Chapter 171

Dio took a good look at the dragon statues while waiting.

They were different from his golem, an artificial living being.

Dio could classify them as homunculi, but since they must have gained life through the castle's master, they don't fit into that classification.

Nevertheless, it's always interesting to see beings like these.

Dio was also going to start trying to create golems like these rocks. They are sturdy and have good defense.

Dio could also use underworld gems. This will greatly increase their defense.

So, Dio would use them as guards and maybe spread some around the island in the Tower.

"I'll go!"

A voice shouted from the other side of the doors.

Dio thought they would be opened, but a small door appeared in front of the stairs, where another person emerged.

He looked interested in their situation until he saw a familiar face.

"Matthew, what's this mess?"

He asked.

"Lucien, these are guests, but Rover attacked them, and you know the dragons."

Matthew quickly replied while flying over to him and landing on Dio's shoulder to show that he trusted him.

Lucien is a tall man, over two meters tall. He's wearing gray over a white shirt, with a thick, ancient book under his arm.

He wore round glasses and had hair only in the center of his head and on the sides, with a long, large nose and proportional ears.

"Rover, my friend, I've already told you not to attack those who come down the road!"

Lucien snapped at the werewolf.

"GRRRRR!!"

The wolf growled in response.

"Don't give me excuses. You know very well that if they had malicious intentions for this place, the creatures in the forest wouldn't have allowed them to pass so easily."

"GRRRRR!!"

"Don't be childish, go play!"

Lucien took a red ball from his overall pocket and threw it forcefully to his left.

Rover followed the ball quickly and disappeared.

Then Lucien slowly descended the stairs with a smile and finally addressed them.

"I apologize for my friend's behavior. They are good people, just not very intelligent."

"It's okay."

Dio accepted his apologies.

"It's a shame; I wanted to use this new dagger."

Constantine commented while putting away his silver dagger.

"Well, now that everything is settled, could you tell me why you came here?"

"We want to request an audience with the lord of the castle and this realm. We are trapped in it and seek his assistance."

Dio politely requested the man in front of him.

"You are welcome. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Lucien, the guardian of the library and a legal servant of the King of Dream."

Lucien bowed politely.

"I am Kírix, and this is Constantine. Thank you for your help."

"You may enter, but he may not."

Lucien pointed to Cain.

"I don't want to enter."

Cain responded and was not offended at all.

"The last time we allowed him into the castle, he lost several of my books because he wanted to test a way to kill his brother using them. It was outrageous!"

Lucien explained.

"They are just books; the library is filling up with them every second. Why so much drama?"

"They are not just books; they are unique books, a collection of stories that have never been or will ever be written!"

"Boring!"

"Be that as it may, I'll wait for both of you inside!"

Lucien shouted, then turned around and calmly ascended the stairs to enter the castle.

"Cain always finds a way to get under Lucien's skin; it's quite impressive."

Matthew while still perched on his shoulder.

"I think we're parting ways here, my friends."

Cain said it with tears in his eyes.

"It was nice meeting you, Cain. We'll meet again and go out for a night on the town, just the two of us, and summon some succubi and lots of drinks; we'll definitely have fun."

Constantine said.

"Thank you, Cain. If it weren't for you, we'd still be wandering around lost."

Dio also expressed his gratitude.

"It was no problem at all. Actually, I always enjoy a change in routine."

Cain threw the cup to the ground and ran over to them with his arms wide open while giving them a bear hug.

Cain really was strong; Dio could feel that now, and Constantine was running out of breath.

"You're going to kill the mortal, Cain!"

Matthew warned cleverly flying away when Cain came toward them.

"Oh, sorry about that, I forget how fragile mortals' bodies are."

Cain said after releasing them.

"Cough! Cough!"

Constantine leaned over and coughed a few times to catch his breath.

"Don't worry about him, and no ribs were broken; he's fine."

Dio reassured Cain, who seemed quite concerned.

After that, Cain couldn't resist and gave another hug, surely breaking Constantine's rib this time.

Then he ran away while jumping with joy and said he would spend some time with his brother and that he missed him.

"Completely insane, that one."

Matthew commented and received a nod from everyone present.

"Now that everything is settled, please, let's go inside."

Lucien called them again and looked at them from inside the small door.

So, they enter the Ghost Castle.

...

Dio had seen many luxurious places in his life, both personally and in photos and movies.

However, none of them compares to the interior of the castle.

The furniture was strewn about, and the Greek-style columns on the walls of the hall where they were standing appeared to have all been hand-carved by a talented artist.

They are so beautifully made that even someone who doesn't know much about art can appreciate them.

There was a red carpet covering the whole floor, and Dio almost fell asleep on it.

However, the ceiling was the most beautiful.

These ceilings showed the night sky like Hogwarts'.

But instead of stars, it showed huge clouds of almost-golden sand floating together to form a huge galaxy with planets, stars, and meteors in perfect detail.

"Through here, gentlemen, the master awaits you."

Lucien called them and woke them both up.

He was standing near another door to their left on the other side of the quite large hall.

They walked over to him and stood facing the door.

"Go ahead."

Dio entered without thinking as if led by an invisible force when the door opened itself.

"Good luck, and see you later, guys!"

Dio heard Matthew's voice behind him just before the door closed.

They had just entered a small room with a lit fireplace and two armchairs beside it.

There is a table with a chair nearby and a sofa on the left.

