"Everyone, be prepared. We are entering the Dream Miasma in 5 seconds." A cool, authoritative voice sounded off, catching Dorian's attention. He and Fabian turned to look behind.

"Ah, Dream Guide Walter." Dorian nodded as he greeted the speaker.

A tall, white haired man wearing a full white suit stood before Dorian, staring imperiously out at the black and grey wall of twisting fog. He had a sharp face and eyes that were extremely alert.

In preparations to cross through the Exotic World of Ballians, someone, Dorian wasn't quite sure who, had helped arrange for one of the most experienced explorers to accompany them. Dream Guide Walter was an expert that had studied the Exotic World of Ballians for more than 100 years.

While his strength was limited to the Grandmaster Class, his knowledge and experience set himself apart from others.

"Lordly Hero Inigo." The Dream Guide walked up and bowed deeply in front of Dorian, his voice full of respect. He also bowed, though not as deeply, towards the powerful King Class Mystic Martial Artist Fabian next to Dorian.

"What can you tell me about this Miasma?" Dorian asked, rubbing his chin. His actions made him appear to be a wise ruler contemplating the future. He had gotten a general overview of the Exotic World a while ago, but hadn't quite realized the scale of it.

The darkness they were flying into was much more daunting in person.

Just as Walter was about to reply, the darkness overtook them.

Their ship had entered the Dream Miasma.

WHOOSH

Eerie noises echoed through the air. An oppressive feeling coming off of the black and grey miasma spread out over the ship as it moved forward, traveling off the sheltered airspace of the World Bridge. The light dimmed, everything fading slightly to a dullish grey, similar to Dorian's Perfect Body state.

"It's not harmful, at least not in any direct way." Walter's voice exuded cool confidence as he nodded, waving his hand around.

"It certainly is unnerving, but the Miasma itself can do you no harm. It is merely an irritant. The real danger lies in the Dream Zones." The Dream Guide's voice sank slightly as he talked, as if trying to avoid the Miasma overhearing him say the phrase 'Dream Zones.'

"Oh?" Dorian mentally rebuked himself for not preparing enough. He should've asked these questions ahead of time. Still, they had only just entered. This wasn't too bad a time to ask either.

"The Dream Zones are direct remnants of the attacks left behind by the Dream Mentor. Some of them are weak, while others are strong. All of them are weird and unsettling, though most of them share a common theme." The Dream Guide was informative, his words precise.

Dorian turned away, looking out at the turbid darkness that surrounded them. He looked around in a circle, examining his surroundings.

There was nothing visible. Only the wavering greys and blacks.

No shapes, no colors, no light. Nothing.

In the depths of his heart, a deep-seated feeling of unsettledness took root.

'What would happen if I just jumped off?' He thought, staring over the edge of the ship.

The Exotic World of Ballians was still a World, after all. Land existed, just not visible through the Dream Miasma down below. They were flying roughly a thousand meters above the ground.

According to what he did know, the ground floor of Ballians was full of marauding 'Dream Beasts' that ranged from Sky Class all the way to Lord Class. They covered the entire planet, comparable to an entire race. Dream Beasts were mindless and could only exist within the Dream Miasma.

They had the appearance of wavering ghosts, vaguely shaped like various living creatures.

'How would I get home?' He shook his head. The turbid darkness was impossible to see through. Getting lost in it was practically a death sentence.

However, as long as one flew over the ground level of the World, the Dream Beasts couldn't harm or even affect you. None of them could fly, they were all land-bound.

"What are the chances we encounter a Dream Zone?" Dorian queried, glancing over at the elderly guide.

"Quite slim, sir. The Dream Zones drift across the air and surface of Ballians randomly. The chances of us stumbling upon one are less than 10%, going by the distance we are traveling." Walter nodded his head as he continued, gesturing forward,

"We would have to be extraordinarily unlucky to encounter one! Fate itself would have to be working against us."

As Dorian heard this, he squinted at the Dream Guide, and then looked off into the limitless Miasma.

'Dammit man, you just jinxed us.' He swore, his thoughts rumbling in his head. He then turned and shook a fist at the darkness and then mentally at his soul.

'Don't you do a damn thing, soul. Just let us fly by quick and easy, with no danger.' He thought with a sigh.

'I better prepare myself. Knowing my soul, we'll end up encountering at least one of those Dream Zones.' He sighed again. Alas. The life of an Anomaly.

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

"Oh wow. That was far easier than I expected."

"I know, right? We didn't encounter even a single Dream Zone."

"All that hype for nothing, that Dream Guide really led us on."

Dorian listened to the chatter from the warriors on deck, shrugging helplessly in agreement. Right in front of them, the turbid grey Miasma was splitting apart to reveal the World Bridge to Sheptle, their final destination.

Their journey through Ballians really had been far smoother than even he expected.

At first, the flight had been rather harrowing. The atmosphere was oppressive and the Dream Miasma appeared everywhere, even within the ship itself. Dorian had ended up leaving the deck to stay protectively by Helena's side, refusing to leave her alone.

Helena slept through most of the journey. In fact, she'd slept for several days in a row, her body and soul focused on recovery. Any time she spent awake could lead to her healing process slowing down or even reversing.

