Chu Yan contemplated the current situation through his own understanding.
These bubbles would ensnare a portion of the individual's soul, potentially deepening their inner turmoil and nightmares.
Even after the Blood Moon waned, should Shanaoya awaken normally, she would undoubtedly bear other negative repercussions.
"Contagious nightmares—might I also connect to witness them?"
The term "contagious" indicated that outsiders were often powerless to assist, particularly those wielding peculiar powers like the forbidden ones, who were especially susceptible to becoming entangled in their own dilemmas.
Yet, it also suggested that those willing to accept the "contagion" could delve deeper into that nightmare.
Despite the myriad doubts lingering in his heart, Chu Yan recognized the urgency of the moment and refrained from hesitating further.
He placed the siren's crystal core nearby, an object that could, during its "freshly fallen" phase, disperse monsters to a certain extent.
The desolate shore was unusually tranquil at that moment, a dormant phase following the storm, with few sea monsters roaming.
To be cautious, he erected a **Dragon Flame Barrier** around them.
The tent-sized curtain of flames enveloped the two, effectively shielding them from the frenzied, foul winds of the Sea of Death.
The world fell into silence.
Yet those ethereal bubbles floated freely, traversing this layer of defense.
From the depths of energy, they appeared to be manifestations beyond the realm of worldly magic, difficult to obstruct.
Finally, Chu Yan removed his long coat and laid it upon the ground as a blanket, lying down next to Shanaoya.
The knight's waist was so slender, delicate enough to be encircled by a single hand; however, as they lay together, her ample bosom and well-proportioned hips occupied a considerable space. If Chu Yan did not press against her, he would be forced to contend with the dampness of the desolate shore beneath him.
"There's an old saying: when faced with difficulties, take a nap first.
Dream, activate!"
Chu Yan emptied his mind, forcefully guiding his consciousness into slumber.
The drifting bubbles, like moths drawn to a flame, slowly began to congregate around them.
*
I wish to nurture, yet my loved ones do not wait.
While Shanaoya nestled with her mother in the storeroom of their grand residence, her aspirations began to flourish.
She had glimpsed what a comfortable life resembled, just a wall away in the elegant parlor, where the winter fireplace emanated warm heat.
Though she and her mother shared their own warmth, curled up together like small animals to ward off the night's chill, the warmth infused with her mother's essence felt even more soothing than the gentle heat filtering through the walls.
However, her mother trembled from the cold, unsettling Shanaoya with the realization that her mother craved the warmth of the fire.
Her mother's body could envelop her, yet Shanaoya, still small, was unable to shield her from the encroaching chill of the outside world.
They could ignite a heater in their room, but the warmth it provided was ultimately insufficient.
Shanaoya's desire was to improve their living conditions, and she felt fortunate that this ambition was not a mere fantasy; she recognized the potential—
Her magical aptitude was exceptional!
If she could swiftly translate that talent into tangible power, she could earn a substantial income as an apprentice potion-maker.
Though Shanaoya could not fathom how splendid a future that talent might yield, she was certain that with just a little more effort, she could quickly ensure her mother's life was free from hardship.
This would transform their standing within the family.
The mistress would no longer dare to cast a harsh glare.
The lowly servants would not dare to make her life difficult to curry favor with the mistress.
However, the Lowelland family would not invest resources in her; although she had been accepted due to her talent, the mistress would never allow her to have a good teacher.
On one occasion,
Simply overhearing fragments of conversation from passing magicians on the street, Shanaoya quickly grasped the techniques of perceiving magical energy.
That future seemed to draw nearer!
Realizing this, Shanaoya longed to share the good news with her mother, yet she feared that she might ultimately fail, leaving her mother's hopes dashed.
Due to the absence of a magical instructor, her understanding of magic was painfully limited.
Lacking guidance was akin to traversing a starless night without lanterns.
Uncertain if the next step would lead to a pitfall or a stumbling block, she felt lost.
While she might indeed have made a good beginning, it did not guarantee she could progress far...
**I must secretly practice, and once I officially embark on the path of an apprentice, I will present the news as a gift to my mother.**
Madame Lowelland would not allow Shanaoya the privilege of a mentor, yet she devoted all her energy to lifting her own son.
Employing renowned teachers at great expense, she aimed solely to provide her son with superior guidance.
Meanwhile, Shanaoya mastered the simplest water ball spell through eavesdropping.
