novelTwin Dream (1)
| ← Ch.1336 | Ch.1338 → |
"I'm flattered."
In the face of Celestina's taunts, Rhode, on the other hand, seemed really honest. As a matter of fact, the moment he saw the little Celestina, he already knew how to get out from deep within Celestina's mind. He wasn't trying to unite the two of them to defeat Celestina's 'self-esteem', nor was he trying to turn the little one into the ruler of the mental world. Instead, his mission was simple. He only needed to make Celestina's 'self-esteem' discover her hidden third personality and it would count as a victory for him.
And it was just as he predicted. As soon as Celestina discovered and defeated the projection of her third personality, she reverted back to her original form. Along with those words from Celestina, a blood-red mist emanated from her body and shrouded her and the two other Celestinas who were caught in her whips. After a few moments, the mist dissipated and Celestina returned to her original form, just like Celia had before. However, the other two Celestinas vanished completely. It seemed like they were completely absorbed by the original self. The current Celestina, on the other hand, gazed at Rhode with an apparent smile, wrapped her arms around herself, and grunted helplessly at him.
"Really, Master, I didn't expect you to use such a way... Never mind, it's my own mistake anyway, and it's pointless to complain to you any longer. But you should know, Master, whatever happens here stays here. You have to keep it a secret... I may not remember it, but if you dare to mention anything, I won't be so easy on you!"
"I'd like to see how badly you're going to treat me."
Upon hearing Celestina's words, Rhode raised his eyebrow, before shifting his threatening gaze from her ample chest to between her legs as though he were scanning through her clothes. When she felt his gaze, she couldn't help but blush and cover her body with her arms hurriedly, glaring back at him in displeasure. But it was a pity that Celestina's complaints and discontentment were clearly ineffective against him.
"It seems like you got a little too carried away, Celestina."
"Ugh..."
After hearing his words, Celestina's expression stiffened slightly. However, she came back to her senses quickly and summoned up courage to let out a loud snort, before turning her head away from him as if she didn't hear what he said. Soon after, she stretched out and waved her hand, only to see the flowing lava beside her separating itself. Along with a loud rumble, a huge steel door emerged from the pool of lava and opened slowly. It was then that Rhode witnessed countless obsidian slabs hidden underneath the lava pool flying into the sky and suspending in midair to form a new path.
"Alright, alright. Master, I know you've passed the test, but there are still eight sisters left. Keep up the good work, though I really don't know if you'll be able to hang on until the end..."
"Well... Celestina, do you have any tips?"
Upon hearing Celestina's words, Rhode went silent for a moment. But in the end, he asked shamelessly. Honestly, throughout his journey in her mental world, he finally understood how troublesome it was to be unfamiliar with other people's past. If he could know a little bit about Celestina's past, he would have been in a better position to face the little Celestina, instead of waiting for her to give him an answer on behalf of Celestina's mental world. He finally realized Celestina's mental state in hindsight. On the other hand, if he had known a little more about Celestina's past, he wouldn't have made such a mess of being continuously imprisoned.
That was why he didn't want to make the same mistake over and over again for the rest of the trip.
"Hmm..."
Upon hearing his question, Celestina frowned, thought for a moment, and gave her answer.
"... Although I can't reveal much to you about Big Sister Gracier and Madaras, you just need to know that they were once the last princesses of the white elves and were really powerful. Of course, you also understand their temperament. But according to my judgment... You might get into trouble, Master. Because their mental world is most likely different from the rest of ours. And perhaps if you aren't careful, you'll fall into a bitter struggle."
"Different from the rest?"
After hearing her response, Rhode subconsciously swept a glance around his surroundings. And upon sensing his gaze, Celestina jumped up like a kitten who had its tail stepped on.
"W-What I said was true! Not only are they different from me and Celia, but they are also unlike the rest! I think even Big Sister Shira's mental world is more normal than theirs! Master, don't think that I'm spouting nonsense, or you're going to have a hard time after entering their mental world!"
"I see... In that case, can you tell me the specifics?"
