World Center

(Miluno)

In a vivid dream, "movement" is a very absurd thing.

Just as Mono and I decided to travel halfway around the world and head to the pyramid structure, the majestic pyramid appeared before us at the next turn. We had to crane our necks to the limit to barely see the top.

"It seems this really isn't reality."

I have come to a conclusion.

This absurd transition, if not a dream, could only be from the set of a fake Rider movie.

As the Center of the World, this pyramid was surrounded by many residential buildings, including those of the survivors...

Yes, we've met the Natives of this world.

Their appearance is quite similar to humans, somewhat like legendary elves, except that they are more slender and have no hair on their heads.

"So, this is the settlement of bald elves?"

"Bald elf... that word sounds uninteresting."

Even pondering "why are all the people in this world bald?" yields no answer. But they do look familiar—aren't these the raw materials for clones in those jars? Their individual differences are minimal. Although they wear different clothes, I can't even tell their genders based on that alone.

Mono tried to stop a Natives who was passing by, but his hand passed right through the person's body.

She concluded:

"They can't see us, and we can't touch them. The entire dream world is made up of images from the Past, which are destined to happen. No matter what we do, we can't change the Future."

It's just a memory clip after all.

The only thing I can touch in this dream is Mono.

"No, actually we might encounter another being."

I understood what she meant.

"The true form of the Great Will?"

That invisible Him.

Since this is the dream of Great Will, then as the master of the dream, He must also exist here...

"Let's go! Let's go see Him!"

Thinking of this, Mono suddenly felt energized.

"By the way, let me find out exactly what I am!"

If the video doesn't end, we won't be able to wake up, and judging from the previous two experiences, something big must be about to happen...

"Shall we go inside the pyramids? I feel that if the Great Will truly exists in this dream, we can only meet Him by going to the most crucial places."

Mono began pushing my back as he spoke.

"Let's go on an adventure inside the pyramids!"

The dream didn't sound dangerous, but the dream of the Great Will made me a little hesitant. After all, that was the final boss on the Other Side; maybe He could even kill me in the dream?

The entrance to the pyramids isn't on the ground, but halfway up, so you have to climb a long flight of stairs to get in. But in a dream, it's just a matter of a thought.

"Mono, have you sensed hostility from the Great Will?"

No, why do you ask that?

"He is undoubtedly an enemy to humanity, but to the Other Side, He is the last savior. If there is an opportunity to directly communicate with such a being, perhaps the situation can be fundamentally reversed."

This isn't me being overly sentimental, but if things can be resolved through dialogue, we can avoid a lot of unnecessary sacrifices.

As for the sneak attack...

Please, I'd be grateful if I didn't die here.

"Since He created those Monsters, it means He really does have the idea of invading Earth by force. The enemy's savior is an unwarranted disaster for Earthlings. You don't want to be destroyed, do you?"

Mono, though born from Black Crystal, seems to favor humans.

Wow!?

We entered the pyramids.

The interior is much more futuristic than the exterior. The floor and walls are almost entirely made of Crystal, which was also the Crystal that shone brightly in the shadows earlier.

Could these Crystal be something like Star Crystal?

"That's way too huge!? If I used this to transform, I could probably become a colossal magical girl who could kick the Earth apart with one kick!"

I have an assumption.

Perhaps this enormous Crystal is the vessel of Great Will?

"Miluno! Look over there!"

Mono discovered something else. I looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a magnificent pillar of light in the center of the pyramid. The reason these Crystal were glowing was because they were reflecting the light from this pillar.

It can be said that the entire pyramid is illuminated by this light.

At the center of the pyramid is a bottomless well, from which the light Underwell up.

If this is a story of benevolent rule, then what lies beneath this well is probably...

I glanced at Mono.

The instant I had a certain thought, she tried to throw me off first.

"That's despicable, Miluno!"

"Then what you're doing now, what does that even mean!"

"I threw you down before you could throw me down myself; this was self-defense!"

She grabbed my waist and pulled me upwards with all her might. The courtyard was so deep that there was only a low railing around it, so most of my body was pushed out by her. In this position, it was difficult for me to put up any decent resistance.

Oops.

The power in the dream is unrelated to reality, and magic cannot be used. Without taking the initiative, she's really going to throw him off.

"Hahaha! From now on, there's only one rice—hey!"

Perhaps the downward spiral was irreversible, but at least I had a chance to pull her down with me. She was wearing the same City School uniform as me, and the uniform jacket had a cape!

"You come down too!"

"Whoa!!"

We both fell into the courtyard.

But this is, after all, a dream.

Clear dreams.

There was no real feeling of weightlessness, not even the sensation of falling to the ground. One second I was falling, and the next I was standing in a circular plaza.

This is the bottom floor of the courtyard.

The source of the pillar of light was in the center of the square—a huge, shapeless luminous body.

Great Will is invisible, and so is that light...

"That's Him?"

The light emitted a warm, comforting sensation.

"Great Will, we want to talk to you!"

As I walked into the center of the square, I pleaded for a dialogue, but that "Great Will" showed no reaction whatsoever.

"Miluno, is there any possibility?"

Mono slapped my shoulder with his elbow, rubbed his nose, and said:

"This thing is merely the Great Will within the dream, while the true Great Will exists beyond this dream."

Where is she?

Pointing to her face, which was exactly like mine, she offered another hypothesis.

"There's another possibility: this is actually my dream, and I am the Great Will. However, after being absorbed by you, I forgot my identity, but I still somehow ended up here?"

Impossible.

Currently, it appears that she was indeed born from the Black Crystal, but her amount is so small that it's probably not even a fingernail compared to the overall size of the Great Will.

"Look at the World Center. The Crystal beneath our feet outnumber all the Crystal your darkness has gathered together."

"But this is just a dream; dreaming doesn't require me to be a complete and Great Will."

So, you didn't touch any Artificial Crystal in your dream before.

Perhaps Mono itself will lead me into a dream...

Mono slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing what was going on.

"That explains why my breasts are bigger than yours! This is my dream! Of course it will meet my expectations!"

So she was still considering this?!