Cheat Awakening

"VELVET!!!

Myne jolted awake while panting heavily, the word "Velvet!" still echoing in his mind. But confusion soon replaced the initial shock, because the surroundings changed completely, so much that he couldn't believe it in his eyes.

He wasn't in the dusty observatory where he was supposed to be, but in a vibrant garden teeming with all kinds of wonderful exotic flowers, however, Sunflowers and Blue roses were most among them. Shaded by gentle trees, manicured Bermuda grass spread like a verdant carpet. Morning sunlight bathed the space in a comforting warmth, making it the ideal place for a tranquil nap.

"Now, where the hell am I this time? Did Alban put me back into the Dreamstrucker Pod again? But didn't I steal all of them?" Myne muttered with a horrified yet confused expression, memories swirling hazily but he still remembered everything. After all, Alban didn't seem like a demon who could come up with a beautiful dream.

"Wait a minute, why does this garden seem so familiar?" A shiver ran down Myne's spine as a sense of déjà vu washed over him. He scrutinized his surroundings, the familiar layout sending a jolt through him. This garden, he'd seen it countless times, as if etched into his soul.

Myne's head spun as he turned. And then, like a lightning strike, he froze. The house standing behind him wasn't just any house - it was his own, the only difference being that it looked quite new.

As if remembering something, Myne, after calming down, quickly looked down and, sure enough, he had turned into his younger form again.

"Did I again return to that strange dream where he'd encountered Mother last time? Or have I already died and come to the afterlife? If so then this shouldn't be so beautiful, according to the deeds done by me, there is no way I can get a ticket to heaven, unless..." A chilling thought emerged in Myne's mind. "It is another trick of Alban.

Maybe he wanted to torture me more viciously, like messing with my memories of my parents and killing them in front of me again and again or turning them undead and letting them eat me..."

"Myne! What are you waiting for? Hurry up and help me. Do you want to see me get beaten again?"

Just when Myne was in deep thought, suddenly a gentle, yet firm familiar voice broke through his spiralling dark thoughts.

Myne followed the voice and soon saw a middle-aged man in dirty casual clothes, sitting in front of an empty flower area and digging the ground with a trowel. Scattered around him lay vibrant blooms, waiting to be planted.

His breath hitched. "Father?" Myne's voice barely whispered the word as he stared at the man who looked like an older version of himself, even the familiar hairstyle mirroring his own.

"Yes? What's wrong? Oh, please don't say that you are not going to help me. I have already told you, that your Mother is not home, Myne; she went shopping with Maya and won't come back anytime soon. Didn't I also take a big risk of getting beaten to smuggle you out for this hunt, in exchange for you? Don't be so mean now; hurry up and help me.

Two pairs of hands are better than one, maybe it can be finished before your Mother returns and besides, it's dreadfully dull working alone," Dyne, Myne's father, who looked exactly like him but older and taller version, pleaded gently, beckoning him closer.

Myne's hesitation clung to him like cobwebs, he didn't know whether it was a real dream-like last time or some kind of trick played by Alban. Yet, a flicker of longing tugged at him and he slowly walked toward him. Even if it was fabricated, even if Alban lurked behind the facade, he wouldn't miss the chance to meet his father again after his death.

Last time, he was in a completely passive situation and couldn't communicate with Mother at will, and was like a third person watching the drama. This time, armed with memories and defiance, he wouldn't repeat the same mistakes.

"Now, why are you staring at me dazedly? Although I know I am very handsome, there is no need for you to stare at me with such intense admiration. I am not that great. Your mother,... if she were even a tenth as obedient and pleasant as you, perhaps I wouldn't regret my hasty decision of marrying her.
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Sigh, anyway, go grab that fertilizer bag and pour them into those holes as always," Dyne chuckled, a hint of resignation lurking beneath the humour. Clearly, although he loves his family unconditionally, it didn't erase the grumbles about his "tyrant" wife. Complaining about his wife behind her back, it seemed, the most effective way to deal with the accumulated negativity in his heart.

Myne burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the vibrant garden. "Hahaha, you know if Mother heard this statement, she would surely not even let you wander around the house, let alone enter it. I think it's better not to say such bold things.

As a wise man once said, walls have ears," He again chuckled at his poor father's miserable condition, while dragging a normal bag of fertilizer towards the flower area.

But his words clearly sent a chill down Dyne's spine. He hurriedly ran around the garden, and only after confirming that there was no one near them who could eavesdrop on their conversation did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"You should have told me this earlier, this matter of my life and death. Don't take it lightly," Dyne said while wiping sweat from his forehead. He definitely feared a lot from his wife.

Sigh, he is still as hopeless as I remember. I don't think a bad guy like Alban, could craft such a perfectly flawed replica. Maybe I am really in that strange dream world," Myne gaze lingered on Dyne, now lost in the gentle rhythm of digging, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Father?"

"Hmm?" Dyne, without looking up, hummed an affirmative.

"Are we... are we inside a dream?" Myne's voice was barely a whisper, laced with uncertainty.

Dyne stopped digging, put down the tool in his hand and finally met his gaze, a playful glint in his eyes. "Sigh... Yep, otherwise?" Unlike the dramatic shifts Myne expected, for example, everything around him suddenly vanishing or Dyne behaving differently, didn't occur.

"But aren't you already..."

"Dead?" Dyne interrupted Myne's bewildered question, his voice calm as if discussing the weather, not addressing his own death. "Who told you that death is the end of everything and that we couldn't meet again after our death? It is just a bit too troublesome to come back under the nose of that crazy lady, and not everyone can do so.

Your great father had to sacrifice a lot to get the chance to meet you again. He winked, a playful glint in his eyes. "Also, don't forget about spirits. Aren't they also dead, but still wandering in the physical world? Compared to them, our achievement doesn't seem like that big of a deal, after all, we are just inside your dream."

Myne, caught off guard by his father's unorthodox perspective, didn't know what to say. Was being an eternal ghost or a fleeting visit to your son as if they were on vacation truly the same?

Mother was right; not everyone can understand Father's humour, now it feels that what she said wasn't baseless. No wonder she always taunted him for his bad and silly jokes, Myne thought fondly, looking at his father with a touch of amusement.

Myne pushed aside the philosophical quandary, for now, excitement bubbling up. "Then why didn't you come to meet me before? Don't you know how much I miss you? And where is Mother? I also want to meet her. Last time, I couldn't talk with her properly at all."

"Miss us, you say? I thought you would have forgotten us. After all, dealing with so many wives and lovers is not an easy task. By the way, your back is okay, right?" Dyne chuckled, a knowing glint in his eyes, clearly knowing about Myne's wonderful deeds.

Myne flushed, feeling the heat creep up his neck, he lowered his head in embarrassment and asked confusedly. "Yes, it is fine. I have quite a bit of wonderful skills to back me up. But how do you know about it?"

"Of course, we know everything. We did a lot of research before this little reunion. Dyne admitted with a wink. "And let me tell you, son, I couldn't be prouder. You have done what I could never do in my life. Before meeting your mother, I also dreamed of making a harem, but after falling into your mother's hands, I never had the courage to work on my dream.

You understand what I mean, right?" He said weakly with a forced smile, while Myne nodded his head in understanding. If Aisha was also like his mother—fierce and super-powered—then there is no way he could be able to make a harem in this life. Sylphy might have been beaten to death before she could even explain her situation.