The air had become cold and suffocating… Li Min Shang stood still, his gaze fixed on William, whose eyes were void of life. In a calm tone, Li Min Shang extended his hand and spoke:
"Are you really me? You seem different now."
William gave a faint, sorrowful smile as he looked at his older self. His eyes drifted to a small pond nearby, its surface reflecting his face. Slowly, he closed his eyes, then reopened them, fixing them back on his reflection.
In a broken tone, he said,
"I… I wish I could go back to my old life, but there's something in my mind that tells me it's impossible… I'll remain in the body of a stranger, living in the age of steam."
Li Min Shang's copy smiled at William and spoke in a deep voice,
"And are you content with that life? Are you ready to surrender and stay in a world ruled by the great ones and sorcerers?"
William looked at the gun with cold eyes and answered with a hollow tone:
"Sometimes, I wish I could pull the trigger and end everything… but I'm afraid of the consequences."
Li Min Shang's copy stepped closer to a wooden cross and said in a quiet voice:
"Since you've already killed someone without even knowing who they were, it wouldn't be surprising if you killed yourself too… William Gideon, you killed an innocent man."
William turned to his former self, a cold smile forming on his lips. A drop of blood fell down his cheek like a tear as he spoke in a broken voice:
"That's right. William Gideon killed him, not my old self."
"So, you deny your former self and focus only on who you are now? How foolish of you," Li Min Shang spat with a sharp, mocking tone.
William stared at him, shocked by his harsh words. He approached his old self, standing face to face, and then spoke firmly:
"When you face a great being, something beyond your strength, do you pretend to be strong in front of it? Answer me."
"Yes, I pretend to be stronger. No one is born out of their mother's womb being terrifying and powerful… You've become dull to fate, you pathetic fool!" Li Min Shang shouted with a sharp voice at William.
William's eyes widened in shock at the intensity of the exchange. He took a step back, his voice suffocated as he asked:
"Who are you? Who are you to speak with such confidence to the Great Sorcerer, William Gideon? Huh? Answer me, you who claim knowledge."
Li Min Shang smiled and placed his index finger on his chest as he spoke with an icy tone:
"I'm better than you… Sure, we share the same past, but I am the better version. Do you plant the seed to harvest it, or do you watch it burn before your eyes?"
A thunderclap roared through the sky, painting it crimson. Scarlet rain fell to the ground. The crimson moon descended, glaring furiously at William Gideon.
"Disgrace upon the one who thinks himself greater than the great ones. Whether you're a sorcerer or a swordsman, you'll never reach the abyss where no bottom exists."
William stepped back quickly, staring at the crimson moon as it screamed at him. From behind the scene, Li Min Shang's voice echoed coldly:
"Retreating already? Your steps look like they're trying to run… Are you really the same man who once dreamed of defeating the great ones?"
And then he continued in the same tone:
"When you speak on behalf of the great ones, first look at yourself… then ahead. You might fall just by looking up at them."
The sky wept blood fiercely, thunder crashing with terrifying force. The moon glared down at William Gideon.
William stared into pure madness. Drops of blood rolled down his cheek — not rain, but tears from his own eye. Then, he began to laugh hysterically…
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaa!"
"Don't underestimate my mind, you damned wretch. You're nothing but an old, meaningless remnant! What do you know of the great ones to even speak in their name?"
Then, he slammed his head violently, laughing and crying at the same time, shouting in a sharp tone:
"I am the beginning and the end, do you hear me? I've shattered the laws created by people like you…"
He paused for a moment, then looked up at the red sky that seemed to smile back at him. With a mysterious and powerful tone, he declared:
"I will become the very essence of this world — through magic and sword… In every era, my name will fly like a flag."
Li Min Shang smirked coldly, his gaze piercing William as he spoke with a voice of power:
"Let's see… will you go insane when you stare into the sky, or will the sky go insane when it stares back at you?"
William then fired a magical bullet forged from darkness. It tore through the air and shattered the ghostly copy of Li Min Shang. He looked up at the sky, which poured blood-like rain on his face.
For every tear he wiped, another would take its place. Eventually, he sank to the ground, eyes fixed on his reflection in the small pond. His voice sharp and sorrowful:
"I will not die… and I won't truly live. I am merely a phantom crafted by fate."
Amid the terrifying chaos, the ground exploded near William, revealing a red portal swirling with shades of white.
The clownish smile disappeared from William's face. He turned around, shocked by the sudden appearance of the portal.
"What is this thing? Is it yet another insane addition?"
A strange, heavy, and mysterious voice echoed from the portal:
"Boy, step into the portal. You've completed your mission successfully. It's time to return to the Secret Shop."