After hearing her reply, Rhode abolished his contemptuous attitude. After all, Celestina made a plausible statement and even mentioned Shira, whom they both knew to have abnormal mental health. Besides, Celestina was also one of Shira's victims in the past. Hence, it made it harder for Rhode to take in the information that Celestina said about Shira's mental world likely being more normal than Gracier and Madaras's. After all, in his opinion, Gracier and Madaras were more normal than Shira no matter in which aspect. Could it be that this was actually the opposite of what Celestina saw? That shouldn't be right. But Celestina also didn't seem to be lying. After all, she was afraid of all three of them. There shouldn't be any doubt that she wouldn't deliberately belittle or smear their reputation. So in that case, what exactly did Celestina mean by all of that?
And in response to his question, Celestina was taken aback. Then, she shook her head.
"Hmm... I can't since it's just my guess. But Master, there's something that I must remind you of. You seem to be familiar with the Carlesdines, so if you're having trouble in their mental world, you'd better think more about their characteristics... Alright, alright, that's all that I'm gonna say. It would be a foul to say any more. The rest is up to you now, Master!"
After saying her piece, Celestina looked at the surroundings hurriedly and waved goodbye as if she were afraid of something. At the next moment, she metamorphosed into a gale and vanished before Rhode's eyes. When he looked at the surroundings again, he could only shrug helplessly. It seemed like Celestina didn't want to talk about it. But even so, Rhode raised his guard. After all, for her to tell him such things, it only explained that she definitely knew something about Gracier and Madaras that he didn't. But it was apparent that she chose not to tell him the truth. Perhaps she felt like it wasn't appropriate to do so, or that there were other reasons. No matter what, this was a matter that Rhode had decided on anyway.
When he got out of here, he would summon Celestina and torment her for three full nights to 'repay' her for her imprisonment.
I'm someone who reciprocates. Since you dare to lock me up so many times, I shall pay you back. Isn't there a saying that went 'one must repay every kindness with a drip of water'? As an outstanding young man of the new generation, how can I go against the teachings of our ancestors?
Celestina, you'd better get cleaned up and wait for me... In every sense of the word.
There was no point in staying here any longer. Celestina's mental projections had already unified and most likely wouldn't come out and meet him again. Rhode had no choice but to follow the obsidian path into the pitch-black door before him. Shortly after, he felt that dizzying feeling once again...
But after two similar teleportations in a row, he was used to it already. This time, he recovered from the dizziness quickly, opened his eyes, and took a serious look at the scene before him. After all, with Celestina's warning, he was heavily on guard this time. But after seeing the surroundings, he was astonished.
What displayed before him were dreamy, beautiful woods, with gentle sunlight shining on lush green trees, giving him a sense of tranquility. The hazy fog of the early morning drifted through the woods, while in front of him was a small river. On its left and right were two identical bridges suspended across the river, connecting the islands on both sides.
Identical bridges?
At this thought, Rhode rubbed and widened his eyes, scanning the place as if he were playing a game of 'spot the difference'. Soon after, he discovered that this world seemed to be symmetrical on the left and right. Whether it was those bridges, the shape of the islands, or even every leaf of the trees, the left and right sides were completely symmetrical. After spending some time on a game of 'spot the difference', he had no choice but to throw up his hands in surrender after failing to find anything different.
But where do I go from here?
Looking at the identical bridges on the left and right, Rhode hesitated for a moment. Then, he randomly decided on the bridge on the left and stepped onto it.
But the moment he stepped onto the bridge, an odd feeling surfaced from his heart all of a sudden. It was as if the moment he stepped onto the bridge, his entire body was suddenly split in two. It was obvious that he had chosen the left side of the bridge, but he felt like he had also stepped onto the right side of the bridge at the same time. This feeling was too unpleasant, which was why he grunted and stepped off the bridge instinctively. Soon after, he felt his two separated selves merging back into one again.
"Whew... What in the world is going on?"
Holding onto his hands and bobbing his head, Rhode couldn't help but frown and mumble to himself quietly after making sure everything was fine with him. Did he take a wrong turn? It didn't look like it either. But despite his doubts, he turned around and walked up to the bridge on the right. And similarly, the moment he stepped onto the bridge, he felt like he was split in two yet again and the world in front of his eyes became two parts. It was as if one were being forced to play a game of two perspectives, a feeling that really wasn't comfortable at all.
