Chapter 15: A dream…

After the whole plumbing business was dealt with, I headed to the teachers lounge, of course I've been there multiple times before but the other teachers always seemed cold and cautious of me, I can't really blame them, i was 19, *physically. A teacher as young as me probably didn't have much teaching skills, that's what they probably thought and I knew it, I could see right through their sweet words.

Those masquerade party goers earlier seemed to target me, I haven't figured out why yet and honestly , I don't care normally, in my old world, the people who try to attack me were killed off, but after getting reincarnated into this world, I had to control my impulse.

Impulse is the fire that ignites action, but without direction,it burns without purpose.

After getting free access to the library, much to livia's dismal, I got a lot more knowledge on this world now, more than I've gotten at home studying and reading books, higher dimensional entities, monsters, gods. god exists in this world, I never believed in god, if god was all loving in my old world, I wouldn't be a slave, unfortunately or fortunately, gods exists in this world, my mother was a firm believer in gods, all of them, god of mischief Loki, god of wrath Satan. 

Last night I had a dream, A man stood before me, in a black suit and a tie, he's red hair and red eyes…His lips curving into a smooth, almost knowing smile. His gaze mocked me.

He called himself god, Hah—God, I, of course didn't believe him, but i guessed it entities like the great old ones exist. What's to say a god couldn't visit me in a dream?

I decided to humor the man standing before me, if only for a moment. I asked a simple question.

"What's my favorite dish?"

He chuckled, not answering right away. Instead, a knowing smile spread across his lips.

"Heh… Baked honey mustard chicken."

He was right.

Was he really God? Or was he something else? It was strange—no one knew that about me, not even Livia. If this man called himself God and knew such things, then maybe… just maybe, he was telling the truth.

"So… what am I supposed to say? 'Oh, greetings, High Lord, in all his glory!'" I said, dripping with sarcasm.

"Haha! You sure are a sarcastic little one, aren't you, mortal?" He laughed, clearly amused. Then, with a dramatic flair, he spread his arms wide.

"Well, let me introduce myself properly—I am God! But you… you may call me Lucius Mavros!"

"Hmm..so, mister Mavros…why are you here? In a dream?.." I asked him.

"Well so simply put, I wanted to talk to you human." He said with unusual innocence..

"Well, what do you want to talk about, mister god? The laws of the universe, how you could make the universe a better place? I might have an idea."

Lucius arched an eyebrow, his red eyes glinting with amusement. "Oh? A mere mortal has ideas on how to improve my universe? This should be good. Go on, then—enlighten me."

I smirked, crossing my arms. "Alright, for starters… free unlimited pastries."

Lucius snapped his fingers, and suddenly, a plate of croissants appeared in my hands, warm and flaky, the buttery scent filling the air. I blinked. "Wait. Seriously?"

He chuckled. "Of course. I am God, after all. Next?"

I hesitated, staring at the croissants. "Okay… uh, what about making Mondays illegal?"

Lucius hummed thoughtfully. "Interesting. You wish to abolish a mere concept of time? Bold. But I see no downside." Another snap. "Done. Mondays are now banned."

I laughed. "Alright, now you're just messing with me."

"Am I?" He grinned, his expression entirely too pleased with himself. "Just wait until you wake up and see what happens."

I narrowed my eyes. "…Fine. What about making naps a fundamental human right?"

Lucius gasped, clutching his chest as if I had just whispered the secrets of the cosmos. "Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant." He snapped his fingers again. "Henceforth, all workplaces shall enforce mandatory nap breaks. Anyone who interrupts a nap shall face divine smiting."

I snorted. "Now that's a law I can get behind."

Lucius leaned back, satisfied. "See? You're quite the visionary. Perhaps I should make you my divine advisor."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, as long as the job comes with free food and unlimited sleep."

Lucius chuckled, shaking his head. "Mortal greed truly knows no bounds."

"You granted it, didn't you?"

He smirked. "Fair point."

I cleared my throat, "so tell me god, how do you doll all of this? Watch over the universe and everything?" I asked him

Lucius snorted, "Me? No— I don't watch over the universe, that's the job for the other gods I created, I mean technically, I am omnipresent so I guess I do watch over it." Lucius shrugged.

"Also mortal," Lucius said, "have you ever thought of about becoming immortal?" Lucius asked

"No, immortality is just everyone else dying." I answered Lucius's question, I thought about obtaining immortality in my past life, but I had my empire to look after, and the downsides outweigh the good.

Lucius tilted his head, observing me with a curious gleam in his crimson eyes. "Ah, a mortal who understands the burden rather than the allure. That's rare."

