Chapter 22: A Special Dream
As the banquet stretched on, a fervent energy coursed through the veins of the nobles, causing them to surrender to the allure of the dimly lit ambiance.
Before the dance could begin, Rhaegar gracefully excused himself, feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over him.
Seeking respite, he retired to his chamber for a much-needed night's rest.
In the depths of the night, Rhaegar's peaceful slumber took an abrupt turn as he began to murmur unintelligibly in his sleep.
Within moments, he plunged into a harrowing nightmare.
In his dream, Rhaegar found himself stranded on a desolate island, shrouded in an eerie mist beneath a dark and foreboding sky.
A chilling silence enveloped the air, broken only by his own muted cries for help.
As if in response to his distress, the tranquil sea surrounding the island erupted into a tumultuous frenzy, monstrous waves crashing against its shores.
The encroaching tide swallowed the land inch by inch, forcing Rhaegar to seek refuge on higher ground, his heart pounding with fear.
Despite his efforts to climb a nearby coconut tree for safety, the relentless floodwaters continued to rise relentlessly, threatening to engulf him.
Just as despair threatened to consume him entirely, a colossal shadow loomed overhead, blotting out the moonlight.
Straining against his own terror, Rhaegar attempted to lift his gaze skyward, but his body remained paralyzed with fear.
"Hiss...." came a sinister whisper, sending a shiver down his spine, as the shadow descended closer, casting a chilling pall over his nightmare.
Amidst his mounting anxiety, a roar both familiar and alien reverberated from every direction, jolting Rhaegar from his unease.
The thunderous sound seemed to rupture his eardrums, suffocating him with its intensity as a frigid sensation of water enveloped his senses.
"Water... so much water... icy..."
The sudden disorientation sent shockwaves through his mind, his sleeping form outside the dream world reacting with involuntary tremors and a sheen of sweat coating his brow.
"No! No!"
As the sea surged in his nightmares, flooding his ankles with icy dread, Rhaegar snapped awake with a panicked cry, his eyes flying open as he struggled to shake off the lingering terror.
Knock Knock...
The sound of a gentle rap on his door accompanied Erryk's concerned voice filtering through.
"Are you alright, Your Highness?"
"Huh, no water... I'm still in my room..."
Confusion clouded his senses as Rhaegar surveyed his surroundings, the familiar comforts of his chamber gradually easing the remnants of his unsettling dream.
After a brief moment of consideration, Erryk refrained from barging in, respecting Rhaegar's space.
"I'm fine, Ser. I just had a nightmare," Rhaegar replied, his voice tinged with weariness.
"If you need anything, just call out," Erryk murmured softly, his heart sinking at the thought of Rhaegar's recurring nightmares. They had become all too familiar over their time together, and Erryk couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the young prince's restless nights.
With no further words exchanged between them, Rhaegar nestled against his pillow, overwhelmed by a sense of despair. The nightmare had felt all too real, more terrifying than any he had experienced before, each beat of his heart a reminder of its lingering effects.
"Another nightmare... if this is the gift of the Dreamer, I want no part of it," he muttered dishearteningly, recalling the golden talent the System had revealed. It had been a while since he had experienced such vivid dreams, and tonight's episode had caught him off guard, leaving him feeling emotionally drained and vulnerable.
In that moment, Rhaegar couldn't shake the sensation of being lost and abandoned, like a stray animal left out in the cold wind.
As the system's announcement pierced through the heavy air, Rhaegar snapped back to reality, his mind still reeling from the nightmare.
With a shake of his head to clear the fog, he extended his arm to examine the silver bracelet adorning his wrist.
[Mysterious Valyrian Steel Bracelet] Exploration progress: 100%
The system's prompt reminded him of the completion of his exploration task. Rhaegar recalled the extensive time typically required for such endeavors, realizing that this particular exploration had begun around mid-afternoon.
Glancing at the dimly flickering wall, he estimated the time to be around 10 p.m., based on the usual schedule for extinguishing the torches.
