It was indeed Golden Wheat Island, and the house was the very one where he had lived.
Too familiar, Alka thought.
Is this a dream of one of the island’s residents?
Just then, the door of the house where he used to live creaked open. Alka, high above, looked down.
Upon seeing this figure, Alka’s brows furrowed deeply, and a nameless rage rose in his heart.
But he soon calmed down. Getting angry now won’t help anything, he thought.
This figure was none other than his father, Sifus.
At this moment, Sifus was dressed just like any farmer on the island, with no discernible difference.
Just as Alka remembered, his father went to his wheat field to work before resting.
However, it wasn’t long before his behavior became unsettling.
He stood up, dusted himself off, and with a wave of his hand, an Iron Hammer materialized.
He arrived at the juncture of two bubbles.
Facing the opposite bubble, he waved with a false smile, seemingly inviting the person on the other side to come over.
The other bubble... someone else’s dream? Who could be over there?
Alka moved through the sky, looking towards the other bubble.
This bubble was entirely surrounded by the Ocean, and at its boundary, a giant three-masted sailing ship was docked.
The ship was extraordinarily flamboyant, yet clearly identifiable as a Spell Ship.
Its hull and sails were adorned with numerous playing card Elements. Communicating with his father across the boundary was a middle-aged man with slightly graying hair.
Seeing this middle-aged man, Alka’s eyes widened.
He remembered the man’s face and the tailcoat he was now wearing.
He had seen him before.
It was the man from the portrait hanging in the center of his family’s living room. Though the face was younger, Alka was certain: it was Jack from the painting.
The very same ’Magician’ Jack who had supposedly died two hundred years ago, leaving behind Jack’s Magic Treasure.
Alka’s mind raced. Countless pieces of information combined and spun rapidly in his head, various answers constantly surfacing.
He seemed to have grasped a thread but couldn’t yet be certain of the answer. He decided to observe quietly for a while longer.
Seeing Jack enter the other bubble, Alka immediately floated over.
After dragging Jack over, Sifus picked up the Iron Hammer and began to beat Jack frantically.
The crazed and furious expression on Sifus’s face made it clear he was wildly venting his emotions.
And as he beat him, he was cursing something as well.
He watched Jack try to resist, only to be firmly bound by chains that appeared from nowhere.
Then the beating continued, mercilessly, each blow designed to be as bloody and painful as possible.
This place is, after all, Father’s Dream Realm, under his control, Alka realized.
Yet Sifus could already control his Dream Realm so freely. His actions just now proved he had awakened within the dream and could move at will.
But Jack, whom he had tricked into coming, clearly wasn’t. Whether it was how he’d been lured over or his dazed reactions, he was obviously oblivious.
Just like that, Alka watched his father beat Jack to death.
Alka listened to his father’s curses, trying to extract any useful information.
He watched the adjacent bubble shatter, leaving only his father’s Dream Bubble.
Sifus stared at the spot where the corpse had vanished and spat harshly on the ground.
Bloodied, the Iron Hammer still in hand, Sifus didn’t bother to clean himself up and sat directly on the ground.
He was still muttering curses.
This brutish display perfectly matched Alka’s memories of Father.
Unless he was in front of Mother, Father was always in any other damned place.
This was why Aunt Masie hated him; his outward behavior made her think he was unkind to his own wife.
In reality, Mother had Father completely under her thumb.
Having figured something out, Alka floated a bit closer, wanting to hear what Sifus was now cursing.
"You sleep? To hell with your sleep! You bastard! Every time you sleep, it should be a Nightmare! You should be...!"
Hearing his father’s foul curses, Alka knew he was swearing at Jack, whom he had just beaten to death.
He had almost figured out the problem between them.
Jack probably hadn’t died. The reason Father had suddenly betrayed... it was very likely because of this Jack.
Furthermore, Father’s fighting style involved using cards and a staff imprinted with various Spells.
It was highly probable that Father hadn’t inherited Jack’s legacy; rather, Jack was controlling his body.
And Father was definitely awake in this Dream Realm.
Realizing this, Alka couldn’t help but float down.
Sifus saw a figure suddenly float down from the sky and looked at its face.
He stood up warily, backed up a few steps, and scanned his surroundings.
Then he waved his hand.
A battery of Vibrating Stone Cannons immediately appeared, aimed at Alka, as the surroundings began to change.
Seeing that his Dream Realm was still under his control, Sifus frowned and stared at Alka.
"Jack? You bastard, you’ve finally learned to move within dreams?"