I dream of...

The knowledge bestowed upon Magnus by the system made it clear that [Dream Painting] didn't necessarily require the target to be asleep. It was just easier to infiltrate their mind when the mental defenses were down. Going off of this, Magnus entertained a possibility that perhaps, he was able to try out the skill on someone even when they were awake. This person just needed to welcome him with open arms into their mind.

Magnus lifted his head and scanned the entire parking lot. A familiar sight of flying magic spells and people shouting at each other to 'watch it' greeted his eyes. The only difference this time was the venue. Instead of being concealed by a wooden fence, everyone was now completely exposed. If anyone happened to pass by and the anti-god coating weren't active, thereby laying bare the view, that person would stop in their tracks with their mouth agape, seeing a bunch of people performing magic.

Magnus hadn't even bothered activating [Subtle]. This neighborhood was far removed from any congested area. The closest one was the evacuation road where Owen's car had been left behind. But it was about half an hour of walk away from the parking lot. Maybe even more.

There were no stray monsters around there, either. No portals had opened nearby. In addition, monsters from the Abyss weren't able to travel further than a few hundred meters from the portals they had spawned from. It was as if there was an invisible barrier barring them from going any further.

Magnus had to give it to Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Liu for discovering this ideal shelter.

After observing everyone's face one by one, Magnus settled his eyes on his girlfriend. Out of all the people there, only she and her parents would probably be trusting enough to open their minds to him. Though it would likely take a bit of convincing when it came to Summer, Magnus thought it was okay. He couldn't subject his parents to this test run. Not because he was afraid something might happen to them; he was sure the skill was pretty harmless. It was just that, performing it demanded great control over one's imagination.

And Magnus' imagination, it could be a bit wild. Who knew? There was a possibility it would land him in trouble with his parents if he were to accidentally reveal some improper things.

He called Summer over. She put the spear in her Inventory and sat down next to Magnus. "What's wrong?" she asked, misunderstanding Magnus' serious expression.

Seeing that, Magnus smiled reassuringly. "Nothing's wrong. I just learned a new skill, and I want to test it out on you. Can I?"

Summer raised one eyebrow. "Are you making me your test subject or something?"

Her boyfriend chuckled lightly as a response. "You're making it sound as if I'm a mad scientist. In a way, yes, you'll be my...test subject. But I promise this will not harm you in any way. Trust me."

"Why me?"

"Because I trust you. And I hope you trust me enough, too. Normally, I would've picked TJ, since I don't want anything bad to happen to you if something went wrong. Not that I'm okay with anything bad happening to him. It's just that, his powers would give him a greater chance of coming out of it unharmed.

"Anyway, this skill requires high enough trust from the target. And even though TJ trusts me, I'm certain his mind is too heavily guarded. That's just how he is. Just to give you a bit of context, I'll explain it first, okay?"

Magnus then went on to describe what the skill was really all about. Summer had a suspicion on how her boyfriend might have obtained the means to learn how the skill worked. After all, she had listened to him recounting the event where Matt had received a dream from a god and was talked into leaving the Team. However, she chose to keep quiet about it. Magnus was right; she trusted him that much.

"So that's the gist of it," Magnus ended his explanation. "The skill might not be super useful at the moment. But I'm curious if I can perform it on someone who's not asleep. And out of everyone, you're the best candidate for the test. Again, I assure you that I won't let any harm befall on you."

Summer nodded slightly. "I trust you. So, all I need to do is open up my mind? How exactly am I supposed to do that?"

Magnus cupped his chin. "Hmm, I suppose you don't have to actively open your mind. I think it's just a figurative expression. What I'm gonna do is knock on your door and all you need to do is put down any form of resistance. That way, I can enter without much difficulty."

The girl thought about it for a bit before shrugging. "I still can't really wrap my head around the skill—no pun intended. But let's try it out."

Taking a deep breath, Magnus channeled a small amount of light element mana into Summer's head and tried to focus on his perception of Aura. He then realized he didn't have to concentrate super hard on it. Perceiving Aura came as second nature to him. His brain was just too used to it that he had taken it for granted.

Magnus's mana then discovered this so-called lump of consciousness residing within his girlfriend's skull. No, even before that, he was already able to sense the Aura circling around her head, albeit fainter than the one within. He let his mana flow closer to the border of this lump before encountering a roadblock.

Meanwhile, Summer suddenly felt a weird and inexplicable disturbance in her mind. She couldn't really find a good analogy to describe the feeling. It was as if...a foreign object was trying to intrude on her personal space. Her immediate reflex was to try to repel this object. It was an instinctive reaction.

However, the repulsion soon turned into doubt and slight intrigue after she felt a somewhat soothing sensation wash over her mind; this was the light element taking effect. This pause gave her a chance to scrutinize the foreign object standing on her porch. It reminded her of a personality she recognized and knew intimately. She not only was familiar with it, but was also attracted to it. As a moment passed, she realized what she really felt about the entity the object originated from.

