The System’s recommendation was stark and absolute, a declaration of failure before the mission had even begun: ABANDON QUEST.
FaeLina’s psychic voice, which had been a worried buzz, became a full-blown siren of panic in my consciousness.
’See! See! I told you!’ she shrieked. ’The system is wise! The system is our friend! The system is screaming ’ABANDON’ at the top of its digital lungs! This is a sign! We have to tell the Duke we’re sorry, we give him a refund first, and then we eject the poor kid before that psychic monster eats my invisible furniture!’
Her logic was flawless. The risk was immense, and the chance of failure was high. The smart, sensible thing to do would be to listen to the system’s warning.
But as I recall the image of the Nightmare Parasite —a creature made of pure fear and torment and then I thought of the young boy, Elian, whimpering in his sleep just one floor below me, having endured this for over a year.
A year without a single night of good, peaceful sleep.
It was the most evil thing I could possibly imagine. My annoyance at the situation hardened into a cold and quiet resolve. This wasn’t about a quest anymore. This was about my principle.
’FaeLina,’ I projected, my mental voice cutting through her panic. ’Gather the Duke and our team in the main chamber. They all deserve to know exactly what we are up against.’
A few minutes later, my ’war council metting’ was assembled. Duke Valerius stood there, his face had some hope and fear. Zazu, Pip, and Kaelen stood ready, their expressions was serious. I projected the system’s final, dire warning for all of them to see in their minds.
[RECOMMENDATION: ABANDON QUEST. EJECT HOST IMMEDIATELY. THIS ENTITY IS BEYOND YOUR CURRENT CAPABILITIES TO ENGAGE SAFELY.]
The Duke’s face fell, his last hope seeming to crumbling to dust.
"An Ancient Class psychic entity..." Zazu murmured, his knowledge of lore filling in the terrifying gaps. "Core, this is a foe of immense power. To face it in its own territory... it’s too dangerous"
Kaelen, who knew more than anyone about the horror of a dominating mind, spoke, her voice a low whisper. "It has made a nest. A direct assault on its home ground is foolish. It will be strongest in there."
They were all looking at me, expecting me to confirm the system’s verdict. To tell them it was impossible.
I gave them my plan instead. It was not what they expected.
’The parasite feeds on fear. Its strength comes from the nightmare it creates,’ I projected, my mental voice calm and steady. ’The system is correct. We cannot fight it on its own terms. So we will not fight it at all.’
I paused to let that sink in.
’We are not going in to attack it. We are going in to redecorate.’
The entire room was silent, except for a confused wobble from Sloosh at the Tea Nook.
I laid out the plan. It was not a battle strategy; it was a renovation project.
"Zazu, Pip, and I will enter Elian’s Dreamscape together. Your job is not to engage the parasite. Your job is to systematically replace every scary thing with a cozy thing. We will starve it of the fear it feeds on."
I gave them their assignments.
’Zazu, you will be in charge of landscaping. Any jagged, nightmarish rocks you see, you will transform into soft, mossy hills. Any rivers of lava will be turned into gentle streams of warm chocolate.’
The elf blinked slowly. "Landscaping," he repeated, as if trying to understand a foreign word. Read full story at novel⟡fire.net
’Pip, you will be in charge of wildlife management,’ I continued. ’Every time a scary monster with too many teeth appears, you will use your dream-conjuring skills to replace it with a fluffy sheep. Or a sleeping kitten. Or a capybara. Your choice.’
Pip looked like he was about to be sick. "I... I have to turn monsters into kittens?"
’Kaelen, you will remain here and guard their sleeping bodies. Duke Valerius, you will guard the entrance with your men. FaeLina, you will monitor my energy levels. If my core’s light begins to flicker, you will pull us out immediately.’
My team stared at me, their minds struggling to process the sheer, unadulterated absurdity of my plan.
"So... let me be clear," Zazu said slowly, his face a perfect mask of polite confusion. "Our grand strategy is to defeat a soul-eating nightmare from the dawn of time... by turning its evil, terrifying lair into a petting zoo?"
’Precisely,’ I confirmed.
FaeLina threw her tiny, invisible hands up in the air. ’This is the stupidest, most brilliant plan I have ever heard in my entire existence!’ she wailed in my mind. ’It’s either going to get you all psychically devoured, or you’re going to win and get a commendation for ’Aggressive Interior Design’! There is no in-between!’
Despite their confusion, my team trusted me. The Duke, with nothing left to lose, agreed wholeheartedly.
The plan was set. Zazu and Pip followed the Duke to the shielded room where Elian slept fitfully. Kaelen took her guard post outside the door. I spent a final bit of my power on a crucial piece of equipment.
[-50 DP. Item Crafted: ’Dreamer’s Anchor’. A stable psychic link that keeps the dreamers tethered to the core’s consciousness.]
The preparations were complete. In the real world, Zazu and Pip lay down on comfortable cots we had placed in the boy’s room. In my mind, I linked our three consciousnesses together with the new anchor.
’Time to show this parasite what a truly restful and pleasant environment looks like,’ I thought.
And together, we plunged into the nightmare.