Chapter 20: The Dimension’s End and a New Beginning

It wasn’t collapsing—it was tearing apart. That’s what I saw.
The surroundings shredded like a brutally slashed cloth, falling away in pieces.

“Wow…”
The biting cold numbed my senses.
A heavy drowsiness filled my mind, eyelids drooping, vision sinking.

‘My body’s out of control.’
It was the same sleepiness I felt entering Catsy’s dimension, but slower—like my brain was disconnecting each sense one by one.

‘So tired, but I can’t sleep… it’s maddening.’
Unable to keep my eyes open, I couldn’t see what became of Bernell or the nightmare. If Catsy wasn’t too late, Bernell might face a grim burial in this dimension, and the nightmare would pay for ravaging Catsy’s realm.

Flutter, flutter.
A silver-winged butterfly found me through my fading vision.
Seeing it, I felt a bittersweet relief—it was time to leave.
Despite the hardships, this dimension held more fond memories than not.

My body felt like heavy chains, and with a final wave of exhaustion, my consciousness flickered out.

.
.
.

“Bbiak!”
“…”
“Bbiak bbiak!”
Waking felt like being dragged from a deep sleep.

Thwack!
Something soft smacked my head, urging me awake.

“Don’t hit people. Where’s your manners?”

“Bbiak bbiak!”
I opened my eyes to find myself buried in the pig-bird’s nest, surrounded by its fluffy feathers.
Seeing me awake, it squawked joyfully, nuzzling me.
My body ached with muscle soreness, forcing me to endure its feathery onslaught quietly.

“Okay, okay. Sorry for being late.”
This would only worsen its separation anxiety.

Reaching to pet it, I noticed my clenched fist, holding the red berries from Catsy’s dimension.
It must’ve counted as an ingredient, safely brought back despite the dimension’s collapse.

“Phew, not empty-handed. Lucky me.”
I’d braced for losing the ingredients, so this was a sweet surprise.

“My body’s wrecked. How long can I keep this up?”
Time to work. Plant the berries.

I wanted to rest and recover, but thoughts of the mansion and Bernell swirled chaotically, demanding distraction.
Manual labor was the best remedy. Work—my specialty.

“Bbiak bbiak!”
Dragging the clingy pig-bird, I headed outside.
Its weight was hefty, but I bore it as penance for neglecting it.

But…
“What? It’s been over a week, but the crops haven’t grown?”
The plants, usually visibly different each day, were unchanged.
I’d expected the silver vines to be seeding, rendering their flowers unusable, but it was as if I’d only napped briefly.

“Did I just… dream Catsy’s dimension? Was it all a dream?”

“Bbiak!”
“For a dream, you’re too rowdy.”

“Bbiak bbiak!”
The pig-bird, as if desperate to explain, flopped down, pointing at me with its wing, wailing.
Wondering why, I felt a sting in my neck.
Touching it, I found rough skin and fresh scabs—marks from the nightmare’s claws.

“Whoa… I’m really hurt.”
That’s why it was freaking out.
The vivid scars and berries suggested it wasn’t just a dream.

‘Wait, I heard its cry as I was dying… Was it trying to wake me because of these sudden neck wounds?’
Without a mirror, I checked my reflection in the café’s glass. The wounds were worse than expected.
‘It really tried to kill me…’
I closed the café for the day to treat my wounds and calm the pig-bird.

The space outside the café’s dimension lacks clear day or night. No sun or moon rises.
I counted a new day after sleeping, finding crops grown and dust on the furniture.
Tending plants, cleaning, and washing dishes marked the start.

“The wounds are healing fast.”
Just rinsing with water and wrapping with cloth, the scars faded noticeably. Normally, scabs linger for days, but new skin had already formed, leaving faint traces.
The rapid healing felt unnatural.

Trickle.
“Just plant the berries like usual?”

Trickle.
“They were bushes… Will they fit in the garden? Should I separate them from the silver vines?”

Trickle.
“Stop following me. I’m not going far in the café. It’s not walk time.”

“Bbiak bbiak!”
Since Catsy’s dimension, the pig-bird’s anxiety had peaked. It abandoned its nest, trailing me with its bulky frame, even trying to squeeze behind the counter, risking dishes.

“Stay in your nest!”

“Bbiak…”

“I’m not going anywhere for a while. I let you sleep with me last night after all that crying.”

