“Are you joking again?” Somnu let out.

  “I’m not.”

  “Why would you want me to sit on that throne?”

  “...”

  After a moment of deliberation, Mr. Emberlyn raised his head and looked straight into Somnu’s eyes.

  “If fate wills it, you could become the savior of this sanctuary.” The old knight affirmed. “You were chosen by the very crown the monarch wore… He, along with everyone who lived here, continued to believe in the last of the remaining primordial deities until the very end. Perhaps that last Faceless Deity has blessed you as the successor…”

  Even without a mind reading skill, Somnu could see the old geezer wasn’t sharing everything he wanted to share. Whether it was because of time or other reasons, the scarecrow couldn’t know, but one detail did catch his attention.

  “Faceless Deity…?” Somnu mumbled with narrow brows, trying to figure out why that sounded familiar to him. Ah! Didn’t I see some kind of faceless deity on that altar where I first found the Hopping Turtle? Was it praying to that same god?

  “The crown of Nirvia’s sovereign has chosen you as the successor at the very least. Even now, it hovers above your head without a hint of being seen or felt.” Eamon pointed out, reminding the scarecrow of his recent Memento.

  “Oh, you’re right! I still didn’t take it off.” Somnu tried to reach for the invisible translucent crown, but his hand was passing right through it. “Huh. I don’t even feel it, and it’s barely visible even to me, is it like a hidden item?”

  “A fitting artifact for the ruling figure of the hidden realm of Nirvia.” Eamon gestured to the throne once more. “Alas, it is now hidden, as well as forgotten.”

  Without further questions, Somnu decided to simply do as he was told.

  Whether it bore fruit or not, he had already gotten much stronger anyway. The sooner he went back to the First Layer of the Nightmare Realm, the sooner he could start preparing to face his true enemy.

  A few steps above the ground later, Somnu turned around and sat down on the wide jet-black throne.

  “?!”

  Immediately, the golden cracks in the structure, as well as the feathers hanging down from the halo-like design, began to each react with a shimmering glow and a frantic dance.

  “...”

  While Somnu was questioning what could be happening, the last knight of Nirvia watched with expectant soft blue eyes.

  And then, suddenly, the golden glow fainted and the feathers returned back to a gentle sway in the breeze.

  “What… happened?” Somnu asked, but immediately noticed the old geezer close his eyes in dejection. “It didn’t work then?”

  “I had truly hoped for a better outcome all things considered…” Eamon said, opening his eyes again with a slight smile. “But it seems you are truly defective, scarecrow kid.”

  “Hey! Where do you get off calling me defective too?!” Somnu blurted out as he got off the throne and walked back down to the tattered carpet. “First the System and now you, I’m completely fine.”

  “And you call someone who has never slept his entire life fine, then?” Eamon shot back, letting out a slight scoff. “By all means you should be completely dead if you were even close to normal.”

  “Wait… How long have you known?”

  “Since the very moment I laid eyes on you, kid.” The old knight narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly reminiscing about something far in the past. “Your mother had been so worried about you back then.”

  “...” Somnu pursed his lips together, not finding any words to respond with.

  As far as he could remember, he could never sleep a wink. He tried every trick in the book, every supplement, tea or fruit, but none of it helped him experience the dream world.

  As if the very concept of sleep had rejected him, he would lay in bed all night, experiencing headaches and hallucinations until sunrise.

  All things caffeine became his best friends even at a young age, especially the midnight coffee that somewhat helped reduce his migraines.

  He researched and tried to gather as much information as he could, but nothing helped him to pinpoint what the underlying issue with him was, and why he lacked the ability to sleep.

  Eventually, he had simply accepted it as his norm. Sleeping wasn’t simply in the books for him. He would rather spend his time reading stories, watching TV or playing video games anyway.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  He just made sure that beside his mother, he would tell no one about this secret, lest everyone would treat him even worse than they already had.

  And now, the old geezer Mr. Emberlyn seemed to have known all along about his condition. Somnu had to ask.

  “Since you seem to know everything… Do you know why I can’t sleep?”

  “I do not.” Eamon replied bluntly, then added. “All the spirits are telling me is that it is related to the Faceless Forager.”

  “Again with this? Faceless who?”

  “Do not confuse him with the Faceless Deity.” The old knight advised. “The Faceless Forager is someone who has passed through all the layers long ago, devouring all he could.”

  “... How does someone like that have anything to do with me?” Somnu raised an eyebrow, then another question popped into his head. “Shouldn’t he have eliminated most nightmares if he passed through all the layers?”

  “Such a thing is impossible, kid. Even for us Mythborns.” Eamon added, then slowly began reaching for the armor blocking his neck. “So long as fear exists, nightmares will naturally follow. We living beings attract that which we actively seek and have faith in, as well as that which we actively fear.”

