Chapter 115: The Dreamlight Halo

Night fell.

By the shores of Lake Segavi.

Silver-white moonlight poured over the lake’s surface, rippling the water into concentric circles. Among the trees, the chorus of insects and birds never ceased. The night shrouded the earth in an aura of profound mystery and vastness.

“This is the first checkpoint ahead,” Ingemar said, turning to Lin Wei.

After annihilating the Fang Bloodshadow patrol, the three of them had encountered no other humans. Once they moved to the forest’s edge, they hid within a thick, withered tree trunk, waiting until the stars began to appear before moving toward the first checkpoint.

Lin Wei nodded silently, sensing the surrounding environment.

“Only those guards,” Shirley suddenly said. Her perception was remarkably sharp, nearly matching Lin Wei’s, who had trained in the Shadow of the Holy Light.

“One, two, three... sixteen, seventeen...” Ingemar counted the guards while grinding his teeth. “Seventeen apprentice-level sorcerers in total. That’s seventeen points right there...”

“Brother,” Shirley warned softly, “don’t draw their attention. Killing them will surely alert more enemies. There might even be a few third-level apprentices. A whole group could easily ambush us.”

Ingemar waved off the concern carelessly. “I know. I’m just talking out loud.”

“Next, we’ll lure them away...” Lin Wei muttered.

At his fingertip, a tiny black orb, no larger than a fingernail, materialized. Under his mental and magical control, the orb slowly floated toward the other side of their hiding spot.

Lin Wei willed it.

Pop—

The black orb exploded, emitting a faint magical ripple.

“Someone’s here! I sense magic!” one of the guards immediately noticed the change and rushed toward where the orb had detonated.

The other guards exchanged glances, leaving three to stand guard while the rest followed the scout.

“The enemy seems disciplined—this complicates things...” Lin Wei observed the three remaining guards.

He had already used the black orb once; after failing to find anything, the guards would likely dismiss it as a false alarm.

But if Lin Wei used the orb again to distract the three stationed guards, such a coincidence could no longer be considered negligence—it would clearly be a deliberate ploy to lure them away.

“We’re already running into trouble at the first checkpoint. After all, we can’t expose ourselves to the enemy’s sight...” Lin Wei pondered quietly, weighing their options.

Any one of the three could easily eliminate the three apprentice sorcerers, but doing so would alert the guards beyond the first checkpoint, risking ambushes or being stopped by further defenses.

“I’ll do it,” Shirley suddenly declared.

Not only Lin Wei but even her brother Ingemar looked at her with surprise.

“What can you do?” Ingemar asked, puzzled.

“I want to test my new spell,” Shirley replied, pursing her lips as she fixed her gaze on the three guards.

Ingemar scratched his head, eyes lighting up. “You mean you’ve mastered the Dream Halo?!”

“The Dream Halo?” Lin Wei was also taken aback. He knew the spell—it belonged to the mental sorcery branch. Essentially an illusion, the Dream Halo creates a false environment that ensnares the target’s senses, leaving them trapped in a dreamlike state and forgetting everything upon waking.

Mental sorcery is a pure discipline of mental power, extremely difficult to master and execute, and can only be used against enemies with weaker mental strength. It serves more as an auxiliary talent.

“How confident are you?” Lin Wei asked Shirley.

“Seventy percent,” she paused. “If I fail, we can choose to retreat and abandon the mission. Because if we alert more enemies, we risk being surrounded and wiped out.”

Shirley’s tactical awareness was clearly stronger than even her brother Ingemar’s.

Lin Wei nodded, approving Shirley’s plan and setting aside his initial underestimation of her.

Shirley closed her eyes slowly, intertwining her fingers tightly. A pure sorcerous energy subtly radiated from her, perceptible only to Lin Wei’s careful senses.

“Begin!”

Suddenly, Shirley opened her eyes, two glowing white rings spinning within her irises.

A faint, strange wave gently drifted toward the three guards, who remained vigilant.

...

Leslie was a disposable soldier of Fang Bloodshadow, with the strength of an apprentice-level sorcerer.

A week ago, Fang Bloodshadow launched a full-scale assault on the Sorcerer Academy Alliance. Leslie had been assigned to guard the first checkpoint by Lake Segavi.

Just moments before, his dozen or so comrades had detected signs of an enemy and hurried off to investigate. Leslie and two other apprentice sorcerers remained to guard the checkpoint.

Leslie scanned his surroundings nervously, afraid the enemy might slip past unnoticed.

“Hm?” Leslie’s vision blurred slightly; the darkness of night began to glow white.

“Is it dawn?” he wondered, rubbing his eyes hastily.

When he opened them again, he froze.

The night, starry sky, dense forest, and insect sounds had vanished, replaced by a vast expanse of white snow.

He stared blankly at the scene before him.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure appeared in the distance, walking briskly like a traveler on a journey.

Swish, swish, swish!

Before Leslie could comprehend, more figures and buildings materialized out of nowhere.

Market stalls, inns, taverns, laughing children, passing carriages, standing snowmen—a vivid winter scene from a mortal’s world.

“This...” Leslie suddenly realized his hands had shrunk, resembling those of a five- or six-year-old child.

Memories long sealed away burst forth like a flood, overwhelming him.

“This is... my childhood home!” Leslie felt as if he were losing his mind.

“I’m supposed to be by Lake Segavi, right? Yes, that’s where I am, I’m there...” He muttered to himself, then abruptly stopped, “I’m there... but where? Where am I?”

Leslie felt his memories rapidly fading, like tides retreating into the ocean—desperately chasing but unable to reclaim them.

Dizzy and disoriented, he felt like a sinner cast out by the world.

Loneliness and desolation filled Leslie’s soul.

“My name is Leslie. This year... I am six years old.”

Amidst the vast, snowy white world, Leslie suddenly felt himself pulled back to the mortal realm.