For some, once she learned how to stand, the subsequent skills of walking, running, and jumping would follow effortlessly.
Shanaoya yearned to learn even more, aspiring to become a high-level magical apprentice and announce her progress.
Otherwise, the mistress might notice her budding potential and attempt to stifle it.
After roughly six months, the still youthful Shanaoya not only self-taught herself to become a magical apprentice but also successfully secured a part-time job at a potion shop, earning her first gold coin.
Now, even if the Lowelland family were to cast her and her mother out, Shanaoya could still provide a modest yet warm lodging for her mother.
Yet before she could share this surprise with her mother, she crossed the threshold of life's end.
Life's tribulations struck down this woman before Shanaoya could bring her joy.
**What I longed for most was not to leave the family speechless but to hold my mother's hand, to envelop her in the warmth of the nighttime fireplace, and to witness her embrace me with pride and tenderness in her eyes.**
*
Not long after Chu Yan entered the realm of dreams, he found Shanaoya.
Seated upon the ground, she gazed around her.
The world around them was "playing" her childhood memories—a calm recollection, devoid of significant turmoil or upheaval.
Even when little Shanaoya discovered her mother's passing, she did not break into loud sobs; instead, she stood before the doorway of their dilapidated little room, dazed and frozen in place for a long while.
Soon after, this memory would "replay" itself.
It was akin to grasping at a wound to inflict mental pollution, continually deepening her recollections.
Chu Yan approached and sat beside Shanaoya, remarking, "You know, Shanaoya, you were so thin and frail in your childhood—how did you end up with such a voluptuous figure now?"
Having grown accustomed to his foolish banter, Shanaoya feigned ease as she retorted, "Chu Yan, would you kindly close your eyes politely? This dream is, after all, my private reminiscence that's difficult to revisit."
"I've seen it all now; closing my eyes wouldn't change anything."
With a long sigh, Shanaoya said, "I often wonder, if I hadn't been so greedy and had revealed my apprentice achievements sooner, if I had secured funds earlier to seek a potion-maker to help her recover, would everything have unfolded differently?"
Such matters were not so easily articulated.
If Shanaoya had revealed her progress too early, Madame Lowelland might have taken action against her.
The notion of destroying what one could not possess was all too familiar among jealous women; they cared not for the loss of a genius but for whether that genius was their own child.
In silence, Chu Yan listened as Shanaoya continued, "I wish... that when my mother embraced me to ward off the cold, I could have done something for her."
Chu Yan buried his face in Shanaoya's embrace, assuming the role of a large child, nestling against her soft bosom, shamelessly calling out, "Mommy!"
"?!"
Shanaoya felt as if her heart might seize; she irritably tugged at Chu Yan's ear.
"...That's enough, don't go too far."
With half his face pressed against her softness, he looked up and asked, "Do you feel it? When you embrace others, you also feel warmth in return.
Your aunt must have felt a warmth from your existence when she held you like this back then!"
"...Yet my back still feels cold."
"Those who gather around the hearth for warmth do not lie upon the flames. As long as they hold onto something warm and can still feel the warmth of another, they forget the cold."
"..."
Shanaoya was rendered speechless, staring at him blankly as his words echoed in her mind.
The surrounding world replayed the moment when little Shanaoya had secretly learned magic.
A water ball, composed of magical energy, materialized in her small hands.
Suddenly, Chu Yan mischievously interjected with some biting words: "But there's one thing you might truly regret; although you aren't attuned to fire, there's nothing stopping you from learning fire magic to keep warm!"
The waves of emotion within Shanaoya dissipated in an instant.
She bit her lip, contemplating an urge to strike him!
However, Chu Yan stood up, pulling her from the ground, extending his hand.
From his palm, a swirling ball of dragon flame emerged, gently resting in Shanaoya's hands.
"So, I can lend you my flames."
Shanaoya gazed at the flickering heat in her palm, gradually sending it toward the wintry landscape of the dream world.
The endlessly replaying gray memories were incinerated.
Nightmares burned in the dragon flames.
The hazy images converged at the moment when mother and daughter embraced for warmth.
Shanaoya wrapped her arms around Chu Yan once more.
Though he was the one being embraced, she undeniably felt the warmth radiating from him.
An irreplaceable warmth coursing through her entire being.
Shanaoya had not been able to present the best surprise to her mother back then.
Yet, as her mother embraced her, had she not already felt the warmth that flowed from her daughter's heart?