"Firefly isn't a hotel guest. She's also somewhat resistant to waking up, so she's most likely still inside the Dream Hotel."
Caelus voiced his guess. Though he couldn't be completely certain, he was eighty percent confident.
"How come I've barely taken over this mission and already run into something troublesome? Then hurry up and go."
Black Swan was speechless as well. She felt that any normal person would have screamed and run for their life upon encountering that kind of dream. What was with not wanting to wake up?
"You're right."
Caelus immediately got off Black Swan. After activating the Dream Pool's control console, he lay down inside. The feeling of entering a dream was the same as before. He quickly fell asleep, and when he opened his eyes again, he was already in a dimly lit guest room of the Dream Hotel.
"Come here, darling."
Black Swan stood by the door and beckoned to Caelus. Hearing how she addressed him made him want to laugh. This bad woman had already started seducing him. But he couldn't laugh—not until they found Firefly.
"Don't worry. Your companions are safe as well. Before entering the dream, I asked each of them for a small accessory. That allows me to sense their presence within the memory zone."
Black Swan chose to move with Caelus because of his special nature. As for the others, they wouldn't receive the special service of having a Memokeeper personally accompany them.
After the two left the room together, a familiar corridor appeared before them. Black Swan led the way, but they saw many monster corpses along the path.
"There seems to be someone else's presence here. Who could it be?"
Black Swan looked at the bodies on the ground. They were fresh, as though they had just been slain. Their life force had vanished, and they had died peacefully, as if they had passed away painlessly before they could even react.
Caelus felt that he knew who had done it. He sped up and ran ahead. After leaving the corridor, he arrived at a hotel lounge. It was spacious. Standing at the stairway entrance, Caelus looked down and saw a white figure flickering all over the place. The lounge had originally been occupied by monsters, but every time the white shadow flashed, another monster fell dead. Before long, the area had been cleared, and the ground was covered in monster corpses.
Acheron appeared in the open space, holding her scabbard behind her waist. With her right hand, she slowly sheathed her katana.
Don't Hurt My Wife
"Ugh."
The moment Black Swan saw Acheron, her psychological trauma resurfaced. She let out a cry and hid behind Caelus, and the sound caught Acheron's attention.
"Acheron, you're here too."
Caelus felt relieved when he saw that Acheron had come as well. It was only natural. They had entered through the same Dream Pool, and after he entered the password, she had been pulled in too. That had been part of Caelus's plan.
"I got lost and ended up here. I didn't expect you to be here too."
Acheron remained calm about her situation. It wasn't as if she had never been to dangerous places before. She didn't even bother wondering why there were monsters in the dream.
"Hm? It's you?"
Acheron spotted Black Swan hiding behind Caelus. Her uncovered eye held an emotion different from usual.
"Not me."
Black Swan shook her head. Right now, she desperately wished Acheron would forget everything about her. She absolutely must not remember that feather-plucking incident. It had been far too undignified for a woman.
"You know her, right?"
Caelus said with a grin. It was impolite, but whenever he thought about what Black Swan had gone through, he simply couldn't hold it in.
"She's the Memokeeper I mentioned to you," Acheron said.
"Yeah, I remember. I heard something pleasant happened between you two."
Caelus had run into Acheron in a dream before, when the Family had been questioning her. That was when he heard her mention meeting a Memokeeper. He hadn't expected it to turn out to be Black Swan. Hearing him use the word "pleasant," Black Swan unhappily poked his back with her finger.
"Yes. I look forward to dancing with her again."
Acheron smiled. She seemed to have fond memories of that dance, while Black Swan shuddered and wished she could leave immediately.
"Alright, let's keep moving."
Seeing Acheron mercilessly deepen Black Swan's trauma, Caelus could only hurriedly change the subject. They still needed Black Swan to guide them. It wouldn't do to scare her away.
Acheron nodded. She was already used to acting alongside Caelus. Even in a strange dream like this, she could carve out a path with her katana, so she remained composed.
"This memory zone may not be small, but to a Memokeeper, it's as easy as an amusement park. Follow me."
Black Swan quickly regained her composure. The best way to overcome fear was to face it, so she decided to face Acheron properly. With Caelus here, she wasn't worried that Acheron would do anything to her.
"Based on my observations of the Memory Matter, Himeko and March 7th should have already joined up. However, there are traces of a third person here. She is... that young girl who was traveling with you."
Black Swan closed her eyes and sensed the area for a moment. Caelus didn't know just how much Memokeepers could do in dreams, but it was probably like fighting on home ground. After all, they worked for the Aeon of Memory.
"This way."
After pointing out a route, Black Swan headed straight ahead. A wall blocked their way halfway through, but with the help of the golden Dream Bubbles, Caelus and the others could completely alter their gravity and move forward. After passing through one door after another, they arrived at the Dream Hotel lobby.
The lobby was empty. As they approached the front desk, Caelus finally saw that light-green figure in the distance.
"Firefly!"
Caelus called out happily. The instant Firefly heard his voice, she turned around. Her expression changed from seriousness to joy, and she ran toward him.
