Ancient Forest

The golden wreath disappeared, and Sunny found himself facing two new images. On one, a knight in a suit of polished armor was depicted holding a bloodied sword. On the other, a warrior in an archaic armor was shown standing back to back with the knight, a slender huntress drawing her bow behind them.

The pleasant voice announced:

"Challenger, select your dream."

Several words appeared above the images.

"Dream of Glory", "Dream of Camaraderie".

'What's with the bells and whistles…'

Sunny rolled his eyes.

The choice was very simple — one image was going to send him into the individual competition, while the other was meant for cohorts.

The Dream Tournament was basically two separate tournaments happening at the same time. This way, those Awakened who didn't have combat Aspects could also participate and earn rewards. It was a good system.

Sunny had no intention of searching for a cohort, so he simply chose the image of the lonely knight and closed his eyes.

Unlike the usual Dreamscape duels, the tournament included various battle modes. They were also broadcasted and happened at a schedule, so he had to wait for the first qualifier round to start.

Standing in the darkness, Sunny couldn't help but feel a little excited.

***

"Challenger! Draw your weapon and prepare! Only the best will survive!"

A bright light suddenly shone from above, and he found himself in the middle of a lush forest. All around him, ancient trees swayed lightly, their leaves rustling in the gentle wind.

Some distance away, a tranquil lake glistened in the sunlight, and from its clear waters, a breathtakingly beautiful castle rose into the sky. The castle was built out of grey stone and was as large as a city, its ancient walls scarred by a thousand sieges that it had withstood. Still, those scars could not diminish the ethereal beauty of the great fortress.

The arena was vast, and encompassed all of the forest. There was no other Awakened near Sunny, and for a good reason.

The qualifying rounds of the Dream Tournament were held in the form of a grand battle royale. A thousand challengers were sent into a large environment, and only the last one standing would be allowed to move on.

Depending on their performance, a few more people could also gain entry into the tournament… but the only concrete method to qualify was to be the sole survivor. This was a necessary measure implemented in the last few years because of the sheer amount of participants.

Arranging and broadcasting so many individual duels was not very practical… or profitable… especially considering that most of these Awakened were not very skilled. The battle royale was meant to weed out the weak and create an exciting show for the viewers.

Sunny knew this, of course, because he had done some research in the past couple of days.

…He didn't need the research to recognize where he was, though.

'Wow… it's even more beautiful in real life…'

Who didn't know Bastion?

This year, clan Valor sponsored the tournament, so the arena was designed to resemble the seat of their power, great Bastion — one of the three most populous human Citadels in the Dream Realm.

Sunny had never been to the ancient castle, but its image was ubiquitous in popular culture. He recognized it instantly.

'So… this must be the Lake of Bones, then.'

And all around him was the ancient, cursed forest that Anvil of Valor had destroyed.

These days, of course, the landscape surrounding Bastion was very different. Instead of a lush forest, it was surrounded by a sea of ash and charred remains of the dreaded titan, with human forts built here and there to repel powerful Nightmare Creatures from wandering close to the Citadel.

But thanks to the Dreamscape, Sunny got to enjoy the way this place had looked before, vibrant and pristine. The only difference was that there was no harrowing darkness hiding behind the veil of false tranquility.

'Ah. How nice.'

Compared to the Chained Isles, it was a nice change of pace.

Just as he thought that, the voice of the Dreamscape suddenly announced:

"Challenger Mongrel #19 was eliminated."

Sunny tilted his head.

'Well, that was fast. Also… what's up with that alias?"

Shaking his head, he commanded the Soul Serpent to assume the form of the odachi and calmly headed deeper into the forest.

It was time to start hunting...

***

On the official broadcast channel, the image of an eliminated player was shown briefly. Then, a rather lighthearted voice spoke:

"What a kill! Just a few seconds after the start, and we already have a casualty. Let's all wish Mongrel #19 better luck next year!"

An avatar of an exquisitely handsome young man appeared in the corner of the broadcast. Glancing at the camera with a bright smile, he continued:

"And so, the fifth annual Dream Tournament has begun! Yes, it's me, Syclus. Your favorite commentator and Nightmare Creature expert! Hold the applause, he-he. Guys, I have a big surprise for you. Guess who decided to join me in the commentator booth today?"

The young man paused, and then gestured to the other side of the screen, where an older man with sharp features, deep eyes, and a short beard appeared.

"That's right, you're not hallucinating! It's Dimi, the great loremaster and former Dream Champion! Give him a warm welcome!"

As a deluge of messages flooded the chat, the older man smiled.

"Hey, everyone."

Syclus, meanwhile, spoke again:

"We have a couple of minutes before the real action starts, since challengers need some time to find each other in this beautiful arena. So, while we wait, I have a couple of questions for Dimi."

He glanced at the broadcast, which switched between various Awakened traveling through the forest. Some of them were well-equipped and looked skilled, while others less so.

"First of all, this year we had a record number of fighters signing up for the tournament. What are your thoughts on that as a veteran Dreamscape duelist, Dimi?"

The older man smiled.

"It's nice to see more Awakened taking up the illusory sword. Some of them might even know how to use one! Of course, I have to give a lot of credit to the generosity of the Great Clan Valor. They have really outdone themselves with the prizes this year. No, I am not salty. Not at all!"

Syclus laughed, and then threw a mischievous glance at his colleague.

"Alright, then I'll ask you the question that I am sure is on everyone's mind. As an expert, who do you think will win the tournament... and why is it Mongrel?"