The Thousand-Person Ruler's Personal Opinion

"But Clockmaker's Legacy?"

Stelle paced over, hesitation on her face.

Purple Finch sighed.

"Mikhail... I won't deny his nobility, but our paths were never the same. In theory, everything in the Dreamscape is under the Family's control. How he bypassed our surveillance to send invitations to the outside world is troubling, but it isn't especially important. What matters is the Grand Symphony. Everything else will become a mere backdrop to Taiyi, and then join us in returning to Order's paradise!"

The soul within the purple finch was Gofim, the Family's representative on Penacony—and Penacony's true ruler.

Ostensibly, he represented the Family and was a member of the Harmony.

But Stelle alone knew that the head of the Family was, in truth, a follower of Order. He longed to restore the glory of Taiyi of Order in this world shrouded by the Taiyi Dream.

And Stelle agreed.

Living peacefully under Order was better than being driven from place to place amid chaos. She had always believed that. Penacony under Order would be the flawless paradise she offered her sister and all living beings: a perfect world of nothing but justice and happiness!

"A gathering of powerful figures may be good or bad. Come. Let's return to our duties. It isn't time to set this stage in motion yet."

"Dream Master, I... Hm? What's glowing over there?"

Stelle had just begun to speak when an unusual glint at the center of the stage caught her eye.

With a flutter of wings, the Dream Master, who cared most about this stage, landed beside the glint at its very center.

A monocle lay quietly on the soft carpet.

Its crystal lens was flawless, its gold frame engraved with elegant spirals. A fine silver chain wound across the floor, ending just beneath Purple Finch's claw.