Chapter 1372 - Between Dreams and Reality
Amidst an endless sea of blossoming flowers, a youthful figure could be seen resting peacefully atop a small hill. There was a gentle breeze flowing over the land, bringing with it a cooling effect and a pleasant aroma, easing the heat from the vibrant golden sun above.
Suddenly, like someone who had overslept on the day of an important event, the figure startled into a seated position, their breathing ragged and anxious as they took in their surroundings. For a brief moment, confusion colored their peculiar blue-pink eyes as the cool breeze caused their long green hair to flow gently with the wind.
While others would be calm in this situation, the figure, Solon, bounded to their feet with a troubled expression on their face as they exclaimed, "I know you're the one behind this, you flowery bastard! Get out here, right this instant...!!"
Following Solon's outburst, another breeze passed through the endless sea of flowers, this time with a bit more force. Solon was forced to shield their eyes due to their own disobedient hair, their face forming a frown as Merlin manifested in front of them with his usual, irritating, smile. With his arrival, the wind quickly died down but, due to their current garb, Solon was the victim of a vexatious and breezy feeling that soured their mood considerably.
Before Solon could lash out at him, Merlin laughed in a lighthearted manner before musing, "That dress looks good on you, Solon-chan~."
Triggered by Merlin's teasing, Solon flipped through the air with tremendous force, kicking him in the face with the heel of their foot. This sent Merlin crashing through the endless garden of flowers but, after coming to a stop, he rose to his feet without a single injury. After all, within a Dreamscape like this, he had an absolute, inviolable, advantage.
After dusting off his robe a bit, Merlin casually caught Solon's second attack with his bare hand. He then tossed the green-haired Magus to the side where, seemingly in an instant, a large maw formed of twisted vines and flowers chomped down on their body. At the same time, Merlin mused, "I would have thought you had learned your lesson by now. Even if this is your Dreamscape, you will never be able to defeat me~."
Following Merlin's words, the complex web of roots, vines, and flowers suddenly erupted as a much larger version of Solon appeared, their face forming an aggrieved expression. In response, Merlin's own size increased until he towered over the green-haired Magus who, before they noticed it, was forced to wear a frilly frock with a large ribbon on their chest.
Though they were beyond frustrated, Solon ultimately plopped down onto the ground and sprawled out with a defeated expression. Merlin was a complete monster within a Dreamscape so, even if they were twice as annoyed, there wasn't really anything they could do against him. In the past, Merlin had made this 'very' clear, to the point Solon had forgone sleep for long periods of time for fear he would prey on them once again.
With Solon turning obedient, Merlin lightly tapped his staff against the ground. In the next moment, Solon was wearing their usual white robes, seated in an ornate golden chair with white cushions. This caused them to breathe a sigh of relief before asking, "Why are you here? I don't recall arranging to meet with you any time soon. Rather, I'm certain...something important was happening...?"
Recalling things from the real world within a Dreamscape was a lot harder than normal as your mind was in a state of unconsciousness. As a result, your subconscious mind was in control while inside, an element very few people had control over. People like Vahn and Merlin were exceptions to this but, having no affinity with Dreams whatsoever, Solon couldn't help but struggle to recall what had been taking place prior to finding themselves within the Dreamscape.
This peculiar state was something that could be readily exploited by those with the capabilities of manipulating dreams. After all, the conscious mind of a person was heavily influenced by whatever happened to their subconscious self. Because of this, it was possible to make suggestions and leave deep impressions on the mind, often without the person themselves realizing it had happened. In the past, Merlin had used this to teach Artoria the basics of [Instinct] as, by training in her dreams, a place where she could go far beyond her limits, her conscious mind recalled them instinctually.
Now, Merlin had appeared for an entirely different purpose, explaining, "In order to preserve itself, your mind completely shut down during a procedure taking place outside. Though the odds weren't that high, there was a non-negligible chance you would lose yourself if left unattended. To prevent a series of tragic events from taking place, I decided to intervene. For now, you should focus on just relaxing your mind as much as possible. You should know that the more you pay attention to things in the Dreamscape, the longer you will be stuck inside~."
Hearing Merlin's explanation, Solon felt like they were on the brink of recalling what had happened. This caused the previously blue sky to turn slightly chaotic but, with a simple wave, Merlin made the emergent stormclouds vanish in an instant. Then, to deter Solon from stressing over something they shouldn't, Merlin deterred them by musing, "Would you like to play dress-up and tag~?"
A stark contrast to their conscious self, the subconscious Solon immediately shrank down when they heard Merlin's words. They abruptly became the size of a porcelain doll as they replied in a demure whisper, "No...I think I'll just sleep..." To this, Merlin just gave a small nod before waving his hand and summoning a comfortable bed for Solon to make use of...
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Though it didn't require nearly as much focus as Nirvana Rebirth, Vahn still had to focus his mind for nearly three hours to complete Solon's operation. Fortunately, the process became a lot easier when Solon lost consciousness. This allowed him to easily manipulate their body, extending their arms and legs so that they were straighter. This was an awkward process but, in order to complete the task as quickly as possible, Vahn ignored his misgivings.
In the end, Solon's body seemed to have aged a fair amount as, instead of a small child, they looked like a teenager. Vahn noticed that their body didn't 'develop' further than the budding mounds that had been present prior to the procedure but, considering Solon didn't identify as either gender, it would have been a little strange if they suddenly sprouted breasts.
