Merin and Mia sit opposite each other, silence heavy between them.
He had long suspected Mia was not an ordinary human child—perhaps the daughter of some hidden powerhouse, or something else entirely. After all, she once saw through his true body in the Dragon World.
But the truth is more embarrassing than he imagined.
She is a dragon.
In the Dragon World, he once imitated a dragon through his transformation technique, believing himself flawless. Yet sitting before a true dragon today, he realises how clumsy his imitation was.
"What are you doing here? And how did you find me?" Merin asks, his voice low.
Mia answers without hesitation. "My mother's nest was in one of the planes that merged to form this one."
Merin sharpens his hearing, pressing into the vibration of her words, seeking the truth beneath them.
Mia continues, "My mother discovered you."
He nods slightly, but his thoughts drift.
Merging planes.
He finds it difficult enough to merge even fragments of law, yet someone merged entire planes together. The weight of that act stirs unease in his chest.
"Do you know who is behind this?" he asks.
"I don't know his name," Mia says. "Mother only called him a madman who bet everything."
"His purpose?"
"That I know." Her eyes harden. "According to my mother, to acquire a Sixth Stage: Godhead. With it, he can break through the Seventh Stage—Immortal."
Merin's expression darkens. "So this entire plane… its purpose is to give birth to a Sixth-Stage divine being."
Mia nods once. "Yes. A Sixth-Stage True God."
Merin leans forward, curiosity burning in his eyes. "How will he use it?"
Mia casually takes a piece of fried chicken from the tray. "That I don't know. I'm only Third Stage. My inherited memory only goes as far as breaking through to Fourth Stage."
Merin's focus sharpens. This is his chance. "Then tell me—how does one advance to the Fourth Stage?"
"Every extraordinary path has its own method," Mia replies, her tone calm, matter-of-fact. "But one step is the same for all—refining the soul to awaken the True Spirit."
Merin's brow furrows. "True Spirit? What is it?"
"Think of it as your identity card," Mia explains. "No matter how many times you reincarnate, your body changes, your memories scatter… but your True Spirit remains the same. It is what makes you, you."
Merin's voice lowers. "And how does one awaken it?"
"The easiest way," Mia says, "is to devour the will of a micro-plane. The will of a plane is close in nature to a True Spirit. To refine it is to glimpse yourself, and understanding it brings you closer to awakening."
Merin's mind immediately turns inward. The Dream Space.
It is not yet a micro-plane—but it is closer than most things. Ever since he merged the Law of Vitality, its foundation has grown stronger. If he continues merging Third-Stage Laws into it… Then one day, it might advance into a true micro-plane.
And if that happens, perhaps his True Spirit could awaken within his own creation.
He thinks, Let's show her. Mia knows more than me. She can guide me on how to shape the Dream Space into a micro-plane.
"I will show you something," Merin says.
Mia tilts her head, curious.
Merin releases the aura of the Dream Space, letting it ripple outward like a tide. Following its pull, Mia's consciousness peers inside. Her eyes narrow.
"This… is your Dream Space."
Merin nods. "Can you tell me how to advance it into a micro-plane?"
"You are walking the Divine Way," Mia replies evenly. "There are two routes for you—the Earth Divine Way or the Void Divine Way. You should have already received a message from the Supreme God Court."
Merin shakes his head. "I stopped cultivating the Divine Way."
He raises his finger and touches the space between her brows. A ray of light shoots forward, delivering the Blood Cultivation Way directly into her mind.
Mia closes her eyes for a brief moment. When she opens them again, clarity shines in her gaze. "The Law Way… then for you, the path is this: gather eighty-one principles to weave a complete Law. That will transform your divine space into a micro-plane."
Merin freezes, stunned. Eighty-one principles.
He has grasped only two.
The road ahead stretches for centuries, perhaps millennia—but for him, time is no concern. Now that the path is revealed, he only needs to walk it, step by steady step.
But before he can speak, Mia suddenly withdraws her gaze from his Dream Space, her expression unreadable.
"You can also take another path," she says softly. "The path of a Dream Lord."
The words strike him like thunder.
"Dream Lord?" Merin echoes, unfamiliar with the term.
