Chapter 312: _We Can Have Fun Forever
Hale-Ferguson Residence
"There you go, big guy." Loki dropped Valentine’s body on a sofa at the corner of Orion’s room, sighing with satisfaction.
They’d successfully tucked everyone to a comfortable spot—either beside little Orion on his bed, on a secluded part of the floor or on the sofa like Valentine.
While doing this, they could still track the consciousnesses of the guys, making sure they didn’t get lost or trapped. If they felt the slightest sign of something wrong, they’d be able to pull them out immediately.
Loki was just about to settle down on a spare chair when their phone rang.
"Gods, what now?" They pulled out the phone.
As expected, it was Apollo calling again. The god of light and other members of the Pantheon had been blowing up their phone for some minutes now.
No doubt because of the apocalypse.
But really... What could they do?
It wasn’t an SSS-Rank anomaly or Rift. This was being caused by a child. One whom Ambrose cared dearly about. Right now, being here to ensure they completed this mission safely was the Lord of Chaos’ absolute priority.
"Sorry, dude." Loki flung the phone aside even as it kept ringing. Their eyes settled on Orion’s face before sliding to Ambrose’s.
Son and father both seemed restless in their sleep. Ambrose’s eyelids specifically batted one or two times, his forehead wrinkling.
Loki moved to his side, placing a palm on his sweaty forehead. "What is happening in there that’s gotten you so worked up...?"
★★★★★
"Orion, is that really you?" Devon yelled out into the sky, eyes locked on the floating candy island. "Do you guys think he can hear us?"
"What? The little guy staring directly at us like we’re insects invading a god’s space?" Viktor gulped. "I’m not an expert, but I—"
"Orion!" Ambrose stepped forward, his voice firm. "Buddy, it’s me. Dad. You’ve got to snap out of this and wake up, okay?"
No response.
Ambrose’s chest tightened painfully.
Against his better judgment, he teleported, appearing on the candy island.
"Rory!" Viktor yelled in a panic. "We aren’t sure if that’s still Orion. Get out of there!"
Ambrose ignored him, slowly stretching a hand toward his little boy. It reminded him of his life as Benji Foster, as a young boy whenever he visited his grandmother.
He moved this exact way when trying to greet her mean-ass cat.
"Buddy?" Ambrose whispered. "My little urchin, please tell me you recognise me. W-What happened to you?" A pause. "I heard Uncle Viktor scared you with a zombie movie."
Viktor snapped from the rooftop below. "That was unintentional!"
Orion continued staring. Not a flicker of recognition crossed those radiant golden eyes.
Just curiosity.
Like Ambrose was nothing more than another strange character wandering through his dream.
Something inside Ambrose cracked. He closed the remaining distance and slowly rested a trembling hand on the little boy’s shoulder.
"Rory," His voice became barely above a whisper. "It’s Daddy."
The child blinked. "...Daddy?"
Ambrose nodded frantically.
"Yeah." His lips shook into a smile despite the tears threatening to gather. "Daddy’s here, buddy."
For a second, nothing happened.
Then Orion’s eyes widened.
The brilliant golden glow faded, replaced by the familiar innocence Ambrose knew better than anything.
"D-Daddy?" He blinked several times in rapid succession, swaying where he stood as though he’d just climbed out of deep water. "W-What’s happening?"
Ambrose didn’t even answer.
He pulled the little boy into his arms so quickly Orion squeaked, wrapping him in the tightest hug he’d ever given anyone.
"Oh, thank God." His voice broke. "You scared me so much."
Down on the rooftop, everyone released the breaths they’d unknowingly been holding.
"I..." Devon wiped at his eyes before pretending he hadn’t. "I think that’s actually him this time."
"It is." Gabriel smiled softly.
Even Valentine visibly relaxed.
After another minute, Ambrose carried Orion down to the rooftop where everyone gathered around.
The little boy looked from face to face in confusion.
"I don’t understand." He rubbed one eye. "I came back from school... then I got sleepy after lunch." He frowned thoughtfully. "I dreamed about the zombie movie Uncle Viktor was watching yesterday."
Viktor awkwardly raised a hand. "Still sorry."
Orion nodded absentmindedly.
"The zombies chased me everywhere." His shoulders shrank at the memory. "I was really, really scared..." He looked around the colourful dreamscape. "...Then everything suddenly became really pretty."
Inside Ambrose’s mind, Aura quietly spoke.
[The nightmare most likely manifested externally before Orion’s subconscious reshaped the dream into somewhere he felt safe.]
Ambrose’s stomach sank.
So the apocalypse had begun as nothing more than one terrified child’s nightmare after all.
Valentine studied the impossible landscape with genuine admiration.
"I’ll admit," he murmured, "your imagination is extraordinary, little one."
Orion beamed. "Really?"
"It is." The Necromancer’s tone remained calm. "But your imagination also changed the real world."
The smile disappeared.
"Outside," Valentine continued evenly, "people are fighting monsters because of your nightmare. You’ll need to wake up, Orion."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Orion slowly shook his head. "I don’t want to."
Everyone froze as the little boy hugged his knees.
"The outside world is scary." His voice became smaller. "Here... I can be anything."
Ambrose crouched until they were eye level. "But this place isn’t real, buddy."
"So what?" Orion frowned. "You all came here." His tiny face brightened hopefully. "You can just stay."
He stretched both arms wide toward the endless wonderland.
"We can have fun forever."
Ambrose’s heart shattered. Before he could respond, Gabriel quietly stepped beside him, his voice gentle.
"Orion, people are dying."
Ambrose instinctively winced.
That was... Far too blunt for a six-year-old. But instead of crying, Orion’s hopeful smile slowly faded.
"They are?"
Gabriel nodded. "They’re getting hurt because this dream won’t end."
The little boy lowered his head, his fingers twisting together. "I don’t want that."
Another long silence followed. But this time when it finally came to an end, Orion spoke the words everyone had been waiting for.
"Okay." He sniffled. "I’ll wake up."
Relief swept across every face.
Then Orion frowned again. "Um..." He scratched his head. "How do I wake up, though?"
The smile vanished from everyone’s faces all at once.