At the heart of Blackwood Forest… in the spot where the veil of mist had once been thickest.
Owen lay sprawled on the damp, cool grass, his body so spent he barely felt the small branches poking his back. The exhaustion from the battle in the dream dimension was as heavy as a stone slab on his chest. The true pain from his wounds began to return, reminding him of reality… but one hand still clutched the "mechanical heart" tightly.
Tenzin stood before him, his once-ramrod straight back now slightly relaxed. He looked down at Owen's form… and for the first time, Owen saw it… eyes filled with overwhelming relief and pride.
"…You have done much better than I thought… Guardian."
Tenzin's voice, tinged with an unprecedented warmth, was like a key unlocking the final chain… All the tension Owen had been carrying shattered in an instant. He felt a wave of immense success crash over him. Though too exhausted to even get up, he nodded… and let out the breath he had been holding until his lungs were empty.
And the moment that acceptance was complete…
As if the entire world had been waiting for this signal…
The thick "veil of mist" that had once shrouded the forest like a living nightmare suddenly trembled violently… before rapidly "evaporating" and dissipating into the air! It curled upwards like steam scorched by intense sunlight, revealing the true scenery of Blackwood Forest.
The trees, once twisted like paintings in a nightmare… slowly straightened and stretched their trunks towards the sky, as if awakening from a long slumber. The chilling whispers and crazed wails that had once echoed on the wind… were completely "erased"…
An uncomfortable silence hung for only a moment… before the "true sounds" of the forest slowly returned…
Rustle… The soft sound of a gentle wind blowing through the leaves sounded for the first time… it was faint and gentle.
Chirp… Chirp… The sounds of small birds, hidden away, began to timidly sing… before becoming a cheerful chorus full of life…
The air, once chilling to the bone, was now replaced by the fresh morning air… the familiar smell of damp earth and leaves after rain… the scent of "life" had returned.
Owen, still lying on the ground, could only watch the rapidly changing scenery around him, stunned. He had only just realized… how quiet and beautiful this place truly was.
And then… the first light shone down…
Soft, golden sunlight pierced through the clouds, which had now parted… shining down on the forest for the first time in hours… Tenzin looked up at the clearing sky… The old monk closed his eyes for a moment… before opening them again with a smile that was calm and truly blissful.
He turned back to look at Owen, who was bathed in that soft sunlight.
"The world is thanking you… Guardian."
Tenzin's words pulled Owen's consciousness back from its stunned state. The soft sunlight bathing his body was warm and full of life… but it also awakened the throbbing pain throughout his body.
The true exhaustion, which had been suppressed by adrenaline, now crashed down on him. Every muscle screamed in protest, as if he had just been through the most grueling battle of his life for days on end.
"..."
Owen gritted his teeth, gathering what little strength remained to slowly push himself up. Every joint felt heavy and stiff, but finally, he managed to stand… However, just for a moment… The moment he stood to his full height, the effects of massively overusing his psychic power attacked him. The whole world spun for a moment, his body swaying uncontrollably to the side.
Thump!
Tenzin's strong arm caught his upper arm just in time, helping him stand steady.
"You are injured… and have used too much power," Tenzin's voice returned to its calmness but was laced with concern. "Return to the monastery. I will heal you."
Owen nodded weakly, letting Tenzin help support his body back towards the secret entrance behind the waterfall.
Walking through the curtain of water this time felt completely different… It wasn't the chilling and formidable feeling of a testing ground anymore… but the feeling of passing through a familiar energy curtain… the feeling of "coming home."
The atmosphere inside the hidden monastery was now peaceful and safe. The dim light shining into the stone hall felt warm instead of mysterious like the first time. Tenzin led Owen to a simple guest room. Inside was only a low wooden bed and meticulously woven tatami mats.
"Sit down first."
Owen sat on the edge of the bed. Tenzin left the room for a moment before returning with a small stone mortar and pestle, and a wooden tray filled with various dried herbs.
The moment he opened the herb packets… a unique, cool fragrance wafted through the room. It was the scent of herbs Owen didn't recognize mixed with a faint earthy smell… a scent that strangely relaxed and calmed Owen's exhausted mind.
Tenzin slowly ground the herbs together gently until they became a dark green paste. He scooped it up… before gently applying it to Owen's bruises and deep cuts.
The cool freshness from the herbal medicine slowly seeped deep under Owen's skin. It chased away the stinging pain. A moment later… the throbbing ache that had been tense under his skin began to subside… replaced by a warm sensation that spread out slowly…
It wasn't just a physical healing, but its unique cool fragrance also helped wash away his mental fatigue, little by little. The atmosphere inside the simple guest room was quiet, with only the soft sound of Tenzin grinding herbs at a steady rhythm.