I shrugged. "It's not that complicated. What's the point of living forever if everyone you care about fades away? I'd rather have a meaningful life than an endless, empty one."

Lucius hummed, tapping his chin. "A fair perspective. But let's say—hypothetically—you didn't have to lose anyone. Let's say you could bring them along for eternity. Would that change your mind?"

I frowned. "That's not how life works."

Lucius smirked. "But I'm not bound by life's rules, am I?"

I stayed silent, the idea lingering in my mind longer than I cared to admit. "What's your angle, Mavros? You trying to sell me something?"

Lucius chuckled. "Oh, nothing of the sort. I simply enjoy the way mortals wrestle with questions they claim to have already answered."

I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "Yeah, well, I don't plan on living forever. And even if I did, I doubt it'd be some grand, enlightened experience. Just a slow descent into boredom, loneliness, or insanity."

Lucius's smile widened ever so slightly. "You assume you haven't already begun that descent."

I narrowed my eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took a step closer, his presence suddenly heavier, more suffocating. "Tell me, mortal… when was the last time you truly felt alive?"

The room, the dream, the air itself seemed to shift around me. The croissant in my hand suddenly felt distant, like I wasn't even holding it.

Something about his words unsettled me. And for the first time in a long time… I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the answer.

I hesitated. The dream around me felt… off.

Lucius watched me with an unreadable expression, his red eyes gleaming like embers in the dim light. "Well?" he pressed. "When was the last time you felt truly alive?"

I opened my mouth to answer—to throw out something dismissive, something sarcastic—but the words didn't come. My mind drifted, unbidden, to memories I hadn't revisited in years. Battles fought. Victories claimed. The weight of a crown that once sat heavy on my head. The people I swore to protect.

Then—emptiness.

Lucius chuckled softly, as if he could see the thoughts running through my mind. "That silence is more telling than any answer you could've given me."

I scowled. "What's your point?"

"My point, dear mortal, is that you—" he tapped a finger against my forehead, his touch light but sending an eerie sensation through me "—have already died once. And yet here you are."

I stiffened. A slow chill crept down my spine.

"…What are you saying?"

Lucius grinned, his sharp teeth glinting under the strange, dreamlike glow. "Oh, you know exactly what I'm saying."

The dream seemed to shift again, warping at the edges. My surroundings blurred, and a strange pressure settled in my chest.

I took a step back. "This is just a dream."

Lucius tsked, shaking his head. "Are you sure?"

The weight in my chest grew heavier. The room felt like it was collapsing inward, reality bending like a fragile thread being pulled too tight.

Then, Lucius leaned in, voice a whisper against my ear.

"What if you never truly woke up?"

The dream shattered.

I gasped awake.

Sylas jolted upright, his breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps. His body was slick with cold sweat, the fabric of his shirt clinging uncomfortably to his skin. His heart hammered in his chest—too fast, too loud—like it was trying to escape his ribcage.

He ran a hand through his damp hair, his fingers trembling slightly. It was just a dream. Just a dream. But the weight of Lucius's words still clung to his mind like a thick fog.

"What if you never truly woke up?"

A shiver ran down his spine.

Shoving the thought away, Sylas swung his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet meeting the cold wooden floor of his dorm room. The world felt real—solid. But there was an odd hollowness in his chest, like something wasn't quite right.

He exhaled sharply and pushed himself up, walking toward the small sink near his desk. He grabbed a glass from the counter, his movements stiff and mechanical. The faucet creaked as he turned it, filling the glass with cool water.

He took a sip. The liquid slid down his throat, grounding him, reassuring him that he was here—that he was awake.

But as he set the glass down, he caught a glimpse of himself in the small mirror hanging above the sink.

His reflection stared back at him, pale under the dim dorm lighting, dark circles shadowing his eyes. But something was… off.

His pulse spiked.

He leaned in closer.

For a split second—just a fraction of a heartbeat—he swore he saw a pair of red eyes staring back at him.

His breath hitched. He jerked away from the mirror, spinning around, half-expecting to see Lucius standing in his room.

But there was nothing.

Just the faint hum of the night. The distant sounds of the campus beyond his dorm walls. The slow, rhythmic ticking of the clock on his desk.

Sylas swallowed hard, shaking his head. "I'm losing it."

He turned back to the mirror. His reflection was normal now—just his usual, exhausted self. No red eyes. No eerie smiles.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and rubbed his temples.

It was just a dream.

That's what he told himself. That's what he wanted to believe.

But deep down, in the pit of his gut, a quiet, nagging voice whispered—

What if it wasn't?