"I never thought there would come a day when I could dream."
The girl lay inside a recovery pod modified from a Dreampool, wearing a tight-fitting combat suit as she spoke.
"Will we be acting together after this?"
The girl asked the other girl, who was typing away in front of a virtual screen.
"No. The part of the script I'm responsible for is only getting you into Penacony. Also, don't forget, once you enter Penacony, you must find that person immediately and give him the item Elio asked you to deliver. Otherwise, this script is really going to fall apart."
"I know... Do you think he will remember me?"
"Impossible. Elio said he is a collection of possibilities, not a real individual. To be precise, he is a conceptual existence, not someone you actually know. It's complicated to explain, but that's the general idea, even if we don't understand why such a collection of possibilities would appear."
After saying this, Silver Wolf put a lollipop into her mouth and continued, "And don't start thinking that, in those unknown possibilities, he has some close relationship with you. That person crawled out of Nihility. The fact that he has normal thoughts and can communicate normally with people is already incredible."
"All right, I understand. But in that case, the Dreamscape is so vast. How am I supposed to find him?"
"I don't know. Anyway, Elio said that as long as you want to find him, you will be able to find him. I don't know the specifics either, but that's what the script I received says."
"All right, the preparations are complete. You're about to enter the Dreamscape. This is your first time dreaming, and I'm afraid it will also be your last."
The girl inside the sleep pod closed her eyes, and her consciousness slowly sank into darkness. When she regained awareness, she found herself in a place that resembled a hotel corridor.
Silver Wolf's virtual projection appeared beside her.
"The modified junk machine really does have problems. Hmm, let's explore the area a little. We should be able to find a path leading deeper into Penacony. I've also contacted this mission's collaborator for you, though without permission. She should be on her way now."
"By the way, this time's collabora... tor... is... a..."
Silver Wolf's voice gradually became intermittent until it finally cut off completely, making the girl named Firefly frown.
"Silver Wolf?"
Firefly tried to call out to her companion, but she received no response. She then tried to summon her mecha, but she still could not transform successfully.
"It seems I'll have to explore the path ahead on my own."
Despite encountering such a major accident, Firefly, who appeared to be a young girl, was a veteran of the Glamoth Iron Cavalry. Even when faced with such a serious mishap, and even with her strongest combat ability sealed, she did not panic. Instead, she began exploring her surroundings.
While Firefly began exploring the Dreamscape, someone who was supposed to appear around the same time and impersonate the collaborator, an Incinerator, was currently looking rather stiffly at the man standing before her.
"Hello, I'm lost. Could you tell me where this place is?"
Caelus asked politely, looking at the woman in white standing before him. She had demon horns and a tail.
"Um, hello. Actually, I'm a little lost too. Oh my, not long ago, this entire memory zone fell into massive chaos, like a storm suddenly sweeping across the surface of the sea. Many places have changed, so I'm lost as well. I'm very sorry."
The woman in white spoke with an embarrassed smile on her face.
"I see. In that case, I won't disturb you any further. I need to hurry and find a way out."
After Caelus finished speaking, he quickly walked away. The woman in white also kept moving, intending to pass by him. But just as they crossed paths and were about to part, Caelus suddenly spoke.
"Ever since we met, you seem to have been very afraid of me."
The relaxed expression that was about to appear on the woman's face suddenly stiffened, and the foot she was about to step forward with stopped in place.
Perhaps if another Memokeeper were here and saw such a special existence as Caelus, they would feel intense curiosity and examine his memories. That curiosity would make them ignore every threat, and then, like a cat, they would provoke an existence whose danger they did not understand.
However, not long ago, the woman had personally experienced just how terrifying an Emanator of Nihility could be. If the other party had not completely ignored her, then in that encounter, no, it could not even be called a battle. Her side had been completely slaughtered, as if they had offered their necks to the blade.
Therefore, when something with a strong connection to Nihility appeared before her, and when that something seemed even more chaotic inside, the woman felt no curiosity at all. She only wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
Although the feeling of dancing with death was thrilling and exciting, and could bring a unique experience, only someone out of their mind would dance with Nihility! There was absolutely nothing exciting about that at all!
"This... It is mainly because your strong connection to Nihility is truly a little terrifying, sir."
"But I didn't display any of my Nihility power at all. How did you notice it at a glance? Unless you have faced a powerful existence related to Nihility before, and combined that experience with your identity as a Memokeeper, allowing you to see that something was wrong with me."
A hand pressed down on the woman in white's shoulder.
Sweat slid down her forehead.
A chilling sensation spread across her entire body, as though countless thorns were pressing against her back.
"You're lying to me, aren't you? In fact, you're not lost at all. You know which way to go, but you're lying to me so you can get away from a dangerous existence like me as quickly as possible, right?"
"Why has your face gone a little pale?"
Caelus stood beside the woman, turned his head slightly, and looked at her somewhat pale complexion as he spoke.
"There is unease in your heart. Could it be that, in your eyes, I am some maniac who might suddenly start killing people? Relax. Take a deep breath. I have no intention of targeting you. Point out the path and direction for me, and I will leave immediately. As a reward, I will even give you some gifts."
The woman stiffly raised her hand, pointed in one direction, and said with an extremely forced smile, "Keep going in that direction, and you will be able to return to Penacony."
Caelus released his hand from the woman's shoulder and looked in that direction. After sensing the surrounding structure of memoria and confirming that there was indeed a path there, he said, "Thank you. As a reward, I will give you some memories related to me..."
"No need, no need. Um, it was just pointing out a path. There's no need for a reward. I have things to do, so I'll be going now. No need to see me off!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the woman quickly left in the form of a stream of memory information, as if some deadly monster were chasing her from behind.
"Am I that scary?"
Caelus took out a mirror and examined himself. He felt that, by normal human standards, he was not exactly terrifying, so why had that woman been so frightened?
He had not intentionally leaked his Nihility power or flaunted his strength. Even if the other party could sense his Nihility core, she should only have been able to vaguely detect the source of that power. So why was she so scared?
Cyrene had appeared beside Caelus at some point, wearing the smile of someone whose prank had succeeded.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)