The comfortable silence lasted for a moment before Tenzin broke it with a voice that was more thoughtful and deeper than usual, as if his words were being distilled from a long period of time.
"The power of nightmare that invades our world of reality… it has calmed."
The old monk spoke without looking up from the mortar in his hand, but Owen could feel the weight in every word.
"Calmed in a way I haven't felt in decades." Tenzin stopped his hands, placed the pestle gently on the wooden tray, before looking up to meet Owen's eyes directly. His gaze was filled with depth and sincere respect.
"To help you understand… most previous Guardians… including those I trained myself… they were undoubtedly determined and strong," Tenzin clasped his hands in his sleeves. "But their main goal when facing a 'Nightmare Knot' was to 'destroy' its core as quickly as possible. It's an effective method… fast and decisive."
He moved closer, scooping up more herbal medicine to gently apply to the scrape on Owen's arm. "Destroying the core… if I were to compare it, it's like using a hot iron to sear a wound to stop the bleeding," he explained. "It closes the wound… it prevents you from bleeding out… but it doesn't heal it completely. It always leaves an ugly and painful scar. And waits for the day it will tear open again when the time comes."
"But what you did… Owen…" Tenzin looked up to meet his eyes again, the old monk's gaze shining like never before. "…It was far beyond my expectations."
"You didn't 'destroy' it… You didn't use force to clash with that despair… but you chose to face it directly… You chose to 'heal' and 'liberate' the heroic soul that was imprisoned and tormented in that cycle of failure."
Tenzin's words made Owen think of the golden Sword of Memory he had used to fight the Failure Incarnate… and the final image of the female Sentinel dissolving into motes of light peacefully.
"Your actions…" Tenzin concluded in his firmest and most resonant voice, "…didn't just close the wound… but they 'healed' the seal from within. They cleansed the pain that had gnawed at the dimensional tear for so long, making it much more stable again. So much so that even I can hardly believe what I'm sensing."
And then came the crucial revelation…
"Normally, the world would be invaded by the fully accumulated power of nightmare… which would happen regularly once a month…" Tenzin paused, letting Owen absorb every word. "…But now… it might take up to three months… before the negative energy can accumulate and gather enough strength to invade the world of reality again."
Like a lightning bolt striking his heart… Owen, who had been relaxing from the effects of the herbal medicine, shot his eyes open with joy. All his exhaustion was blown away in an instant.
Three months!
At first, he thought he had just "won" this battle… just completed another mission… But now he realized instantly that what he had received was much better than he'd thought. He hadn't just won… he had bought "time" for himself and everyone!
Three full months to train… to prepare… to live peacefully without worrying about the imminent threat.
Tenzin watched Owen's reaction with understanding. He waited until Owen came back to his senses before nodding with admiration and respect.
"Only a few generations of Guardians have been able to do this… Healing the seal… is the highest honor of a Guardian," the old monk finished, before slowly standing up. "And now… you possess that precious three months…"
"Use it wisely… Guardian."
Owen sat motionless on the edge of the simple wooden bed, letting the words "three months" seep in and echo within his mind. It wasn't just a timeframe… it was space for him to breathe. An overwhelming feeling washed over his chest, not just racing joy, but immense "relief"…
He looked down at the dark green herbal paste applied to his wounds. The stinging physical pain that was miraculously subsiding now intertwined with the mental tension that had been completely lifted. The coolness from the herbs spread throughout his body, just as peace spread throughout his spirit.
He had time… and time was what he needed most!
Owen looked up to meet Tenzin's eyes. The gaze that had been weary and weak was now filled with a determination that was clearer and calmer than ever before.
"Don't worry… These three months… I will use them to their fullest!"
Tenzin nodded with satisfaction at the answer. A faint smile appeared at the corner of the old monk's lips before quickly fading, replaced by a serious look once more.
"This time is precious," Tenzin added. "But it is not for laziness… It is time for 'preparation.' The negative power that was cleansed… it will begin to accumulate anew. And in three months, when it returns… you will have to face it again. And of course, it always comes in unpredictable forms."
The old monk moved closer. "And the first thing you must do… the most important thing… is to control the new power you have just received."
He looked deep into Owen's eyes, his voice growing stern. "As a Guardian… you have a duty to train the [Essence of Dreams] within you. That power is immense… and extremely dangerous if uncontrolled," Tenzin emphasized. "The fact that you were able to use it to heal the seal this time was partly due to instinct and fate… but next time, you might not be so lucky. You must learn to control it… not let it control you."
"Therefore…" he declared firmly. "At least… one day a week, you must come to this monastery to train in controlling that power directly with me. This is mandatory training!"
One day a week…
"Agreed," Owen nodded, accepting the terms instantly. It was a very reasonable offer. He himself knew well that the power he had used in the nightmare dimension was too raw and immense for him to comprehend.