Since it was a good opportunity, Vahn went ahead and modified the structure of the runic formation covering their body before placing a smaller version of his Familia Crest on their back. This gave him the chance to view Solon's current status and, seeing their race and age, Vahn was able to confirm a few of his suspicions.
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[Status]
Name: [Solon Yggdrasil]
Age: 4943
Race: Ethereal Spirit of the World Tree, Human(?)
Strength: 19E
Endurance: 25D+++
Agility: 44B+
Magical Power: 50A+
Good Luck: 28D-
Circuit Quality: EX
Noble Phantasm: [Seal of Yggdrasil:A++]
Origin: World, Fate, Life
Skills: [Yggdrasil's Heir: Innate:EX], [Pioneer of the Stars:Innate:C+], [Well of Fate's Vessel:Innate:B], [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception(False):A], [High-Speed Incantation:A], [Physical Resistance:B], [Magic Resistance:B],
Magic: [Yggdrasil's Blessing: Innate:S]
Magecraft: [Transmutation:S], [Divination:S], [Mystic Codex:EX]
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Though it was impossible to be certain, the fact Solon had four Innates all but guaranteed they were a Tier 4 entity. If they had been able to obtain a Divinity, they would have become a God a long time ago, potentially even replacing the original Yggdrasil.
Some might not consider Yggdrasil a God but, considering it possessed a will of its own, gave birth to a myriad of gods, held up nine realms, and even became the foundation of an entire world on the Reverse Side, Vahn would call these people fools. There was a good chance that Yggdrasil was a Tier 5 being but, in the grand scheme of things, that just made them a higher-tiered God since they had dominion over various Laws.
From what he could tell, Solon, if given enough time, would eventually turn into a World Tree. They had shed their humanity a long time ago, likely after being thrown into the Well of Fate, so there was little chance of them regaining what was lost. There was even a chance that, during the convergence, Solon would be reabsorbed by Yggdrasil so, in the end, Vahn believed his decision had saved them from a fate worse than death.
Even though Yggdrasil seemed to be a benevolent and kind entity, there was little chance Solon's Ego would be able to survive the merger. They had suffered for thousands of years so it would be exceptionally tragic if, on the cusp of obtaining some semblance of freedom and happiness, they were forced to serve as a sacrifice for Yggdrasil's revival...
While Vahn was thinking about the best method to help Solon obtain happiness, the latter slowly peeled their eyes open. It felt like their body was being crushed by the pressure of an entire ocean but, alongside the pain, a phenomenal amount of energy now circulated through their body. It gave them a feeling as though they would be able to overcome anything but, most importantly, it made them feel 'alive' for the first time in a long time.
In an attempt to move to a seated position, Solon mustered up what little strength remained in their body, a pained groan escaping their lips as a result. Then, just as the movement seemed impossible, a set of warm hands helped guide them the rest of the way, both sending a gentle stream of energy into their body. This caused Solon to release a contented sigh as, everywhere the energy flowed, great relief followed.
Vahn expected Solon to complain about the fact he had placed one of his hands on their abdomen but, seeing them show no particular response, he opted to explain, "The procedure went without any major hiccups. It'll take some getting used to but your body now has its own Magic Circuits. Though it might take a while, you should try and familiarize yourself with using proper Magic from now on. It is never good to be entirely reliant on Artifacts and equipment..."
Hearing Vahn's words, Solon looked up at him, their Mystic Eyes glowing with a light that would unnerve most people. Vahn, however, was entirely unaffected so, after a few tense moments, they asked, "Is that your first order as my Master?"
The moment Solon asked their question, both Vahn and the person in question showed expressions of surprise. For some reason, the form of address that had annoyed them in the past now sounded 'natural', unnerving Solon and causing their Loyalty value to drop a few points. If not for the obvious surprise on Vahn's face, this value would have dropped even lower as Solon momentarily considered whether or not he had implanted something in their subconscious to make them more submissive.
No longer feeling comfortable with Vahn touching them, Solon batted his hands away before trying to rise to their feet. They had already recovered enough to move around without too much pain but standing turned out to be too high an obstacle, at least until Vahn used Telekinesis to support them. This caused Solon to feel bitter but, knowing he wasn't trying to shame them, they accepted his help in restoring their robes and Artifacts.
After dawning the [Seal of Yggdrasil], Solon felt as if all of their power returned. To their surprise, this seemed to be nothing more than a drop in the bucket, however, and, even after several minutes had passed, their reserves had continued to increase. By the time they were fully dressed, Solon felt like they had enough power to level an entire continent, causing them to gaze at Vahn, an incredulous look in their eyes as they asked, "These aren't 'normal' Magic Circuits...are they? I don't even think the Barthomeloi's Blue Blood Magic Circuits can compare to these."
Since the deed was already done, Vahn just shrugged in response to Solon before answering, "I don't take half-measures when messing around with other people's bodies. Though their structure isn't all that different from the norm, those Magic Circuits have a functionally infinite potential for growth. If you put in the effort, you can become much stronger in the future. Even transcending the Gods isn't as difficult as you might expect so work hard..."
//Solon Yggdrasil: Loyalty +13//
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Dick Wizard to the rescue~!','Vahn be like, "Oh, it is so much easier to move them around when they are unconscious~"','RIP Solon, you put up a good fight')
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