Chapter 211: The Academy of Dreams
Harlan Steele took a long, measuring look at the young man seated across from him.
More than a decade had passed since they had last stood in the same room, and the change was so complete that for a moment even his calculative mind hesitated.
The short white hair at his temples shifted slightly as he leaned forward, voice careful.
"Lord Dream?"
The question lingered in the silence, hanging over the room like a heavy cloud.
Around the table, each Peak Master and high-ranking figure stared in stunned disbelief, their eyes widening as they exchanged glances, unsure of what to say next.
The transformation went far beyond any ordinary evolution... his skin tone, the eyes, the quiet weight of power that made even looking directly at him difficult.
A few of them parted their lips as if ready to speak, but before the moment could drift into something more, Akasha leaned back in his chair with a single, unhurried nod.
Harlan let out a long, weighted sigh, then slowly turned his gaze to the others still gathered around the table.
"Everyone else, leave the room."
In that moment, without any rebuttal, chairs scraped softly against stone as the Peak Masters and remaining officers rose and left out in silence.
The heavy doors shut behind the last of them with a soft, resonant thud, sealing the chamber in stillness.
Only then did Akasha’s low chuckle ripple through the space, breaking the silence with a hint of mischief.
"You know... they could have stayed," he remarked, his red-speckled eyes glimmering with quiet amusement.
"Maybe, it would’ve made things far more entertaining."
A strange, uneasy feeling twisted in Harlan’s chest at the remark.
Akasha had always carried himself with an air of ease, but Harlan... well, his own conscience was far from clean.
Luna and Yume had warned him that Akasha likely knew the truth about Tyron, and now, seeing firsthand the vast difference in their abilities, he realized it would take no effort at all for Akasha to uncover it on his own.
That thought alone felt anything but casual.
Before the weight of the moment could settle any further, Akasha casually lifted a hand, dismissing the concern with an easy gesture.
"You don’t need to trouble yourself over the matter with Tyron."
His gaze locked on Harlan’s, the tiny red flecks in his irises slowly blooming into full, vivid crimson, unmistakably vampiric in their edge.
Though calm, the look carried an unshakable authority.
"I understand... you acted as any master would," Akasha murmured, a faint smile curling his lips.
"I truly do."
Some of the stiffness in Harlan’s shoulders eased, if only slightly.
Akasha’s chuckle followed, quieter this time, yet laced with a quiet, undeniable finality.
"However... don’t ever do it again."
It wasn’t so much that Harlan had done something without telling Akasha... truth be told, Akasha couldn’t care less what Harlan or anyone else, apart from his women, did daily.
What bothered him was entirely different.
Harlan had gone behind his back to help someone who clearly had an issue with him, someone who had cut all ties with what he was working to build.
’Tsk... if you weren’t my first ally, I would’ve killed you, bastard,’ he thought to himself, pushing the matter aside and letting it slip to the back of his mind.
Harlan remained still for a long moment after the warning.
His short white hair drifted slightly as he lowered his gaze to the table, fingers resting motionless against the polished wood.
The calculative calm that usually governed his expression had thinned; a faint tightness remained around his eyes, the residual awareness that he had stepped closer to a line than he had realized.
He drew a slow breath through his nose, steadying the quiet unrest still moving through his chest, then lifted his eyes again and met Akasha’s gaze without flinching.
"Understood," he said at last, voice even but quieter than before.
The single word carried both acknowledgment and the clear decision not to test the boundary a second time.
Akasha let the warning hang in the air for a moment before brushing it aside, leaning forward slightly as he rested one forearm on the table.
"I’m here to tell you that things are about to change in a big way. The seventy-eight-year deadline that the world of Kalpa has been living under won’t matter anymore. I’ve created my own Pantheon."
His voice carried a calm conviction as he spoke the name.
"The Pantheon of Infinite Dreams."
For the second time, Harlan’s steady composure faltered, his face betraying clear shock as he stared at the young man across from him.
"Are you serious?"
The words left him almost without thought.
He knew little about the true nature of Pantheons, but he understood enough—beings capable of traveling beyond worlds at will, powers that could dictate the affairs of entire star systems.
Akasha shook his head slowly, the gesture carrying a touch of disappointment.
"After everything we’ve been through... are you really doubting me?"
Harlan met his eyes, holding the stare for a long moment before giving a single, measured nod.
It was indeed... a fair point.
With a steady tone, Akasha went on.
"Soon, the Orin Star System will change. The balance of power as you know it will shift, and the wider world will become far more dangerous for all of you."
Harlan found himself leaning forward without even noticing, a faint layer of sweat gathering at his temple as the weight of the conversation bore down on him more than any outright threat ever could.
"How so?" he questioned, his voice steady but edged with curiosity.
Akasha waved the question aside with one hand.
"That doesn’t matter... not yet. What matters is where you will stand."
He met Harlan’s gaze again, calm yet unwavering.
"Do you want to join my Pantheon... not as a disciple, but as a full member, like Liliana and Amber?"
Harlan stared for a beat before a short, incredulous laugh escaped him as the pieces fell into place.
"So that’s where those two vanished to all these years..." He let out a breath, part amusement, part resignation, then fixed Akasha with a sharper look.
"And what exactly does that entail?"
Akasha kept his rested one forearm against the table, red-dotted eyes steady on Harlan as he spoke.
"Essentially, nothing changes for you or for the Academy of Veils. You retain full protection under my banner, and you personally will have access to resources you can distribute however you see fit."
He let the words settle for a moment before continuing.
"The grander purpose is simple.... The Academy will become the Academy of Dreams. Beyond that, your only real goal is to find supreme talent for the Pantheon and for me."
Akasha went on to explain everything in detail—covering tasks like assigning missions, ensuring proper training, and essentially maintaining a force prepared for any situation.
In the end, it was all just what the Academy had already been doing all along.
Harlan listened in silence, short white hair catching the soft blue formation light as he slowly shook his head.
A quiet, almost rueful breath left him.
"You’re always offering such opportunities," he said, voice low, "without asking for much in return. From everything you’ve just described... nothing about my role truly has to change."
He sat with that realization for several heartbeats, fingers resting motionless against the polished wood.
’Even still... do I really want to place my future in his hands?’ he wondered, knowing it wasn’t just his own future at stake, but thousands of others.
So far, Akasha’s alliance had brought him little benefit—only more battles, more schemes, more conquests than ever before.
All of it, nothing but chaos.
’Oh... who am I trying to convince?’ he thought as, at last, he lifted his gaze and gave a single, decisive nod.
"I would be pleased to become a member of the Pantheon of Infinite Dreams."
Hearing this, Akasha did not answer with words.
[New Member: Harlan Steele]
He reached inward through his system and finalized the designation.
HUMMMMM!!!!!
In the same instant, Harlan felt it—the full, encompassing weight of the Divine Domain settling over him the same way it had over every other true member.
The sensation was quiet yet absolute, a vast, living pressure that made the air itself feel thicker, safer, and irrevocably claimed.
Akasha pushed back from the chair, standing just as the fading light of the domain still shimmered in the air. His voice was steady, almost casual, as he gave his final directive.
"If the Central Continent insists on courting death... then end them. They serve no purpose."
The words lingered for only a moment in the stillness of the chamber before he vanished without a trace.
Harlan remained at the long table, the silence pressing in around him, the fresh burden of his new role settling deep into his bones.