Living in a dream

Fire Gu’s blaze spreads from the walking meat trees to the beasts around them, and fire Gu turns tall and imposing, ruthlessness and madness now in its voice. Shocked at its size, Northern Dark Ice Soul asks how. It answers that it eats almost anything, and that one spark of fire can start a forest fire. ^{ch. 724}

The flame rises like a wall, and he steps back. Fire Gu calls him its true friend, since the others feared and starved it while only he helped it. It takes human shape for a hug, but he refuses and asks it to keep its distance and open a path out. ^{ch. 724}

He walks on with relief, but a wild beast lunges from the shadows and swallows him whole. Others cry out that it is a dream realm. Fire Gu pounces on the dream realms and its light melts them until they scatter, but the larger one holding him runs faster. Dream realms grow strong on a victim’s own emotions, and his will to survive, his goal of reviving his father, and his guilt over his sister make him ideal prey. ^{ch. 724}

In the dream he sees Desolate Ancient Moon revived and forgiving, and sees himself reviving Ren Zu, who praises him as a good son. Blissful days pass before the fire traps and melts his fleeing dream realm too. He wakes weeping and cold on the ground. The dream, he understands, was false. ^{ch. 724}

He asks fire Gu why it woke him, since he still wants to dream and be eaten again. It answers that dreams are often the opposite of reality and are fake, but he refuses to listen. Cut off before it can protest, it falls silent and opens a path out. He runs out again, seeking another dream realm to be eaten by once more. ^{ch. 724}