Everything made little sense, but Noah tried his best to study the situation anyway. He had vaguely understood what was happening, but many doubts still filled his mind, and a few of them were too important to ignore.

"What's your name?" Noah asked.

"Why would I have a name?" The old man replied.

"Because you aren't a creation of the Cursed Labyrinth," Noah stated.

"And what would I even be?" The old man asked.

"I don't know," Noah admitted. "The Labyrinth is powerful enough to contain powerful beings, but its environments are too diverse to come from a single expert. The existence of multiple creators can explain this feature, but why would various rank 9 cultivators even decide to build something like this?"

"So?" The old man asked.

"So, you probably are a real existence," Noah explained. "I don't know if you are one of the creators, a shadow of that powerful expert, or a cultivator they have trapped here. Still, I think you are a real living being, but your world prevents me from studying you."

"I don't see your point," The old man stated.

"I didn't hear your name," Noah repeated.

"What if I forgot it?" The old man questioned.

"Recall it then," Noah ordered.

"It doesn't work like that," The old man explained.

"Dream about recalling it," Noah continued.

A flicker ran through the old man's half-closed eyes. They didn't open nor close, but something definitely happened, and Noah didn't miss it.

"You are interesting," The old man announced. "I did recall it."

"What's your name?" Noah asked.

"What's yours?" The old man responded.

"Noah Balvan," Noah exclaimed without showing any hesitation. "A good friend granted me the title "Defying Demon", so you can use that too. Still, I'll also accept boss, leader, and chief."

The old man laughed, but he ignored the last part of Noah's statement. Still, he didn't forget to reply to his previous question. "I'm Dream Lord Pellio. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Pellio," Noah exclaimed. "Now, open your eyes."

"It doesn't work like that," Pellio responded.

"How does it work?" Noah questioned.

"I need to decide to watch only reality to open them," Pellio explained.

"I don't want you to stop dreaming," Noah revealed.

"Why is that?" Pellio asked.

"The dreams are part of your world, right?" Noah declared. "I need a valuable ally, not an injured pawn."

"Why are you so sure that I can help you?" Pellio laughed.

"I'm not," Noah admitted. "I'll just have you make tea for my entire organization if this doesn't work out."

"That's flattering," Pellio exclaimed.

"It's far from flattering," Noah chuckled, "Except for the part when you'd belong to my organization anyway."

"You are arrogant," Pellio stated.

"Among other things," Noah joked.

"You still haven't changed my mind about my eyes," Pellio reminded.

"I don't want to do that," Noah declared. "There must be a reason behind your current state. I want to hear it first."

"What if I don't remember it?" Pellio questioned.

"Dream about the reason," Noah ordered.

Pellio's half-closed eyes flickered again, but his gentle smile darkened afterward. His face moved away from the table and Noah for the first time since the beginning of their conversation. He pointed his gaze at the ceiling, but Noah knew that he wasn't actually trying to see.

"You can't look at the creators with your eyes in that state," Noah commented.

"How did you know that I was searching for the creators?" Pellio asked.

"You have started to leak killing intent," Noah stated.

"No, I didn't," Pellio corrected.

"My tea became hot again," Noah explained. "I guess your dreams can't suppress your power, not completely."

Pellio's gentle smile returned when he noticed Noah's fuming cup. He appeared amused to see that his aura could still affect the material world.

"You won't force me to open my eyes by prying into my history," Pellio stated.

"How did you end up here?" Noah asked.

"I didn't," Pellio revealed. "The creators put me here."

"So, there's more than one," Noah commented.

"That's obvious, isn't it?" Pellio declared. "I would have dreamt a way out of here already otherwise."

"I won't let you kill them," Noah pointed out.

"I might open my eyes for the chance to kill them," Pellio teased.

"Why would I care?" Noah chuckled. "I need them too. You alone aren't enough against Heaven and Earth."

"Do you only care about Heaven and Earth?" Pellio questioned.

"They have forced me to prioritize them," Noah explained. "I didn't initially care too much, but the final battle is coming, and I need allies to fight it."

"Some might see your search for allies as an expression of weakness," Pellio mocked.

"Maybe," Noah admitted. "However, none of you would have even dared to stand before me if I had the chance to cultivate for so long. The sole fact that I can play a role in the final battle is an expression of my power."

"You are arrogant," Pellio stated.

"I'm also the strongest type of being in the whole world," Noah added.

"Arrogant might not be enough to describe you," Pellio laughed.

"That wasn't arrogance," Noah corrected. "There is no arrogance in truth."

"Why can't you defeat Heaven and Earth by yourself then?" Pellio wondered.

"I don't have enough time to reach their level," Noah explained.

"So, are you gathering allies to buy yourself some time?" Pellio asked.

"Something like that," Noah admitted. "Heaven and Earth are strong, and their assets go beyond my knowledge. I will surpass them, but I can't win on my own."

"You might be a good leader," Pellio commented.

"Why did the creators put you here?" Noah asked.

"We used to be enemies," Pellio revealed. "I think we killed each other's bloodlines multiple times, so our grudges didn't fade in front of Heaven and Earth."

"Well, you are allies now," Noah exclaimed.

"How can you decide that?" Pellio questioned.

"Because you all belong to the same organization now," Noah stated, "My organization."

"You couldn't force me to open my eyes," Pellio commented. "You won't be able to make the creators join you."

"You won't know unless you open a path for the next floor," Noah teased.

"Will you leave if I open it?" Pellio asked.

"Yes, but only if you come with me," Noah declared.

"I don't want to leave," Pellio stated.

"I don't care," Noah chuckled. "I need your power, so you'll come. The same goes for the creators. The final battle is upon us, so everyone has to play a part."

"You can't force others to fight for you," Pellio sighed.

"I can force you," Noah responded. "I will force the creators."

"How would you force me to fight?" Pellio questioned.

"You lost your dream, so I'll give you mine," Noah explained as he pressed two fingers on his forehead and took out a lump of black mental waves.

"How do you know that I've lost my dream?" Pellio asked.

"Because you would be out of here otherwise," Noah stated.

"I told you that I couldn't get out even with my dreams," Pellio reminded.

"They were the wrong dreams then," Noah commented.

"How would you know that?" Pellio asked.

"Take my dream, Dream Lord Pellio," Noah ordered.

Pellio hesitated, but a strange force attracted him toward that ethereal black lump. Noah's mental energy was radiating something that he had long since abandoned and forgotten. It carried a primordial desire to improve that didn't listen to reason or pain.

Pellio ended up reaching for the lump of mental energy, and his eyes closed completely as a simple dream filled his vision.. He saw a small black blade shooting toward the sky and creating a hole in its white fabric.

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