『 "Hehe… as Mr. Gallagher would say, it must be 'What an unpredictable twist of fate,'" the bearded middle-aged man chuckled softly.
"Himeko, I brought them here!" March 7th called out to Himeko.
Himeko and the middle-aged man looked over at everyone. Himeko smiled and said, "It seems everyone is here. Perfect. Meet Mr. Micah, one of the people in charge of this exile land."
"Mr. Micah, these are my companions."
Micah looked at the three of them and nodded in greeting. "Mr. Welt, Miss March 7th, and Miss Stelle, Nameless of the Astral Express, it is a pleasure to meet you."
"You know us?" March 7th asked in confusion, hearing Micah call them by their names.
Micah nodded. "From the very day you set foot in Penacony, I have been keeping an eye on your movements. Unfortunately, if the Reef and the Twelve Hourglasses hadn't been completely cut off from each other, we should have met in a much more decent manner."
"Let's introduce ourselves formally. I am the 'Gravekeeper' of Dreamflux Reef, Micah." 』
『 ....』
〘Silver Wolf〙: There it is, the NPC that pushes the key plot forward.
....
『 "Gravekeeper…?" March 7th softly murmured the term.
Micah explained, "Life in Dreamflux Reef is very free, and there is no organization to speak of. Everyone minds their own business. All I can do… is clean a few tombstones at regular intervals every day."
Misha, standing aside, shook his head upon hearing this. "Mr. Micah is too modest. Whenever lost dreamseekers are brought here, it has always been Mr. Micah who takes on the responsibility of a guardian, either sending them back to the Golden Hour or teaching them how to survive in the chaotic dreamscape."
After hearing Misha's explanation, Welt sighed with emotion, "So, a guardian of sorts!"
"Hmm? Mr. Welt, were you speaking to me?" Micah was a bit confused to hear Welt's sudden remark.
Looking at the confused Micah, Welt let out a puzzled "Hmm?" as well.
Himeko seemed to have guessed something as she watched this play out. She gave Welt a meaningful look, and Welt nodded slightly in return. 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: Looks like Himeko-jie noticed something was off.
〘Stelle〙: As expected of Himeko-jie.
....
『 After nodding, Welt immediately changed the subject. He looked at Micah and asked, "By the way, Mr. Micah, what did you mean by tombstones? We didn't seem to see a graveyard when we came in."
Micah smiled and waved his hand. "Haha, calling them graves is a bit of a stretch. They are just a few symbolic cenotaphs. Since Mr. Welt asked, we might as well go and take a look in person. If I'm not mistaken, you all should gain quite a lot from going there."
"But before that, there is another important guest who will accompany you."
The important guest Micah mentioned was currently not far away. Having just finished listening to a chorus of four children, she clapped her hands and smiled.
"You all sang wonderfully! I rarely try this style of music, and I think I've learned a lot!"
The old woman standing next to Robin looked at this scene and smiled at Robin. "I really don't know how to thank you, Miss Robin. In just a few short days, the children have made so much progress." 』
『 ....』
〘Sunday〙: Sister! Thank goodness, you really are alright!
〘Hanabi〙: Sis-cons are truly beyond saving.
〘Wise〙: Huh?
〘Ye Shiyuan〙: Huh?
〘Hanya〙: ....
〘Hanabi〙: Oh great~ I'm surrounded by sis-cons.
....
『 "Madam Grace, I only taught them how to use their voices, but the one who taught them to hold onto hope for life is you," Robin said, turning to look at the old woman. "…Life in reality must be very hard, right?"
Grace gave a bitter smile upon hearing this. "You noticed."
Robin looked at the children and said, "Every time we say goodbye, the children are so reluctant to leave this place of dreams. But I have walked through every corner of Dreamflux Reef and visited everyone, and they all tell me that this broken dream… is not worth lingering in."
Grace couldn't help but sigh upon hearing this, "Hehe, as expected of the child of Harmony who has everyone's hopes resting upon her."
Grace looked at the four children and explained, "Emma and Andy are both orphans I adopted. Carol, who is blind, works in the nutrition room on the outer ring of Penacony. Gary has had autism since childhood. They are not yet of age, nor can they go to the Family's beautiful dreams."
"If people are compared to birds, these children are all fledglings born with broken wings. But in this dream, they can obtain complete wings. Though their flight is clumsy and stumbling, they are soaring by their own strength."
"As for me, an old woman who has lost her legs… if not for this dreamscape, I wouldn't even be able to walk in front of them." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: My chest feels a bit tight…
〘March 7th〙: Me too…
〘·HSR· Himeko〙: A dream that seems broken and shattered to the residents of Dreamflux Reef is the best dream for them.
....
『 "I am very glad that you have started a new life in Penacony's dream. It's just…" Robin did not finish her sentence, lowering her head in disappointment.
Seeing Robin like this, Grace smiled. "Don't worry, Miss Robin. Dreams have meaning, but they are not everything. The children and I both understand this. No matter how long we fly in a dream, we must eventually fly back to reality."
"But look, now Emma and Gary are no longer self-deprecating, Carol is gradually learning how to face the troubles of blindness, Andy is much more cheerful than before, and even I have become more optimistic."
"We learn to live in the dream, and then return to reality… to learn to survive." 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: That's amazing.
〘Elysia〙: Wow♪, what a beautiful sentence. Jotting it down, jotting it down♪
〘Argenti〙: This lady named Grace shines with the pure light of Beauty.
....
『 Robin closed her eyes and softly murmured, "...And should our feathers be damaged, then we share our wings with one another. There's no need to covet an illusory sky in dreams, because we have the right and the ability... to fly towards a broader horizon."
Grace smiled and nodded upon hearing this, then led the children away.
Not long after Madam Grace left, the Astral Express crew, led by Micah, found Robin.
Himeko looked at Robin and said, "It is good to see you safe and sound, Miss Robin."
Robin nodded in response. "Everyone from the Astral Express, we meet again. I heard that my disappearance caused quite a stir in the outside world… I am very sorry."
"Since you are here… can we assume that Miss Robin is already fully aware of Penacony's current situation?" Himeko asked.
"Ever since I returned to Penacony, my voice has become abnormal, gradually developing into the torment of losing my voice. I originally thought it was an accident, perhaps because I had traveled abroad for too long and was not used to Asdana's high-concentration Memoria environment."
Speaking of this, Robin shook her head. "But now it seems… the source is not in me. There is something incompatible with the Harmony around me… losing my voice is also one of the signs that the beautiful dream is collapsing."
"The beautiful dream is collapsing… that Memokeper said the same thing. So it was true," March 7th muttered to herself.
"During the time I left Penacony, the boundaries of the Twelve Hourglasses kept expanding outward. But whenever I spoke of the anomalies in the dream, I could always feel the Family Heads keeping silent. Only my brother was willing to answer…"
"Afterward, the IPC envoy secretly sent a confidential letter, which made me even more certain that an unspeakable secret was lurking beneath Penacony's brilliance. Finally, through a few clues in the Oak Family's archives, I found this place…"
At this point, Robin paused and then spoke calmly, "The exile land covered up by the Family using the name of 'Death' buries the past dream-within-a-dream of Penacony." 』
『 ....』