This castle was now his, and everything he could see from there would be shaped by his will.
But his joy was not only in the power he now possessed, but also in the revelations he had just received.
Initially, when he woke up in this place after sleeping, he believed he was in a dream. This thought was not far from the truth, but there were still important details to consider now that he finally knew the truth about this strange place.
The world he now found himself in was not physical, but spiritual. It was known as the Dream World, an astral plane where the fantasies and desires of all people on the mortal plane converged.
Until 500 years ago, this realm had been ruled by an all-powerful being named Ralim, the Dream God.
However, peace did not last forever. An invasion from an Outer World that sought to seize control of this place plunged the realm into a cruel war that resulted in Ralim sacrificing himself to defend his realm.
Since then, the Dream World has been in a state of chaotic aimlessness.
Without a Ruler, there were instances where dream creatures, also known as "Nightmares," managed to possess the body of a sleeping mortal and enslave their mind in an eternal nightmare.
The red eyes that had stared at him earlier, as he was dragged here, belonged to those "Nightmares." He feared that if he hadn't been chosen by this realm as a guest due to his Spiritist Pathway, he would have been possessed by now.
On the other hand, he only had access to very limited information about the enemy that once invaded this realm. He knew they were corrupt, twisted beings who called themselves the "Sons of Mordephoz," a colossal monster that supposedly fed on dreams.
Indeed, that was the reason why this world had been invaded by them. It was all because Mordephoz was hungry.
In fact, Damien not only received information in the form of text, but it also came with a vivid image, as if it were someone's memory. Focusing his mind on this information, Damien suddenly felt transported through time and space.
He appeared in a decaying landscape, saturated with the heavy smell of rotting fish. Looking up, Damien's breath caught. A pair of giant eyes watched him from high above. They were as large and terrifying as two bloody moons in space, only visible through a dense, dark fog.
Behind those glowing eyes, a colossal form twisted around the planet. They were fleshy tentacles, like a damn octopus, stretching out like hungry tongues. They devoured everything in their path, from withered trees to the stars themselves.
"Shit!"
Damien groaned and quickly averted his gaze from the scene. He soon found himself back in the castle, leaning against the throne and clutching his hands to his head. The pain was excruciating, as if hundreds of needles were stabbing his eyes and a fist was squeezing his brain.
Even though this was not the physical world, the experience had been just as vivid. The veins in his eyes throbbed mercilessly, and he felt the veins in his neck bursting.
Fortunately, as the owner of this castle, he could call upon his power over the place. With a single thought, he channeled the castle's energy into himself, enveloping him in a blue glow. This protected him from the "God's Curse" before it could spread too far through his body. If he hadn't succeeded, he would have exploded like a ripe watermelon struck with a metal bat.
But what exactly was the "God's Curse"? Essentially, if a mortal dared to directly gaze upon a divine being, even in a dream or a vision, the curse would be activated. The willpower of a god was so overwhelming to a mortal mind that their gaze could burn the soul and devour sanity within seconds.
That was one of the pieces of information Damien had received. However, everything had happened too quickly for him―he never imagined that the being in that memory fragment would turn out to be a god!
Even less did he expect that his simple curiosity to know what the God Ralim had faced would cause him such excruciating suffering.
Fortunately for him, after what felt like hours of torture, the pain began to subside.
Damien stood and shook out his clothes to remove the remaining dust.
"You damn octopus son of a bitch! Let's see if I don't fry you in my pot the next time I see you. I'll shred your tentacles with my teeth and drink your blood from a golden chalice."
Damien spat curses into the air, but there was no one there to hear him.
Then, he let out a wry laugh. Until a few hours ago, he had believed that he would never offend a god unless they offended him first, and that they would never pay any attention to him since he was just a small fish in a big sea.
And yet, even though he had no intention of offending anyone first, here he was now, drawing the wrath not of a mere god, but of a freaking Cosmic Horror!
This wrath did not arise because he looked at that god without permission, but because...
"No matter the era, no matter the inheritor of the throne, the Ruler of the Dream World will always be the enemy of the Outer God Mordephoz."
Damien recited aloud the ancient prophecy spoken by a Sage of the Dream World in the past when Ralim ascended as the Fourth Ruler.
Thus, Damien was fully aware of his current predicament.
The words he had uttered to Helene mere moments ago reverberated in his mind. He had boldly declared that he would kill a god to protect what belonged to him. However, upon beholding the colossal octopus, capable of devouring an entire planet, he began to doubt his own abilities for the first time.
How could he, a mere ant on the vast chessboard of destiny, dare to challenge such a creature? Yet, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he quickly pushed it aside.
He was no longer just another mortal, but the chosen Ruler of the Dream World. And that monstrous being, terrifying as it may be, was now his foe. There was nothing he could do to alter that fact.
"If the gods are immortal, then I shall bring death upon them."
A disproportionate, crooked smile gradually spread across his face.
Not everyone had the misfortune of having a god as an enemy. But instead of being frightened, this pressure on his shoulders only fueled his spirit to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
Not only was his own fate at stake, but also the fate of the people who loved him. And just as he had said, he would protect the people he loved, even if it meant facing a god.
Damien let out a long sigh and relaxed his tense shoulders from what had just transpired. Absently, he picked up the elegant book resting on the stone armrest and scribbled a few words on its pages:
"Useless book, you never mentioned that this would happen when I sat down."
The words flashed briefly, and a second later, a new sentence appeared:
[Well, you didn't ask]
Damien's lips curled into a thin line, and he felt a pair of veins throbbing in his forehead. "Didn't I ask? You insolent bastard! You clearly assured me that I was not in any danger."
[Oh? Let me check my vision. Perhaps I was mistaken. Because if my memory serves, I only warned you that sitting on the throne was not a threat to your life. And here you are, alive and kicking]
"Makes sense..."
Damien let the air escape his lungs and made an effort to regain his composure. The book had been telling the truth. Mirodar had only mentioned that the throne wouldn't harm his life, but had conveniently left out what would follow. But now the scythe of death curled around his neck as he took the title of Ruler.
Damien berated himself for his foolishness. He had fallen into the trap set by that damned book, and now he had to face the consequences.
He now felt like someone who hadn't read a contract properly before signing it.
Mirodar seemed to sense Damien's distress and attempted to soothe him with sweet words:
[Accept your fate, Honorable Master. You are the last Spiritist, and the weight of the Ruler rests upon your shoulders. But look at the bright side, now the Dream World and everything within it belongs to you]
[Even that eternal enemy will be like your Yandere wife, waiting for you in the kitchen with a knife to kill you! Hahaha!]
Ignoring Mirodar, Damien gazed out the window, surveying the castle grounds.
When Mirodar saw that Damien was speechless at its incredible joke, it wrote to him:
[Did you at least find what you were searching for?]
With a sigh, Damien wrote: "Of course I got what I wanted, but don't expect me to feel honored to possess such insignificant crumbs when the price is all I have."
[Then fear not, master. Go, get the power you need to face your enemies]
With no other choice, Damien stood up. He closed his eyes and concentrated on leaving the Dream World behind. Suddenly, everything became a blur.
When he regained his sight, he found himself in his bed in the mortal world.
Nephelia slept with her arms around his waist and her face nestled between his neck and shoulder, unaware that the boy she now embraced had a terrible fate hanging over him.