"Approximately 8 hours," he murmured to himself, mentally calculating the duration of the exploration.
With a gentle sweep of his hand, Rhaegar collected the ethereal blue aura that had settled on his bed.
"Reward successfully claimed," the system confirmed.
"Recognition successful, identified as a valuable reward: the fire mage's magical tools."
"I wonder what kind of treasure it is?"
Driven by his insatiable curiosity about magic, Rhaegar wastes no time and activates the relic without hesitation.
"Congratulations, the fire mage's magical tool has been activated, you have received..."
[Space Bracelet] Grade: Excellent (Blue) Function: The inside of the bracelet contains three cubic meters of space. It cannot contain living beings. Evaluation: "This is a magical artifact dating back to the ancient Valyrian era, and its spatial attributes make it so valuable that even the noble Dragon Lords are seeking it out!"
As Rhaegar wears the Valyrian steel bracelet, he gently shakes his wrist, causing the surface to crack and shed its dust.
Gone is the original time polish, replaced by a subtle silvery gray hue. The overall appearance of the bracelet has transformed into a more refined state, with the pattern becoming even more exquisite, as if it had been meticulously recarved by a skilled craftsman.
"A bracelet of magic, a treasure coveted even by the dragon lords of Valyria?"
Rhaegar is filled with awe as he gazes at the mysterious bracelet in his hands.
Never did he imagine that he would come into possession of such a valuable artifact by chance.
"I really should thank Uncle Daemon once again for bestowing upon me such a generous gift," he muses, a sense of gratitude washing over him.
The explorer system included instructions for the use of the space bracelet, and Rhaegar carefully perused them.
"So that's how it is. Valyrian steel contains magic, and by inscribing space runes on this magical metal, you can create a space enchantment."
Rhaegar couldn't help but marvel at the wisdom of his ancestors.
Valyrian steel was already a rare commodity, but to find it imbued with space magic was extraordinary. Wizards capable of carving space runes were exceedingly rare, making space artifacts a precious find, produced only every few hundred years.
During the ancient Valyrian period, only the most powerful dragon lord families could possess such space magic weapons, often treasured as inheritance heirlooms.
However, despite being of Targaryen descent, their family's strength didn't rank high among the forty dragon lord families. Thus, there were no records of such magical treasures within their lineage.
The families of the Dragon Lords who once possessed Spatial Amulets had long been wiped out by the Doom, their legacies buried in the ruins of Valyria.
Rhaegar's breath quickened, his eyes transfixed on the Space Bracelet in his hands.
"This matter must remain a secret. Revealing it could only lead to trouble," he resolved firmly, acknowledging the gravity of the artifact's significance.
Without hesitation, Rhaegar picked up the fruit knife from the bedside table and sliced his forefinger, smearing blood onto the surface of the bracelet.
Buzz...
The bracelet emitted a soft, hazy glow before disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Simultaneously, Rhaegar felt an inexplicable connection between himself and the bracelet.
"The bracelet was forged by the strongest of fire mages. It has the function of bloodline identification."
"My Targaryen bloodline is enough to make this bracelet mine."
As the owner of the bracelet, Rhaegar willed it to shrink to a size suitable for wearing.
He slid the bracelet onto his wrist, marveling at the newfound power coursing through him. With a touch and a silent command, he summoned the fruit knife back to his hand.
"Return to me!"
With a whisper, the fruit knife vanished into thin air, leaving Rhaegar to explore the capabilities of his new artifact.
Delving into the empty space within the bracelet, Rhaegar discovered a plethora of treasures: mountains of gold, stacks of ancient Valyrian books, a dragon medallion, and an array of clothing and miscellany, all neatly categorized.
The sight of the gold piqued Rhaegar's interest. While he may have been a prince, the royal vault wasn't his to plunder. Now, with this newfound wealth, he could finally enjoy the freedom to spend without restraint, no longer bound by the confines of the Red Keep.
(Word count: 1430)