Chapter 23: Even in Dreams, What Shouldn't Be Done, Shouldn't Be Done (4)

The basic ability of succubi is to target gaps in people's hearts and show them dreams they desire.

However,

'In Azazel's case, she can glimpse someone's future just by making eye contact.'

Azazel had eyes different from others. Eyes with the ability to receive information about a person's future just by making eye contact.

Because of this, since childhood, she had harbored both vague fear and trust about seeing the future.

She had experiences of fixing futures like preventing an elderly neighbor's precious flowerpot from breaking, and feeling sad when unable to prevent the death of a stray cat that had followed her well.

For this reason, Azazel usually had to learn to either keep her eyes closed or avoid making eye contact while talking to others.

'This is similar to Bi Wol and Verdandi.'

I hung my head while biting my lower lip. It was all my fault that they had such unfortunate pasts.

'Bi Wol, whom I thought of while looking at the moon in the slums.'

I thought of the Heavenly Killing Star while watching my father call me the child of the monster that devoured my brother.

'Verdandi, whom I thought of because I hated living in the present.'

Because of being ostracized and pointed at by girls for being good-looking, I wanted the ability to know whether people were good or evil.

'Azazel, whom I thought of while watching friends who acted cruelly despite angelic faces.'

And, thinking I could someday escape such sad pasts, I dreamed of succeeding as a writer.

All the hopes I had dreamed of to escape my damn family environment were implemented as the final bosses' abilities.

"Azazel, you must be very confused... but whatever future you saw, I'm not here to harm you."

Just as Azazel and Gabriel had angelic names despite being demon-kind, these novels had my life melted into them.

It was all my fault.

"D-don't come closer! If you come any closer, I'll really have to kill you!"

Azazel threatened me with a bright red face. Though I didn't know what future she had glimpsed, she seemed to have a major misunderstanding.

What future could she have seen?

She had just called me a "promiscuous man" and said she saw a future where they decided the order to roll in bed.

'It could just be a future of having a pillow fight.'

I put aside my "surely not" feelings and pondered deeply. The only scene I could immediately imagine was playing happily on the bed with three disciples.

After all, Azazel's future visions weren't infallible.

"Azazel, you know that the futures you see aren't completely accurate, don't you?"

I spoke while taking a step forward. In the original work, she lost the protagonist Kang Si-woo to her sister because she trusted the future too blindly.

She had also made the mistake of unquestioningly believing in the hero who seemed like he would only look at her forever, and equating the game character with his real self.

And,

"I know you're sad about losing the man you loved to your sister, but you can't live your whole life shut away alone like this."

The image she thought was her future was a variable created because she didn't know it was her identical twin sister.

"I came to show you true love. Meeting a proper man and learning about proper love."

I was trying to have a calm conversation. If such a big misunderstanding occurred from the start, it seemed like it would grow too large to resolve later.

I slowly raised my empty hands to show I had no intention to fight, but,

"Stop lying."

Azazel's expression was full of disgust. Her furrowed brow and downturned lips showed her displeasure.

"You must be in league with those old men from the Papal Curia, playing me for a fool. Otherwise, there's no way I would take a promiscuous man like you as my master!"

Her attitude was cold like ice piercing the heart. The tentacles pointing their edges at me looked ready to attack at any moment.

Her tentacles were weapons that could freely move through dimensions, form barriers when gathered, or be used as weapons like spears and whips.

"That can't be! Master came here to save you!"

Seeing the tentacles, Verdandi drew her holy sword from her chest. Her voice was full of strength.

"Surprisingly, we agree at times like this, sister."

"That's right! We won't forgive anyone who lays even a finger on our Master!"

Bi Wol joined in at this sight. She wrapped demonic energy around her body, preparing to fight.

"No, so what exactly was the future you saw? Azazel."

Fighting like this wouldn't resolve anything. I spoke while pressing my fingers between my brows to suppress a headache.

No matter how I thought about it, the "future" Azazel was talking about bothered me too much.

'Will I really get kidnapped and imprisoned later?'

Gulp, at this sudden conclusion, I felt my heart thump in the middle of my chest.

No way, our good disciples wouldn't do such things.

They wouldn't.

They shouldn't have.

"It was a future where you were tied tightly to a bed, blindfolded, and they were playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would mount you first!"

"...What?"

I couldn't help but freeze at hearing this future. It was such a detailed and specific plan that my disciples might really execute.

"Aha, such a method..."

Bi Wol showed a sinister smile after hearing Azazel's future prediction, and,

"Huh, why decide the order to mount Master's body? Are they going horseback riding?"

Verdandi tilted her head, not understanding the meaning. There was a tense tug-of-war between innocence and craftiness.