Just as the two were about to touch, a pale purple vortex appeared behind Firefly. A scorpion-like Memory Zone Meme emerged from it, its sharp arm blade thrusting toward Firefly's back.
Caelus's eyes widened. He sensed the danger, but he didn't know how to save Firefly in this situation. His baseball bat wouldn't work, and neither would his lance. In that instant, Caelus made his decision. A phantom Stellaron condensed in his hand, and before it could fully take shape, he detonated it.
The blast's impact struck Caelus and propelled him rapidly toward Firefly. His body slammed into her and knocked her away, causing the arm blade aimed at her to pierce straight through Caelus's chest instead.
"Caelus!"
Firefly and Acheron shouted at the same time. The instant Acheron called out, she drew her katana. Scarlet patterns swiftly spread across her body, and her hair turned completely white in the blink of an eye. With one slash, cracks appeared in space itself.
"Aaargh!"
The Memory Zone Meme screamed. Its arm blade had been completely severed, along with a third of its body. Before Acheron could strike again, it immediately withdrew into the vortex and vanished.
At the same time, inside a peculiar room, a black cat suddenly opened its eyes. It scratched its cheek with a paw, its feline eyes sharply fixed on the void.
"Aelio?"
Kafka's voice came from nearby. As she drank red wine by the window, she noticed something unusual about her boss. That was rare.
"It's nothing. There's just been a small problem with my script."
The black cat spoke with no change in expression. To it, this wasn't worth making a fuss over.
"This is the first time I've heard you say something like that."
Kafka looked at the black cat in surprise. Aelio's scripts had never gone wrong before. Even the slightest problem could affect future developments.
"It's because of that precious son of yours. Ever since he met that woman at the Space Station, he gained the ability to change the future. That isn't a good thing."
The black cat lifted its right paw to its mouth and licked it as it spoke. It wasn't angry that Caelus was an uncontrollable variable. If anything, there was a hint of praise in its voice.
Kafka immediately smiled at that. As a mother, of course she was comforted to hear that her son had become capable. Even if he had disrupted her boss's plans, didn't that just prove how talented he was?
"Fortunately, the deviation from the script isn't too large. Tell Silver Wolf to stop playing games and go clean up the mess."
After licking its paw, the black cat spoke again.
"Poor little Silver Wolf."
Kafka could only observe two seconds of silence for Silver Wolf. Penacony had originally had little, if any, role for Silver Wolf. She had already finished her work and started working through a game, only to be called out by Aelio for overtime. Kafka could already imagine her swearing under her breath.
P.S. Please bookmark, recommend, and vote with monthly tickets.
P.S. The plot may differ somewhat, but this is fanfiction. If I can't save my wife, then what's the point of writing it?
P.S. I spent too long talking about spicy little books with the perverts in the group today, so the update came late. (:∠)
The World After Death?
At this moment, Caelus was barely breathing. Three women surrounded him, each wearing a different expression. Acheron remained silent. She wouldn't cry for Caelus, but she clenched her fists as a heavy pressure radiated from her. Black Swan looked completely unprepared for this, yet she still held Caelus's hand.
"Caelus, Caelus!"
Firefly's face was covered in tears. She tightly held Caelus's body in her arms. She knew he had been hurt to save her. If she hadn't been so foolish, if she hadn't hidden her abilities, he wouldn't have ended up like this. Firefly truly regretted it now. She should have accepted Caelus earlier. She should have been with him earlier. A man willing to risk his life for her—what else was there to hesitate over?
"I'm not going to make it. Don't worry about me. Even if I die and go to hell, I'll crawl back out for you all. Believe me."
Caelus forced out those final words. He gave Acheron a gentle look, raised his hand to touch her bangs, and then his body slowly turned into bubbles and vanished.
"Caelus!!!"
Firefly's hands gradually lost their support and fell to the floor. She stared in disbelief at everything before her. Caelus had vanished just like that, leaving nothing behind. He had died in the dream.
The light gradually vanished from Firefly's eyes. Her beautiful multicolored pupils turned pitch-black. At some point, a streamlined object had appeared in her right hand. It had two pairs of wings on each side, one large and one small. The translucent cyan wings shimmered with flowing light, but now they bloomed with colors like flames.
"I want everyone here to be buried with Caelus!"
Firefly roared through clenched teeth. Acheron and Black Swan looked in shock at the girl enveloped in flames. When the fire dispersed, a tall silver mech stood before them.
"The Family, Penacony... all of them must die!"
A hoarse male voice came from within the silver mech. Firefly blamed Caelus's death entirely on the Family. If it hadn't been for the Family's conspiracy, if they hadn't released such a monster, how could Caelus have ended up like this? How was she supposed to face Kafka now? How could she explain this to Kafka? Firefly had nothing left to lose. All she could do was wreak havoc.
"Stop!"
Seeing flames powerful enough to burn through the dream radiating from the mech, Acheron immediately drew her blade and stepped forward to stop her. Acheron was angry too, but she believed Caelus wouldn't die so easily. He should still be savable. Before that, she couldn't let Firefly destroy Penacony.
