For the second time in her life, Layla woke up in a familiar world, but she could instantly tell that this was not where she was supposed to be.

Her body felt taller and larger than she remembered, and she was also sitting on a soft sofa that felt different from the ones she was used to.

However, the most obvious giveaway that this was not Rumenia was the phone in her hand, which reflected her adult reflection.

It took Layla a few minutes to gather herself and remember what happened. But her subordinates were getting impatient and were not in the mood to let Layla rest any more than she already had.

"Boss, would you please pay attention to what we are discussing? We need your input during this raid. This is the most important raid of our lives."

The subordinate who asked this looked familiar, but Layla did not put any pressure on her mind to remember who he was.

As far as she knew, she won't be here for long. So, there was no need for her to be concerned about the happenings of this place.

"Is that so? Can you remind me again what this raid is about? And what are we all doing here?"

The crew that assembled around Layla looked ordinary at first glance. But she had trained her eyes to notice the tension in the air and these people's danger.

Each of these people had the potential to end their lives if they wanted to, which was why Layla recruited them into her group in the first place.

*Hump*

"Boss, are you getting forgetful already? Are you already at that age where you start losing your memories? I thought we still had a few more years…I am just joking. Don't look at me like you want to kill me."

The speaker quickly raised his hands in submission when he felt eyes turning toward him.

At that point, Layla turned them all out and decided to focus on her current situation.

It felt like a memory, a well-crafted dream she was living. No one questioned her, even when she made suspicious moves or did things she would have never done. It was as if no one could find anything she did as suspicious.

Moreover, this world felt weird to her.

She excitedly approached the building, and her eyes immediately went to the sky. She saw the black shadow dominating the sky, and it felt like something was covering it.

'This world feels like an orb, and something is covering that orb's surface, cruising that shadow in the sky.'

And yet, despite that shadow in the sky, there was no impact on the ground. The ground was as well-lit as it should have been without the shadow.

"Boss, is something wrong? You are looking at the sky so intently. It's as if you want to dig a hole into it."

One of the subordinates asked amusedly as he looked at his boss. Layla felt suspicious of that tone but also like she had to ask someone else about the shadow in the sky.

"Hey, had that thing in the sky always been there?"

Layla asked, but she felt no one else would notice that oddity.

But much to her surprise, her subordinate shrugged before he answered.

"Are you talking about that dragon's shadow in the sky? It has been there for as long as I can remember. That creature is the guardian of this world, and he will keep it intact for as long as it is needed for your recovery.

So please, stop thinking about it and stop thinking about heading home. Pretend as if you never saw anything. That would be the best for you."

Layla felt shocked, but the easy way her subordinate talked to her made her feel odd. But she decided not to question it for the time being and started heading out to her usual hanging spot.

Whatever her subordinate had spoken to her about felt like a warning. Unlike the last time in her subconsciousness, Layla felt like this was to help her out.

So, she painterly waited for things to end as she led a monotonous life. She could do whatever she wanted, and no one questioned or asked her what she was doing.

Life was…boring, and Layla started to feel restless. She had nothing here to entertain her.

And then, she discovered that she could still use her magic in her current form.

It felt different from the magic she usually used. She could not feel a core inside her, which made things complicated. But her magic felt more firm and powerful than before.

It also felt…almost ancient when she tried to feel around for it. That magic made her feel as if she was floating and being held down at the same time. There was no way for her to describe how she felt.

But she knew that she needed to get stronger and faster. She needed to change so that once she woke up, no one else could oppose her.

'I have people to crush and people to protect. I will need more power and influence to make it all happen. I can no longer afford to waste my time being helpless and powerless.'

Layla had never expected to end up in a coma. It jeopardized many of her plans, and she would need to do a lot of damage control when she woke up.

She also had no idea how long it had been since she fell unconscious like this, but she was sure it was not something she should worry about.

The passage of time had no meaning in the place Layla was stuck inside. Days blended into each other until she couldn't tell how much time had passed outside. She knew she had been inside her subconscious for a long time.

Then came the time for her to open her eyes. The orb surrounding her shattered, and the dragon headed toward Layla with an open jaw to devour her body whole.

Then, Layla opened her eyes with a jolt and sat up straight.