Three Divine Wishes: Yes, I'm OP!

Chapter 65: The Beginning of Phase One (3)

The moment the Academy of Veils’ members stepped through the shimmering purple rift, they did not find themselves standing on Akasha’s mountain.

Instead, they emerged into a vast, open field that stretched endlessly before them, the air thick with the scent of fresh grass and distant wildflowers.

From where they stood, the land looked completely untouched — rolling plains giving way to distant forests and rivers that shimmered under the sunlight.

Harlan’s sharp eyes widened slightly as he took in the sight, his usual composure cracking for a brief moment.

The other Peak Masters and disciples behind him murmured in stunned confusion, their gazes sweeping across the horizon.

"When did all this land appear?" one of the Peak Masters muttered, voice laced with disbelief.

"From the outside... it only looked like a single mountain sitting at the edge of the border."

The mountain itself — Dreamer’s Peak — loomed in the far distance, millions of kilometers away, its summit piercing the clouds like a silent sentinel.

To anyone looking from beyond the border, it still appeared as nothing more than an isolated peak. But here, inside the Domain, the truth was far grander.

Akasha stood a short distance ahead of them, his expression calm as he scanned the landscape.

After a moment, he exhaled softly, almost in resignation.

"Where is Liliana?" he asked, his voice carrying a faint sigh.

He really didn’t want to bring up the unpredictable woman, but she had been the strongest in the Academy before he left.

All thanks to her being the first to take the apple and her presence here was necessary.

Amber stepped forward with a bright, almost mischievous smile, her warm brown eyes meeting his without hesitation.

"My mother is currently in seclusion," she said smoothly. "She won’t be out for at least a week."

Akasha tilted his head slightly, studying her for a brief moment.

There was something in the way she delivered the answer — too polished, too convenient — that made him pause.

Not only that, but the reason for her absence was strange.

’Seclusion?’ he wondered for a moment before shaking his head.

He knew not everyone gained from isolation, and from what he recalled, he doubted her rank would improve just by sitting still.

"Let her know right away," he said plainly. "Tell her to come here."

Then, raising his voice so it carried across the open field, he called out, "Number One."

The Guardian Construct appeared in a flicker of shadow, bowing deeply

While Yume and Lune, who remained unseen by the Academy members, standing quietly at Akasha’s side.

Akasha turned to them, his instructions clear and concise.

"You three... help our guests get comfortable. Show them the benefits they’ll receive while they’re here."

Since none of these people were members of Dreamer’s Peak, they wouldn’t be able to experience the full effects, and Akasha had no intention of making every one of them members.

They were simply beneficiaries—nothing more.

Still, if they were going to accomplish anything truly meaningful for him, he would need to offer them more than the minor boosts they’d already received.

Number One bowed once again, while Luna and Yume gave slight nods before stepping forward to assist the group.

Akasha then turned his attention to Melvin, who had been quietly standing beside him the whole time.

"We’ll be going out for a while," he said. "But when we return... you’ll all undergo transformations like nothing you’ve ever imagined."

----

After giving his instructions to Luna, Yume, and Number One, Akasha vanished alongside Melvin in a ripple of space.

However, while his physical body moved toward the Western Continent, his True Self remained seated in Dream Land, cross-legged before the Thirteenth battlefield.

The air here was thick and chaotic — countless dreams and nightmares clashing violently in the distance, their collisions sending ripples of fractured reality across the battlefield.

Akasha’s eyes were half-lidded as he stared into the storm of clashing thoughts and emotions.

A quiet sigh escaped him.

"It’s about time I stop putting this off," he muttered. "I’ve been too focused on building this place properly... But if I’m going to move forward, I need a clearer picture of the world I’m trying to conquer."

For a while now, Yume and Luna had puzzled over why he didn’t simply dream up the knowledge he sought instead of constantly asking questions.

Part of it was his desire to experience things without spoiling them for himself, to let the surprises unfold naturally.

But now, with the world shrouded in so much mystery, that approach felt less... safe.

