Chapter 354: 354. Swarm of Distractions

One week of rest turned out to be painfully slow. Half of the first day Dallion was so anxious that he felt he could jump out of his skin. Laying in the recently created bedroom in his realm, he spent thinking of past events over and over until he tired himself to sleep. The next few days were spent between chunks of sleep and feeling drowsy. It was as if someone had removed all the hidden pressure and anxiety that Dallion had kept within in the background, showing him exactly how exhausted he really was. Then, finally, came boredom.

Minutes stretched to days, hours became years. Several times Dallion tried to leave the room, only to find Nil standing outside, looking at him in a disappointed fashion. Dallion knew full well that a single punch and the echo would cease to exist; maybe precisely for that reason, he returned to his week or resting. Sleep became the only way of passing time. However, the more Dallion tried to resort to it, the more difficult it became. Any attempts at exercising to exhaust himself were quickly discovered and stopped immediately. Gen and July were at fault for that. The two echoes had decided to betray Dallion by siding with Nil.

At least give me something to read, Dallion thought.

Never did Dallion think that he’d be begging to read, but given the degree of boredom he was subjected to, he would prefer even going through the collection of historical poems that Nil kept in the ring library.

Meditation was attempted multiple times, to no avail. For some reason, the moment Dallion tried to stop thinking, his head burst with ideas and questions, restarting the anxiety boredom cycle anew. Finally, on the last day, acceptance seeped in. It wasn’t that Dallion had mastered the art of calm and self-reflection, but rather he had grown accustomed to his predicament. Undoubtedly, this wasn’t the best way to deal with such a situation, but it helped him last until Nil arrived, marking the end of his “rest and relaxation” period.

“Well, dear boy?” The echo smiled. “Do you feel relaxed and brimming with energy?”

“One of those, at least,” Dallion grumbled. “How long have I been here?”

“A week to the day.”

Just a week? Dallion hoped he’d never have to experience another such ordeal. If anything, this was a good method to encourage him not to overdo it. Not that it was going to work. Now that Dallion had learned how to distinguish between layers, he was inevitably going to use that skill more and more.

“And not a moment has passed in the real world,” Nil continued. “With that you can proceed to leveling up, if that is what you wish. Before that, though, a quick test.” The echo tossed Dallion a scroll. “Read that.”

Curious, Dallion unrolled the scroll. Nothing but a single poem was contained inside—a sonnet, to be precise. Reading through it was as alien as Dallion remembered from literature class back on Earth. Even so, given Nil’s insistence, he attempted to make sense of things.

“It’s a love poem,” Dallion stated the obvious. “Judging by the imagery described, it must have been written centuries ago.”

“I wrote it last year,” the echo said, putting an end to Dallion's bullshit. “Try to read it using your new ability.”

Dallion looked at the scroll again. Had Nil just given him a secret cipher or sorts? Concentrating, he focused on the letters. Soon enough some of them seemed to float above the rest. Dallion’s first reaction was to try and form a message. When that failed, he concentrated more. Three layers emerged, then four, but still none of the messages made sense. No matter how Dallion rearranged the letters of each layer in his head, it only created gibberish.

“I see the layers,” Dallion said, closing his eyes. The pressure in his temples was instantly relieved. “But I can’t read the actual message. What does it say?”

“Just to try harder.” The echo laughed. “Go ahead and level up. Or don’t. The point is don’t forget to sleep regularly in the real world as well as the realms. You don’t have the mental strength to keep going on for weeks. Maybe when you pass the next gate you will, but until then…”

“I got it.” Dallion opened his eyes. “Thanks.”

While mixed feelings remained as to the necessity of spending a whole week resting in the awakened realm, Dallion had to admit that using his new ability was considerably less painful. It was looking like Dallion was going to have to add this to his daily exercises… physical exercises in the real world, mental in the realms. If he were going to progress, he’d have to prepare a schedule and follow it.

Entering the corridor, Dallion headed to one of the trial doors. However, this time he didn’t open it. A thought crossed his mind, making him turn around and head for Harp’s domain. There was no question that it had become the best part of his realm by far. The inhabitants of the realm that could move their domains here had done so, while the rest simply had moved here themselves. In the distance, the islands of Vermillion were visible, adding a pleasant backdrop to the view.

“Slacking with taste, eh?” Gen asked. The echo was wearing clothes that would be suitable for a Robinson Crusoe scene. The outfit was complete with a straw hat and a large tome in his hand.

“Won’t Nil freak out that you’re taking his precious tomes outside the library?”

“He used to. Now he doesn’t bother to remind me how bad sand and water are for the paper. Lux is partially to thank. He’s saved a few books already. Also, the old man is just happy that someone actually reads. You should try it sometime. It’ll make him happy.”

“Once things calm down a bit,” Dallion lied. Even he had accepted that given a choice, he would do anything else but this. “How’s Harp been?” 

“Fine, though a bit sad. I’m not sure why, but she doesn’t want to discuss it.”

Probably because I’m pushing myself too hard in all the wrong directions, Dallion thought.

“You don’t have to level up, you know. Even if you pass it, it might end up exhausting you before the fight.”

“That’s a risk I’ll have to take. It’s not just about the tournament anymore.” Even if the tournament remained a large part of it. “It’s the only way I can get strong enough.”