It was a small room with several paintings hanging on the wall, each depicting the same man in black while wearing different clothes over the centuries.

Dio didn't pay much attention to it, as he couldn't take his eyes off the figure standing by the fireplace.

He was two meters tall, very skinny, and wore a black cloak that left his left arm bare. He had slender black hair and paler skin.

He had a slender face and a dark sclera, but his iris shone like sand.

Dio could feel the immense power contained in this small body.

Dream

One of the most powerful beings in the multiverse.

"You arrived earlier than I thought."

Morpheus said it with a strong voice.

"We had help along the way. You have good folks here. Most of the guys I meet in other dimensions are a bunch of bigger idiots than me."

Constantine spoke and was unimpressed by the being in front of him.

"I highly doubt that, John Constantine. There are very few beings who surpass your idiocy."

"Do we know each other?"

"No, but I am the master of this realm, and no dream escapes my vision except his!"

Morpheus pointed to Dio.

Dio froze in fear of being pointed at by that finger.

"Well, this is a surprise. It seems that I won't be the center of the problem this time."

"Lord of the Dreaming, what do you mean by that?"

Dio asked politely.

"You can call me Morpheus. It will make it easier for you, and what I mean by that is exactly what I said is you have never set foot in my kingdom, demigod."

He replied politely and calmly while lowering his hand.

"Because of my divine heritage or something like that?"

"No, even the god's dream."

"We can discuss this further once we are alone."

Morpheus said this while making a gesture with his left arm.

Then, a purple portal of energy appeared to his left.

"This is the exit of my realm, John Constantine. Leave now, and I have matters to ask with the demigod."

"It's not gonna happen, buddy. I might have done a bunch of bad things, but I've never left anyone in the wolves' den."

"This was not a proposal, John Constantine."

An invisible force threw Constantine forward. The portal closed so fast that none of them could do anything as his body went through it.

Dio was now facing Morpheus, one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse alone.

He couldn't help but reach for the hilt of his sword on his back, but he managed to keep it there.

Morpheus has shown no ill will towards him.

"Do not worry, demigod. You are safer than ever in my house as I follow the ancient laws of hospitality."

That unimaginably reassured him, and he immediately removed his hand from the hilt of his sword.

"I'm sorry, but your actions were a bit unexpected."

The ancient laws of hospitality are quite strict. Any harm done to a guest accepted into their home has terrible consequences.

A host can only take action against a guest who attacks them physically or acts maliciously.

"Let's sit down."

Morpheus pointed to two armchairs facing each other by the fire.

Morpheus walked slowly to his armchair, and Dio did the same, but he waited for him to sit first.

He looked at Dio with his glowing eyes for a few seconds before speaking again.

"All living beings in the multiverse are welcome in my realm, which accepts all regardless of who they are, but you are different. It's as if you were never naturally born into this multiverse, so you don't have the direct connection that others do."

Morpheus explained.

"That's why I never remember my dreams."

Dio said aloud, and he nodded in response.

"I presume you had already realized this and also understood why you cannot enter my realm."

"Yes, do you also know?"

Dio asked a little cautiously.

This reincarnation was a secret he wanted to keep to himself for many reasons.

There will be terrible consequences if this information gets into the hands of someone with malicious intent.

Dio also didn't want people to know about any knowledge that could happen to them.

It would be very disastrous if Dio told the heroes something that happened or could happen, and that changed how they behaved.

Dio indeed knew about events that could happen, but the word "could" is very powerful.

In the myriad of realities in the DC universe, the chances of an event happening exactly like in the comics or books in this one are small.

"Something powerful placed you here, for what purpose, I cannot say."

"And what do you think about it?"

Dio asked fearfully.

"I think nothing of it. It is not within my authority to judge such an action, but we wouldn't be having this conversation if you weren't who you are now, a hero."

In short, Dio would probably be in trouble if he weren't a hero.

"And now?"

"Now, there are two choices: you allow me to force your entry into my realm, or you leave here in peace, knowing full well that something will go wrong in the future."

"For both choices, I know the first one has some catch."

"No catches, just a price to pay."

"Of course there is."

"What is the price?"

"A future favor."

"A favor? That doesn't make sense. What could I do that someone of your level couldn't do alone?"

A favor would be the same as a magical deal, but the consequences of breaking it are a thousand times greater than being done with him.

"I don't know. It was my brother Destiny who suggested it and said it would be more than beneficial for both of us in the near future."

Now, it's not just one of the Endless that Dio had to worry about.

Destiny himself also knows something.

"So, what do you say?"

Morpheus asked as he raised his white hand and placed it in front of him.

Dio came to this realm after trying to fulfill a simple contract, and he was leaving with one a thousand times more complicated and completely out of his control.

Nevertheless, Dio shook his hand.

A cold and thin hand, he found it ridiculous, a thought that crossed his mind, not squeezing too hard to avoid hurting him.

"It is done. I have created a road to my realm for you to use, as all the others were closed."

Dio didn't feel anything different or any other change, but he was still awake.

"Thank you."

Dio said it without much desire to do so.

"Go now in peace, Diomedes Inwudu."

Then, another portal appeared beside his armchair.

Dio almost jumped out of his seat without a second thought.

He took one last look at Morpheus, who still looked at him with his shining eyes, nodded to him, and entered the portal.

This misadventure may be over for now.

...

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