In dream after dream, Black Fu Hua had found herself a playground. She had no concept of good or evil—or rather, she knew, but did not care. She dove into consciousness, searching for weaknesses like a traveler of dreams.
She entered Ifrit's dream.
Amid burning ruins, she looked down at the tense little beast and began exercising her authority over the mind and consciousness.
"Like me."
She said it unhurriedly.
It was an order.
When Ifrit warily looked at her, the defenses in her heart rapidly crumbled. The other girl walked toward her, already well past a safe distance, yet Ifrit could not muster even the slightest hostility. Black Fu Hua kneaded the braid hanging to her shoulders and reached out to stroke her head.
"Such a good girl."
She praised her, then immediately changed her words.
"Now hate me."
Hatred surged in like a tide. Everything was burning, and flames of extreme emotion replaced Ifrit herself, while the little girl's body drifted away like smoke.
This was a world within a dream. Anything strange could happen.
Every possibility was under her control.
"Yawn~"
"So boring, boring, so boring."
Black Fu Hua was genuinely getting tired of it. The burning flames senselessly parted before her advance, like the sea splitting before Moses. Black Fu Hua rubbed her eyes, pulled herself together, and snapped her fingers at the raging fire.
"Now, you can't see me."
All the flames died down in an instant. Ifrit stood there blankly, utterly oblivious to Black Fu Hua's gradual approach.
"Sleep."
When the ego representing surface consciousness fell asleep, the primitive id would take control of the human mind. But Black Fu Hua merely glanced at it, and both the ego and id sank into complete silence. She looked around and muttered to herself as if