Ebner had helped many giants and half-giants escape from their nightmares, so he was quite experienced in dealing with such situations. With just a glance, he noticed something off about the so-called "werewolf."
There were three main inconsistencies:
First, its size was too exaggerated! Jane had encountered werewolves before—she had even personally killed Tyre, the werewolf who murdered her mother, to take revenge. Even if she still carried fear from that night deep in her heart, she wouldn't subconsciously inflate a werewolf to such an extreme degree… This wasn't logical.
Second, the werewolf in this dream was simply holding Jane's "mother" in its grip but had yet to take any further action, only howling at the moon. This also didn't align with typical nightmare logic. Based on Ebner's past experiences, a nightmare should involve the werewolf killing a loved one over and over again—that would be the usual "plot" of a nightmare.
Third, Jane appeared as nothing more than a helpless, sobbing little girl. This was completely wrong. In a nightmare, she should have tried to use her abilities to save her mother, only to find them ineffective—forced to watch, powerless, as her mother was slaughtered. That kind of "development" would be far more consistent with the nature of this nightmare island.
Considering these illogical elements and combining them with his past "experience," Ebner quickly formed a hypothesis:
Jane's deepest fear wasn't the werewolf…
It was herself—transforming into a werewolf!
"That massive werewolf in the dream… it actually represents Jane herself.
"She believes that after becoming a Beyonder, her personality has grown colder, her regard for ordinary lives diminishing—just like the werewolf Tyre's attitude toward her family that night…
"The werewolf clutching Mrs. Grant symbolizes ordinary people. The fact that it holds her but hasn't crushed her yet represents Jane's internal struggle.
"On one hand, her Corpse Collector pathway influences her, making her instinctively indifferent toward life. On the other hand, her personal experiences push her to resist this very instinct…
"In fact, an average person in her situation might eventually accept this indifference as part of themselves. But Jane, as someone who was once a victim of such apathy, experiences a much deeper internal conflict.
"This is likely the true root of her psychological issues… It's similar to how Klein, in the original work, developed mental problems due to the pollution from the Church of Evernight's 'Internal Watchers'—deep immersion in an acting method always leads to such consequences!
"Right now, Jane's condition is still just a hidden danger. But if a trigger appears, or if she advances to a higher sequence, that hidden danger will become a real mental breakdown…
"No wonder the professors in Silver City's General Knowledge Course emphasized the importance of remembering, 'You are only acting the role'…
"Clearly, Jane either didn't know this or deliberately ignored it in her rush to digest potions and gain the strength for revenge."
With these thoughts in mind, Ebner looked at the sobbing, ordinary-girl version of Jane in the dream and sighed.
"This is likely her other deep-seated fear… and I'm probably part of the reason behind it.
"I don't have solid proof, and saying it out loud feels a bit self-indulgent, but ever since Jane became a Beyonder, she might have subconsciously seen me as a mental pillar of support…
"That's not unusual. Even a more mature woman like Miss Daly, after going through drastic changes and becoming a Corpse Collector, once used indulgence as a way to reclaim her sense of self. It wasn't until she met Dunn—until she found a 'light' in her life—that she began to change.
"Jane didn't spiral into that kind of self-destruction, likely thanks to the Mystic Queen guiding her. Perhaps she even led Jane to seek out something—or someone—she cherished as a support… And as Jane's close friend, with a somewhat ambiguous connection between us, it's natural that I filled that role.
"Jane… she's terrified of me discovering her 'other self'!
"That's why even in her nightmare, she disguises herself as a powerless little girl…
"But this nightmare has already exposed her heart. That's why there are so many inconsistencies in the dream's setting…
"Even if I hadn't entered this nightmare myself, the 'dream' would likely have arranged for another 'Ebner' to appear and 'see through' everything with a sharp gaze.
"This really is a nightmare!"
Even though he had mostly deciphered the nightmare's "trick," Ebner still found dealing with it to be quite difficult.
Simply pulling Jane out of the nightmare wouldn't be hard—he could just "kill" the werewolf and rescue her mother, allowing Jane to believe she had successfully concealed her truth.
But if he did that, the mental issue would remain. Eventually, she would break down…
She needs to handle this the way Klein did in the original work—she needs to accept that both sides of her personality are part of who she is…
Otherwise, she's heading down the same path as Bishop Utravsky.
"Fortunately, this nightmare's environment is similar to Bishop Utravsky's 'Heart Nightmare Candle' ability—it materializes the core issue of the dreamer's psyche. As long as Jane can conquer her fear, her condition will improve significantly…
"But how exactly should I help her?
"I'm no professional psychologist… Ideally, I should ask Closfia for help…
"Wait… If Closfia could resolve Jane's mental issues in the future, then technically, I don't need to ask her now!"
At first glance, this thought seemed contradictory, but it actually wasn't.
Because if Closfia could fix Jane's condition in the future, that future already existed—which meant it could be "foreseen"!
And today, I haven't used my 'once-per-day' active divination yet!
Acting immediately, Ebner activated the Pure White Eye and chanted his inquiry:
"The method Closfia will use to treat Jane's mental issues."
Almost instantly, a single word appeared in Ebner's mind:
"Ebner!"
Wait… Closfia is using me to treat Jane? What kind of therapy is this? A "lover's comfort" method?
