Chapter 28. Books on Dream Measurement (Part 1)

Several days later, Arthur was sitting in his room, engrossed in reading one of his usual textbooks when a notification flared on his magical map. He immediately broke his concentration and unfolded the map.

"The Council of Wizards has approved your request. Books on Dream Measurement are now available for study in the library. Please see the librarian."

Arthur's heart raced. It meant that, at last, he would get some information about the Dream Dimension. He quickly gathered his things and headed toward the library.

Upon entering the building, he was greeted by the same elderly wizard who managed the archives.

"Arthur, you're right on time," said the wizard, adjusting his glasses. "The Council approved your request, and a few books from the restricted archives have been released to you. They don't exactly reveal all the secrets of Dream Measurement, but they might help you get a better understanding of the subject."

"Thank you!" Arthur responded sincerely as he took the books.

He glanced at the titles: "The Dream Dimension Traveler's Diary", "Boundaries of Reality: Where Consciousness Ends", "Peculiar Life Forms of the Dream Dimension", and "Facts About Parallel Dimensions". Not all of them seemed directly related to Dream Measurement at first glance, but Arthur understood that any information could prove useful.

"These books have been temporarily removed from the restricted archive," the wizard added. "So, you'll need to return them within two weeks. And remember, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Though I must warn you—very little is known about the Dream Dimension, even among high-level mages."

Arthur nodded, thanked the librarian once more, and left the library, clutching the books tightly. Excitement flared within him—he was now one step closer to uncovering the mysteries of his spiritual world.

Back in his room, Arthur laid out the book titled "The Dream Dimension Traveler's Diary" and settled into his chair to read. The book was not a dry academic treatise but the personal notes of a third-level wizard who had accidentally found himself in that mysterious dimension.

From the very first pages, Arthur was drawn into the author's story—a summoner who specialized in summoning magic. The wizard had been conducting an experiment to summon beings from parallel worlds when something went wrong, and he was pulled into an unknown realm.

"I woke up in a strange place. Around me stretched vast pink clouds, with islands of various shapes and sizes floating within them. The air was thick with a strange, viscous magic, as though the space itself resisted my presence. At first, I didn't know where I was and tried to find a way back, but soon I realized… this place was alive. It felt me, reacted to me, yet did not accept me."

The author described his attempts to explore the dimension, venturing across islands only to encounter hostile life forms that perceived him as an intruder.

"There was nothing friendly in this dimension. Everything—from the bizarre plants to the strange creatures—either ignored me or saw me as a threat. The greatest danger came from the beings I named 'nightmares.' They were shadow-like entities with formless bodies and limbs stretching in impossible directions. They never tired, never rested. And they were always hunting me."

Arthur paused on that passage. He recalled the gnolls he had encountered in his spiritual world. Could they be manifestations of similar forces? Perhaps his own dream islands could give rise to such creatures as well.

He kept reading.

"The most terrifying part wasn't being hunted by the nightmares. The worst was realizing that the dimension itself was changing me. I didn't notice it at first, but my magical energy became... impure. My body no longer needed food or rest, and my spells were tainted with unfamiliar power. Eventually, I realized I was merging with this world. The pink clouds began to absorb me, and my magic grew corrupted. Had the process been completed, I would have remained here forever—not as a human, not as a wizard, but as a creature of this realm."

A cold shiver ran down Arthur's spine. He remembered how his own dream islands had slowly become part of his spiritual world. What if the process could work in reverse?

The author recounted his desperate struggle against the assimilation process. In the end, his mentor, a fourth-level summoner, managed to pull him back using summoning magic.

"I returned to the real world. My body seemed intact, my magic unchanged... yet I felt like a part of me remained there. When I checked the time, I couldn't believe it. Only ten days had passed in the real world, though I had spent over three months in the Dream Dimension. Later, more experienced mages examined me. They discovered that my magical signature had changed. I was no longer purely human. My essence now contained something... other."

The diary ended there. Arthur closed the book and sat in silence, lost in thought.

In his case, the process was reversed—he was the one assimilating fragments of the Dream Dimension, not the other way around. But the diary raised troubling questions: what if he, too, could be changed by prolonged contact with this world? What if one day he lost the ability to return?

This thought unsettled him. He now had more questions than answers.

Arthur reached for the next book: "Boundaries of Reality: Where Consciousness Ends". It was a scholarly work written by a wizard who studied the nature of consciousness and its role in magical processes.

Unlike the diary, this was a dense theoretical text filled with hypotheses, case studies, and magical theories. But from the first pages, one idea immediately caught Arthur's attention:

"Consciousness is more than a collection of thoughts and sensations. It is a source of power. Gods draw strength from the faith of mortals. They exist because mortals believe in them. Without followers, without belief, their power fades. So what prevents us from using consciousness in a similar way?"

Arthur froze. If gods truly derived their strength from mortal faith, what did that mean for wizards? Could a mage harness the power of consciousness in the same way?

He read on.

The book presented various magical phenomena that supported this theory. One example stood out: the Dream Dimension.

"The Dream Dimension is unique. It does not exist like the physical world. It is sustained by dreams. Every dream born from a sentient mind becomes part of this realm. Every fear, every hope, every memory forgotten upon waking leaves an imprint there."

Arthur's eyes widened. This explained a lot. The Dream Dimension was literally created by dreams.

He recalled the diary's description of the assimilation process. Were the two phenomena connected? If dreams could shape the Dream Dimension, perhaps the dimension could influence dreamers in return—absorbing their consciousness, corrupting their magic, and turning them into part of itself.

"If dreams give birth to the Dream Dimension, then those who learn to control dreams might control the dimension itself. The question remains: how?"

This line hit Arthur like a lightning bolt.

If he could find a way to channel the power of consciousness, he wouldn't just absorb random islands—he could control the growth of his spiritual world.

But the questions piled up.

First, was it even possible? The book hinted at the connection between consciousness and magic but provided no practical techniques. Unlike gods, he couldn't make people believe in him. Or… could he?

Dream islands and creatures were born from thoughts, fears, and desires. If he could understand how this process worked, perhaps he could replicate it.

That led to the next question: what exactly should he do to tap into this power?

Maybe the process resembled his assimilation of islands but at a more subtle level. After all, he had already absorbed two fragments of the Dream Dimension. Could he learn to draw in smaller consciousness particles as well?

And the most important question: was it safe?

He remembered the summoner's diary. The Dream Dimension had tried to assimilate the wizard, corrupting his energy and pulling him into itself. Without his mentor's intervention, he would have been lost forever.

"What if the process reverses? What if, instead of absorbing consciousness, I am absorbed by it?"

Arthur shuddered.

On the other hand, he had already succeeded twice without any noticeable changes to his consciousness. Perhaps his method was safe—as long as he remained in control.

But that raised yet another question: what if the Dream Dimension itself noticed him? What if it saw his actions as a threat?

Maybe, for now, he was just a tiny fragment of that vast world, indistinguishable from countless others. But what would happen if he became too strong?

Arthur closed the book, his mind swirling with uncertainty.

He didn't have the answers. Not yet.

But one thing was clear—he had to keep researching.

Because now… he no longer had a choice.