“Bbiak…”

“What do I do with you?”
Indulging it further would be endless.
I hadn’t slept well, invaded by its presence, my body still sore.
The tear-soaked neck bandage was removed at dawn.

Dividing a berry patch beside the silver vines, I planted them while the pig-bird, clinging to my waist, nearly broke my back.
“Think about your weight, pig. You don’t realize it, but you’re a weapon to me.”

“Bbiak bbiak.”

“Reminds me of sending my sibling to kindergarten. Mornings were a war. Time fixed that, though…”
Its clinginess recalled my sibling’s tearful first bus rides.
They’d cry at the window but later enjoyed friends at school.

“Maybe you need a friend to share affection with? It’s just us here.”

“Bbiak bbiak.”
It squawked, sensing I was talking about it.

The endless tug-of-war with the pig-bird ended when Catsy returned with her entourage.
I thought we wouldn’t see her for a while after her battle wounds, but she was back the next day.

“Why’re you outside, meow?”

“Meow.”

“What’re you doing, meow?”
Besides Catsy and the three Nekomatas, an unexpected figure joined them.

“Bernell?”

The Nekomatas spoke.
“Compensation, maybe?”

“Compensation?”
Shockingly, it was Bernell, who I thought was buried in Catsy’s dimension.
My last memory was him, bloodied and near death, fighting the nightmare.
Yet here he stood, in pristine armor, like when we first met, behind Catsy.

“Why’s he here… Um, want to come into the café?”
I couldn’t leave guests standing, so I dusted my hands and stood.
Catsy led the Nekomatas to a table, but Bernell stayed rooted, staring at me oddly.

“Not coming in?”
My question made him flinch, as if struck by lightning.
Why—and how—did Catsy bring him?

“Aileen…?”
His hesitant tone grated.
It’d been ages since I left that dimension.
Did Catsy bring him without explaining?

“Sorry, I used that name, but I’m not really that Aileen.”

“…”
Why did he look so hurt?
If he wanted to sulk, fine. I entered the café, and Bernell followed slowly.

The café bustled.

“Got the ingredient, huh?”

“Yeah, barely grabbed one before getting kicked out.”
I was proud of securing the berry amidst the chaos.

“Two left, then?”

“Two?”
Catsy silently pointed at the Nekomatas, her claw tapping each.
Three kids, three rewards?
Fair, since they’d pay for three drinks.

“Including him, one left, maybe?”
Her finger pointed at Bernell.
One of my rewards was… Bernell?

“Sorry, I don’t understand.”
What do I do with him?
I already felt stifled.

“Didn’t you need defenses, maybe?”

“This place’s defenses are lousy, meow! Need a ward, meow?”

“What if an evil god invades, meow? Just take it, meow?”

“Defenses? Yeah, I need those.”
Since Cheongui-dongja mentioned presence and evil god invasions, I’d been mindful of protection.

“Then you need him, maybe?”
Catsy pointed at Bernell again.
It felt like being strong-armed into buying something unwanted.

“Aeong, explain please?”

“Me… meow?”

“Who’s Aeong, meow?”

“Who’re you calling that, meow?”
I addressed the boy Nekomata, who spoke fluently.

“Aeong, you talk well.”

“Who’s Aeong?! Don’t call me weird names!”
He shot up, indignant, as the girls giggled.

“Aeong said that, meow?”

“Aeong can talk, meow?”
After their teasing, Aeong explained.

The dreamcatcher, thought lost in Bernell’s room, had merged with his soul.
Like the pig-bird, he was now a demigod, standing here.

“Wait. Becoming a demigod is that easy? Isn’t it a big deal? At least our pig-bird was born a sacred beast.”

“Bbiak bbiak.”

“Some souls are born with strong divine threads. Though dimension residents, given a chance, they can commune with dimensional gods. Some gods use them as priests or shamans for easier management…”
Aeong glanced at Bernell.

“His soul reacted to Catsy’s sacred ward, imbued with divine power.”
Like a shaman?
Suddenly, Bernell seemed different.
Do you see ghosts or something?

“He should’ve died and reincarnated or faded, but the ward trapped his soul, granting a new body.”
So, Bernell did die on that battlefield, like I saw. Similar to the pig-bird, whose longing to meet me let divine power shape its current form.

“In short, he’s a living ward.”
I sighed heavily at the absurdity.