The girl lay quietly in the Dream Pool. The halo above her head looked dim and lightless now, and the wings beside her ears drooped limply, as though they had just been battered by a raging storm. A hideous, horrifying wound ran down her body from her chest to her abdomen.
That posture said it all. Without anyone noticing, in a corner unknown to anyone, the girl had closed her eyes and sunk into eternal sleep within the Dreamscape.
Aventurine turned to Stelle. "My expression wasn't much better than yours when I witnessed this, my friend. The Family's Dreamscape isn't safe. Death can appear here, even spread. It's time to make a decision. Uncover the truth, or leave now.
"This celebrated singer, Robin, is the first victim we've seen, but she certainly won't be the last."
Listening to Aventurine, Stelle looked at Robin, who lay "asleep" before her, and fell silent.
Robin's death was shocking, and amid that shock, she couldn't help remembering the explosion back on the Xianzhou that had nearly lit up an entire star system.
Even amid that terrifying spectacle, Little Fish had still come back. Honestly, even now, she found it hard to imagine just what circumstances, what formidable means of attack, could put Little Fish in danger, or even kill him...
But...
This was Penacony, within the Dreamscape, within Memoria.
What would appear here were methods entirely unlike those frontal assaults: bizarre, fantastical, elusive, impossible to guard against...
Though Stelle had complete confidence in Jiang Yu's ability to fight head-on, she couldn't help worrying about her companion in a situation like this, where she had no idea what was happening and danger could emerge from any corner at any moment.
"It seems you've realized how serious this is, my friend," Aventurine said, looking at Stelle.