William focused on the voice — it sounded oddly familiar.
"Is that… the old man's voice?"
He stood up, walking toward the portal. As he stared into it, a sense of hesitation filled him.
"What are you doing, boy? Enter the portal. We're waiting for you."
William stepped back slightly at the voice, whispering to himself in a quiet tone:
'That's definitely the old man's voice.'
And then added in the same tone:
'But why didn't he mention this portal before I left?'
He stood directly over the portal… and was pulled like a meteor into the Secret Shop. He appeared instantly at the familiar location.
Sophia rushed toward him, embracing him tightly.
William was taken aback by this sudden gesture. Sophia spoke with a frightened tone:
"Thank God you're okay… I thought something terrible had happened to you."
William smiled gently, placing a hand on her shoulder and speaking calmly:
"No, nothing bad happened… it was just another adventure the old man set up for me."
On the other side, Victor leaned against a crate, speaking with a relaxed tone:
"Seems like your mission was rough — your body's covered in injuries."
Sophia looked at his shoulder and abdomen, which bore treated wounds. With concern, she asked:
"Do they hurt? I wouldn't expect so, given your regeneration trait."
Victor smiled warmly and added in a regal tone:
"True, I may be eighth in the hierarchy, but I envy that trait of yours."
The three of them laughed, and although William laughed along with them, he was shattered inside. Elsewhere, the old man spoke in his deep tone:
"Well done, Sorcerer William Gideon, on completing your first mission…"
William handed the hilt to the old man with a casual smile and replied in a cold tone:
"That mission was insane… but also terrifying."
Sophia spoke sweetly:
"When we return to the academy, tell me what happened to you there."
"Not now," William said with a soft tone, "but tomorrow, I'll tell you both."
The old man smiled and spoke in his deep voice:
"Now, it's getting late. You must return to your rooms before the guards or professors discover you."
He snapped his fingers, and in an instant, Victor and Sophia disappeared from the room. William sat on one of the chairs, exhausted, worn out, and unable to move.
The old man, while cleaning one of the glasses, said in a cold tone:
"It seems you've seen something… something so great it made your smile look fake."
William looked at the old man and spoke deeply, almost to himself:
'Why am I even surprised? This old man isn't ordinary—he knows everything, surely.'
Then he added, in the same tone:
"That's true. The mission was risky, but it was worth it… It showed me information and things that may help in the future."
The old man smiled and said with that same deep voice:
"That's good… And remember, fear is the spark of growth. I told you before—if you never fear, you'll never evolve."
William looked at his reflection in the gun, then tucked it into his pocket. He turned to the old man and asked in a curious tone:
"Since you know about magic and other matters…"
He continued in the same tone:
"Do you have anything that could change my original identity—let me take on a new form?"
The old man stopped cleaning the glass. He looked at William strangely, then spoke in a deep and mysterious voice:
"No one has asked me that in such a long time… I had almost forgotten it even existed."
He continued:
"It does exist, but I don't have it. You'll need to travel to the city of Draithwyn. It's located at the edge of the kingdom. There, in the Cathedral of Eternal Silence, lies an ancient bone inside one of the tombs… And I know you need it to uncover the truth about the killer clown."
William placed his index finger on his chin and murmured quietly to himself:
'The city of Draithwyn… I don't have much information about it, but it sounds like a forgotten place.'
Then he spoke in a calm tone:
"Looks like it's going to be another long and crazy journey, just like this one."
The old man smirked and said in a shadowy voice:
"It'll be more powerful… and more terrifying, Sir William Gideon."
William smiled, stood up, and spoke in a sweet tone:
"Thank you for the mission. Now, I want to return to the academy before the administration becomes suspicious of my absence."
The old man nodded and spoke deeply:
"As you wish."
He snapped his fingers again, and William vanished from the room. The old man muttered to himself with an eerie tone:
"Going to that city will drive you mad… more than chasing the identity of the clown ever will."
Meanwhile, William Gideon appeared seated in his room, in front of his desk, staring out at the pale moonlight.
He pulled the gun from his pocket, gazing at it with strange, cold eyes. His hand trembled violently.
The gun fell to the floor. He quickly picked it up, pulled back the hammer, and pressed it to the side of his head.
He fired a dark magical bullet into his temple.
William jolted awake, sweating and gripping the side of his head. He looked through the window with fearful eyes.
The crimson moon was visible through the glass.
As terror gripped his body, a voice echoed in the room—a deep, haunting voice:
"O cursed soul who dared to kill himself… Welcome to the Crimson Dream."