"Ahem, you must have seen wrong."

I could only clear my throat. Even trying to breathe, my breathing kept getting blocked.

Children I raised like daughters waiting for a future where they pounce on me, this couldn't make sense, right?

"Just as your sister stole your lover, the future can always change. So I hope you won't believe in it too blindly."

I almost bit my tongue. Though my pronunciation was tangled and sentences weren't coming out well, I somehow managed to finish speaking.

Gabriel, who looked exactly like Azazel, had stolen the man she had secretly loved, so she was holed up in this monastery building power with thoughts of revenge against that world.

"How do you know that? Could you be someone my sister sent? To comfort me after losing my lover?"

Oops, I made a mistake.

While I could make up lies about Verdandi receiving an oracle, I should have been more careful with Azazel.

"Yes, you can think I was sent by your sister if you like. Family members have to face each other someday, don't they?"

I chose to push through directly here.

Because family is that kind of existence from the start.

Of course there can be bad relationships, but in the end what remains isn't friends or lovers but family.

Even I had cried at the funeral when I realized my father had secretly been collecting the novels I wrote after he passed away.

"So there won't be regrets later."

Putting my bitter feelings aside, I gave Azazel advice containing my life experience. I hoped she wouldn't have regrets like I did.

"...You certainly speak well."

Azazel lowered her head for a moment, then pointed at Bi Wol and opened her mouth.

"Then, how will you explain how that person over there knew I was making a prediction in the future?"

"Knew? How?"

Hearing this, I felt something was strange. I had never written such a setting for her abilities.

I knew from the start that many characters in this novel's world didn't move according to the set plot or settings.

'That's why I got angry at Verdandi's villagers. Even one person could have acted differently, but they threw away their chance to admit their wrongs.'

However,

"Yes, she looked at me and said 'You saw it, didn't you?' while even deflecting my future prediction. Are you people really normal humans?"

This kind of influence across time periods was different. Novels have a set order of episodes, and the drama progresses following that grand flow.

"We're not exactly normal humans..."

It seemed even that flow could be resisted by a novel's final boss. Stories of Heavenly Demons regressing or reincarnating were common after all.

"If you don't leave here right now, I'll have no choice but to hurt you. This is a place of memories only for me, Lord Si-woo, and ■■■■■."

Azazel emanated killing intent while writhing her tentacles.

Since I had written that this was where affection-raising events occurred in the game, it was natural for her to cherish this place.

"There seems to be no choice! Words won't work!"

"Master, just give the order, this girl will capture that fierce wolf and present her before you."

Judging that further dialogue would be futile, my two disciples were preparing to fight her.

"Yes, then I'll ask you."

Coughing from the pain constricting my whole body, I left words asking them to subdue Azazel.

I had already led Bi Wol to the pinnacle realm for this moment, and taken Verdandi as a disciple to prepare means to deal with the Outer God classified as evil.

All that remained was to pray this method would work on Azazel.

However,

"Actually, a few days ago, my holy ■■■■■ gave me an oracle. That prophets would come seeking me, and I should bestow grace upon them."

Azazel spoke the name of the Outer God, Morgidian.

A sensation of breath stopping, pain like glass shards scraping my lungs, and wanting to gouge out my ears for hearing words that shouldn't be heard all came at once.

Dying. Dying. Dying.

Breath caught like water rising to my chin, and terror of drowning despite nothing being there struck me.

'The reaction to Outer Gods I described in the original novel...!'

A giant eye was quietly staring at us from behind Azazel. Her attack was so meticulous and delicate that we couldn't tell when we had fallen under the Outer God's influence.

"Kheuk..."

"M-Master... I'm sorr..."

"Ah, aah..."

Though I tried to endure by drawing up internal energy from my dantian, even my disciples around me were suffering, bleeding from their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

"I am a Dream Demon too. Inviting you to a nightmare is one way to resolve this disturbance peacefully."

So saying, Azazel gently raised the corners of her mouth and cast a spell to plunge me, Bi Wol, and Verdandi into sleep.

My vision wavered as the surrounding space distorted before my eyes.

What dreams would we have if we fell asleep like this? Dreams of repeatedly dying? Or would we wander the dreamscape eternally?

"Kuuugh..."

"Oh my, what impressive mental strength. I suppose I'll have to revise my evaluation."

Biting my tongue to maintain consciousness through pain, I desperately spread my palm toward the distant Azazel and launched Ice White Divine Palm.

Paang─!

Cold energy that could freeze everything flew toward her, but sadly was blocked by her tentacles.

"...Sleep well. This is the last mercy I can show you."

Watching Bing Yeon lose consciousness and collapse forward, Azazel whispered softly.