Chapter 316 314-The Son of Duke Job—Ethan
Entering the dream this time, Ethan experienced an odd sensation.
He was acutely aware that he had ventured into a dreamscape.
He felt an unsettling detachment from the dream, a sense that he and the dream were peeling apart.
But there was no time to ponder over the whys and hows.
Time was of the essence; every second wasted meant Lana sank deeper into the abyss of the dream.
The longer Lana Mokos languished in the dream, the slimmer the chance of awakening her became.
So like a wraith, Ethan drifted above Goot City.
Unaware of his exact location, he knew only that he must have entered Lana's dream.
Yet this dreamscape was unexpectedly vast, encompassing an entire city.
The speed of a wraith is naturally swift.
Within minutes, Ethan found Lana Mokos.
There she was, in her school uniform, daydreaming by the window.
This version of Lana Mokos was but eleven or twelve, her features soft and immature, void of the aloof frostiness of her grown self, exuding only sweetness and charm.
Ethan couldn't help but chuckle, musing to himself, "Who would have thought Lana was such a cutie as a child?"
But the pressing question was how to rouse Lana Mokos from her slumber.
As Lana's gaze drifted upward, Ethan sensed an opportunity.
He intentionally magnified his head, making his entire face appear in the sky.
Unexpectedly, Lana Mokos stood up in terror, her scream of fright echoing through the class.
Even more terrifying to Ethan was Lana Mokos's emotional instability.
The whole dreamscape began to tremble like an earthquake, the space around them alarmingly unstable, as if it could rip apart at any moment.
A thought surged into Ethan's mind.
[If I attempt to awaken Lana Mokos in such a manner, it could lead to her mental collapse, to complete brain death.]
He quickly obscured his visage, left only to contemplate his next move.
Upon seeing her professor, Lana Mokos pointed out the window, exclaiming as if to a savior:
"Professor Goodrian, there was a face in the sky just now."
Her classmates, upon hearing Lana's claim, were instantly intrigued.
They began to chatter among themselves, all turning their gazes outward, eager to witness the extraordinary phenomenon Lana described.
The classroom chaos, the cacophony of voices, Lana Mokos's lie...
All of it challenged Professor Goodrian, a seasoned educator with ample teaching experience.
Rage flickered in Goodrian's eyes, his thick beard seemingly quivering with each heartbeat.
"Princess Lana, what if there is nothing? What then?"
Lana, with a defiant tilt to her chin, stubbornly looked out the window: "But there was!"
Yet where was Ethan's face to be found?
Gone? Lana Mokos's face registered stark bewilderment.
Observing Lana's discomfited expression, Goodrian hummed softly, "Princess Lana, I shall report today's incident to His Majesty the King. You had better prepare yourself for an explanation."
Lana's little face scrunched up as she hurriedly said, "I understand my mistake, Professor Goodrian."
Goodrian, unheeding of Lana's plea, picked up his teaching rod and tapped the blackboard:
"Let us continue with 'An Introduction to the Absorption of Magical Elements'. I hope everyone will listen attentively and lay a solid foundation for their future..."
Ethan, observing Lana's distressed little face, silently murmured an apology within.
Lana Mokos was reprimanded, even at risk of a lecture from her own father.
All because of Ethan's blunder.
"Hmm?" Ethan's brow furrowed sharply as he sternly reminded himself, "No, this is an Illusion. I shouldn't be feeling this way. It's all false."
Pochi's Illusion was indeed formidable; Ethan found himself unwittingly harboring odd emotions.
He mentally cautioned himself, repeatedly murmuring, "This is an Illusion, this is an Illusion."
He didn't want to end up trapped himself while failing to rescue Lana Mokos.
But now, how was he to save Lana Mokos?
Ethan fell into deep thought.
After a little while, his eyes brightened slightly when he saw a family coming out to send their child off to school.
Ethan followed them, arriving at a stately mansion.
The butler came out to greet them, smiling warmly, "Duke Job, you've returned."
Job nodded, gently pushing the little girl beside him towards a lady, saying softly:
"Review today's lessons with mother."
Having said this, Duke Job retreated to his study.
Ethan materialized before Duke Job with a plan already forming in his mind.
Duke Job, spectacles perched on his nose, was engrossed in official documents when he suddenly looked up to encounter Ethan's unfamiliar countenance.
Duke Job's eyes nearly bulged out in shock, a scream almost escaping his lips.
With a snap of his fingers, Ethan froze everything around them.
