Chapter 37 - Blythe's Journey

Her life turned into a literal hell. Sleep itself became a hot commodity she bartered for as she learned how to live.

Many veterans told her to pack up and leave. They understood how newbies took it when they themselves were approaching their mental limits.

However, Blythe saw it in a different light. Mocking, not enough.

Weak as people always assumed her to be. She stubbornly persisted, and after a while, earned a small amount of respect from others.

No one knew where her determination came from. Two weeks since she came to the island.

She learned how to work together with others. Rotations became natural, and they didn't need to wake each other up anymore.

Blythe got used to her new teammates. Fought every day for hours before returning exhausted or injured.

Be it beginner's luck or skill. She never got seriously injured and at most got some burns after a direct laser hit.

Under the facade, the doll started to crack. It started with slight discrepancies before she began to make more noticeable mistakes.

People noticed and warned her.

She never listened and continued on her journey to prove herself.

"Just another 3 weeks before the mission's complete." She said to herself each time she found herself on the brink of giving up.

The third week in she became more recluse. No longer she could talk to people when they might die the very next day.

Since those 20 days, she met many great people. Out of those, perhaps a dozen survived at most.

Such rampant death in one of the safer sectors. The thought of people dying all over the frontlines in thousands every day brought her nightmares.

She couldn't imagine it. In the past, she used to say a few words of condolences before she returned to her stuff.

Many times, musical concerts exceeded the importance of grieving over souls she never met.

Those times, she wished to return to them. Nevertheless, in a weird way, she forced herself to keep going.

Blythe gained a small reputation during her stay in the sector, and in the fifth week, she bid everyone goodbye.

The mission became complete and reinforcements arrived. After all, she didn't join a stationary mission.

Flying back, she kept her vigilance at all times high. Never once did she fall into thought and kept flying to her one destination.

To return to the Inn of Dreams. Like a divine cure that everyone praised, a bit of anticipation welled up inside of her.

What kind of magic would she experience that would get rid of her sluggish body? Or perhaps she might get rid of her weakness all together.

The now familiar feeling overtook her, as she got absorbed by the barrier and entered the city.

She didn't land and flew straight to the Inn of Dreams. Some people took notice, but understood once they saw her direction.

Anyone who could come back from a mission deserved the honour of flying above all at least once.

With a great speed, she arrived. Her hand touched the door as she fell inside.

The world turned and turned, with her room nowhere to be found. Instead, she witnessed another whole world.

Colours she liked, places she often dreamt of when she wished to return to the mainland.

And most important of all. People she used to hang out with. Her mind didn't question anything, and she began walking around.

Whenever she entered a special place, the world would transform, and she would live out a peaceful life.

Some administrative work that seemed so light and easy to finish before she went into her most favorite pub to taste sweet desserts.

After a few times, she got a bit sick of the sweets and the world returned her to back as she walked into another place without thought.

There, she didn't work and did almost nothing. High trees surrounded her as memories flooded in.

When she used to be so innocent, she and her friends once walked into one of the few tourist attractions known to the entire world.

A forest of very high trees with many myths surrounding it. Stories and tales centered around them were plenty.

She hopped around as replicas of some famous stories became alive. They interacted, talked, and laughed.

Like professional actors, they played their role and made the whole experience something to remember.

Time didn't seem to play a role in this place, as she eventually returned to her crossroads.

She visited many other paths, each with unique memories that she always treasured, and then came the last path that she had yet to explore.

Light as a feather, unbeknownst to her, the wind followed her footsteps as she hopped to the final one.

A room filled with one enormous bed and a small table next to it. On the table stood a cup of hot chocolate with steam coming from it.

Blythe's clothes changed into pajamas she used to wear as a kid. Drowsiness overcame her as she sipped on the hot chocolate before falling asleep.

Her breath became calm and unhurried. A stark contrast to her deep breaths during her time on a mission.

The surrounding room slowly transformed again and returned to the room she visited five weeks ago.

...

Blythe felt a slight shock before she woke up. Half asleep, she looked around the room for a few seconds before she jumped up.

The imagined scenario of a battlefield didn't appear. The tension her body kept her locked in the entire time, nowhere to be found.

At some point, those vivid memories turned blurry. Instead, she began to remember her past much more clearly.

Her younger self seemed to be able to see the future. She told her future to walk and run.

To fulfill that selfish dream for them both. Her past self waved her goodbye as she left the Inn of Dreams.

The little girl vanished, leaving behind an empty room.

Blythe walked through the streets and found herself back. This time, her steps became a bit more steady.

The large board didn't change much. Catastrophes appeared from time to time and annihilation lurked around the corner.

A slight change remained, however. The rate at which sectors fell or requested assistance fell.

All around her, she heard rumours. Terran, while she fumbled around for five weeks.

He managed to complete several black ranked missions and even dozens of red missions along the way.

She couldn't imagine what kind of fights he had to go through in order to complete so many in just five weeks.

This time, she didn't clench her fist, nor did she feel inferior. That little guy she used to tease walked and walked before he surpassed her and now became the time for her to return the favor.

She turned around and walked up to the board again. In a minute, she snagged a mission and embarked on another journey.

A dozen more mission around the green rank and she might be able to fight for an opportunity on the awakened realm...

It might take months or years. However, she didn't care for any of that, nor about what she would do.

Right now, her presence demanded for her to see the present and not the far future that one might imagine and color according to one's wishes.

Do and don't think. Three words Liam sometimes said. Her memories of the time they spent together flashed before her eyes.

She chuckled a bit as a random thought came to her mind.

"Maybe I'll be able to understand all those profound mysteries Liam always talked about when I return. Hehe~ I'll give him a surprise." She said and joined her teammates.

The fame and story of another newcomer began to spread. At her second mission, the potential shackled deep inside of her exploded.

Although her realm didn't improve, it became different in essence and mind. Thanks to her newfound experience.

She might be able to handle ten of her at once without a problem. It made her realise why the frontlines would always be important.

No matter how many artificial awakened elders humanity has. When an experienced, unawakened elder plays his cards right.

Then perhaps such a fake might fall. Not to mention humans, aliens, and those vines held a hundred times more malice.

The thought and allure of the awakened realm seemed less exciting compared to the power she gained in the short while in here.

Second time she entered the Inn of Dreams. The anticipated scenario didn't happen.

Paths turned into one slow ride. She didn't know when, but sometimes she rode a boat, a carriage and other times she flew in the skies.

The effect couldn't compare to her first time when she entered the Inn of Dreams, however it turned out to be just right.

Not too much to make her swim in the sin of sloth. And just enough for her to relax.

While she didn't feel it this time. Her body still became much more stiff and her anticipated adaptation would have to wait...