"Good," Tenzin nodded with satisfaction, before continuing. "But controlling power is only one part of fighting the power of nightmare… The rest is 'knowledge' and martial arts… Follow me."
Tenzin led Owen, who was now feeling much better, out of the guest room, deeper into the monastery… through dim stone corridors Owen had never seen before. The air grew colder and drier.
Finally, Tenzin stopped before a large stone door that looked even more ancient than any other part of the monastery. It was a single slab of smooth black stone with no seams and no visible mechanism for opening.
Owen frowned with curiosity… but Tenzin simply raised his right hand and placed it flat against the cool stone slab.
Vwoom…
The old monk closed his eyes… circulating his pure dream power. Mysterious inscriptions hidden on the stone door suddenly flashed with lines of soft blue light, like circuitry… before the heavy stone door slid silently to the side… revealing a massive room within.
Owen held his breath… It wasn't an ordinary room… but an "archive" that towered so high the ceiling was almost invisible! Shelves made of polished stone and jet-black ebony stretched upwards into the darkness for dozens of meters. But what filled those shelves weren't ordinary books…
This place was filled with thousands upon thousands of ancient scrolls, neatly tied… stone tablets engraved with strange characters… old, ancient books arranged in perfect order. And most incredibly… countless memory-recording crystals of faint blue and purple hues, twinkling dimly in the darkness like stars in a night sky.
The air inside the room was cool and dry… filled with the unique scent of old paper, the faint, calming scent of incense… and the aura of immense, slumbering power… the aura of "knowledge" accumulated over thousands of years.
Owen could only stand stunned before the stone door… His breath caught in his throat. His wide eyes tried to take in the grandeur before him as much as possible. The dim blue and purple light from the countless memory crystals reflected in his eyes like sparkles, as if he were standing before a galaxy of knowledge contained within this room.
Tenzin stepped silently beside him. The old monk's eyes shone with deep pride and reverence for this place.
"This is the 'Archive of Dreams,'" Tenzin's voice sounded softly, yet it echoed through the silent hall. "It is the legacy that past Guardians have 'salvaged' and gathered from collapsed dream dimensions… over thousands of years."
He gestured around as if introducing his vast kingdom.
"On those shelves…" he pointed to the neatly arranged scrolls, "…you will find martial arts and combat manuals that our world does not possess… or has forgotten over time. Sword techniques that can cut the wind… fist techniques that can shatter mountains… Everything is here."
His gaze shifted to the ancient stone tablets standing tall. "Over there… are formulas for potions and elixirs from dream flora, capable of curing even ailments our world cannot heal."
"…And most importantly," Tenzin turned to meet Owen's eyes directly, his gaze utmost serious. "Is the knowledge contained within those crystals… The art of sealing, the art of formations, and the art of defending against nightmares specifically. It is the knowledge that will make you not just a 'fighter'… but a true 'Guardian.'"
The old monk paused, before concluding with a firm voice.
"All of this… is open for you to study freely."
Those words were like another lightning strike. But this time, it wasn't shock… it was extreme excitement that shot through Owen's body! His eyes blazed like fire.
This wasn't just a library… it was a "treasure trove"! An armory! Everything he needed to elevate himself and protect everyone he loved!
The image of Nova moving gracefully and powerfully in the dungeon flashed in his mind… 'There must be techniques here that can make me equal to her!'
The image of Iris intelligently analyzing data… 'Those memory crystals… they might hold knowledge that could help her!'
Here… might be the answer to everything he needed!
Owen turned back to Tenzin quickly. All hesitation in his heart had vanished completely, replaced by a determination as firm as steel.
Tenzin saw the fire in Owen's eyes and nodded with satisfaction. "One day a week is mandatory training with me, to control the Essence of Dreams," he said. "But I recommend… if you truly wish to become stronger… spend… at least three days a week in this monastery."
"Absolutely!" Owen accepted immediately without a second's hesitation. "I'll follow your advice, Caretaker. I'll find the time to come here!"
After the decision about the future had been firmly laid… Owen's thoughts returned to the present reality… The worry that had been suppressed by excitement suddenly returned to his heart.
"But for now… I'll have to go back first," Owen's voice softened slightly, his eyes filled with concern. "My friends… they're still at the camp… and I've been gone for a long time…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but Tenzin understood immediately. The old monk nodded with understanding. "Go then… Your duties in the world of reality are just as important."
Owen looked deep into Tenzin's eyes… and for the first time… he no longer saw just a stern monk or a formidable caretaker, but a truly respectable person.
He bowed to Tenzin…
It wasn't a bow out of politeness… but a bow from the heart… His back lowered with the deepest respect… to thank the old man who had given him both valuable advice and a new path.
Before turning… stepping out of the amazing archive… heading back towards the waterfall… back to his friends who were waiting anxiously.
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