Ebner was stunned for a few seconds. After making a few sarcastic remarks in his head, he seriously analyzed the meaning behind that single word.
The name "Ebner" had been marked with punctuation in the revelation… meaning that this "Ebner" wasn't referring to himself literally but rather symbolizing something…
Hmm… I think I understand!
After about half a minute of contemplation, a sudden realization struck him, and he grasped the meaning of the "prophecy."
For Jane to overcome the werewolf, for her to break through her fear of exposing her other self to me, there was only one way—force her into a situation where she had to reveal it.
She had to accept that the werewolf was also a part of her, that these two sides of herself were never truly separate.
Thus, the key to forcing her to confront her fear… was to put "Ebner," the support she had in her heart, in danger!
And that meant the dream's version of Ebner, originally conjured to see through her disguise and push her into despair, had now become the most critical tool.
As soon as he reached this conclusion, the dreamscape "refreshed"—suddenly, a dream-version of Ebner appeared, flying toward the clothing store from afar.
He descended, his gaze sweeping coldly across the scene. Then, his sharp eyes landed on Jane, who was crying like a fragile little girl. He seemed ready to say something heartless.
But just then—
A giant bear suddenly burst from the ground, slamming the "Ebner" down in an instant!
Its fist, as large as a kitchen wok, rained down upon him like a storm, brutally beating the utterly confused dream-Ebner to a pulp.
On the other side, both Jane and the werewolf froze—the former stopped crying, while the latter loosened its grip on Mrs. Grant.
They stared, wide-eyed, at the bizarre scene unfolding before them.
The "Ebner" on the ground was the first to recover. He suddenly pulled out a greatsword from nowhere and stabbed it into the ground.
A storm of light erupted, forcing the giant bear to dodge momentarily.
Seizing the opportunity, "Ebner" rode a gust of wind to escape the bear's grasp, conjuring black flames in his palms. The flames shot out like bullets, streaking toward the bear in rapid succession.
The giant bear, or rather, the real Ebner, calmly observed everything.
With a simple wave, he conjured an ice shield, easily blocking the black flames. At the same time, he made a quick assessment:
"This 'Ebner' is roughly at my Sequence 7 level… a weakened version, actually. The only extraordinary item he's using is the Sword of Dawn, and most of his abilities are the ones I used when Jane, Fors, and I rescued Xio from the Black Patch infection that night.
"Since nightmares create figures based on Jane's impression of my strength, it makes sense that he only possesses the abilities she has personally witnessed.
"Even though I told her about my other artifacts earlier today, she only received a brief explanation, never actually seeing them in action… That's why the 'Ebner' in her dream doesn't have them.
"Good thing, too!"
Feeling relieved, Ebner resumed his ruthless beatdown of his weakened Sequence 7 self.
To avoid killing him outright or disfiguring him beyond recognition, he deliberately avoided the vital areas and face…
Even so, the dream-Ebner was soon left half-dead, his breathing barely noticeable.
During this time, the werewolf let out a furious roar, seemingly trying to charge forward, but Ebner trapped it in the ground using an earth-based spell, rendering it immobile.
Jane, tears still fresh on her face, finally snapped out of her daze.
Looking at the badly beaten "Ebner", she seemed to make up her mind.
She stood up and walked, step by step, toward the trapped werewolf.
Then, she merged with it, transforming back into her usual self.
However, unlike when she was with familiar people, her gaze was now icy cold.
Yet… when her eyes fell on the dying "Ebner", that coldness was instantly replaced by deep concern.
.....
Elsewhere in the ruins, within another nightmare—
Above a vast treasure hoard, two giant dragons clashed fiercely.
Mental Plagues and Psychic Storms raged between them, warping the dream's sky in apocalyptic turmoil.
Then, one of the dragons suddenly opened its mouth and spewed dragon breath toward the treasure below.
The other dragon immediately dove toward the hoard, throwing itself into the path of the attack without hesitation.
But… the expected pain never came.
Instead, the attacking dragon vanished, and in its place, a brown-haired woman stepped forward, smiling as she patted the dragon's head.
"Ksenia… or should I say, 'Lady Greed,' have you finally woken up?"
The dragon's massive vertical pupils stared at her in confusion.
Then, with uncertainty, it hesitantly asked, "You are… Miss Sloth?"
"That's right," the woman—Closfia—replied with a smile, conjuring clothing for herself with a casual flick.
"Looks like this environment really is quite effective for treating psychological issues…"
Pausing for a moment, she then added meaningfully, "And also quite convenient for making adjustments. Anywhere else, I wouldn't have been able to pull this off."
"…Thank you."
The dragon transformed back into human form, but as soon as she heard Closfia's last words, she froze.
A few seconds later, her expression changed drastically, and she widened her eyes.
"You… you hypnotized me? You altered part of my perception?"
"Yes. Originally, I was going to extract a demigod characteristic from you, but considering your identity, I decided it was better to keep you alive."
Closfia smirked as she gave Lady Greed a once-over, scrutinizing her figure before adding,
"Don't bother struggling. Aside from Lord Wrath, not even the President would be able to see through—much less undo—my suggestion."
"Plus…"
"You won't even have the desire to seek someone to undo it."
As she spoke, Lady Greed instinctively halted her attempt to purge the hypnosis from herself.
(End of Chapter)