Chapter 26. Bat attacks.

As the graphics of his thoughts began to distort, the surreal images began to dissolve, and in a blink of an eye, the veil of the dreamlike illusion was lifted, and he was thrust back into the tangible realm of reality.

He found himself in the same position as before his consciousness had been whisked away into the nether.

He was situated on a hard, chilly rock, with his back reclining against another, taller stone formation, cradled by its cold, unmoving embrace.

"This is peculiar," Alex murmured to himself, a note of uncertainty staining his voice.

He cast his gaze around the surroundings, every detail was as it had been before his strange trance.

Wu Lina and their companions were still slumbering near the flickering remnants of the fire, which was struggling for its last breaths, the embers dying out and surrendering to the encroaching darkness.

Despite the apparent normality, a sense of unease gnawed at Alex.

The tranquil scene of his companions in deep sleep was misleading. He knew better. They too were ensnared in the same mysterious dreamscape he had just escaped from.

The ethereal experience was too vivid, too intense to be dismissed as an ordinary dream. The pain he suffered from the shadowclaw's attack still lingered, a ghostly sensation creeping along his body, a cruel reminder of the injuries he had sustained.

It was a strange phenomenon, this experience, which straddled the line between a dream and reality, an inscrutable enigma that tormented him.

His gaze fell on Wu Lina and the rest of the group, a sense of foreboding made his stomach churn.

He knew, intuitively, that danger was lurking in the shadows, a sinister presence that had the power to induce such vivid dreams.

Without wasting a moment, Alex rose to his feet, urgency fuelling his movements as he darted towards his slumbering companions.

However, midway, a harsh, piercing shriek echoed from above, freezing him in his tracks. Raising his head, his eyes met a terrifying sight.

Countless crimson eyes glared at him from the inky shadows, a sea of malevolent gazes that sent a jolt of fear coursing through his veins.

His heart pounded against his chest, the sheer number of hostile eyes focused on him was disconcerting.

He doubled his speed, pushing his body harder, heading towards his companions as another ear-splitting screech reverberated through the air.

From the corner of his eye, he saw several of the crimson eyes detaching from the darkness, moving sinuously, and it was horrifyingly apparent – they were coming for him.

"Damn it!" he spat, a curse escaping his lips as he pushed himself to accelerate further.

Suddenly, a whistling sound filled the air, signaling the approach of a fast-moving object. He lifted his gaze to see the owner of the crimson eye.

A hideous, bat-like creature emerged, a single eye situated in the middle of its forehead.

Its eye was a vortex of swirling black threads that danced menacingly around the crimson center.

As his gaze met the creature's, he felt a wave of dizziness crash over him, threatening to topple his consciousness.

He halted abruptly, shaking his head vigorously, trying to dispel the sudden drowsiness that had invaded his mind. The battle between his will and that of the bat-like creature.

Just at the juncture where Alex was on the verge of dispelling the sudden drowsiness that invaded his mind, the eerie whisper of the wind once again pierced his ears, warning him of another incoming threat.

The bat-like creature, its eyes gleaming with ominous intent, swooped down from the darkness towards him, this time attacking from behind.

Before his mind could even process the impending danger before he could activate his cultivated awareness, a searing pain lanced through his back, the sensation of wetness following suit.

The bat, its claws as sharp as the finest of swords, had managed to leave a deep wound in his back.

A cry of agony escaped from Alex's lips as he spun around, his gaze falling upon the tranquil but far from the peaceful scene where Wu Lina and the others were trapped in their sleep.

They were ensnared within the deceptive dreamscape, oblivious to the Qi beast they would be confronting in that illusory battleground.

Alex had been close to their location before the intrusive appearance of the bats, so reaching them didn't take long.

His first destination was Xiao Se whose presence he despised.

His hands instinctively rose, clenching into a fist, as he gathered every ounce of his strength, focusing it into one devastating blow.

He aimed the punch straight at Xiao Se's forehead, intending to jolt him awake from the dreamscape.

An echoing "Baam" reverberated through the air as his fist met Xiao Se's forehead, snapping him back into the harsh reality of the surreal dreamscape.

"Arghh…" Xiao Se's cry of pain pierced the silence of the night as he was rudely awakened by Alex's punch.

Swift as a striking snake, he leaped to his feet and retaliated with a punch of his own. But Alex anticipated the move and dropped into a crouch, yelling, "Could you quit attacking me and focus on killing those damn bats while I wake the others?"

"Bats?" Xiao Se was confused, his mind still clearing from the sudden transition from dreamscape to reality.

Pointing towards the darkness where countless red eyes glowed ominously, Alex said, "Those bats." As he spoke, he pivoted and moved towards Shen Hong, the next person to be woken up.

He noted that Xiao Se, too, bore injuries from his battle in the dreamscape, as evidenced by his strained movements.

As he reached Shen Hong's side, Alex didn't hesitate to slap him back into reality.

However, as he was about to move to the next person, Shen Hong, not yet fully awake, sprung into action.

In his trance-like state, he drew the arrow he held in his chest during his sleep and aimed it at Alex.

Seeing the arrow fly towards him, Alex instinctively ducked, but his momentum caused him to stumble and fall, landing atop the next person in line to be awakened - Wu Lina.