Chapter 7: A Dream

-[Azrael]-

"It looks like there won't be any more customers today" Azrael said, putting the book he's reading down. He's been sitting for the whole day, so he feels nice when he stands up.

He grabs the book on the table and makes his way towards a category of books to put it back in its original place.

He reaches the shelf and gently places the book down. Since he was a kid back on Earth, he has always liked clean things and hates to see even a speck of dust on the books he reads. So in this bookstore, many people would like to stay here and probably sleep, amazed by how clean it is.

After putting the book on the shelf, Azrael then grabs the tea cup from the table and puts it under his table. Similar to the magic closet, this table is magical too.. it will clean anything he places inside, though it's only capable of that.

"Alright, time to sleep" Azrael said.

He walks towards the stairs not far from where he's standing and starts walking up.

After a while, Azrael finally reaches the second floor of his house. There's a big torch attached to the walls, the only thing that gives his house light. Even after weeks, he still hasn't gotten used to this.

Azrael walks towards his room. Once he reaches it, he touches the handle of the door and pushes it. The door opens, and he steps inside.

"Finally, I can sleep" Azrael said.

Azrael removes his black suit and walks towards the closet, putting it inside. Then he walks towards his bed. The bed is a little big for him, but it looks soft. Azrael lies down on the bed and relaxes.

After a while, Azrael is finally asleep. But unexpectedly, a dark fog emerges from Azrael's bed. The black fog has two white circles on its face, resembling eyes.

The black fog then takes the shape of a woman, although it still doesn't have a human body, only a form. The fog extends her hands towards Azrael and emits a white light from its hand, directed at Azrael.

The light hits Azrael, and immediately afterward, the fog retreats back under Azrael's bed.

...

"Where is this?" Azrael asks.

Azrael can only remember going to bed and falling asleep. Now he doesn't know where he is.

He looks around and finds himself inside a dark and creepy forest. He's not scared because he concludes that this is all just a dream.

'Well, this sounds fun!' Azrael thought.

Azrael is floating, which he finds fun. He flies around the forest, enjoying this dream-like experience. While flying, Azrael can't help but think that this may be a lucid dream.

He suddenly thought of something.

"That's right, if this is a lucid dream, then I can control things here" Azrael said.

He extends his hand and tries to make the tree in front of him float. And it does! Azrael can't help but smile. This is his first time having a lucid dream, and he can't help but say,

"This is so fun!" Azrael said.

He flies around and plays with things like trees and stones in the area. While having fun, Azrael sees something. a man lying under a tree. He can see many cuts on the man, with blood all over the place.

Azrael flies towards the man and stops in front of him.

"Well, this is really weird for a dream."

From what he knows, dreams don't have these weird situations happening. For him, a dream is what the person wants or desires, but this isn't what he wants.

Azrael thinks of himself falling to the ground, and he does. He safely lands on the surface and he starts walking closer to the man under the tree.

"Are you still alive?" Azrael asks.

Though this is just a dream, he still doesn't like this situation happening in front of him.

The man under the tree is wearing a weird hat, which Azrael finds similar to a steampunk-like hat from a fantasy novel he had read before.

"W-Who are you?" Sabo asks weakly. Blood falls from his mouth after he opens it.

Azrael starts thinking of something. Even if this is just a dream, it wouldn't hurt if he tried his best to heal someone from his dream.

Azrael walks closer to Sabo, extending his hand towards Sabo's forehead and gently touching it with his finger.

"Heal" Azrael says.

Suddenly, Sabo's body lights up in a green glow, and his wounds begin to rapidly heal. Sabo can feel the pain vanishing, which surprises him. His strength returns, and he decides to look up to see his savior. However, all he can see is a white light around the man's head. The man in front of him is shining. Sabo cries, seeing the man in front of him, and for some reason, his body moves on its own, and he kneels before the man.

"You don't need to do that; it's a simple thing," Azrael says.

Different to his words, Azrael's thoughts are different. 'Why is this man suddenly kneeling towards me? Does he think I'm a god? Oh well, it's just a dream.'

"Are you a god?" Sabo asked.

Azrael doesn't answer his question and decides to leave. He doesn't want to stay here anymore, as the man in front of him is really weird.

