Lin then turned to Long, her composed mask slipping to show genuine worry. The remaining disciples were quietly dispersing or talking in low tones. Some glanced at Long with mixed fear and gratitude; others with thinly veiled resentment for breaking the session.
"Thank you," Elder Lin said under her breath to Long. "I suspect you just saved her from more than a nightmare."
Long nodded slightly. "Something was holding her in the dream. I sensed it. It called itself... Clarity."
Elder Lin's lips tightened. For a moment, weariness showed in her eyes. "It is as we feared, then. The Patriarch always spoke of Clarity as an achievement, not an entity. But now..."
Elder Sui approached, leaning on his cane, still blinking away sleep. "What's this? What happened? Did someone hiccup during the meditation?"
Elder Lin gave him a sidelong look. "Disciple Jianyu had a difficult encounter. Thanks to our guest, it was resolved. Perhaps, Elder Sui, for the time being we should suspend the group meditations."
Elder Sui's face creased with worry. "Suspend? But the Patriarch's directive—"
"I will explain to the Patriarch when next I commune with him," Elder Lin said firmly. "Our students' safety must come first. Something is... wrong. Even you must sense it by now."
The older man looked at the floor, grip tightening on his cane, and gave a reluctant nod.
By now most disciples had left the hall, some casting anxious glances back. Zhou Wei approached quietly, relief plain on his face at seeing Long and Elder Lin handling the situation. "Is Jianyu going to be alright?" he asked softly.
"She will," Lin assured him. "I will have one of the healers tend to her just in case." She then regarded both Zhou Wei and Long with gratitude. "We are indebted to you, Long. You have keen instincts. Perhaps the dream realm did not have the same hold on you, since you remained in waking state."
Long shook his head humbly. "I was unaffected only because I did not partake directly. But I did sense the presence when I touched her mind. It's as if something lurks in your collective dream, preying on your fears, calling to you with familiar voices."
Zhou Wei looked between them, worried. "Then the others who haven't woken up... they might be trapped by this same thing?"
Elder Lin closed her eyes briefly, pained. "It is likely. They may be locked in nightmares or false paradises crafted by whatever Clarity truly is. And each time we entered dreaming unprepared, we risked more of us."
A silence fell, heavy with the implications. Eventually, Elder Lin drew herself up, resolve hardening her features. "We must confront this head on. I will not sacrifice any more of my disciples to ignorance. Patriarch or no Patriarch, something must be done now."
Elder Sui hovered nearby, wringing his hands. "Shouldn't we awaken the Patriarch? He may be unaware of how dire it has become."
Lin glanced at him. "If he could be woken easily, I'd have done so. He's in deep seclusion beyond our reach. And if this Clarity is something he himself invoked or created..." She left the rest unsaid, but Long understood. If the Patriarch had unwittingly unleashed it, he might not be the one to solve it, especially not while still immersed in dreams.
Zhou Wei stepped forward, voice quiet but firm. "Elder Lin, I volunteer to help in any plan. My brother is among those still asleep. I... I can't just wait anymore."
Lin gave him a gentle nod. "I expected no less of you, Zhou Wei. Your heart is strong. But we will need a strategy. Charging into the unknown realm blindly would be foolish."
She turned to Long. "Do you have any suggestions? Your outside perspective and knowledge might prove key."
Long thought of what he'd read earlier about anchors and what he knew of cultivation. "In such cases of inner demons or dream entanglements, one approach is to enter the afflicted's dream deliberately, armed with awareness. A small group could attempt to venture into the shared dream realm consciously, like diving into a lake with a safety line, rather than being pulled under unexpectedly."
Zhou Wei nodded, hope flickering. "We do have an advanced technique to share dreams, usually guided by an elder. But we've never attempted it to fight something within."
Elder Lin's eyes gleamed with determination. "We might try just that. A supervised expedition into the dream to confront Clarity and retrieve our lost ones." She looked at Long carefully. "Long... would you be willing to accompany us? You have strength and clarity of your own that might protect us in there. And you're less likely to be influenced, not being one of our sect or bound by our techniques."
Long had known this question was coming, yet he still felt the weight of it. This was not his sect, not his fight by right. But he couldn't turn away now—not when he might be able to save lives, not after seeing that nameless horror in the girl's dream. And something in his gut told him that this path was meant for him to walk, perhaps a test or an omen for his own journey.
He exchanged a glance with the wolf cub, who looked up at him with steady, clear eyes. It was as if the little creature understood and was telling him: I'm with you.