Chapter 1030: Dream Invasion
Chapter 1030 – Dream Invasion
"Lux Vaelthorn."
Lux opened his eyes in a snap.
He opened them like an accountant realizing he had fallen asleep two hours before tax season deadline while holding the only copy of the report.
His whole body jolted with silent panic.
For one awful half second, his mind expected Nexus Prime.
The desk.
The screens.
The cold coffee.
The spreadsheet screaming in sixteen tabs.
The feeling of waking with his cheek half-pressed into some contract folder while Greed Tower demanded another miracle from him before breakfast.
But no.
This was not his bed.
Not Nexus Prime either.
There was no ceiling. No window. No mansion walls. No wards. No moonlight over the garden.
Only nothingness.
A wide, endless dark expanse stretched around him, flat and silent, as if the world had forgotten to render itself and decided mood lighting would be enough.
Lux looked down.
Then paused.
Ah.
That was also new.
He was not wearing his robe.
He was not in his usual demonic handsome form either, the polished one, the charming one, the marketable nightmare prince version with elegant horns, wings, tail, and a face that could destabilize diplomatic meetings.
No.
This was more honest.
His body was still humanoid, but the silhouette felt wrong in a way that made space around him hesitate. His horns curved like black-gold crowns grown from hunger itself. His wings were broader, darker, veined with molten gold and violet heat. His tail moved behind him with lazy intelligence, the tip sharp enough to write contracts in bone.
Greed and Lust did not sit separately inside him here.
They braided.
Possession and desire.
His skin carried faint markings like ledgers burned beneath flesh, while a soft, dangerous warmth coiled under every breath.
Lux stared at himself.
Then sighed.
"Dream spell."
He caught it quickly.
This was not the first time.
Hell loved petty dream attacks.
Nobles, rivals, debtors, insulted heirs, failed contractors, assassins with imagination problems, everyone eventually thought invading someone’s dream was clever. Branch the dream. Trap the mind. Torture the target with nightmares. Whisper false memories. Make them relive regrets.
Basic villain hobby.
During his early days as CFO, Lux had experienced dream attacks almost every night.
At first, it had been annoying.
Then insulting.
Then boring.
By the third month, he had started grading them.
Some demons created elaborate nightmares about bankruptcy. Amateur. Some tried to seduce him. Also amateur, though occasionally more visually ambitious. One Wrath demon forced him into an endless dream where every contract had missing signatures.
That one almost broke him.
After that, Lux installed dream veils around himself. Layered ones. Expensive ones. Greed-made, Lust-tempered, contract-bound, self-updating. Enough that most dream intruders hit the first layer, saw the warning fee, and reconsidered their career.
So the fact this worked meant something unpleasant.
The caster was high level.
Very high.
Higher than him, probably.
And at level 481, that list was blessedly short.
Which made it worse, because short lists were easier to dread.
"Lux Vaelthorn."
The voice called again.
It did not come from one direction.
It rolled through the nothingness like old thunder remembering it used to be worshiped.
Lux exhaled.
Then lifted one hand.
A chair appeared behind him.
Not summoned with spellwork.
Just mentally placed into being because this was his dream and he refused to stand in someone else’s dramatic void like an unpaid intern.
The chair was black, high-backed, comfortable, and expensive-looking enough to offend minimalists.
Lux sat.
Crossed one leg over the other.
Rested his elbow on the armrest.
Calmly.
"What do you want?"
Silence answered first.
Then amusement.
A low chuckle drifted through the void.
"You are the son of Greed and Lust."
Lux blinked slowly. "Correct. Good opening. Very informative."
"This is the first time I see one. A royal one."
The darkness shifted.
Something moved at the edge of perception.
A pressure.
The voice continued, "Usually, demons born with multiple sins are lowly born."
Lux’s smile appeared. "Thanks for the compliment."
The thing chuckled again.
Lux leaned back more comfortably. "So, why are you here? I can’t give you more credit. I’m on vacation. My father is handling Greed matters now, so if this is about refinancing, debt restructuring, royal emergency liquidity, or someone’s idiot nephew losing three estates in a gambling den, you’re wasting both our time."
A pause.
Then the voice laughed.
This time, the void trembled faintly.
"No," it said. "I came because I know you took that Lust Primordial Sin with you."
Lux’s expression did not change.
Inside, his thoughts sharpened.
The voice curled with amusement. "That guy... usually too prideful and annoying, yet you got him just like that?"
The pressure moved closer.
The darkness ahead of Lux began to fold inward.
Something like eyes opened.
Not two.
More like suggestions of sight.
The voice lowered. "What makes you think you are that special, boy?"
Lux stared into the nothingness. Then smiled. "Boy?"
The void stilled.
Lux tapped one finger against the chair arm. "I was willing to tolerate the dream invasion. Even the dramatic empty-stage presentation. Very traditional. A little outdated, but I respect commitment."
His eyes glowed.
"But boy?"
He sighed.
"That hurts your credibility."
The presence laughed again, louder.
This time, a shape emerged.
Tall.
Too tall.
A figure stepped out from the dark wearing a body like a courtesy, not a necessity. It resembled a demon noble, but stretched through ancient wrongness. Long limbs. Crownless head. Face hidden beneath a smooth black mask with a smiling mouth carved into it. Behind him hung several torn cloaks that moved like shadows caught in wind.
His aura was old.
Not Zehar old.
Worse. More complete.
Lux studied him carefully.
The system did not appear. Which was something. He couldn’t access it either. Not even The Eye of Truth.
The masked demon tilted his head. "You do not tremble."
Lux looked down at himself, then back up. "Should I? I’m on vacation."
"You say that often."
"I suffer often. Even on my break."
The demon’s carved smile seemed to deepen. "You have the tongue of Greed."