In the Dream World, the collective consciousness, like a sword hanging from the sky, hovered high above the dome.
White streams of light erupted from the hilt of the sword, scattering and weaving into a thick curtain, obscuring everything, expanding along the invisible boundaries of the dream, finally forming a sphere with a pyramid-like Dream Gladiator Arena floating in its center.
Complex and exquisite patterns emerged on the surface of this white sphere, forming a magical seal that separated the dream, peeling Simon's dream away from the dreams of the swarm.
A strong sense of security welled up in Simon's heart; all his sub-consciousnesses ceased their struggle, standing still, quietly appreciating the fleeting beauty of this moment.
This kind of secluded, peaceful, and warm feeling was what Simon had always lacked, and what he had constantly yearned for in his deepest heart; this feeling originated very early, even when he was still human. People are simply lonely; they do not live peacefully; they all struggle with themselves, all searching for the sense of security that disappeared the moment they entered the human world.
After the dream was separated, Simon felt like he had returned to the womb, both alive and not truly existing.
People do not come into the world voluntarily, but are often forced; at birth, their frail, delicate bodies are tormented by cold wind and bright light, beginning a lifelong struggle.
Often, after contemplating suffering, suffering arrives uninvited.
Simon withdrew his sub-consciousnesses, and the Dream Gladiator Arena vanished like foam; only a curled-up infant remained in this spherical, cocoon-like dream.
All conscious activity fell silent.
Waiting for time to flow, nurturing life.
...
The silk threads wrapping Simon became increasingly hard, eventually like steel wires, tough and dense.
Weaver larvae scurried all over the cocoon, always full of vitality.
Nati and Paya now spent more time indoors; for them, they had two eggs to look after.
Nati did not reject such simple and monotonous work; these days reminded him of the time after he found Simon's egg, and he never expected such an experience to repeat itself.
Every minute, every second, his heart was filled with joy and sorrow; joy for the nurturing of new life, sorrow for the uncertain future of his loved one who had cocooned.
Paya chatted with him, and they speculated about the time the new life would hatch, as well as when Simon would emerge from his cocoon; they both hoped that they could simultaneously break free from the outer shell that nourished life yet restricted freedom.
The long river of time flowed gently in the peaceful Crossroads, slowly carving the unique marks of time into the world's very bones through the movement, growth, and decay of all things.
At some point, a colossal will suddenly erupted, and a plague swept across this cold and desolate region; those insects with faint minds and the reanimated corpses of the dead were infected and activated, their bodies covered in orange-red pustules, their minds filled with frenzied thoughts, and unstable power caused them to swell. Horrible pustules not only grew on animals, but the plague also infected single-celled organisms and some fungi; hot orange-red pus spread everywhere along vein-like networks, bulging into bubbles and blocking paths. A layer of orange mist floated in the air, swirling in the wind like ghostly specters, eerily bizarre and terrifying.
Evidently, the Crossroads was completely infected!
The seal was on the verge of breaking, and The Radiance, whose freedom was bound, was also about to break her shell.
It was no longer safe here; Nati and Paya lived in seclusion in the deepest part of the Crossroads, unaware of the changes outside; their food, small crawling insects, remained as they were, uninfected, so Nati and Paya were only surprised by the abnormal brightness of the Crossroads, but did not consider it too deeply.
The small house seemed to be separated from the outside world by an era; here, it was still peaceful and beautiful.
But misfortune befell the owners of the house.
This misfortune was not violent, nor was it sudden death.
Nati and Paya's child, that egg, seemed to be affected by the infection, and the little life within grew weaker and weaker.
Tiny orange-red spots crept onto the eggshell.
Nati and Paya were heartbroken; they both had an instinctive feeling that this egg would not survive.
...
Simon's cocoon twitched slightly.
The egg also twitched slightly.
It seemed they were indeed going to hatch simultaneously.
Nati and Paya had not expected to encounter such a calamity; at a time of double joy, one life was destined not to open its eyes to the world.
The long wait did not bring abundant rewards, but instead, a cruel tragedy was brutally thrown before them, shattering their hearts little by little.
Nati burst into tears, and Paya no longer told him to be quiet.
The egg cracked a tiny bit, and the little life inside so desperately wanted to come out; he, or she, though still an infant, already knew he or she should leave his or her shell and see the outside.
Nati knelt by the small bed, looking at his child with sorrowful eyes.
From the broken eggshell, a faint orange-red light emerged, and a slender, weak finger reached out of the opening; under the transparent, delicate carapace, orange-red blood flowed in the veins.
The little infant's finger tried hard to widen the crack, but after many clumsy and sluggish attempts, there was little progress.
Paya could not hold back her tears; she stepped forward and tried to help her child break the eggshell, but at that moment, Nati stopped her.
"No, let him do it himself; this is for every bug..." he choked out.
"Let go! This child is failing; before he leaves us, he must see this world, this world he is trying so hard to be born into, at least!" Paya, furious from powerlessness, shoved Nati, making him stumble and fall to the ground.
Paya was about to take the child out when Nati, lying on the ground, looked at the cocoon hanging from the ceiling, beating like a heart.
Paya's fingers trembled as she pressed against the eggshell, about to exert force, when she heard Nati shout: "Paya! Little one, look at his cocoon!"
She turned her head to look; the thick, pure white cocoon on the ceiling was violently throbbing, and then a long, slender Nail pierced the silk threads; the steel-hard threads appeared ethereal like smoke under the beautifully patterned Nail blade.
The Nail circled once, the cocoon burst, and an ordinary blue Maintenance Grub landed on the ground; he wore a strange rectangular mask, looking as if a totem pole was placed on his face, his body wet, glowing white water stains constantly dripping and then evaporating.
He held an exceptionally beautiful and majestic Nail in his hand, which he now reinserted into the strap on his back, where only one Nail remained.
It was Simon.
He immediately noticed the strange atmosphere in the room.
He also sensed the colossal will enveloping the Crossroads.
And he saw the dying egg.
He walked forward, took the egg from Paya's hand, and a soft, beautiful white light gathered in his hand, seeping into the egg; nourished, the little life within became active.
But Simon gently stroked the eggshell, and the white light transformed into a seal, drawing the life inside into slumber.
"Little one, you succeeded? How is he?"
Simon turned and smiled at Nati and Paya: "I succeeded; this child can still be saved, but not now."
"Then when will it be time?"
"When the gods die."
-------------------------------
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 20+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/Greyhounds
If you guys wanna check it out.