Chapter 271: Ch 271 :Be Careful what you Offer! My Emperor

"Would you like to eat something?" Sunny asked, his voice warm and inviting in the soft glow of the candles. "There is no menu here. Whatever you desire, I can manifest onto this table in under a second."Nyx, still recovering from the intimacy of the necklace clasping, smiled. "Surprise me, Your Majesty."

With a casual flick of his wrist, Sunny began to manifest the delicacies from millions of years ago.

A silver platter appeared, laden with sapphire colored fruits from a water-world, roasted meats from the beasts of the Realm of Advancement, and delicate pastries dusted with powdered sugar a suggestion from Thea based on Nyx’s preferences.

As they began to eat, the tension eased slightly. Nyx took a sip of wine, her eyes fixed on the glowing heart pendant resting against her chest.

"So," she asked, her curiosity warring with her lingering embarrassment, "how does it really work? And why give it to me? I’m a Goddess of Night, not... business."

"Exactly," Sunny replied, cutting a slice of the fruit. "You are the Goddess of Night. This is an artifact of Dreams. The synergy is perfect."

He waved a hand, and a new panel slid into existence between them, displaying the description of the Seed of Love.

Nyx leaned forward, reading. Her eyes widened as she scanned the description of the [Dreamer] talent.

"It hijacks the body of newborns?" she whispered, awestruck by the audacity of the design. "It allows us to... become them?"

"Effectively," Sunny confirmed. "But without the soul damage or faith consumption."

Nyx read on, her gaze falling on the second talent: [The Seal]. The memory lock.

An idea, bold and romantic bloomed in her mind. She touched the warm, pulsing stone of the necklace.

"Hey, Boss," she said, her voice dropping to a husky whisper. "Why don’t we try it out first? Just... the two of us?"

Sunny paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. He pondered the suggestion, running the numbers in his head.

"It’s a valid test," he admitted slowly. "But... time is the issue. In the mortal world, a century passes in eight Godly hours. Even if we went for just two hours here... that’s barely twenty-five years down there."

He shook his head. "That’s too little."

Nyx’s heart skipped a beat. "So... you want to spend more time with me?" Her gaze turned hopeful, searching his violet-gold eyes for a sign.

"I mean," Sunny corrected, completely missing the point, "that it would be cruel to the parents. Imagine birthing a son, raising him, loving him... only for him to tell you that he was actually a God in just 25 years. That’s just sad, no? Even if they accept it"

He nodded decisively. "That’s why I’ve decided to set the minimum session time to eight hours. A full century. And every use of seed of love will be mentioned in the divine library, and also their family members name in that life too"

Nyx’s face twitched. The hope in her chest deflated with a sad little hiss. ’He’s doing this on purpose,’ she thought, fighting the urge to scream. ’He has to be.’

But as her frustration subsided, she realized he was right. She took a deep breath and tried a different angle.

"Then... how about meeting in the dream itself?" she suggested, her mind racing.

"The artifact creates a shared dreamscape, right? We can manipulate the time flow inside the dream. We could spend a thousand years there in the blink of an eye, without ever descending to a mortal world."

Sunny stopped chewing. He looked at her, impressed.

"That... is actually brilliant," he said. "The dream world isn’t bound by physical laws. I can accelerate the perception of time far beyond even the God-Maker realm. We could test the limits of the artifact’s power."

He nodded. "Sure. I can spare an hour."

Nyx wanted to dance on the table. An hour in reality could be an eternity in a dream. An eternity alone with him.

"Let’s finish the food first," Sunny said, oblivious to her internal victory dance.

They ate, talking about their worlds, the evolution and the city. It was easy. Comfortable. For the first time in his life as a God, Sunny felt like he was just... talking to a person.

"It was a good conversation," Sunny said eventually, wiping his mouth with a napkin woven from clouds. He stood up. "It’s the first time I’ve talked to a woman for this long"

He pulled his hood back up, the white moonlight of his hair disappearing into shadow. He reached for his mask.

"I will meet you in the dream world, then," he said, fastening the mask back in place. "I’m going to head to the throne for sleep. You can join whenever you want. Feel free to use a guest room, or return to your mansion."

He turned and walked up the steps towards the throne, settling onto his massive throne.

With his full body control, he shut down his higher brain functions. Which meant now he was sleeping.

A soft, pink light began to envelope Sunny entirely, showing that the connection was active.

Nyx stood alone by the table. "He really just went to sleep like that?" she whispered, shaking her head fondly.

She looked around the vast, empty hall. "Now... where should I sleep?"

She could ask Thea for a bed. She could go home. But her eyes kept drifting back to the throne. To the sleeping figure slumped there.

A flush crept up her neck. ’No. I couldn’t. That’s... too bold.’

But then she remembered the "Idea of Love", She remembered his obliviousness. If she didn’t make a move, everything would end before he noticed her.

With quiet, determined steps, she walked up.

She stood before him. Even asleep, he radiated power that could suppress anything but that power didn’t seem to be working on Nyx.

"You look cute even when you sleep", she whispered gently, so as not to wake him, she reached out and unclasped his mask. She set it on the armrest. His face, relaxed in sleep, was peaceful, the burden of everything lifted for a moment.

Nyx took a deep breath. She turned around and, with care, sat on his lap. She curled her legs up, resting her back against his chest, her head tucking perfectly under his chin.

His arms, even in sleep, seemed to naturally adjust, offering a passive embrace. Her heart hammered so hard she thought it might wake him, but his breathing remained steady.

She closed her eyes, a contented smile on her lips, and let the pink light of the artifact take her.

Sunny opened his eyes.

He was floating in a void of soft pink mist. There was no up, no down, only the endless, cotton-candy fog of the dreamscape.

"A bit empty," he noted.

He waved his hand, and a floor of polished white marble rippled out from his feet, stretching to the horizon.

Trees of crystal and emerald sprouted, forming a serene forest.

Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation in the real world. A weight on his lap. A warmth against his chest. A soft, rhythmic beating that wasn’t his own heart.

He frowned. ’An attack?’

But his shook his head as their was no alarm from his Divine Intuition.

He tried to contact Thea. "Thea, what’s happening outside"

Silence.

’Right,’ he realized. ’No Thea in the dream realm. I am cut off.’

He was about to wake himself up, when a streak of pink light shot through the dream-sky. It swirled and coalesced, landing gracefully on the marble floor a few feet away.

It was Nyx. But not the Goddess of Night. In this dream, influenced by her subconscious desires, she wore a simple, elegant white dress, her hair loose, her feet bare. She looked... happy.

"Oh, Nyx," Sunny said, relaxing. "You’re here."

He spread his arms, gesturing to the world he was building. "Welcome to the Dream World. Here, you and I are the Administrators. The Architects. We can make this place whatever we want it to be."

Nyx looked at him, then at the world he had made. Then she smiled, a look of mischievous intent in her eyes.

"Whatever we want?" she asked, stepping closer. "Be careful what you offer, My Emperor. In a dream... desires have a way of becoming real."