"There are seven supreme ways," Mia says, her tone calm but heavy, "and by doing their bidding, one can advance from zero to the Sixth Stage."
"Seven Supreme Ways?" Merin presses.
"Abyss, Hell, Reincarnation, Chaos, Dream, Holy, and Destruction."
Merin falls silent, letting the names carve themselves into his heart.
"I sense Dream World's aura in your Dream Space," Mia continues. "Your world is connected with the Dream World. You can enter it, and by doing the Dream World's bidding, advance into the Fourth Stage—as a Dream Lord."
Merin shakes his head slightly. "Then it depends on the Dream World. What it gives, it can also take back."
"Of course," Mia says. "You would only be borrowing its power. But that won't stop you from reaching the Fourth Stage through other means. You can still become a Fourth Stage Legend by the Law Way."
Temptation stirs in Merin's heart.
"The status of Dream Lord will elevate your consciousness," Mia adds, her eyes narrowing. "Awakening your True Spirit. From that high vantage, comprehending the eighty-one principles will be far easier."
Merin nods slowly. "I will try. If I can find the entry to the Dream World."
Even if I cannot find it through Dream Space, the mirror will help me enter. I've already travelled through different worlds by way of the Dream World—why not again?
Mia simply nods and returns to her food, picking at the fried chicken like nothing heavy had been spoken.
But Merin remembers the trouble brewing within the Dream Kingdom. He looks at her and asks, "Mia, do you know anything about the Ngurut Empire?"
"The Ngurut Empire lies to your east," Mia says without hesitation. "It is ruled by a Fourth Stage God who holds the priesthoods of Darkness and Bone."
Merin's expression darkens instantly, his face falling.
"Do you have a conflict with them?" Mia asks quietly.
Merin exhales slowly, his jaw tightening. "The Dream Kingdom had held off one of their assault at the eastern front. But if their ruler himself moves, my kingdom will collapse."
Mia wipes her fingers on a napkin and shakes her head. "You're overthinking. Keelos, the God of Darkness and Bone, is bound. As a Fourth-Stage God, he cannot leave the territory of his empire."
Merin looks up sharply. "He cannot?"
"No," Mia says firmly. "The madman sealed is more severe for the fourth-stage god."
Relief spreads slowly across Merin's face, though his brow remains furrowed. "So the war is fought by his priests and nobles."
"Exactly," Mia says, reaching for another piece of chicken. "You're not facing Keelos himself. You're facing his underlings."
Merin's eyes narrow. " Then what about their strength?"
Mia says, "They have seven demigods—four dukes and three priests."
Merin's expression hardens. "Seven demigods… enough to crush the Dream Kingdom outright."
"They can hardly send more than one," Mia replies calmly.
Merin leans forward. "Are they in trouble?"
Mia nods slightly. "Their north borders the Holy Light Empire, also ruled by a god. The two empires are locked in conflict. With your strength—and the fact that I'm here—they'll hold back. At most, they'll send lower ranks. The demigods won't move."
Relief softens Merin's tense shoulders, a weight lifting from his chest. "Thank you."
Mia bites into her fried chicken, speaking between chews. "It's fine. You helped me before—now it's my turn."
Merin nods, reaching for a piece himself. He isn't hungry, but the taste matters. For centuries, he has forgotten the simple savour of fried chicken.
The throne room falls into a quiet ease as the tension bleeds away, replaced by the simple sound of bones cracking beneath teeth.
Merin sits back in his chair, savouring the strange crunch and spice that lingers on his tongue. For centuries, he has lived on spiritual energy and cultivation pills—never once pausing for the trivial pleasure of food. Yet now, with the weight of impending war eased by Mia's words, the fried chicken feels like a rare luxury.
Mia leans lazily against her chair, her plate nearly empty, grease glistening on her fingers. "See? Even gods and kings need a taste of the world sometimes."
Merin chuckles faintly, shaking his head. "Perhaps." But in his heart, he knows it's true. For the first time in a long while, he doesn't feel like a weapon sharpened endlessly against fate.
For a fleeting moment, the Dream Kingdom's troubles fade into the background, and the two simply share a meal in peace.