  “...”

  Although Somnu understood the gist of what the old geezer was telling him, a part of the scarecrow wasn't content with accepting such an outcome.

  It is within the animal’s nature to prowl and forage food from farms.

  And yet, it was the scarecrow’s very purpose to scare those foragers away.

  However, that cycle would never end if the crop, and the farmers, simply accepted it as natural.

  I don’t want to just protect… I want to ensure things stay peaceful…

  Those were Somnu’s thoughts, but even he could feel the contradictions surrounding such a statement.

  Stopping the ever-turning cycle by completely eliminating one of the two wheels would ensure the one left prospers, but it similarly means one side suffers.

  “I want you to take this back with you.”

  “?”

  Pulled back from his thoughts, Somnu raised his gaze to see Mr. Emberlyn holding out a necklace that seemed all too familiar.

  “Is that… the same necklace?” The scarecrow asked, remembering the Dream Catcher necklace his old employer always wore around his neck.

  “Yes, please take it back with you to the First Layer.” The corners of Mr. Emberlyn’s mouth curled up a bit. “My granddaughter is going to be chosen soon, and I want her to have this. Only you can fulfill that wish of mine.”

  “She is?” Somnu questioned, feeling a slight tightness in his throat. The last time he had tried to approach her, things didn’t go so well, in fact, he ended up in a pool of his own blood, and then in the Nightmare Realm. “Even if I said yes, isn’t that your Dream Catcher?”

  “Yes, and no. This Dream Catcher is passed down through generations. I don’t have one personally, but that is okay.”

  Eamon walked forward and put the necklace around Somnu’s neck, making even Grudgekeeper’s toothy hood retract instinctively.

  “!” Even Somnu could feel the overwhelming, yet soft pressure enveloping him.

  “My Dream Catcher is the new generation of young dreamers, determined to weave a new path across the Nightmare Realm.” Eamon rested his arms on Somnu’s shoulders. “Your dreams are just as important as everyone else’s, Somnu. No matter what the System says, or what you might believe… You are a dreamer too. Have faith in that. Have faith in yourself.”

  Somnu’s eyes widened as he slowly felt his vision blur.

  He had never believed himself to be worthy of being called a dreamer.

  How could he? He was someone devoid of sleep, of the very concept of dreaming.

  All he could do was watch others work towards their dreams, enjoying the journey of fulfilling them. However, Somnu could only choose to pursue a purpose, not daring to even consider a dream to pursue.

  After all, dreams gave birth to imagination and creativity, and without them, people couldn’t pursue their dreams.

  “You have proven you can think outside of the box during your many encounters with Nightmare Creatures, you have no reason to doubt your imagination and creativity anymore, kid.” Eamon tightened his grip on Somnu’s shoulders. “Wear them like a badge of honor, just as you carry this precious artifact to my beloved granddaughter.”

  “I’ll… do my best to bring it to her.” Somnu finally let out, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “Be sure to make her happy.” Eamon finally stepped back, a snicker forming on his face. “She likes confident people, so be sure to improve yourself before then.”

  “Now that’s the old geezer I know…” Somnu let out a sigh, feeling his nerves return to normal. “Why don’t you do it yourself anyway?”

  “Neigh!”

  Suddenly, the old knight summoned Betty again, his pure white pegasus, to stand next to him. Then, he turned around and faced Somnu once more, showing off his shining golden armor.

  “I am the last knight, the Eternal Warden of Nirvia, oathbound to remain here till the end of my days.”

  “!”

  “I have spent centuries waiting in this place, and will gladly continue to serve my purpose.” Eamon paused, then summoned his glowing sword, completing his image as a regal holy knight. “Until the day where hope and faith truly return to the land of dreams, I, Sir Eamon Emberlyn, the last knight of Nirvia, shall remain here and hold off the Nightmare Creatures attempting to overcrowd the Nightmare Layers.”

  “What…? You can’t mean you’ve been stuck here defending everyone for centuries all on your own?!” Somnu questioned with wide eyes.

  “That is my oath!”

  This entire time, Somnu was having trouble understanding why his old employer had been acting weirdly from time to time, switching from a fantasy knight to the old witty old man.

  Now, he could slowly understand the reason behind it, but even more importantly than that…

  The act of fighting off those who are threatening to feed on the precious feelings of others, and all on his own.

  Somnu couldn’t help but liken the knight Sir Eamon Emberlyn to the very thing he looked up to all his life.

  To a scarecrow.

  Here's the Patreon link for those who can't wait and want to read 30+ chapters:

  Rating and Leaving a Review goes a long way to support the series!

  !