Do I really have to go on like this?
Backing off again, he puckered his brows at the two bridges in front of him. Although he wanted to bite the bullet and make it across, the feeling was just too disturbing to him. One could imagine how it felt when one turned left and had to also turn right at the same time, or as one moved forward, one had to consider taking another right. If this continued, Rhode wondered if he would even remember how to walk properly after he crossed the bridge.
Is there no other way?
After retreating again, Rhode circled around the edges of the two bridges for a while, looked at the clear water ahead, and his eyes glinted. Then, he turned back and gazed at the wooden bridges to the left and right. This time, he didn't hesitate at all. He took off his clothes, took a few steps backwards, and sprinted ahead with his arms opened wide, jumping and plunging into the river between the two bridges in a loud splash.
Sure enough, after he dove into the river, that odd feeling, though faint, was nearly gone. And upon realizing that, he nodded in satisfaction and swam forward as fast as he could. Although he hadn't fought much naval warfare since he transmigrated to this world, he still knew how to swim, which was why he wasn't helpless against this small river. Moreover, he also found that if he deviated from the middle, the feeling of him gradually being split in half again would resurface. Aas soon as he returned to the middle of the river, that feeling would disappear entirely.
Thus, he swam strictly down the middle of the river, based on the feelings he got. He sensed that both bridges must have been traps, or even if they weren't, they were just a test for him. If he really were so foolish as to choose a bridge and walk across it, he believed that he would be in even more trouble. That was why he eventually chose not to take the usual route and swam across the river instead. And now, it seemed like his gamble was clearly the right decision.
Splash!
The river wasn't that wide and he made it quickly to the other side. No matter which side he ended up on, once he was on shore, he didn't feel the disturbing feeling again as if his whole body were split in two. He couldn't help but nod at his right decision. It looked like he had clearly made the right choice. Not only that, but he was also aware of one thing from this test...
"Huhuhu..."
"Hehehe..."
Suddenly, two almost identical chuckles rang out from the foggy woods. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw two petite figures shuttling across the openings in the woods, before disappearing from sight. Rhode turned around to catch up, but as soon as he entered the woods, he could no longer see the two little ones. The only thing that echoed in his ears was their crisp, overlapping chortles.
And at that moment, he was sure that he wasn't going to face one of them, but would be taking on the mental worlds of both Gracier and Madaras at the same time.
Could this be the trouble that Celestina mentioned?
Their chuckles echoed through the woods, while Rhode followed closely as if this were a replica of the game of hide-and-seek he played in Celestina's inner labyrinth. However, he felt like something wasn't quite right. Because every time he followed the chuckles, he did find both of them. But just as he was about to catch them, they vanished from sight and reappeared behind him as though they teleported, continuing an endless game of hide-and-seek. Although he tried waiting for them to show up like he did with the little Celestina, unfortunately, Gracier and Madaras weren't as naive as their younger sister.
What made him feel even stranger was that after chasing in the woods for so long, he looked around and saw that the scenery on the left and right side were exactly the same. Be it flowers, grass or trees, they were as symmetrical as reflections in a mirror. Not only that, but he also noticed that those two fellas didn't feel normal to him. How should he put it... He felt like they were more like illusory shadows instead of physical beings. He felt their presence but when he extended his arm to capture them, they dissipated like a cloud of smoke. In this regard, Rhode was mentally prepared. After all, as the most outstanding assassins, these two little fellas' abilities in hide-and-seek were definitely the best in the continent.
"Whew... This can't go on. I should take a break."
After giving chase for a few moments, he finally gave up his pursuit. He felt like that this was as much of a test as the previous two bridges. However, there was something even more crucial that bewildered him.
From his experience in the previous two mental worlds, there were about two to three mental projections of different perspectives. But all that he encountered since he entered this mental world was just the two of them and he didn't meet any other forms of Gracier and Madaras. What was the reason behind that?
At this thought, he suddenly recalled Celestina's tip.
Carlesdines?
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