A Dream inside a Dream

"Blue, is that you?" He called out, but there was no answer.

'Maybe he can't hear me,' Cian reasoned. He could hardly see past the glowing threads, so he wasn't certain if the radiant orb in the heart of the sphere was truly his sprite 'Blue'.

He noticed one end of the first layer of threads sticking out, so he pulled on it, causing the whole layer to unravel and fade away.

{Assimilation rate: 2%}

"Oh! My Assimilation rate went up by 1 percent, does that mean for every layer of thread I lose, my Assimilation rate goes up?"

"Let's see" he ran around the sphere until he found another loose thread and pulled on it, it unravelled smoothly until it got stuck at a tangled-up knot. It wasn't difficult to detangle, setting him back on his path of pulling the thread until he fully unweaved the layer.

{Assimilation rate: 3%}

"So this is how I can increase my Assimilation rate, by unweaving these threads. It doesn't seem too difficult to do… but this makes me wonder where exactly am I. Is all this part of Aetheria?"

There was no way to figure out his location since there was nothing else in sight, but at least now he was certain that this wasn't just a dream, so he returned to his task of unweaving. This time there were two loose ends and many more knots.

Although it took more time and focus, it still was no match for his peak intellect.

{Assimilation rate: 4%}

The next layer had more knots, making it even more complex. After a while of intense concentration unravelling, he began to enjoy this mundane task. It was almost like he was solving a puzzle or going through a maze.

Each time he got past another knot he felt a rush of excitement knowing he was one step closer to the end. Until he completely unweaved the layer.

{Assimilation: 5%}

"Yesss!" he exclaimed

But now the real work was about to begin, this next layer had threads, moving in a complex intertwined pattern, with knots at different junctions.

"Seriously?" Cian muttered in a mix of frustration and awe as he grappled with the grandiosity of the situation.

"Each layer is becoming more complex than the last… this would take at least three hours to unweave" he reasoned.

Even just finding the loose ends this time was difficult because the threads were constantly moving.

He had gone on for a little while before he heard a faint voice, that was increasingly becoming louder.

"warrior, warRIOR!" Sir Owain said loudly as he shook Cian awake.

Startled, Cian jolted upright, heart pounding, as if a sudden surge of electricity raced through him. He had fallen asleep with his head resting on the table in the workshop.

Eyes wide, breath heavy, the remnants of the vivid dream slowly replaced by the unexpected urgency to regain his composure.

His father's face slowly blurred into focus. The abrupt awakening left a lingering sense of disorientation, and the workshop's details snapped into focus with a surreal clarity.

"You fell asleep, don't you want to see the masterpiece I made you?" He said as he returned to pick up the weapon on the workbench. It was a black axe with white lines etched on it.

He handed it to a still bewildered Cian. The player's Appraisal system activated as he came in contact with the axe, causing a window to appear before him.

______

<Tauric Horn battle Axe>

A weapon Crafted by a skilled master craftsman Owain, a descendant of the legendary Branwen Bloodline, made from the horn of the Snow minotaur, Kerra, that was slayed by the hero of the Lowlands, Cian.

Grade: Mythical Grade

Info: +50% DMG increase; +22% Attack speed; Durability: 1932/1932;

(Attack power-: 987-1100)

* (Charge)

*(Riot Slash)

*(Form Shift)

*(Perfect throw)

User Restriction: LVL 235

––––––

Cian regained his composure only to become overwhelmed by the information on the window.

"I didn't have any leftover high-quality wood for the handle, so I had to settle for that… it is reinforced black wood, but it has a really firm grip" Sir Owain explained proudly.

Cian's eyes widened as he read through the weapon description, "This is-" he gasped

"I know, this is very good," Sir Owain bragged.

"No, this is far too good!" Cian exclaimed with a mixture of pain and awe.

'This is unbelievable. I never expected that he would make a mythical Grade item. All these years he had spent honing his skills without any mana has turned him into a master craftsman of the highest level. But that's not the problem…' Cian thought.

Sir Owain was perplexed, "Isn't that what you wanted?" He questioned.

"Of course it is," Cian voiced, realizing how absurd what he had just said probably sounded

"But now it's way above my level. I wouldn't be able to use it any time soon" he explained.

"How is it my fault that I'm so skilled, and you are so weak?" Sir Owain jested, taking what Cian said as a joke.

[I'm beginning to like this man]

"Of course you are" Cian mumbled before suddenly receiving a message.

{Your name and title have been mentioned in the item description, would you like to customize the item?} Yes/No?

"Customize the item?" Cian wondered.

[You can customize the weapon to fit your current level, but you would only be able to use the amount of power allowed for your level. As you advance in level, so will the axe until you pass the minimum required level, where it would be restored to its full potential]

"So I'll still get to use a mythical Grade weapon even though not as a mythical Grade weapon" Cian reasoned, "That doesn't sound so bad"

He accepted the offer before he received another message.

{*Warning: You will be unable to trade this item if customized. Do you still wish to continue?}Yes/No

Cian pondered on it for a moment. It was still a far better option than being unable to use the weapon. Besides, who would ever want to sell a Mythical Grade weapon? They were so rare to come by that only a few players had one.

{Weapon Customized, debuffed to match user level}

{Would you like to rename the weapon?}

"There's no need for that,"

______

<Tauric Horn battleaxe>

Grade: Mythical Grade

Info: +35% DMG increase; +10.5% Attack speed; Durability: 966/966;

(Attack power-: 654-781)

* (Charge)

Increases the damage of your first attack by 75%.{reduced to 30%}

*(Riot Slash)

Sends out a powerful energy strike.

*(Form Shift){Locked}

*(Perfect throw) {Locked}

––––––

As he received the message he felt the weapon's power output drop by at least 55% making the axe slightly heavier. He still stared at the axe with a mixture of admiration and satisfaction.

"Thank you, sir, this is really the best axe I have ever seen"

"No, no warrior I should be thanking you instead, for this gift you have given me, I'll forever be in your debt"

The moments Cian had spent reconnecting with his father were very precious to him. Even if they couldn't relate as father and son, he still appreciated every second of it.

"Is it okay if I stay a bit more?" Cian timidly asked.

"Of course, you are always welcome here, I would love for you to meet my son when he returns, he is a nice boy, so I'm sure you two would be good friends," Sir Owain said with a happy tone.

"I'm sure he is," Cian replied pridefully. Who knew his father had such pleasant things to say about him.

"Although he can be a bit awkward and lazy so it's hard for him to make friends, but he is a good person" Sir Owain added

Cian felt attacked by his father's words, even if he was certain he only had good intentions.

'It wasn't hard, I just didn't want any friends, and it's not like I didn't have any friends, I had Elsa' Cian could only explain in his head.

"That's sad," Cian mumbled.

"I know, but he did have one friend at least. Her name was Elsa, a very smart and beautiful girl".

"Oh, that means he wasn't so awkward after all," Cian jested, trying to preserve whatever little honour he had left.

Sir Owain chuckled, "No, no, he was. I was so grateful that she chose to stay with my boy, even if he wasn't so bright"

'Bright? What did he mean by that?' Cian wondered. He couldn't tell if he was supposed to feel violated or just sorry for himself. Even if Blue hadn't said anything, Cian was certain he was enjoying this.