"What... what happened?!"
Loki, who had fallen to the ground in confusion, looked up at Sara and asked.
"It's your father. He… he stopped your uncle in reality," Sara said in disbelief.
She could sense what was happening outside, so she knew that her uncle was currently being beaten up by Peter in the bedroom.
The way this manifested in the dream world was through her subconscious creating a Peter even stronger than her uncle.
Boom!
Peter leaped outside the barn, grabbed the cloaked man by the neck, lifted him into the air, and then slammed him hard onto the ground.
The impact caused the earth to tremble slightly. The cloaked man hit the ground with his back, coughing up blood.
Unwilling to concede, he struggled to his feet and attempted to retaliate.
As he moved, the ground caved in, and countless black tendrils emerged from beneath, lunging toward Peter.
Faced with the oncoming tendrils, Peter took a step forward, dodging the barrage with ease. He then seized the cloaked man, who had no time to evade, and flung him forward once more.
Boom!
The cloaked man rolled across the ground.
—Reality—
After kicking Mike away, Peter picked up the syringe that was meant for his niece and asked, "What is this?"
"I..."
Mike clutched his aching chest, staring at Peter in shock.
"W-what are you?"
"Seems like you don't understand your situation."
Peter casually picked up another syringe, moved with lightning speed to Mike's side, and grabbed him. He held up the needle, preparing to inject it into the man's neck.
"No! No!"
Mike struggled in terror, but he couldn't escape. Peter slammed him against the wall with a heavy thud!
Mike groaned in pain, feeling a sharp agony shoot through his spine.
As the needle edged closer to his neck, he screamed, "No! That's not medicine for Sara!"
"Oh?"
Peter stopped and glanced at the liquid inside the syringe. "Then what is it?"
"It—it's a drug to keep her from waking up! I—I made a mistake! I wanted to claim the inheritance that should have been Sara's, so I kept injecting her with medicine to keep her unconscious!"
Frightened by Peter's inhuman display, Mike confessed everything in terror.
"You mixed this yourself?"
Peter frowned. This guy really was a piece of work.
"Yes! I—I'm a doctor, so I know a thing or two…"
Mike's glasses had been shattered, and he looked utterly disheveled—completely stripped of his former gentlemanly demeanor.
"What are the side effects of this drug?"
Peter pressed on.
"It... it will keep Sara in a constant sleep, unable to wake up. It might also cause damage to her nervous system."
Peter nodded and looked at the trembling Mike.
The next second, he emotionlessly plunged the syringe into the man's neck.
Mike's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe what was happening.
A wave of drowsiness overtook him.
His eyelids drooped, and before he could resist, he collapsed to the ground with a thud!
Peter glanced at the unconscious man before shifting his attention to Sara, who lay on the bed, her breathing rapid.
He didn't know what was happening in the dream world with Loki and Sara.
Peter frowned, worried about Loki's condition.
—Dream World—
In Sara and Loki's stunned gaze, Peter grabbed the cloaked man and plunged his hand directly into his abdomen.
Boom!
Peter's arm pierced through the cloaked figure's body.
The man let out a painful roar as if Peter's hand had become a cosmic singularity, continuously absorbing him from the inside out.
In the end, with an unwilling howl, he was completely consumed.
Loki stared at Peter in shock.
"Father?"
Even in the dream world, his father was this strong?!
But he quickly realized something.
This wasn't really his father.
It was a version of his father that Sara had subconsciously created!
In her dream, Sara had envisioned her uncle as a powerful cloaked figure.
But because she could sense the real world and had witnessed her father easily subduing her uncle, she had instinctively transformed Peter into an even more powerful entity, projecting him into the dream world.
Loki turned his gaze to his father. Peter's figure gradually faded into the light.
The dark haze covering the dream world also began to dissipate.
Sara looked at Loki with gratitude, wanting to thank him.
But before she could say a word, Loki suddenly felt dizzy.
His vision spun, and the next thing he knew—
Loki's eyes shot open.
The familiar ceiling came into view.
He quickly sat up, scanning his surroundings, and confirmed that he was no longer in the dream world.
"Dad?!"
Realization struck him, and he immediately rushed out of his room and headed next door.