Eventually, halfway through their journey, Helena awoke.

In that 400 kilometers of travel, nothing much of note happened. There were odd screams and echoes that plagued the ship, and several of the crewmembers, fighters at the Master Class or Sky Class at a minimum, woke with nightmares. But there was no real danger.

Dorian had even settled down to meditate, using the chaotic environment to temper himself. He'd run a small inventory on the contents of his Spatial Ring, planning out his future route.

'I'm starting to reach a point in my meditation for the Law of Wrath where I might want to turn to outside sources to speed up my progress.' He'd decided, nodding his head as he looked at the Golden Shields, the highest form of currency in the Borrel Autarchy, that rested in his Spatial Ring.

The reason these coins were worth so much was because of the Magical properties they possessed. They were infused with Magic and rare minerals such that they became a unique Artifact in themselves. They allowed one to gain a clearer and more full comprehension of the Laws of the Universe, speeding up one's meditation.

At the lower stages of understanding, they would have little effect. But at the higher levels, where Dorian was slowly starting to reach, they could make it much easier to understand a Law and absorb energy into one's soul.

At roughly around 40%, or just a few points off from Dorian's current understanding of the Law of Wrath, Dorian would reach the Middle Lord Class in regards to that Law. At this stage, the difficulty in increasing the power of his soul and understanding from the Law of Wrath would jump. It was here he planned to test out the Golden Shields, to see how effective they were.

Of course, he still had three other Laws to draw upon to enhance his strength further, making him a ridiculous anomaly. An 'Anomalous Anomaly' one might say.

–

Laws Progress

–

Law of Valor: 22%

Law of Mercy: 14%

Law of Greed: 17%

Law of Wrath: 38%

–

"Not a bad bit of progress at all." He muttered as he examined the values, pleased. They had increased, slightly, across the board. He could feel his soul growing stronger and his understanding of each Law growing more complete.

"What progress?" A soft, feminine voice called out, catching his attention.

Dorian's eyes widened and he spun around from his sitting position on his bed to look across where Helena rested.

"Helena! You're awake! Let me get you some food or water!" He got up with a smile on his face, sauntering over.

Helena's eyes had deep-seated exhaustion within them, but also a cheerful gleam as she looked at Dorian amusedly.

"Yes, I'm awake, and no, I'm fine. The meditative state I'm in lets me subsist on energy from the Laws of the Universe, purely focused on healing. My soul has made enough progress that I felt fine coming out for a bit. How long has it been?" She asked.

"Just a couple days. You had me worried, Smalls." He replied, sitting down at the end of her plush bed.

Helena blinked and then looked around the room. Just faintly, she could see ominous grey and black fog floating in the corners. The sway of the Flying Ship's movements through the air was melodic and hard to notice, but something that still caught her attention.

"Hmm? Where in the 30,000 Worlds are we?! What happened while I was under?" She responded, startled.

"Oh right…" Dorian muttered, rubbing his chin.

"There are a couple of things I have to tell you."

"…" A few minutes passed as Dorian explained the situation.

"You are leading an army."

"Yep."

"YOU are leading an army."

"Yes, that is an accurate assessment of the facts."

"YOU are leading an ARMY."

"I feel like we aren't making much progress with this conversation."

Helena sputtered as she heard Dorian's nonchalant response, her eyes quivering in shock. She glared at Dorian as if he was teasing her, shaking a fist at him.

"How can YOU be the leader of an ARMY, Dorian?! Didn't you tell me back on Taprisha that you had little experience in the 30,000 Worlds?!" She continued, her voice incredulous. She even leaned upward from her bed so she could get a good look at him.

"I pick up quick." He shrugged.

"Has it even been 2 months since that discussion?! You don't just magically get the qualifications to be an army commander! That's dangerous, Dorian!" She returned angrily.

Dorian puffed up his chest, glaring at her imperiously.

"I'll have you know that I am the Great Hero Lord Inigo, the Vast Greatness, the Undying Emperor, the Holy Highlord, the Ultimate Great Lord, the Unstoppable Ruler!" As he spoke, he grasped ahold of the Law of Valor, an upright and noble Aura burst forth from him. He gained the appearance of a wise and mighty ruler, one who would never back down in the face of adversity.

"Oh, shut up." Helena threw her hands up into the air in defeat, falling back down to the bed almost petulantly.

Dorian grinned cheekily back at her.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." Helena's voice was far quieter as she spoke, her eyes holding hidden emotion as she looked back up at Dorian.

Dorian felt warmth enter his heart as he looked down at her, looking past her withered appearance to see a beautiful, warm soul.

"You don't need to worry. I know exactly what I am doing." He had no idea what he was doing.

Still, he figured he could wing it without too much worry if push came to shove. His primary goal was protecting Helena. Besides, all of these Shades seemed eager to join his cause, and he did indeed want to explore Moria.

"Alright." Helena muttered, her voice fading as she slipped back into sleep,

"I trust you."

"Rest well, dove." Dorian muttered, calling her one of the many nicknames he'd come up with, as he watched her fall unconscious again, a seed of worry planted firmly in his heart.