The bits and pieces of information he’d gathered from Luna no longer gave him the sense of security he needed.

So, in that moment, he let his eyes drift shut.

For the first time in a long while, he stopped building and training in dreamland and instead began to dream the knowledge he needed — not just about Kalpa, but about the deeper truths behind weapons and mastery itself.

As he focused on Kalpa, a notification gently surfaced in his mind.

[Dreaming Cosmic Truths - The World of Kalpa & Weapon’s Mastery]

The knowledge that filled his mind was immense, yet oddly incomplete.

"Hmm?" He raised a brow as it settled in. "Guess I’m not all-knowing after all."

He had always wondered if he could simply dream of endless knowledge without limits. But now, it was clear that it didn’t provide the minute details or the step-by-step account of events.

Instead, it laid bare the bigger truths — the reasons behind things, the grand design of the world, its unseen forces, and hidden logic.

From this, Akasha pieced together a few key revelations.

"So, the Red Lady runs the largest and most dangerous information network in Kalpa," he murmured, jotting down the most intriguing bits.

"And the Wanderer... a mysterious figure who understands the oceans’ true significance... hmm."

He kept sifting through the knowledge until he reached what mattered most right now.

This was why the world of Kalpa seemed so shrouded in mystery.

He had already been aware that beyond its boundaries, another Pantheon existed, watching this place closely.

Yet he could never quite grasp why they didn’t simply enter and seize control outright, instead choosing such a convoluted approach.

Now, at last, the answer became clear.

The Deadline had been set because the World of Kalpa was in a dormant state, caused by the war of Great Severance.

In this state, the world had sealed itself within a Barrier for the past 63 Eras, a barrier that had only recently begun to weaken—just enough for that distant Pantheon to send a single envoy.

Scattered among the rest of the knowledge were other fragments too, hints pointing toward deeper, hidden truths about the Academies.

When Akasha shifted his focus toward the scythe and its mastery, the knowledge that came was far more limited, yet profound.

He learned of three conceptual stages that marked true mastery and what lay beyond it:

Aura. Intent. Truth.

These were not mere techniques.

They were the natural progression of weapon mastery — the path that existed after one reached the peak of physical and conceptual skill with a weapon.

To truly master the scythe, he would first need to understand and wield Aura — the projection of one’s will and presence into the world through the weapon.

And according to the knowledge he received, the most natural and effective way to cultivate Aura with the scythe... was through slaughter.

Akasha slowly opened his eyes, the chaotic battlefield still raging in the distance. A small, cold smile formed on his lips.

"So that’s how it is..."

-----

Meanwhile, Akasha’s physical body — his Dream Self — was already soaring through the skies of the Western Continent alongside Melvin.

The wind rushed past them as Akasha flew with effortless grace, his white-green hair whipping in the breeze.

They had teleported multiple times in quick succession, each jump covering vast distances until they reached the Western Continent.

The landscape below was rugged and untamed — dense forests, jagged mountains, and winding rivers stretching as far as the eye could see.

Akasha’s mind was still turning over the information he had received.

’The Red Lady and the Wanderer... I need to meet both of them soon.’

Both of them would prove to be valuable assets.

While the Red Lady might offer help with endeavors far beyond Kalpa, the Wanderer—well, he was someone whose mind he wanted to explore.

Flying close beside him, Melvin finally spoke, his voice steady but carrying the weight of everything he had witnessed — Tyron’s defeat, Akasha’s silence, and the crushing awareness that he was alone with a being far beyond anything he understood.

"Lord Dream... I don’t understand why you brought me," he said, the words careful and measured, shaped by equal parts fear and conflict.

"Aren’t I supposed to be growing to handle my own issues?"

Akasha glanced back at him, a small, knowing smile forming — not warm, but not cold either, something quietly approving beneath the usual calm.

He nodded once, his tone calm and matter of factly.

"That’s exactly what this trip is about... learning to handle your own problems."

--

[Melvin Blackwood’s Favorability - 50/100]