Chapter 45 – Sleepless

Lin Wei had been very careless with his mental energy lately, which was rare.

He had even abandoned his habit of condensing his mental energy into fine threads, instead spreading a thin layer of it around him.

Of course, there was a good reason for this.

Lin Wei propped his chin on his right hand as he observed Duan Yu across from him, occasionally using his mental energy to sense him, and other times focusing intently on his face—Duan Yu was currently in a deep state of meditation, with elements swirling around him in a faint golden vortex. The vortex’s rotation was slowing down, almost coming to a standstill.

At this moment, Duan Yu was establishing a new connection with the elements—a connection that Lin Wei, as a summoner, could not fully comprehend. This connection had been slowly forming over the past few days and was now mostly complete.

When it was fully established—when all the elements resonated perfectly with the mage—there would be a significant, fundamental breakthrough in the mage’s power.

At the same time, the elemental turbulence within his body, caused by the excessive purity of the elements, would be completely suppressed, then dissipated, and finally cease to have any effect.

As for this, the mage himself remained very calm. His condition was even improving, and the depth of his meditation was something that Lin Wei, a restless and perpetually distracted half-baked summoner, could never achieve—if Lin Wei tried to enter such a meditative state, his thoughts would inevitably drift to the mage, the goddess, the Imperial Capital, and all sorts of other things, until he inevitably fell asleep. Perhaps the Goddess of Fate would favor him and grant him some revelation in his dreams—but unfortunately, such a thing had never happened.

However, the mage’s calmness did not extend to Lin Wei. The Young Duke was currently very anxious.

He had been closely monitoring the progress over the past few days, and it was now clear that the complete establishment of the connection was not far off—perhaps during the next meditation session…

Summoned creatures did not lie; they faithfully reflected their master’s emotions—emerald Abel vines twisted around the bedpost, tying themselves into a knot, while the spirit fluttered its wings back and forth, causing the unicorn to flick its tail and kick its hind hoof in annoyance.

The room was now a pale gray—almost white, with fine stone textures and subtle, beautiful patterns. The once-simple stone bed had been transformed over the past few days into something more impressive, with carved bedposts that matched the patterns in the eldest son’s room at the Tidis residence. The vines wrapped around them as decoration, and the silvery fur spread across the bed, thick and warm.

The unicorn’s light fully illuminated the space, and the fire lion’s magic dispelled the underground chill and dampness, making the area dry and warm.

There was a limit to the decorative items in the spatial ring, so the place still felt somewhat empty, but he couldn’t have done better.

Deep meditation would not be interrupted by external sounds, so Lin Wei beckoned the spirit to land on his hand and said to it, “Later, you need to hide… he can’t see such an ugly thing.”

The spirit—a very intelligent one, though it still couldn’t understand Lin Wei’s language—had become very familiar with the syllable for “ugly” over the past few days, and Lin Wei’s right hand now bore another set of bite marks.

Lin Wei felt that, as Duan Yu’s classmate at the academy, a sincere companion, and a close friend, he should make his utmost effort to ensure that the first thing his friend saw upon awakening was something beautiful—or at least normal, not something as dreary and unpleasant as the lifeless swamp outside.

He and Duan Yu had agreed that the final meditation session for breaking through to the high level would take place before they went to sleep.

This plan had come from Ah Lan’s warning that, during the process of suppressing the elemental turbulence, the mage would gradually lose all his senses—hearing, smell, and even touch—and would not regain them for about half a day. Even mental energy would be unusable.

Lin Wei’s idea was simple: fall asleep before losing these senses, and everything would be resolved.

Once asleep, he wouldn’t feel anything, wouldn’t have to experience the sensation of being stripped of all senses, as if dying once. When he woke up, he would open his eyes to a complete, clear world!

This plan was undoubtedly perfect, and it was proceeding smoothly.

After Duan Yu awoke from this meditation session, the elemental vortex that had begun forming a few days ago had grown even stronger.

When he sensed that Duan Yu was awake, Lin Wei leaned over and asked, “How is it?”

Duan Yu’s eyes slowly opened, revealing the same calm, cold, unfocused pupils—this might be the last time Lin Wei would see them like this, he thought.

Sure enough, Duan Yu said, “Next time.”

“Then… when can we do the next one?”

Duan Yu replied, “Now.”

Alright—this guy’s speed at establishing the connection had been increasing over the past few days. He might have already been able to break through during this meditation session, but he had woken up early because of their agreement.

Lin Wei pulled him to the bedside. “That’s great—let’s go to sleep now!”

Duan Yu seemed somewhat resigned as he replied, “Alright.”

