Flora Winslet hugged him tightly as well. Soft sobs reached his ears, and before long, her tears had soaked the front of Shade's shirt.
He understood Flora's feelings perfectly. Even when he had first awakened in the lake, the sense of loss and confusion had been just as intense.
It was just that he had awakened in reality, with the memories of the Dream already fading away; Flora had awakened within this Dream, where the happy life at her side had clearly begun to reveal its falsehood. That was why her reaction was so severe.
"I know now that all of this is fake, but... but..."
"Flora, the dream is fake, but you and I are real."
She heard that he still called her by her given name rather than her surname. She gently pushed Shade away, her tearful eyes looking at him once more. After confirming something in his eyes, she asked:
"Everything we experienced here was fake. I know it was fake, but what I feel for you..."
Shade bent down and kissed her. Flora's eyes widened, but after a moment she closed them and returned the tear-flavored kiss. Now she was reassured.
The two separated, and Shade raised a hand to wipe away her tears with his sleeve.
"Can we leave now?"
"I understand. Let's leave now."
"Yes. Everyone is waiting for us."
But she did not let go of Shade right away.
"I want to remember this place. I don't want to forget everything we experienced here."
"You'd be better off forgetting. This place is..."
Seeing that she seemed about to cry again, Shade explained:
"What is so good about false memories and experiences? Once we return to reality, we can create those memories again."
As he spoke, he took her hand again. Flora Winslet pulled