“Don’t rush to a fight too fast,” Gen said.

Dallion snorted.

“At least consider it.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Dallion went back to the darkness of his normal realm. This time, he entered the trial door without hesitation. The usual blue rectangle appeared, informing him of the trial, though this time there was no corridor. Dallion immediately found himself in an endless desert. Large clusters of red stones were visible throughout, lime mountain chunks in the sand.

A faint buzzing sound filled the air.

This is new, Dallion thought. Lux, give me a lift.

Wings of blue flame emerged from Dallion’s back, taking him to the sky. As far as Dallion could tell, there was no clear threat in the area. That meant this was one of those trials in which he had to find his enemies and defeat them. Normally, it was an easy task, but he hated it most of all.

Nil, any advice?

This is another classic trial, the echo replied. Passing it shouldn’t be too difficult for you, I think. However, there’s a catch.

Isn’t there always?

Think of it as an opportunity. While it’s easy to complete the trial, there’s a hidden prize available as well. Naturally, claiming it is far more difficult, and could potentially cause you to fail the whole trial.

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A prize? You mean like in the paradox cubes?

Close, though not exactly. There are different requirements for revealing the prize. All I can say is to focus on what you’ve learned up till now, and also use your skills sparingly.

In the past such advice would come as vague, but Dallion had grown to decipher the intent between the phrases. A thought crossed his mind that was crazy enough to work.

“Wow, what a dump.” Gleam emerged next to Dallion. “What’s your plan for this one?”

“Shh.” Dallion put a finger to his lips. I must listen.

Listen? The shardfly sounded confused. What do you mean?

Closing his eyes, Dallion focused on the sounds in the distance. If seeing layers was linked to perception, there was no reason that it would only affect his sight. This was a good way to test the theory out.

It didn’t take long for Dallion to feel the results. Soon enough, he was able to pinpoint the source of the sound, or rather the sources. There were thousands of them, gathered in clusters a long distance away. Two things were instantly clear, however: all sources were in front of him, and they were moving his way.

Dallion opened his eyes, focusing on the horizon. Black clouds were starting to become visible, but they weren’t of rain or dust. Rather, they were made entirely of insects.

Bugs? Dallion wondered.

In more ways than one, Nil said. Those are the distractions in your life. A large part is created by achievements, I must point out.

The “I told you so” was unmistakable in the echo’s tone. He had continuously cautioned Dallion against going achievement hunting, viewing it as a perilous shortcut, or even worse—an addiction.

They don’t look particularly strong, Dallion said.

They aren’t. However, they have a nasty sting, each of which distracts you from the rest.

What do you mean?

When one stings you, it directs all your attention on it, making you ignore anything else. And this will continue until you’ve dealt with the issue.

How come you’re telling me all this?

I’m telling you because that’s nothing more than another distraction, dear boy.

No sooner had Nil said that than Dallion felt a sharp stink in his neck. Immediately, he twisted, striking the annoying insect that had stung him. However, the attacker wasn’t alone. Dozens of black wasp-like entities had surrounded him.

“How did they get so close?” Dallion asked as he summoned his harpsisword and performed a series of slash attacks around him.

Time moves faster when you’re distracted, Nil replied. Also, why are you so certain that I’m Nil?

Interesting approach. The echo enemy of this trial hadn’t made an actual appearance, but acted as a distraction within Dallion’s mind… just like a limiting echo.

Get us away from them, Lux! Dallion thought, slashing more of the annoying insects around him. Unfortunately, no matter how many he destroyed, more appeared.

You can’t get rid of distractions by paying attention to them, Nil laughed. That would be like trying to extinguish a fire by covering it with hay.

The firebird attempted to pull Dallion away from the swarm, but no matter how fast he flew, insects continued to surround him, their numbers unchanged no matter how many Dallion smashed to bits.

Focus, Dallion concentrated. He strongly suspected that the trial had to do with ignoring distractions. Just in case, he split into five instances, each carefully examining the swarm. The moment an insect stung one of his instances, however, all the rest collapsed.

Oh, I forgot to tell you, the more instances you use, the greater the number of distractions you’ll face, Nil said.

Dallion gritted his teeth. This was something he should have predicted. Just as the echo had said, the swarm became five times larger in the blink of the eye. A thick cloud was surrounding Dallion, dozens of insects attacking him every second. At each sting, Dallion’s attention was drawn to the attack, often before he could strike the previous insect that had stung him.

Shield! Dallion shouted.

The armadil shield extended around him, creating a protective sphere that protected him from the insect attacks. However, even it wasn’t able to get rid of the constant noise of them hitting the metal surface, like raindrops falling on tin.

Gleam, any illusions? Dallion asked.

None I can see. They’re just bugs.

That didn’t make any sense. Every instinct told Dallion that there was more to it.

Lux, let us drop to the ground, Dallion ordered. Shield, when we do, open a crack so I can see the sky.

Getting a bug inside defeats the purpose of being cocooned, the dryad guardian said.

There’s something I need to check.

The orders were followed instantly. In several seconds, the sphere or metal hit the sand with a loud thump. As it did, some of the shield’s segments moved apart, allowing Dallion to see directly above him.

I knew it, Dallion thought. The bugs weren’t only black. There were also two red ones among them.

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