He pushed the door open—
The first thing he saw was Mike Connor, unconscious on the floor.
And beside him, Peter stood calmly, speaking on the phone.
When Loki walked in, Peter looked surprised and put down his phone. "You're awake, Loki?"
"Yes, I woke up from the dream world because you defeated the man in the black robe, Father."
Loki took a moment to organize his thoughts before replying.
"The man in the black robe?" Peter asked, puzzled. "You mean that guy lying on the floor—Mike Connor?"
"Yes... yes, Dad, he was defeated by you."
Loki felt a mix of emotions. He hadn't expected his father to be the one to save him in the end. He had wanted to take down the black-robed man himself—to prove his abilities to his father.
"Were you on the phone just now?"
Loki quickly pushed aside his scattered thoughts and asked Peter.
Before Peter could answer, the sound of police sirens echoed from outside.
Peter nodded. "Yes, I called the police. They should be here any moment now."
As he spoke, he glanced at Sara, who was still lying in bed. "I think she'll wake up soon too."
Loki remained silent, his gaze fixed on the sleeping girl. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Back in the dream world, Sara had shared her abilities with him, which meant that, in the dream, he had also gained extraordinary powers.
The Next Day
Peter and Loki arrived at the town hospital together.
Upon hearing that Sara had regained consciousness, Officer Ryan notified Peter, saying that the girl wanted to see him.
"Hey, Sara. How are you feeling?"
Peter pushed open the hospital room door and greeted the girl, who was now awake and lying in bed.
Loki followed closely behind him into the room.
"You... you're Mr. Patrick, right? And you—you're Loki?"
Sara, dressed in a hospital gown and looking much better, asked hesitantly.
"Yes, I'm Loki, and this is my father. I thought you wouldn't remember us."
Loki placed a bouquet of pomegranate flowers on the bedside table. "These are your favorite flowers."
"Thank you, Loki."
Sara looked at Loki gratefully. "Even though we never met before, we've been through a lot together."
"And Mr. Patrick..."
She turned her grateful gaze to Peter.
Even while she was asleep, she had been aware of what happened in the bedroom.
Although she was shocked by Peter's extraordinary abilities, she reminded herself that she wasn't exactly normal either. So, she suppressed her curiosity.
"If it weren't for your help, I might never have woken up."
Peter nodded slightly. "As long as you're okay now, that's what matters."
"Mr. Patrick, you and Loki... you're both special. I think I'll always remember this experience."
Sara once again expressed her gratitude. "No matter what, I owe my life to you both. If you don't mind, I'd like to give you a portion of my inheritance as a token of my appreciation."
Peter's eyebrows twitched slightly.
He hadn't expected the girl to be so thoughtful.
But truthfully, he had no interest in a small sum of money.
And he certainly had no desire to take money from an orphaned girl.
If he needed cash, he could just pay a visit to one of the gangs in the city. That would be more than enough to last him a while.
"No, that won't be necessary," Peter said directly. "That money will be more useful in your hands."
After exchanging a few more words, Peter was about to leave when Loki suddenly said he had a few more questions for Sara.
Peter gave Loki a suspicious look.
What's this kid up to now?
"Dad, I promise it won't take long," Loki said, raising his hand as if swearing an oath, assuring Peter that he had no ill intentions.
Once Peter closed the door behind him, Loki leaned in and lowered his voice. "Sara, can you tell me exactly how your powers work in the dream world?"
"Honestly, I can't explain it very clearly myself," Sara admitted. "But I can often enter other people's dreams, usually people who are physically close to me. And I'm always fully aware of what I'm doing in the dream."
She continued, "In the dream world, I'm incredibly strong, and it's like I'm a sorcerer—I can control things at will and use them to attack. It feels like I can do anything. But..."
She let out a breath and looked at Loki. "...Isn't that normal in dreams? After all, dreams aren't real—they're just our imagination playing out in our minds."
Loki nodded. "Yes, they're just illusions... but sometimes, illusions can affect reality."
"Have you ever heard of the Sandman?" he asked.
"No."
Sara shook her head. "Is that some kind of mythical creature?"
"Maybe," Loki replied. "Get some rest. I should get going."
Feeling slightly disappointed, he still remained polite and bid her farewell before leaving the room.