Into the Darkness: Miluno

(Miluno)

As I slowly descended the Deep Well, the area below the pyramid was utter darkness. I couldn't see anything; there were no means of illumination in the dream, and Mono's reconnaissance abilities naturally failed as well. All means of external perception were rendered ineffective at this moment.

"Was this well this deep before?"

This feeling of being deep in darkness can instill a deep-seated fear. Because you can't see, you feel like there's something around you, as if you're being swallowed by some indescribable, gigantic creature...

Holding my Mono, he didn't seem to feel anything and even asked:

"Oh, you're scared now?"

"Even the rationality buff has its limits; when it's time to be afraid, you'll still be afraid. So let's talk about something."

"So... what do you think of Ceruno- chan's taste?"

"Ha?"

What did she suddenly say?

"Her skin is so white, it must taste like vanilla when you lick it!"

"In this atmosphere, let's put the topic of sexual harassment aside!"

Mono is hopeless.

She shrugged and said, "I thought that dream was the end, I didn't expect there to be a second season after so long... Miluno, don't you think this dream is related to the previous battle?"

"Because you came into contact with darkness during the battle?"

"Hmm, wasn't the air filled with a lot of Dark Energy that day? People probably ingested some of it, maybe it's related to that..."

"You still sneak food?"

"You can't call it stealing food, so don't blame me! Just by standing inside the witch's domain, the Morning Star Crystal keeps absorbing the surrounding darkness. What can I do about the Witch Domain?"

Morning Star Crystal does purify Dark Energy that gets too close to me.

Ultimately, Mono's appearance was due to the fact that the Shadow Girl formed from the twelve Black Crystal of Aldebaran was sucked into the Morning Star Crystal storm.

"How much longer?" I asked.

"How do you think I know?" Mono replied.

"... Did you hear anything?"

Splash splash splash--

It sounded like boiling mud churning. The last time I heard that sound was in Barbara's alchemy cauldron, but I didn't feel any heat.

"... It's Black Mud."

Mono suddenly said:

"If we keep going, we'll be stepping into Black Mud."

We found our way to the railing on one of the floors and stood on the ground.

Although we don't interact with this dream at all—even if we burrow into the Black Mud, it's just like clipping through a mold—we still don't want to have any connection with it.

... yet it was able to stand on the floor; could this be some kind of psychological effect?

"We can't see anything, are we just supposed to wait here like this?"

Each dream is a turning point.

This is a turning point for the world to move to the next stage. I'm pretty sure what will happen next, but I don't know when it will start.

"Miluno, what kind of person do you think 'The Great Will' is?"

"Who knows? Besides, He isn't human. But He must be a responsible god, otherwise He wouldn't have created this 'Noah's Ark' when the world was on the verge of destruction, leading His people to fight for a new home... It's just that He ultimately failed and became an invader of Earth."

The "Great Will" of a benevolent god...

And the "Great Will" of the invaders...

The two images are somewhat contradictory in my mind, one a light that sustains the world, the other a filthy Black Mud... What could have caused this?

"Miluno, if we absorb a little more Black Mud, maybe we can solve the mystery of the whole dream."

"That Aldebaran guy is untrustworthy. I know you really want to eat that darkness, but eating it could very bad things happen."

My intuition is always accurate.

Bass--

Like the buzzing sound of a power source being switched on, the Crystal wall suddenly glowed with a faint light, illuminating our surroundings... at least we could see things again.

"If there's a light, why didn't you turn it on sooner!"

I complained quietly, but Mono denied it:

"No, this light wasn't turned on by someone else."

"... Um?"

That means something is coming.

The eerie light flashed twice in a short period of time, and the sound of the mud churning below grew increasingly violent, then...

Whoosh--

Something blurry scurried up from the mud.

What is that?

"Who knows? Let's follow them!"

Mono carried me back out of the well to check on the thing that had just darted Past.

"... Is that Monster?"

At the wellhead, a pitch-black human-shaped figure was visible, with Black Mud still churning on its surface, eventually settling into its final form.

It was an exceptionally ugly Monster, with one eye, bald patches of body hair, and explosive but unattractive muscles.

Then came the next one, and the one after that, as different Monster kept spewing out of the Deep Well. They were deformed and ugly, and just looking at them was enough to make one feel disgusted.

After the Extinction of the Natives, did the "Great Will" begin creating a new race aboard this small ark?

Unfortunately, the "Great Will" that has fallen to the dark side seems unable to create any decent races anymore; these Monsters are all ugly and deformed.

Mono sighed:

"After all, what we've created this time is just a 'weapon'."

Indeed, the Monster are merely weapons of aggression wielded by the "Great Will."

These are the first Monster created. They prostrate themselves in worship around the well in the courtyard. Even though they were born as tools, they are filled with gratitude and worship for their Creator.

"Why do you think the 'Great Will' has become active again? If this is Monster He subjectively created, then it means that the invasion of Earth was indeed His intention..."

When I said this, Mono said:

"Wait a minute, Miluno, what's the difference between these Monsters and the Monster we see now?"

"Um?"

They have hair, which alone sets them apart from the bald Natives.

However, the hair looked like it was glued on, and it was patchy and incomplete... It was very unsightly, and Fu Ruikong would surely be furious.

"No, it's not just that. These Monster don't have any Earthly elements in them."

The Simulacrum Factor is not only the source of power for the Monster, but also the "ticket" to enter our world, otherwise they would be blocked by the world's firewall.

"So, they didn't appear with the intention of invading Earth?"

Mono nodded.

"At least not yet."

"Then what is the purpose of their appearance?"

"Probably... the Night Watchers? Tools to manage this dying world while the 'Great Will' slumbers."

These ugly-looking Monster did indeed possess a certain creative ability, and they acted with remarkable efficiency. Right under our noses, Mono and I witnessed them transforming the top of the pyramid into dwellings for themselves at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.

"Is the existence of these Monster the prototype of the 'Supreme Council'?"

That invasion of Earth should be just around the corner.