Dreamscape Depth, beneath the sky.
"It's so warm. You hardly ever see a living soul by the Dead Sea, but you got lucky. Not only did you find shelter from the rain, you even found fresh berries. That's no small feat."
"I simply followed the presence of life," Acheron answered the old man calmly. "In a place like this, it stands out all the more clearly. It's just a shame they taste rather bland."
"Really? You might not know this, but these berries are actually quite juicy. The only problem is that when you chew them... they produce an intensely spicy sensation," the old man said.
Acheron fell silent.
Across the campfire, the old man sitting opposite her looked at her and asked, "Have you... lost your sense of taste?"
"There are still some flavors I can taste... a faint sweetness, for instance," Acheron said. "Before coming here, my last stop was Orchideon. There were deserted cliffs there, too, and nights lit by campfires. Purplish-red snow would fall from the sky, and it tasted of raspberries on my tongue.
"The flavor wasn't exactly sweet, but it stayed with me. Whenever I look back, I always find that what connects the road I've traveled... isn't some unforgettable sequence of beginnings and endings, but moments like those.
"Don't worry about it. Gradually losing our sense of self... is a reality every Self-Annihilator must face. At least I haven't completely lost my senses and memories yet."
The old man smiled. "Then congratulations on adding another footnote to your journey. That reminds me, are you alone?"
"No, I had a companion on Orchideon," Acheron said. "She was a little thing, one of the Nameless. She wanted to launch herself into IX... she always said she would travel a path deeper and farther than