Hi my readers, another chapter is out also! I would like to share that besides being sold on Amazon, AI Witch Vol 1 is also being listed in some major book sellers around the world. You can find the list of book sellers here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1KrHouMXvy/
Wish you a good day! Enjoy this chapter!
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Dawn slowly rose, and the sun was about to peek over the horizon. Dreamy "King" stretched as he woke up, then made himself a refreshing bowl of pho and a glass of iced condensed-milk coffee. To him, this morning's breakfast was absolutely wonderful. Asarina's autumn scenery was beautiful, though it carried a faint sadness because of everything that had happened in the Dream Realm.
Mai was already dressed and prepared. She had equipped herself with all sorts of things: adhesive bandages, a medical kit, and even her antenna sword. Miki stayed ready at her side. The moment Mai saw Dreamy, she spoke up.
"Hey, you're awake, Dreamy. Let's get going!"
Dreamy stared blankly, confused.
"Where are we going?"
Mai replied, "To find the color of my power. You said so yesterday!"
Long, who was brushing his teeth nearby, overheard their conversation. Still brushing, he spoke with a muffled voice.
"N-no… need… Dre…amy… will… open… the… gate…"
Before Long could finish, the magical gate that Dreamy had created suddenly appeared. Dreamy grabbed Mai's hand and leapt into the gate, leaving her no time to prepare. All she could do was let out a startled "Ah!"
After Long finished brushing his teeth, he turned back and said, "Everyone, come back soon. Mai, you can do this!"
In the mystical space, stars swept past Mai and Dreamy. Mai's body felt weightless as she drifted through the air. Her sparkling eyes followed the stars as they streaked by, and the entire space was filled with the mystery of magic.
Then she was drawn into one of the stars. Her feet landed on a lotus platform covered with crystal puzzle pieces.
Dreamy said, "This is your challenge alone. I believe you must assemble the color of your own power with your own hands!"
Then Dreamy gradually vanished into the void.
This challenge was not difficult for Mai. During her noble childhood, she had studied under countless top experts, so geometric calculations were no challenge for her. Before long, she had assembled nearly all the pieces, and they slowly took shape. It was the shape of a human being.
After putting everything together, she realized that the figure was still missing one piece at the center of its chest. She looked around frantically, searching everywhere, but she still could not find it.
Mai spent nearly an hour searching all around, yet the final piece remained nowhere to be found. She studied the crystal figure closely and felt that it was strangely familiar. Then she gently raised her index finger and pointed at the missing space on the figure's chest.
The moment she touched it, something strange happened. Mai's own chest ached sharply, as if the pain and torment of the past had wrapped themselves around her heart. The feeling of growing up without enough of her mother's love because she had passed away, the sight of Lan—her best friend—dying, the sorrow of not receiving her father's support… everything flashed through her mind like scenes from a film.
Mai panicked and pulled her hand back.
It felt terrible.
She tried again and again, only to pull her hand away once more.
If this keeps going, I'll never get the final piece - Mai thought.
She took a deep breath. This time, she pressed her finger hard against the figure's chest. The harder she pressed, the more painful her own chest became. A powerful gust of wind began to blow from the figure's chest. Mai's short blond hair fluttered wildly as memory after memory swept through her mind. Reliving the pain of the past was torture for her.
Mai cried out, "I also have happy memories, meaningful things, and dreams!"
She thought of the things that had brought her joy, so her heart would not ache so much. She had helped the pho shop owner reunite with his younger brother. She had been loved by her grandmother and her father. She had beautiful memories with Lan. She loved AI Witches and pursued her dream of becoming a researcher. She had friends like Long, Dreamy, Nguyen, and Miki.
Suddenly, a golden light shone from the figure's chest. Mai felt something in her hand. She quickly pulled it out.
It was the missing piece.
But it was golden.
With her heart pounding, Mai fitted the golden piece into the glass figure's chest. The figure transformed from transparent crystal into a golden human form. It began to move, then slipped straight into Mai's body.
Dreamy appeared.
"Haha! Well done. At last, you have found the color of your own power!"
Mai smiled happily.
