh, so you're the God of Dreams. It's been a long time since I've dreamed, but why is my dream so dark?" He asked while adjusting his position. He sat up and looked around, seeing absolutely nothing.

"How can you laugh? It seems you really don't want to live much longer," the God of Dream said, raising his hand again.

Just as he lifted his right hand, Mahendra quickly grabbed Morpheus's wrist. He then smiled widely and continued to laugh, looking at the god who finally showed an expression of shock.

"Is this my dream... or yours?"

One by one, ancient spell words appeared, binding Morpheus's wrist and moving toward his body and face. A panicked Morpheus quickly tried to free himself from his grasp, but Mahendra just let go.

"I don't know why, but whenever I hear the word 'God,' I always hate it. I mean, people who arrogantly think they are gods," Mahendra said, his expression changing 180 degrees. His angry look and sharp gaze put Morpheus on alert.

The ancient spells continued to bind the God of Dream body, and they weren't just restricting him, they were also eroding his power. Devouring him from the deepest parts as if biting flesh down to the bone marrow. Pain followed.

In an instant, the situation was completely reversed. The God Morpheus felt he had underestimated the Devourer Destiny. He quickly put a safe distance between them, then severed his precious right hand and sealed the bit of his contaminated power to move freely again.

"I was truly careless," Morpheus muttered.

The darkness and emptiness vanished when Morpheus, the God of Dreams, was injured. A blue night sky appeared without stars, only the moon. Then, a pool of clear water emerged, showing their reflections with contrasting expressions that held no lies.

A small house not far away looked very peaceful, with a family of a girl and a boy inside.

Seeing all these things reflected through the dream, Morpheus laughed softly and looked at Mahendra with an expression of disgust.

"How funny... The Devourer Destiny I knew was so savage. Yet you can dream such an innocent and childish dream like this, haha!"