Dreams and Reality

Through the haze of semi-consciousness, Vivien caught snippets of a conversation.

"Do you know her?"

This voice was incredibly detached, instantly reminding her of moonlight and stars - ethereal and cold, unreachably distant.

"Yes, I know this child."

That voice was warm as sunlight, even carrying a hint of familiarity. She couldn't understand why two people as different as the sun and moon would be together.

"No, not exactly," the warm voice continued. "The last time I saw her, she was still a child. In the blink of an eye, she's grown up. A mortal's life passes so quickly!"

When Vivien woke up, she found herself lying in a room straight out of a fairy tale.

A colorful glass lantern was embedded above the headboard, and wind chimes hung from the domed ceiling.

The quilt and pillows were made of the finest silk, so soft one would be reluctant to leave them.

Intricate patterns of the sun, moon, and stars were embroidered on them.

Dolls of various sizes were placed around the bed, and the room was decorated with childlike drawings. The names of spirits were written on them, appearing as mere scribbles to ordinary mortals, but ability users could read the spirits' names.

Vivien bolted upright, her eyes wide as she took in her surroundings with a mix of awe and confusion.

"Is this the royal palace?"

In Vivien's mind, only His Majesty the King could reside in such a luxurious and extravagant place.

She carefully stood up and opened the window to see where she was.

"Whoosh!"

Fierce winds howled, causing the wind chimes in the room to ring violently.

She immediately used all her strength to press herself against the window and close it. At the same time, she realized where she was.

At this moment, she found herself suspended above the sky and sea of clouds.

A familiar feeling welled up in her heart again. She had seen such a scene before, sometime in the past.

"When I was little, did I also walk among the clouds?"

"Did I also look down at the world beneath the cloud layer like this?"

Vivien opened the door and peeked out.

The long corridor was empty. She tiptoed carefully out of the hallway and down the stairs.

She had just seen the hall was empty, but now a voice came from beside her.

"You're awake!"

It was a spirit with golden hair and a divine countenance, tall and likely a head taller than Vivien.

The spirit stood by the glass window at the side of the staircase. As she turned her head, her bright golden hair fluttered.

For a moment, Vivien was dazzled by a golden light that seemed to shine through the window, illuminating the spirit before her.

Vivien exclaimed in surprise: "It's you?"

The spirit smiled and said, "You still remember me?"

Vivien wanted to say she remembered, but she couldn't recall no matter how hard she tried.

Suddenly, she remembered another important matter.

"Oh, right," she said, her voice tinged with worry. "Where's my sister? The child about this big, she was severely injured, she..."

Vivien's tone was anxious, her straight shoulders slumping as she looked left and right.

The spirit comforted her, saying, "Your sister is downstairs."

Before Vivien could ask anything more, the spirit had already told her what she wanted to know.

"She's fine, the witch doctors have healed her."

The spirit led Vivien downstairs, where she saw six witch doctors in strange attire, their clothes adorned with mysterious patterns.

These six powerful beings stood in a row, immediately bowing their heads and making way as the spirit walked down, pulling back the curtain behind them.

Her sister was dressed in new clothes, lying on a clean white narrow bed.

Vivien immediately ran over, bending to look at her sister's face.

Seeing her sister breathing steadily, the wounds that had been festering and smelly were now completely healed.

There wasn't even the slightest trace that she had ever been injured.

Vivien let out a long sigh of relief. At this moment, she suddenly remembered something and came respectfully before the spirit.

She bowed to the spirit, thanking her for saving her sister.

"Thank you!"

"Thank you so much."

Then, she came before the six witch doctors, expressing her gratitude to them as well.

"Thank you too."

"Miraculous witch doctors."

The spirit led Vivien to sit at a table to the side, and the witch doctors served exquisite desserts.

"How have you been these years?"

"What are you doing now?"

Vivien lowered her head, appearing very reserved: "I'm now a worker at a cart repair shop, repairing carts for caravans passing through Cross City every day."

The spirit asked her, "You have the talent to be a priest. Why didn't you choose to become one?"

Vivien seemed a bit embarrassed: "My talent is too poor, I can't compare to those geniuses."

"Even if I entered the temple for training, I might not be able to become an official priest in my lifetime, and I couldn't possibly be taken as a student by a priest."

"And without being valued by an official priest, trying to enter the temple for further studies directly would require enormous fees. My father and mother took me there, but in the end, I gave up."

Vivien laughed somewhat boyishly, scratching her head.

She seemed nonchalant, as if it was just a memory from the past.

But one could clearly see the regret in her eyes.

The spirit: "Have you heard of the Temple of Truth?"

A smile appeared on Vivien's face, along with a look of longing.

"I know about it."

"When I was little, I even saved money, thinking I'd take a boat to find the Temple of Truth when I grew up."

"Unfortunately, I forgot about it as I grew older."

"When I was young, I couldn't bear to leave my parents, and when my parents were gone, I couldn't bear to leave my sister."

"Life," she sighed, "just passed day by day like that."

Vivien looked into the spirit's eyes. Although she couldn't remember the past memories, she knew she must have met her when she was little, and the monocular telescope she had was given to her by this spirit before her.

"Emissary of God's realm!"

"A mortal's life has never been driven by their own will. Dreams are called dreams because they are just that—dreams."

The spirit stroked her head just like when she was little, sharing her regret.

"When you were young, you were free, brave, and reckless. Do people lose all of this when they grow up?"

"What has bound you?"

"Is it reality?"

"Or... responsibility?"

Vivien looked at her sister, a happy smile appearing on her face.

"No," she said softly, her eyes filled with warmth. "It's because I care about them."

The hot air balloon descended from the sky, and the spirit sent Vivien down to the ground.

Her sister lay in Vivien's arms, still in deep sleep.

She seemed to be having a beautiful dream, completely unaware that she had walked past death.

"Candy, so sweet."

Vivien shook her head helplessly, carrying her sister as she walked back.

Turning her head, not far away.

She saw the cart she had abandoned earlier, with its crude canopy and the toolbox inside.

She placed her sister on the cart and whispered in her ear.

"We're going home." —

In the hot air balloon airship in the sky.

The spirit went up to the top floor, placing a cup in front of Yin Shen.

She stood behind God, her gaze following His to look at the sea of clouds outside.

"God," the spirit said softly, her voice tinged with melancholy. "Sometimes, dreams and reality are so far apart."

"I once thought she would become an adventurer, a dreamer exploring the sky."

Yin Shen withdrew His gaze, picking up the cup.

"Since when did spirits become so sentimental?"

"Even if she didn't realize her childhood dreams, her ordinary life is still full of happiness. Isn't that good enough?"

"No one is destined to live a grand life. Living an ordinary life like this."

"Is quite good too."