Dreamy and Mai returned to the real world. Long was amazed that Mai had taken only about three or four hours to discover the color of her power. It was nothing like him, who had needed the entire night to find his.
Dreamy gathered everyone together and discussed the plan.
Dreamy said, "Very good. Now all three of you have the color of your own power, and we will enter Mary's Dream Realm…"
Mai looked hesitant.
"Even though we've awakened the color of our power, we're still no match for Mary. Besides, we don't have any EN left. If we go in now, isn't that the same as walking straight toward death?"
Dreamy replied, "We won't need physical EN…"
Long scratched his head.
"I still don't really understand what you mean…"
Dreamy explained, "Now that each of you has your own color of power, once we enter the Dream Realm, we will separate it into EN vessels meant only for each of you. Miki will also enter the Dream Realm to support Mai. In other words, you will no longer need to bring physical EN in from the real world."
Then he turned to Nguyen.
"To do that, I must teach Nguyen more magic related to the Dream Realm. The spell is still stored in my Big Learning Data."
Nguyen asked with a mysterious look, "You mean both Long and Mai will have to sleep in order to meet Mary and… Alice as well?"
"That's right!" Dreamy answered.
A thought flashed through Nguyen's mind. No one knew what he was planning. He looked straight at Dreamy.
"I agree!"
Dreamy "King" burst into laughter.
"Excellent. Nguyen will come with me to learn the new spell. Tonight, everyone will gather beneath the statue of the goddess Asarina. Ask Thomas or the villagers to find an AI Witch with sleep magic!"
With that, Dreamy and Nguyen left together toward the nearby forest's edge.
Dusk gradually fell. The fading light carried a gloomy purple hue that felt almost chilling.
In the square, beneath the statue of the goddess Asarina, stood Long, Mai, and Miki. Beside them were Mr. Thomas's family and the sleep-inducing AI Witch, a sloth-shaped AI Witch named Snorry. Every movement it made was incredibly slow.
Mai spoke up.
"Thank you, Mr. Thomas. I'm sorry to trouble you. In a little while, we'll have to enter the dream, so we need someone to watch over our bodies…"
Thomas smiled warmly.
"It's no trouble. You are saving the villagers, and you saved my family as well. This is something I should do!"
Jen was sitting in a wheelchair because she was still weak.
"That's right, Mai. When you all go in there, please be careful!"
Dreamy and Nguyen appeared. Nguyen's face carried an indescribable heaviness.
Dreamy said, "All right. Nguyen will now perform the spell here…"
After saying that, Nguyen used his finger to draw a pentagram, then sat down upon it. He pressed his hands together, and the Eye of Eris blazed with an eerie, deep crimson light.
Dreamy added, "Nguyen will not enter the dream with us. He must focus completely on maintaining the spell and remain sitting cross-legged until we return… Otherwise, all of us will be lost in the Dream Realm."
Dreamy turned to Long and Mai.
"Remember, the EN vessels will have limited capacity depending on your strength. But no matter what, you must not break them. If you do, you will not be able to return…"
Long clenched his fists with determination.
"We're ready!"
Then Jen turned to Snorry and gave the order.
"Snorry, put them to sleep."
The sloth-shaped AI Witch raised its hand, then slowly lowered it and scattered a layer of dust over Long. Its movements were rather slow.
Long asked in surprise:
"What is it doing…? Why am I still not asleep…?"
Then Long yawned.
"What's happening…? Oh… why am I so sleepy?"
Then Long lay down.
Mai felt a little embarrassed.
"Oh, Snorry, do you have any faster way to send us into the dream…?"
Snorry's arm gradually lowered, painfully slowly, before it scattered magical dust over Mai and Miki—Mai's golden dragon-shaped AI Witch. Both of them slowly fell asleep as well.
Dreamy was about to run away.
"A king like me cannot enter a dream this way."
But after thinking it over for a while, he also allowed Snorry to scatter the dust over him so he could enter the dream.
Nguyen continued casting the spell, while the Thomas family carefully watched over him to make sure he did not lose focus.
Long and Mai sank deep into sleep. When they opened their eyes again, Long, Mai, Dreamy, and Miki were already standing inside Mary's Dream Realm.