Chapter 164

"No fighting in my house!"

The old woman had a raspy, old, and powerful voice as she looked at Dio with her single glowing green eye.

The warning was enough to stop him from seeking vengeance for now.

Dio had to wait for a better moment.

"Well, why don't you sit down and have some tea? I'm sure your journey wasn't as comfortable as this man here.

The old woman continued and turned her attention to her teacup.

"I would accept, after all, we're in her place of power."

Constantine warned and sipped his tea with a certain politeness. He had never seen him like that before.

Dio was careless.

After seeing him, Dio becomes angry and charges into the woman's territory, where Constantine warns him that he is in the old woman's place of power, which also means she is a witch or sorceress.

The places of power are something every magic user learns about from an early age.

It's best to act and behave like a welcoming guest while knowing the difficulty of fighting against a being within their territory.

Dio sheathed his sword and walked over to them.

"Sit down, boy,"

The old woman said that, and a simple wooden chair appeared beside the table.

Dio was in it and faced the two of them seated across from each other.

"Where are my manners, Kírix, This is Lady Mad Witch Yuppie."

Constantine introduced them with politeness.

'What's her name?'

Dio was a little confused.

"You can call me Mad Witch. Here, drink up, child."

Lady Mad Witch Yuppie said.

On the table, a white cup with a saucer underneath appears. The liquid inside it was steaming hot, but it didn't seem dangerous.

Dio picked up the cup and brought it to his mouth to show respect, even though he didn't drink the tea.

Dio just tilted the cup to his lips without letting the liquid touch them.

"Mint tea, one of my favorites. It was grown in my personal garden, very good, isn't it?"

Mad Witch asked and gave him a proud smile despite not having many teeth in her mouth.

"Yes, it's great."

Dio said to her with a smile as he placed the cup back on the table.

"Would you like something to eat too?"

Mad Witch offered.

"No, thank you, I just ate."

Dio quickly declined.

"It's a shame, I just made a beautiful pie."

Mad Witch shook her head and seemed a little disappointed.

What kind of idiot eats something given to him by a woman named Mad Yuppie Witch in a house straight out of Hansel and Gretel?

"I reckon our young friend here wants answers first."

Constantine spoke up.

Did she brainwash and manipulate this idiot?

He had better be prepared, and he'd grab him and use shadow movement to get them as far away as possible.

They'll leave her place of power if they're lucky before the Mad Witch raises her defenses.

"Yes, where are we?"

Dio stayed calm for now.

"Boy, we're in the Dreaming!"

Constantine told him.

"Fuck!"

Dio couldn't help but swear.

"Watch your language!"

The Mad Witch scolded him.

A lot of things now make sense.

Obviously, the Dreaming isn't just a place.

This place is defined by its nature, which is ever-changing and contains nothing solid.

Dio arrived here after passing through several places that were all dreams of some entity that had dreamed in the past, was dreaming now, or would dream in the future.

The past and present dreams don't disappear. They become small, permanent dimensions in this place forever.

"That makes sense. The Dreaming borders the Underworld and lies to the north in the Sphere of the Gods."

Dio said quietly.

"Yes, we were lucky not to end up in Apokolips."

Finally, Dio agreed with Constantine.

"I don't see why there's so much fear; I've lived in these lands since Madonna started singing. It has always been safe, even more so now."

The Mad Witch said this, slightly offended by their fear of this realm.

"I was attacked by a green humanoid a while ago."

Dio raised this point.

"A Brute? You weren't lucky; they are a bit territorial. You ended up in a nightmare."

Mad Witch explained.

"One? Are there more of them?"

Dio asked.

"Yes, the Brutes are creations of the only Brute. He is intelligent, unlike his clones, who spread throughout the nightmares. They are very annoying but necessary for this place to function."

Mad Witch said and took another sip of her tea.

"Why is it safer now?"

Constantine asked next.

"Because not long ago, the Lord returned, and he finally put things in order here."

The Lord of this place is Dream, Morpheus, Sandman, the Prince of Stories, and the King of Nightmares.

He is one of the Endless, the brother of Death herself, and one of the most powerful beings in this multiverse.

"I didn't know that Morpheus had left his realm."

Constantine commented, clearly wanting more information.

"For a brief period of time, but that was enough for the younger children to get out of control, but everything is resolved now, and the Dream is back to what it was."

Mad Witch said with a smile on her face.

This fact was vaguely familiar to him, something that happened in the comics that he didn't remember very well.

They could go to him and kindly ask him to allow them to leave his realm, but that's dangerous and could end badly, even though he's neutral compared to some other entities.

So, it's best to use the safest option.

"We have to go, like, immediately!"

Dio said to Constantine, but he didn't accept any refusal.

Constantine nodded to him and put his teacup on the table.

"You're absolutely right. Morpheus and I have never met; he's one of the few entities I haven't annoyed yet, and I want to keep it that way."

Constantine said this and returned to his real self.

"Ah, leaving will be a bit difficult for you two."

Mad Witch told them.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you two didn't come here the usual way, so the exit doors probably won't work."

Dio didn't quite understand what she was talking about.

On the other hand, Constantine's face stiffened, and he understood the problem.

Dio looked at him while waiting for an answer.

"She's right. The Dream is a space accessed by everyone while sleeping, but this access is done spiritually, and we are here physically."

Constantine explained.

"There must be another way, any other way."

"Of course there is, boy. You're not the first to have this problem."

"And how did the others get out?"

Constantine asked with excitement.

"With the help of the Lord, of course."

"Of course."

Dio sighed, disheartened.

They were already planning to leave this place without trying their luck with a cosmic entity.

"Well, if it has to be this way, hurry up. I want to be home in time for the Liverpool game!"

Constantine said as he got up.

"Thank you for the tea, ma'am, and for your hospitality."

Dio thanked the witch and stood up as well.

"You'll need something to guide you. Everything here moves without a normal path. You'd probably take years to reach his castle just by wandering around. Take this!"

Mad Witch said.

Then, a bronze compass with only a red needle in the middle appeared on the table.

"Will this lead us to the Lord of this place?"

Dio asked her while examining the compass on the table without touching it.

"No, I've never been to the Ghost Castle before, but I have a friend who's been here much longer than I have. He can guide you."

"It's better than wandering blindly."

Constantine said.

Dio agreed with him.

"Just be patient. My friend can be a bit eccentric."

Mad Witch said it in a playful tone.

"Thank you once again,"

Dio thanked her again and took the compass.

"If you really want to thank me, the English man over there can give me some cigarettes. They're one of the few things I miss from Earth, that and good old Punk!"

"HaHaHa, you're one of a kind, Witch."

Constantine laughed while taking a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and putting it on the table.

The exchange was made.

They thanked her once again and said goodbye to the Mad Witch while returning to the path of the stone road.

"So, what's the plan?"

Constantine asked after they were out of sight of the cabin.

"What do you mean?"

Dio asked.

"Well, I got you into this mess because I was desperate, and now that the contract is fulfilled, there's nothing holding you back, and I remember very well that the first thing you did when you saw me was pull out your sword."

Constantine was right. The contract has been fulfilled, and Dio no longer feels it within him.

"Let's work together, but once we get back to Earth, it's probably best if we don't meet again unless the world is ending."

Dio warned him.

"Are you sure? That seems to happen almost monthly."

Constantine joked.

Dio's cold stare wiped the smile off his face.

"I understand."

Constantine said finally.

Then Dio turned his attention to the compass.

It clearly wasn't pointing north. There must not be any magnetic poles in this dimension.

"Let's get off the road."

Dio told him and walked out of the road towards the forest.

...

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