Chapter 48 ─ Prophetic Dream

Today was a lot of work, so I went straight to sleep.

But there's something weird.

I'm in a totally white room.

Where the hell am I?

I can't feel my body, but for some reason I feel like I've been here before.

Uh... what's that?

There's a small black dot in the distance.

I can't walk, but just like stretching in the mornings, I can try to go to that spot.

The stretching was so annoying that I don't know if the fatigue I feel is psychological or real.

The spot was getting bigger and a silhouette was there.

When I approach to be very close to that figure.

The first thing I say is.

"What the hell are you doing here!"

Because of how incredible my imagination is, obviously this is a dream, it is impossible for something like this to happen, yes, it is a dream. Since, it's impossible that─

"Queen of the vampires!"

Astraea, the bearer of the sin of sloth is in front of my eyes. And what's more... playing on a computer with three monitors at the same time!

Definitely the woman sitting in a comfortable gamer chair, whose long hair is blood red just like her eyes. She is someone who must be dead since I killed her.

She was playing a multiplayer game while eating French fries and a diet soda on the side.

Don't fuck with me!

This is too surreal!

If there was an anime, manga or light novel that did that. Viewers would be criticizing the production team for being so unhinged.

It seems like she noticed my presence, but it's a hallucination from my weird dream.

"Oh, it's you kid."

Yes, it's a dream, she can't be talking to me.

"It's been a long time since we've seen each other."

Please let me wake up already, this dream stresses me out more.

"Razel, stop thinking it's a dream, it's not."

I was speechless as it is so absurd that she knew not only my name, but also says this is not a dream.

She grabbed the diet soda and threw it at me.

Wait... why does my face feel wet?

No, it doesn't.

Tell me it's not true.

Her clothes were a totally normal outfit of a normal girl at home, shorts and a blouse that showed her belly button.

She stood up and then touched my nose.

?!

This is not funny anymore!

Make me wake up!

"Idiot, stop thinking it's a dream. Well, it is, but it's not the kind of dream you think it is."

..?"

"Let me explain it correctly. You're in a state of deep sleep. It's what happens when your mind wanders so much and your brain disconnects from reality."

"It's because of that that we can talk. And in a way, I wanted to talk to you."

I don't understand this turn of events.

Astraea sat down on a hamburger-shaped cushion. I'm freaking out.

Her large breasts gave a slight bounce as a nightstand appeared on the side with a plate of snacks.

"You're wondering how come I'm alive and this whole place isn't?"

"Well starting with your question. No, I'm not alive, I'm dead. Or rather, you killed my existence, but thanks to the vampire virus, a small part of me lives in your body, which goes through genetic alteration changes."

"You remember, don't you? I told you that you now possessed the Blut in your body, it's thanks to that, that we can chat, a small fraction of me and that thing are in your body."

That's when I interrupted her after her interesting and mysterious talk.

"That?"

"Yes, that's why I refer to the sin of sloth as you call it. I told you that some time ago a shadow appeared to me and told me that if I wanted power that I should accept it. Well, that thing is in your body."

"...!"

"Don't worry, because you killed me and the virus is in your body. It was momentarily destroyed but its power sleeps in your right arm."

I looked at my right arm, though I couldn't really see it.

"I've wanted to talk to you for a long time but I couldn't, but it's because of this that we can talk."

"I learned a lot from you. For example, this thing you call air conditioning is wonderful. The coolness it gives is amazing."

A small air conditioner appeared out of nowhere.

"I can replicate things you have seen, touched or tasted from your previous life. Let's just say I'm an unwanted guest. So, I'll help you as payment for living here."

"Payment?"

"That's right. You see..."

Astraea stood up and a map appeared on the side.

"I told you this in our combat, but this world is following a course straight to its checkmate. It's already gone into crisis and soon the coup de grace will come."

The whole thing was starting to scare me.

"If we don't stop the threats that are already harming this world, you and yours will die."

I spoke because of what she said.

"Please wait! You're going too fast, what do you mean threats? If you know about me, you should know that the only threats are demon kings and dark knights."

"That's why you're half an idiot. Listen well..."

Astraea's mouth moved to say the most frightening thing I thought I'd ever thought to hear in my new life.

"Your real enemy is out there. The demon kings are just a nuisance, leave them alone and they will kill each other, if your memories are true, then two of them will go hunt down the others on the demon continent. Forget about Desmond, that guy is a minor threat, the real threat is the other 6 ghosts."

"6 ghosts?"

"Yes. The other bearers of the deadly sins. You were able to defeat me, but that was because I was weak and I wasn't serious. If I had been serious, you'd be dead."

You say that, but the thing is, I beat you.

"Thanks to when I woke up, I could feel the presence of three of them active. The others are sleeping it seems."

Ghosts sleep?

"I could detect that all three of them are in these locations."

She pointed her finger at different locations. If my memory serves me correctly.

"The first one is in the holy kingdom, where that sacred tree or something like that is."

"The second one is in the Ideal Empire just like the game... and the third one..."

I was again taken aback. This dream had been one of many surprises.

"The Arklight Empire itself!"

No way. I killed that Lamberk guy, he must have been the sin of lust, I stopped Cid and maybe Eli from becoming guests, why is there one at home?

I don't understand this. It's very bad, besides.

"You must seek them out. Make them release their hidden power and then destroy them."

"With what exactly?"

"Your arm. Look."

I looked at my right arm and a shadow was surrounding it. Wait, how can I see my arm?

"Thanks to the virus, I was able to develop a countermeasure against them. Those spirits are curses. Beings that were born from the same being to terrorize this world."

"Ah. Don't ask me how I know that or their identity since that was known to the real me. I'm just the leftovers, I don't have accurate memories of many things and that's why I wanted to tell you, I could forget about it.

This is very serious damn it!

The whole world is in danger again and I have no idea how to avoid it.

"Since those curses are annoying, your right arm can now erase the curse of any kind. Right now, Razel, you are the only one who can save this world. Forget about the game, the capture targets and the saint. The important thing is to stop those 6 and Epstein."

That's something I always wanted to know.

"Who the hell is Epstein and what do you want me to do?"

"Kill it. I don't know if that person is still alive, but if you get to see it, eliminate it right then and there. Since opening the door, nothing is the same anymore."

Hey, you're confusing me. Slow down. Who's really my enemy?

"Dark times are coming, possibly... you won't need to wait four years for the end of the world."

Hey, Astraea, tell me what the hell you want me to do.

Hey, don't walk away.

Come back.

Astraeaaaaaaaaaa.

◇

I woke up in my bed.

No, on the floor of my room.

I really don't understand what that dream was.

Epstein?

Ghosts?

Can the end of the world come sooner?

My head definitely hurts just trying to think of what the hell it was that I saw.

If only I had brought Amy... oh that's right, she's mad at me.

Amy, help me. I made myself in my pants thinking that the sin of pride might possess you like in the game.