"I'll make sure that trust is warranted."

The next several hours had, again, passed by peacefully. Dorian continued to meditate, and in no time at all, Fabian had called upon him again, informing them of their arrival.

And here they were, about to exit onto Shaptle.

"Is it really that easy?" He muttered, looking at the World Bridge they were fast approaching. They had just reached the edge of the Dream Miasma and were about to pass through it.

'This would be the perfect spot for an ambush from any last minute Dream Zone…' He thought, blinking slowly. His heart tensed up, his eyes alert and scanning the environment.

Their Flying Ship shot forward, spurts of the foggy Dream Miasma pushed to the side. Eerie echoes and keening cries sounded off as they approached the end, a myriad of terrifying noises.

'Just 5 seconds until we're free…' He thought, his fists clenched slightly.

They had officially reached the thinnest section of Dream Miasma. The echoing cries seemed to grow in intensity, as if the Exotic World was aware that they were about to leave and desperate to keep them there.

'2 seconds…' Dorian thought, a feeling of certainty rising in his heart. There was no way they were going to make it out this easy.

'1 second… here it comes!' He went on full alert, ready to draw upon all of his Laws at a moment's notice. His Perfect Body Ability was on a hair trigger, liable to be tripped from almost anything.

WHOOSH

They burst free from the Dream Miasma, entering the airspace of the World Bridge.

Dorian's pounding heart reached a crescendo as his head twisted from side to side, ready to respond to virtually anything.

"…"

Nothing happened.

'Huh?' Dorian blinked.

The World Ship continued to fly forward, unharmed and unabated.

"Woooo!"

"Finally free from that gross fog!"

"Quickly! Onward to Moria!"

"Vanquish the Demons!"

It really was that easy.

A set of muted cheers burst from the warriors as they celebrated entering the warm and friendly light of the World Bridge. This specific iteration of a World Bridge was a rocky, mountainous one, bereft of much vegetation.

"We have arrived safely, Holy Highlord. We are finally approaching our destination!" The brown mustached, but bald, King Class Mystic Martial Artist Fabian cheerfully observed from Dorian's side, his aged voice full of excitement.

"Huh. Yeah, that we have." Dorian shrugged. That had been rather anticlimactic.

"Oh well, let's keep going!" His eyes flashed, eagerness filling them.

"On to Moria we shall go, my loyal subordinates! We shall conquer the demons!" He raised a cheer of his own, imbuing it with the Law of Valor.

"Hear, hear!"

"To Moria!"

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Back on the Exotic World of Ballians, in the midst of the unwavering Dream Miasma, a vague figure could be seen, looking down upon a floating globe of vaguely clear crystal. This figure had a dreamlike humanoid shape that constantly shifted and changed in size and scale. The only constant was the powerful, King Class Aura that rippled around it.

And as that figure looked into the crystal ball, it looked down upon a familiar scene.

A scene of Dorian and the members of his army all celebrating cheerfully as they exited through the World Bridge, full of excitement.

"Fools." The dreamlike figure whispered, its voice harsh and grating.

"So many experts, yet so little wisdom." The figure continued, shaking its head,

"I suppose I can't blame them entirely. To think that they immediately fell into the Life Years Dream Zone when they were less than 15 seconds into their journey. That is certainly a record."

"I wonder if I should call that lucky or unlucky?" The figure shrugged. It made a vague motion with its hand, causing the crystal ball to shiver.

"Let's see… The Life Years Dream Zone is only in its Misdirection Period currently, but I can fix that. It's a good thing I caught on to its activity. It's too bad my connection to the Dream Zones is lacking when compared to Master's." The figure sighed. It seemed to have a habit of talking to itself, one built up by long years of solitude.

"Now let's see… where has it guided them to? The Misdirection Period should change their movements, causing twists and turns that lead them to a random location an- WHAT?!"

The shadow figure abruptly stopped, pure incredulity filling its voice.

"It-huh?! It actually guided them all the way to the World Bridge they were originally headed towards?! This isn't just a Dream Illusion spawned by the Dream Zone?! But how?! That's ridiculous! Is the Misdirection Period still active?!" The vague humanoid cast a Spell on the crystal ball, staring at it in confusion.

"It's still active… so they reached the World Bridge they planned to reach through random chance…? Are you serious…?"

The shadowy figure hung its face in its hands, rubbing at its forehead. It was a being composed of almost entirely energy and was therefore physically unable to have a headache. Despite that, it felt one coming on as it looked at the sheer ridiculousness of this situation.

The odds of them arriving at their planned destination while in the midst of the powerful Magic Misdirection Period from the Life Years Dream Zone… it should've been almost literally impossible. To actually arrive there was ridiculously unlikely. Far less than 1 in 1,000,000.

Yet they still, somehow, made it there, and in record time too.

"Wha- they're about to escape the World entirely! They're already on the World Bridge! Life Years Dream Zone! Activate quickly!!" The shadowy figure sputtered, its body blurring as it shot off in a specific direction at high speed.

Leaving behind a crystal ball that began to glow with dark light, transforming the bright scene of Dorian and the cheering warriors into one swarming with darkness.

.

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