Owen returned to his chambers that evening, resolute. The goal he had set for himself was clear: protect his mother at all costs. Yet one immense, nearly insurmountable obstacle stood between them—his father. The man had always seemed inflexible, unshakable, unpredictable. Owen was not truly afraid of him, yet he dreaded him profoundly. Did he stand any chance against him? Could he keep the promise he had made to his mother?

  Doubts washed over him. His heart pounded furiously. He could not afford a single mistake. He reviewed what he knew, what he did not, and tried to envision all his options.

  Although he had made progress in mastering his power, he had never dared use it against his father. A small voice deep inside him urged caution.

  The Emperor had never revealed the full extent of his abilities. Yet Owen had no doubt: he was immensely powerful. The only certainty he clung to was that his father was immortal.

  During one of their lessons, his father had told him that, as his sole heir, Owen needed to prepare to take the reins of the Empire. Naturally, with an immortal father, he would initially be nothing more than a future stand-in. But who could predict the future? His father steeled himself for anything.

  He had also learned that his mother came from a royal bloodline. She was the only one who could give him children as eternal as himself. When Owen had inquired about his mother’s power, his father had remained vague, claiming that incomplete power was useless.

  Owen thought of his own gift. Could entering dreams and memories help him? He was too small, too weak to confront his father directly. He could neither threaten him nor protect his mother; he felt powerless.

  Then he remembered the nightmares he had already witnessed. His mother had seemed to suffer less whenever he appeared in her dreams. He had managed to influence her sleep, even unintentionally. But ever since the nightmares returned with renewed intensity, her suffering had persisted—day and night.

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  And what if his father had nightmares too?

  If he could exploit them, could those dreams and nightmares be powerful enough to aid him? And what if he could amplify them, twist them?

  But if all of this failed… nothing would matter. If only he could plant nightmares directly in his father’s mind… if only he could find his weakness…

  Perhaps that was the solution. A wave of courage surged through him. He had to attempt entering his father’s mind. If he could uncover anything useful, then convincing him later might be easier. Excited by the idea, he set to work.

  ???

  Owen knew it would take time. Whenever his father visited, he tried, as discreetly as possible, to read his memories. After witnessing what lay within his mother’s mind, he knew he could never go unnoticed. Moreover, his father never lowered his guard.

  At first, he managed only very brief mental contact—just long enough to catch fleeting memories. Every attempt seemed to collide with an invisible wall. Then, after several tries, he finally succeeded.

  Little by little, he extended these contacts and explored older memories. He believed he could proceed without being detected.

  Every night, he stayed awake as long as possible. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he closed his eyes and focused, attempting to enter his father’s dreams. In the opulent chamber, far too large for him alone, silence reigned supreme.

  This task proved far more difficult. Perhaps his father did not dream. Perhaps their bond was too weak. Whatever the reason, all Owen gained was a bitter sense of failure. He felt discouraged, yet refused to give up.

  The process was long and exhausting. More than a month had passed, and despite all his efforts, he could find not a single trace of doubt in his father’s memory, even after delving through centuries of recollections.

  His father now seemed more invincible than ever—an insurmountable mountain. Faced with that thought, Owen felt his courage waver. All that time wasted… and for what? He could neither exploit memories nor manipulate nightmares. He was trapped, with no way forward.