Azrael thinks of transporting himself to an unknown place, and immediately, he finds himself in a wide and beautiful-looking room. He sees five old men sitting on chairs and seems to be engaged in a discussion.

Azrael asks them, "Hello, can you tell me where this is?" Of course, he knows this is just a dream, but he wants to test something.

Upon hearing Azrael's voice, the five old men become alert. The old man with the katana unsheathes his sword, as he didn't even sense the unknown person's presence, despite his strong observation Haki. The unknown intruder is surrounded by a white light, making it impossible to see who it is.

"How did you get here?!" the old man with the katana demands.

Azrael realizes that he may have startled them. "Relax," he says. Upon hearing those words, the five old men become frozen with fear. Their bodies are tense, and they are scared. This is the first time in centuries that they have felt fear. They know they might die if the intruder in front of them intends harm.

'Hmm? Why are they so tense? I just said to relax; it might give them a heart attack' Azrael thinks.

"Wh-Who are you?" the fat old man, one of the five, asks with a shaky voice, attempting to calm himself down but failing.

'Damn... I probably shouldn't have startled them. They're really old, and their voices are shaky. Well, I'll just heal them' Azrael thought, Even though this is just a dream, he still feels bad for surprising them.

Azrael extends his hand towards them and opens it. He then thinks of them returning to their youth. However, unexpectedly, the old man with the katana suddenly moves and attacks him.

...

Azrael, who is sleeping on his bed, suddenly opens his eyes and immediately touches his body to see if anything is missing.

'Pew~ Just a dream' Azrael thinks.

Earlier, Azrael was surprised to see the old man move so fast and about to strike him with a katana. But now, he realizes it was all just a dream.

"Sigh... I'll go back to sleep and hope for a peaceful sleep this time" Azrael says.

He lies back down on the bed, covers himself with a blanket, and prepares to sleep again.

...

-[Mariejois]-

Holy Land of the World Government, where high-ranking officials, Celestial Dragons, and nobles reside, is illuminated with bright lights even though it is nighttime. Guards are running in every direction, armed with weapon and on high alert, observing the entire area.

"What's going on?"

"There's an intruder on the island, sir!"

"What?!"

...

In the main house and the meeting room of the Five Elders, the elders sit in their chairs, their expressions completely serious. They have never been humiliated like this before. The person who entered the island without their permission not only toyed with them but also attempted to kill them. They are grateful that Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro intervened and attacked the intruder.

"What do you all think? Will he really come back?" Saint Jaygarcia asks.

"We still don't know, but we should inform Her about this. That person is strong. I can't estimate their strength, but they are stronger than all the admirals!" Nusjuro says, alarmed by the situation. They know the intruder is their enemy, considering their attempt to kill them earlier. If Nusjuro hadn't intervened, they would likely be dead by now.

"You're right. Imu won't like this. The plan will be halted because of this unknown person!" Shepherd says.

They all think about the plan their master Imu has been wanting to complete for over five centuries. Now they have to halt it because of this intruder. They won't be able to proceed if there is a powerful individual trying to kill them and potentially destroy the World Government.

*Knock*

Someone knocks on the door and enters. It is a nervous marine wearing glasses.

"Did you find anything?" one of the elders asks.

"Umm... No, sir," the marine responds, sweating profusely.

"Then get out, you useless thing!" the elder says with a furious expression. He knows they won't be able to find the intruder, but he takes out his anger on the marine.

"Yes, sir," the marine says nervously, grateful that he's still alive. He quickly leaves the room.

The Five Elders stand up and leave the room, planning to go to an empty room where their master, Imu, is. They know that if Imu hears about this, she will be furious.

...

-[Empty Throne]-

In a massive hidden room within the Holy Land of Mariejois, there is a throne surrounded by old and rusty swords. The Five Elders walk towards the empty throne but stop before getting any closer. They kneel on the ground and wait for their master to arrive.

After a while, their wait isn't long as their master appears in the room. Imu enters, dressed in a complete black outfit with a long crown on her head. She walks slowly towards the throne and, once in front of it, sits down.

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A/N: Next chapter coming soon.

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