Vantias looked at the woman — there was a deep calm in her — and he thought carefully:
"First, I need to figure out exactly who she is and why I was brought here."
Vantias gave a fake smile, gently ran his hand behind his head out of embarrassment, and said:
"Sorry, I tend to understand things a bit slowly, so I'd appreciate it if you could explain a bit more about yourself."
The woman smiled, took a sip of her tea, placed the cup on the white table, and then looked into Vantias's eyes and said:
"I am the one who sends the consciousness of all beings into dreams and sleep. Every time you've had a sweet dream, I was there. Every time you've had a nightmare, I was there. Whenever and wherever dreams exist — I am there..."
Then she gestured around the room and said:
"And as for why you're here... I only invite someone to the Castle of Dreams when their mark has been activated... and more importantly..."
The woman continued:
"You've been chosen by an ancient being... there's a seal upon your soul. In the real world, you've become a servant of that being... It's unusual. Choosing a servant is a vital act for an ancient entity... If it chose you, it must have a very specific reason."
Vantias thought:
"An ancient being chose me? Could it be the Ferryman? He was the one who brought me to this world... but it could also be someone else. Someone hidden behind the Ferryman... But why me?"
He looked at the woman, trying to analyze her, still unsure of her true motives.
"You said I was chosen... but how do you know that?"
The woman smiled slyly, narrowed her eyes, and slowly...
She took Vantias's right hand and pulled it toward herself. He tried to pull it back, but she was too strong. She blew gently on his hand — it was cold — and suddenly, his skin began to burn horrifically, as if something hidden was now taking shape...
Vantias, face twisted in pain, thought:
"Now I understand why I had a bad feeling about her..."
His eyes widened. The pain was unbearable — it wasn't just physical, it was something deeper, carved into his soul...
"Ahhhhhh! It hurts!... It hurts... AHH!"
A symbol began forming on his right hand — the shape of a black swallow — as though a searing brand was being etched onto both his skin and his spirit. He clutched his hand in agony.
The woman took his hand again and, seeing the symbol, smiled wickedly. She whispered:
"The Prophet class... The Black Swallow..."
Vantias, wincing, carelessly muttered:
"What does this even mea—"
He caught himself and corrected:
"I don't know what this could possibly mean..."
The woman let out a small chuckle, "Heh" and with half-closed eyes, sipping her tea, she said:
"One who does not belong to this body,
a bird that does not belong to this world,
a mind that drifts between reason and madness,
and a force that liberates the laws of the world."
Vantias thought:
"So the Black Swallow symbol... is that what she meant? That aligns with my journey from that world to this one — my soul transferred into this body — but that last sentence... it might hold another meaning. Maybe it's a double entendre."
Then, beneath the symbol, a line of text appeared. Vantias frowned in surprise — this time, there was no pain. Instead, the text gave him a strange sense of peace. He tried to read it:
"𐓏𐓤𐓘 𐓠𐓚𐓻 𐓧𐓟𐓜𐓣 𐓙 𐓜𐓶𐓘 𐓘𐓩𐓟 𐓏𐓙𐓻𐓷𐓠𐓘, 𐓐𐓤𐓮𐓩𐓛𐓧 𐓚𐓙𐓹𐓞𐓻"
The woman leaned back in her chair and muttered:
"Strange... I can't read that. Might be a forgotten language... I could try decoding it, but I'm far too lazy for that."
Vantias asked with calm curiosity:
"What does this mark do, exactly?"
The woman raised her own right hand for Vantias to see...
Her mark was a castle floating amidst white and black clouds, with the number 7 beneath it. She leaned back and said:
"The marks mean that you'll have a role in this world... a role tied to your mark. I used to be a demon, but I became the one who connects all consciousness to the realm of dreams... and your mark reflects your title in this world — or perhaps the world to come."
Vantias looked at his own mark — beneath the ancient text, a number 1 had appeared, written larger and clearer. He glanced up at the sky — only two shining stars remained. He paused to think about what to ask next, and said:
"Who can help me figure out which path I should take?"
The woman waved her hand gently from right to left, and a purple orb materialized in the center of the white table.
She smiled and said:
"This is one of the seven tools of deadly sin... the Orb of Sloth. It gives its user the ability to foresee all possible future paths — but they are incomplete. Looking into it will drown you in endless possibilities, and you will die."
Fear gripped Vantias's heart — he knew he had to be careful. Then the woman said:
"Place your hand gently on the orb — it will show you your potential futures."
Vantias hesitated. A cold sweat ran down his face. Finally, he placed his hand on the orb, and the woman placed her hand over his. They both closed their eyes...
Voices and future paths flooded Vantias's mind.
"Master, are you afraid of death?..."
"I am the one…"
"You cannot kill me — we are one…"
"Long live the Lord of Freedom…"
Endless information surged into Vantias's mind, enough to drive any ordinary mind into madness. Every half-finished path, every failure and victory, every sorrow and joy — all played in his head like a fragmented film...
But none were complete.
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
Vantias grabbed his head with both hands...
The woman was surprised, though she knew what effect the orb could have. Vantias collapsed to the floor, staring blankly at a fixed point. Cold sweat poured from his forehead. His breaths grew deeper, mind overwhelmed with fragmented futures...
The environment around them filled with snow, mist, and freezing wind...
And only one shining star remained in the sky.