"Indeed," Ethan licked his lips, his eyes shimmering with light, "I can change small aspects within the Illusion."
Brimming with excitement, he addressed Duke Job, "From now on, I am your illegitimate son, Ethan. To make amends, you will send me to the Goot Royal Academy."
After declaring this, Ethan reshaped his form to that of an eleven or twelve-year-old and snapped his fingers again.
Duke Job's originally screaming expression instantly morphed into one of astonishment and joy.
"You are..."
Duke Job felt an uncanny familiarity with Ethan, yet couldn't recall his name.
The youthful Ethan, with eyes clouded in emotion, called out deeply:
"Dad, I am your son, Ethan!"
For a moment, Duke Job's consciousness flickered into confusion, his gaze clouded, but he still uttered:
"My son, I have been remiss. From now on, I will make it up to you."
That evening, amid the astonished voices of Duke Job's household, a significant announcement was made.
Ethan was formally recognized as a member of Duke Job's family.
The butler of the Duke's estate, along with Duke Job's wife and daughter, all wore faces of bewilderment.
Yet, under Duke Job's authority, Ethan's position was acknowledged.
Within a couple of days, arrangements had been made for Ethan to attend Goot Royal Academy.
Professor Goodrian took Ethan under his wing and warmly introduced him: "This is Ethan, your new classmate. I hope you'll get along well."
The offspring of various noble families scrutinized Ethan, murmuring among themselves:
"So that's Duke Job's illegitimate son? Quite peculiar indeed."
"It's just a question of how gifted he is with magic, being shoehorned into our class like this."
"After class, let's test his abilities."
Goodrian tapped the blackboard emphatically, declaring, "Alright, let's proceed with the lesson."
Ethan naturally chose a seat next to Lana Mokos.
Lana Mokos was taken aback by Ethan's initiative in approaching her.
Being the prodigious young talent of her family and given her status, few ever ventured close to her.
Ethan was the first.
Lana Mokos turned her head to look at Ethan, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.
Ethan's face was aglow with a smile as he introduced himself: "My name is Ethan. I look forward to your company."
Lana Mokos, pulling herself from the inexplicable sentiment, nodded slightly and said:
"My name is Lana Mokos. You can call me Lana."
With that, Lana Mokos shifted her gaze back to the window.
If not for the king's directive, Lana Mokos would never have found herself in such a tediously mundane class.
Ethan had no interest in listening to the lecture; Goodrian was hardly qualified to teach him.
He scrawled a note in the script of the Azure Empire:
"Do you believe this world is real?"
After penning his question, Ethan slid the note across the desk to Lana Mokos.
Interrupting Lana's reverie, which caused her irritation, she nonetheless glanced at the note.
Her expression shifted upon reading the words, her gaze turning to Ethan's youthful face, which bore a maturity beyond his years.
"Of course, it's real," Lana Mokos returned the note with these words.
Ethan's mouth twitched slightly, his writing becoming more audacious: "This world might be an Illusion, perhaps crafted by a divine beast or by someone's deliberate design."
"Oh? That is a curious notion, but only a deity could fashion such a world. Such power belongs solely to the deities."
To Ethan's surprise, Lana Mokos engaged in the conversation.
She harbored no doubts about the veracity of their world and was even more intrigued by the concept of Illusions.
Ethan realized, as they conversed, the discussion turned to the intricacies of Illusions.
No wonder Lana's mastery of Illusions was formidable later on; her fascination started in her youth.
Unable to spot any flaw in her logic at the moment, Ethan could only respond to Lana Mokos word by word, keeping the conversation going.
The future Queen Lana Mokos was still limited by her current understanding.
Ethan captivated her with a few shockingly innovative phrases, swiftly ensnaring her interest.
In the span of a single class, Lana Mokos's curiosity about Ethan had bloomed.
The bell signaling the end of class rang, and Ethan looked at the pile of notes before him, feeling a sense of defeat.
Persuading Lana Mokos to realize on her own that their world was an Illusion proved to be a difficult task.
Ethan dared not push too hard with his reminders.
Should Lana's emotions collapse, the destruction of her psychic world could very well devour his soul.
Then Ethan would be a living dead with nowhere to mourn his fate.
Standing in the hallway, Ethan pondered how to uncover a flaw in the world that would awaken Lana.
Yet, from behind him came the taunting voice of a bratty child: "Are you the Job family's bastard? Your kind doesn't deserve to stand among us."
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