Lin Wei touched his nose, realizing that he seemed more anxious than the person actually involved…

But this was justifiable, Lin Wei told himself—firstly, as a good friend, it was natural to want the other person to recover quickly. Secondly, this guy was someone who would fight and adventure with him for a long time to come, in the past, present, and future, so having him regain his sight sooner was definitely beneficial. Finally—the person before him now was the invincible, powerful, and dangerous nemesis from the battlefield that stretched across the continent in his previous life. If he didn’t get to see him at his most complete, most imposing state, he would always feel regret.

Perhaps because all preparations were complete, and even the elements were eager to recognize their master… this meditation session didn’t last long. The vortex, after a brief pause, began to rotate again, faster and faster. Just watching it with his mental energy made Lin Wei feel as if his mind was being drawn into the massive whirlpool.

At the center of the vortex, countless streaks of pale golden light shot out. Their color was so pure, and their speed so fast as they twisted and intertwined—this was the so-called “elemental turbulence.”

The elemental vortex was gradually tightening, gathering the scattered turbulence at its center, slowly suppressing and dismantling it. This was a spontaneous process of the elements, requiring only Duan Yu’s will to continue—like an army obeying the king’s orders to quell a rebellion.

Lin Wei grabbed his hand and asked, “Can you still feel it?”

“Yes.”

Lin Wei didn’t let go. He felt strangely calm and said softly, “Sleep.”

Duan Yu gripped his hand in return. “You too?”

“Yeah.”

Lin Wei looked up at the circular dome, the faint stone patterns tracing out enigmatic designs. He slowly closed his eyes but felt no sleepiness.

His thoughts wandered through various memories before settling back on their intertwined hands.

The warm sensation, in the complete silence, even allowed him to feel the pulse throbbing.

He finally calmed down, not thinking about anything, just quietly feeling their pulses, which had started out chaotic but gradually became steady, and then slowly synchronized.

Perhaps it was after a long time… at some point, the pulse could no longer be felt, and the grip on his left hand slowly loosened. He didn’t pull his hand away—it remained intertwined. He opened his eyes and looked at the person beside him, calling softly, “Duan Yu… Ah Yu?”

This “Ah Yu” was a nickname he had learned from Ah Lan. Lin Wei had been practicing the syllables of the Common Language of the Continent since entering the swamp and was no longer awkward with it. The nickname, whether in the Common Language or the human tongue, was surprisingly easy to say.

The guy didn’t respond, perhaps because he was asleep or because he could no longer sense anything.

The Young Duke then shamelessly looked up and down at the person beside him. No matter how critical his gaze was, this was a pleasing sight—if it weren’t for the shallow breathing, it would be hard not to suspect that he wasn’t real… like a statue carved by the most talented sculptor, made from the eternal snow of the mountain peaks or the icy crystals buried deep in the sea… with clear, sharp contours—this was different from the overly delicate, androgynous beauty of mermaids or the legendary elves.

He reached out with his other hand and touched Duan Yu’s long hair, a slightly mischievous smile on his face.

“It’s fine if you don’t wake up,” Lin Wei said. “I’ll seal you in ice… or crystal, and keep you in my room. No one else can see you.”

Jerald fluttered over and curiously watched for a while, then imitated Lin Wei, reaching out its short, chubby arm to stroke Duan Yu’s hair—only to be ruthlessly shooed away.

The palace built underground had no sunlight to mark the passage of time, so the flow of time was indistinct. Perhaps it was after another long while, long enough that the unmoving left hand’s joints had stiffened, that the silence, which had seemed to freeze time itself, was finally broken. Lin Wei felt his hand being gently gripped again, and the breathing of the person beside him changed slightly.

He sat up and looked at the closed eyes, his voice cautious, “Are you awake?”

The person didn’t answer with words. Instead, his eyelashes fluttered slightly, and after that brief tremor, his eyes slowly opened.

Like snow falling on a mountain peak, like deep currents stirring in an icy sea, like a silent statue being given a soul, the night had ended, and dawn was approaching.

When Lin Wei recalled this moment later, he found that he couldn’t remember how he had felt at the time.

He just quietly gazed into those eyes—the eyes that were also gazing at him.

He had many things he wanted to say, and he had prepared many things to say, but now he didn’t know what to say—in the end, he simply asked in a very ordinary tone, “Did you… sleep?”

The man gently closed his eyes, then opened them again, as if the sudden light had stung them. Almost simultaneously, Lin Wei activated the contract, and the unicorn weakened the intensity of its light magic.

“I didn’t sleep,” he said, his gaze passing over the faintly patterned dome, lingering for a moment on the vines wrapped around the carved bedpost, before finally returning to where it had started. “Neither did you.”

“Yeah… I didn’t sleep,” Lin Wei replied.