Caelus's consciousness was in chaos. He felt as if someone was singing beside him. It was Robin's voice. Her voice carried the power of Harmony, because Robin was one of Harmony's most favored candidates, known as a Child of Harmony. Her voice was magical in the truest sense, and Caelus was awakened by it.
When he opened his eyes, Caelus found himself in a nighttime dream. The sky was pitch-black, with only faint light illuminating the surroundings. He looked around and realized that he seemed to be lying on a bench. Someone had probably carried him here.
"You're awake."
Robin's voice reached him. Caelus realized he wasn't dreaming. He sat up and looked beside him, only to see Robin sitting prettily on the bench not far away.
"Little Bird, I didn't expect to run into you here too. We really are fated."
A delighted smile immediately appeared on Caelus's face. Though he didn't know where this was, running into Robin like this had to mean they were fated.
"But speaking of which, when rescuing an unconscious person, you should put my head on your lap. That way, you can protect my head and prevent secondary injury."
Caelus solemnly lectured Robin. The fact that she was sitting beside him without putting his head in her lap had deeply hurt him. It made Caelus very sad.
"What an idiot."
Robin glanced at Caelus as she spoke. Was a lap pillow something he could just use whenever he wanted? They had only known each other for a short time. They had only gone on one date together before, and now he wanted a lap pillow? He really dared to ask for anything.
"Where are we?"
Caelus asked the crucial question. Robin had arrived earlier than him, so she had become his personal guide.
"The people here call this place Dreamflow Reef," Robin said.
"Huh? But I remember being stabbed by a monster before coming here. Did you get stabbed too?"
Caelus scratched his head and asked in confusion. At first, he thought the monster was trying to kill him, but now it seemed this was some kind of special transportation method within the dream?
"Yes. After we separated, I began investigating the various ancient texts left by the Family, hoping to find clues about Penacony's abnormalities. I followed the methods in the books and performed an experiment. I didn't expect to summon the monster you mentioned, and it brought me here."
Robin explained how she had arrived. It was indeed a strange encounter. As a weak girl with no power to fight even a chicken, there was no way she could resist a Memory Zone Meme.
"...You seem awfully calm about this."
Caelus didn't know how to describe it. Should he call Robin brave, or say she was carefree? She didn't seem to value life and death that much. That wasn't a good habit. Caelus hoped his future wife would cherish herself more.
"Because this is Harmony's territory, I have nothing to fear. The people living here are kind as well."
Robin smiled. She had panicked for a while at first, but quickly got used to the town. For her, staying here was even more comfortable than living in the Sweet Dream.
"You aren't part of the Family of Harmony, so you don't know what is happening in Penacony. My singing comes from Harmony. Ever since returning to Penacony, I've felt discomfort in my throat. I initially thought it was because I wasn't acclimated to the environment after traveling among the stars for too long."
"But after separating from you, I gradually realized something was wrong. There may be a problem with my voice because the Family has strayed from Harmony."
Robin's expression gradually turned serious. These matters weren't something that could be leaked, but she felt an innate sense of trust toward Caelus. And in her current situation, he was the only one she could confide in.
"No, I told you to find the mole, and you're telling me everyone except you is the mole? Have you considered changing your stage name to Gin?"
Caelus looked at Robin with a suppressed smile. He didn't care about Penacony's situation. He only cared about Robin and the Family. Who would have thought things would turn out this way?
"Oh, stop teasing me."
Robin rolled her eyes at Caelus. What had been a serious matter sounded so strange when he put it that way, but her tense mood relaxed as well.
Thanks, Brother Sleepie
"Hehe, don't you think we're fated? You died, and I died too. We met in the world after death. Even death couldn't separate us. Doesn't that make for a fine story?"
Caelus extended his hand, wanting to hold Robin's. Naturally, Robin avoided his touch. This guy was always trying to take advantage of her. Robin wouldn't indulge that behavior and would only let him take verbal advantage.
"More like cursed fate. Still, seeing you in an unfamiliar place really is unexpected."
Robin responded. She truly hadn't expected Caelus to enter this strange dream too. They had only been apart for a short time before meeting here. Even Robin was beginning to believe that something with odds of one in ten million was fate.
"So how do we leave?"
Caelus asked.
"Leaving isn't difficult. Whenever the residents here encounter danger, they leave the dream and return to their bodies. Their bodies are living elsewhere in Penacony."
Robin explained the situation. The residents of this dream hadn't come from the Daydream Hotel. They were other people living throughout Penacony. Penacony was so large that it naturally had more than just the Daydream Hotel. The hotel required many supplies, and providing consumables naturally fell to ordinary citizens like them.
Penacony's ordinary citizens weren't qualified to enter the Sweet Dream, but they had their own way of entering dreams. Their final destination after dreaming was Dreamflow Reef. Simply put, this place was like a crude version of the Sweet Dream, letting people experience the joy of dreaming without spending money. It just had little to do with the word "sweet."
Before you continue