It was trust, adoration, and comfort. It was love.

With this realization, she finally opened her door and welcomed the not-so-foreign-anymore object into her home.

Magnus didn't even have to blend his Aura with hers. He was met with an instinctual resistance at first. But the way her Aura easily parted as if to make way for him to proceed filled his heart with gratitude and appreciation. It was effortless. Summer truly trusted him.

After entering her mind, Magnus arrived within the lump of consciousness. Inside, he was able to feel a few emotions floating around. These were what she was currently feeling. And he had to admit, being embraced by those positive emotions that were all directed at him made him feel so warm. Like being welcomed home.

Home. Right, that was it. This was what he wanted to convey to her using the skill.

And so, he pumped out more light element mana to fill a room within her consciousness, gave friendly 'greetings' to her thoughts and emotions on the way, and began manipulating the mana.

He started painting his dream.

'I dream of...an island. No, not the small island surrounded by scary stormy seas. It should be a big, quiet island during a warm summer night. It's peaceful, and you can hear the distant chirpings of crickets. Hang on, can you even hear crickets near the sea? Whatever.

'Oh, speaking of the sea...how about putting a sea that's not really a sea around the island? Let's say, a sea of stars. Ooh, that's right! The island, it's floating above the sea of stars! Let's also add glowing and winding strokes of green and pink and all the colors. That would be the northern lights.

'And if there's a sea, there should be the ships, right? Huge, majestic looking ships that sailed the starry sea!

'But, a beautiful place alone can't be called a home. Home is...where I can be with the people I love. So on the island, I see houses. Small but cozy houses. Warm amber lights beamed through the windows, with muffled music and laughter traveling from behind the wooden walls. If I walked near one of the houses, I could even smell the aroma of baked cookies wafting from inside.

'And, ah! Let's not forget the lighthouse! The ships would be lost at sea without this beacon! There's no monster being attracted this time, though.'

With his high amount of Mana, Magnus lost himself in painting a pretty dream in Summer's mind. He even put his heart into it.

Meanwhile, Summer was watching his boyfriend construct the beautiful landscape, his eyes filled with childlike wonder. 'Does he even realize what he looks like in his own dream?' she thought while mentally chuckling.

Somehow, Magnus was able to tell what his girlfriend was thinking. So he looked down at his own body. He scratched his head upon seeing that he looked like a child. Again. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he retracted his mana and exited Summer's mind. On the way, he expected to see the painting he'd made crumble away. But it never did. He wondered if it was supposed to be like that. And even though this landscape occupied only a tiny portion of Summer's consciousness, he was worried if it would have a lasting effect on her mind.

Magnus blinked his eyes open at the same time as his girlfriend. His face was filled with concern. "Summer, I don't know why the dream stay—"

"Don't worry, Magnus," Summer interrupted. "I wanted that precious dream to remain in my memory, since I can tell you made it with passion. And I have a feeling that it won't affect me in a bad way. It's just like hanging a painting on the wall of my house."

Hearing that, Magnus sighed in relief. "I don't know why I looked like my eleven-year-old self, though."

Summer chuckled lightly. "By sending your mana into my mind, you were also carrying a sliver of your consciousness, no? At least, that's how I see it. So maybe, you looked like that because that's...hmm, how do I say it? Like, your true form? As in, how a portrayal of your consciousness looks like?"

Magnus pondered about it for a bit before shrugging. "Eh, maybe."

"By the way, your Alias is Dreamer, right?" Summer asked. "So, that island and the sea of stars and those houses...is that all a symbol of your actual dream? It seems so...simple and uuh, too peaceful. For you, I mean. Because I would think someone as powerful as you would be dreaming of an adventure where you can showcase your might and grow to be the strongest of all. You know, fantastical things like that."

Hearing his girlfriend's opinion, Magnus fell into reminiscence. "Once upon a time, I might have dreamt of something bigger like you just said. An adventure, if you will. Gaining more power, too. Not necessarily becoming this sort of supreme being, though; I've never been obsessed with power. And yeah, I also went through this period where I was chasing a paradise."

He smiled ruefully. "But that was in the past future. I've had enough adventures, along with all the excitement and tragedy that came with them. Now, I just want to find a place I can call home. With you and my family and friends. But ironically, I feel like realizing such a dream would be even more difficult than becoming the most powerful being. The world has been plunged into a nightmare. And it's hard to turn it back into a peaceful dream."

Summer listened to him intently. Her eyes were filled with understanding. "Maybe that's why you're called Dreamer. You're always dreaming of something that's perhaps...well, I wouldn't say impossible. Just, a bit out of your reach. And like a child, you don't settle with one dream for a long time. Your dreams change according to the sways of your heart."

Magnus coughed. He had to keep himself from laughing. 'Yeah, no,' he thought. 'That Alias is the product of Atlantis' lazy naming sense. There's really no deeper meaning behind it. Oh, but then again, that oracle dude kind of said a similar thing.'

'Maybe we really are like a child,' Magnus 2.0 concluded.