Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yu, Stelle, and Old Yang heard conflicting accounts from March 7th and July Three and agreed to postpone deciding which was real. After comparing clues about Dreamflux Reef, the group chose to seek out security officer Gallagher, while planning to contact Himeko first.

• March 7th and July Three each described being separated from the others in the dream, and Jiang Yu, Stelle, and Old Yang realized both accounts seemed credible.
• Jiang Yu proposed calling them March and July temporarily and focusing on Penacony’s crisis, and Argenti and the Knights supported his suggestion.
• Jiang Yu, Stelle, and Old Yang calmed March 7th and July Three and arranged a temporary truce until the group returned to the Express.
• The group compared their information about Dreamflux Reef and found clues pointing to security officer Gallagher.
• The group decided to question Gallagher and planned to contact Himeko before setting out.

The group learned from Misha that Dreamflux Reef was a closed Dreamscape, that Mianmian was likely the Memory Zone Meme Something Unto Death, and that Gallagher had been caring for it. As Misha led them toward Robin, Kohl warned that Dreamflux Reef would collapse into the other Dreamscape in ten system hours, though Misha said Kohl often made such predictions.

• Firefly left the group to look for Gallagher while the Astral Express Crew and the Knights stayed to discuss what they had learned.
• The group met Misha and Clockie, and Misha explained that Dreamflux Reef was closed to outsiders and that Mianmian had been ferrying people between Dreamscapes.
• Misha described Mianmian as a creature that had been beaten up by difficult guests, leading the group to suspect it was Something Unto Death, the Meme linked to Robin's case.
• Misha said Gallagher had been taking care of Mianmian, but Gallagher was meeting with Oak Family visitors, so Jiang Yu suggested they visit Robin first.
• As Misha guided the group through Dreamflux Reef, Welt identified its memoria vortex as an accretion disk formed from unstable memoria.
• Kohl claimed the memoria flow had accelerated and Dreamflux Reef would collapse into the other Dreamscape in ten system hours, but Misha said similar warnings were one of her recurring oddities.

Jiang Yu altered the memoria flow through Dreamflux Reef's great hollow, unknowingly wrecking a Professor Banana's plans. The Astral Express Crew continued their search and reunited with Himeko, who introduced them to Dreamflux Reef leader Mikai.

• Old Yang learned from Kohl that Lazarina, a former Nameless, had died long ago.
• Jiang Yu adjusted the memoria flow through the great hollow, creating a new path while balancing the memoria between the Dreamscapes.
• Jiang Yu's change swept away the Professor Banana's equipment and preparations, ruining its planned experiment and memetic virus release.
• The Astral Express Crew left Kohl behind and continued with Misha, finding Himeko before they found Robin.
• Himeko accepted Old Yang's explanation about March 7th and July Three, then introduced Mikai to the group.
• Mikai said the Knights of Beauty had been searching for someone in Dreamflux Reef and wondered if that person was a Nameless traveling with the crew.

Mikai led the Astral Express Crew to Robin, who explained that Penacony’s sweet dream was collapsing and that the Family had betrayed Harmony’s ideals. After Welt raised the possibility of outside interference, Jiang Yu said he had an idea.

• Mikai brought the Astral Express Crew to meet Robin, whom they found teaching children to sing.
• Robin used the power of Harmony to examine March 7th and July Three but could not tell which one was real.
• Robin told the crew that the sweet dream was collapsing and that the Family had concealed Penacony’s past in a dream within a dream.
• Robin accused a traitor within the Family of exploiting people in Harmony’s name, explaining that her voice had begun to fail as Harmony withdrew its blessing.
• Welt suggested another force might have changed the Family’s ideals, and Robin said she knew of no outside interference.
• Jiang Yu announced that he had an idea.

Jiang Yu suggested that Xipe might still be suffering indigestion after swallowing Taiyi, and Stelle, March 7th, and July 7th entertained the idea while the adults reacted with disbelief. The discussion ended with Robin declaring that she could not tolerate her homeland becoming the opposite of Harmony in Harmony’s name.

• Jiang Yu described seeing Xipe swallow Taiyi in the Simulated Universe and proposed that Xipe might have indigestion.
• March 7th, July 7th, and Stelle took Jiang Yu’s hypothesis seriously, while the adults struggled to respond.
• Robin reassured Jiang Yu that she believed him, and the Knights of Beauty praised his wisdom.
• Robin refocused the discussion and said she could not tolerate her homeland turning into the opposite of Harmony in Harmony’s name.

Sunday awoke unharmed in the Dreamscape and learned that Robin was safe and Little Fish had been found. Gallagher proposed working with Sunday, while Tir Anders observed and shared information with the Knights of Beauty.

• Sunday remembered a conversation with Robin and Gopher Wood about whether to cage an injured Melodi-Dove or return it to the sky.
• Gallagher woke Sunday in the Dreamscape, and Sunday discovered that the Wingblade had left no wound.
• Sunday demanded to know where Robin was, and Gallagher assured him that she was safe.
• Tir Anders told Sunday that the Knights had found Little Fish.
• Gallagher told Sunday that he wanted to work with him.

Gallagher tried to recruit Sunday by promising clues about a traitor and a better future for Penacony, while Firefly arrived and Tir Anders revealed how much he had learned about her. Jiang Yu and the others then visited memorial stones for heroes from Penacony’s past, leaving the group to confront the planet’s erased history.

• Gallagher appealed to Sunday’s concern for Robin and offered information about a traitor and Penacony’s future in exchange for his cooperation.
• Firefly arrived, and Tir Anders introduced himself as a Knight of Beauty who had investigated her and her organization but promised not to share their information.
• Gallagher explained that Firefly would guide him and Sunday to Robin, and Firefly agreed.
• Jiang Yu and the Astral Express Crew visited three gravestones in Dreamflux Reef, where Mikai described the heroes Lazarina and Tiernan and mourned Penacony’s forgotten history.

Mikai recounted the deaths of the Nameless Lazarina and Tiernan, while Gallagher reunited with the Astral Express Crew and explained his role in Dreamflux Reef. The chapter ended as Gallagher revealed that the Stellaron was behind everything.

• Mikai told the group how Lazarina died tracing memoria and how Tiernan led the Moth Family into the Swarm, where they were wiped out.
• Himeko asked about the blank gravestone, and Gallagher explained that its owner had insisted it be erected while he was still alive.
• Sunday reunited with Robin, while Tir Anders saluted Jiang Yu as a Knight of Beauty.
• Gallagher introduced himself as Dreamflux Reef's founder, the Watchmaker's assistant, the invitation-sender, and a Fictionologist.
• Gallagher said the Stellaron was the root of everything.

Gallagher revealed that Penacony’s dreamscape was built around an unsealed Stellaron and sustained by the spirits of its inhabitants, while Silver Wolf exposed the Family’s manipulation of minds. The group learned about the Dream Master’s shared identity, and Jiang Yu eagerly hoped the Dream Master was a villain.

• Gallagher explained that Penacony’s dreamscape had been created with a Stellaron, which remained active inside it.
• Gallagher recounted how the Family gained influence during the Watchmaker’s absence and concealed the Stellaron’s continued existence.
• Gallagher said Penacony’s sweet dreams consumed people’s spirits, while Tir Anders described the dreamscape as a prison that magnified human weaknesses.
• Silver Wolf revealed that the Dream Master could supposedly be 107,336 people at once and warned that the Family had warped people’s minds.
• Gallagher explained that he had hidden in the Memory Zone and created the Slumber meme as a way to escape the dream.
• Jiang Yu asked Silver Wolf about the Dream Master and said he hoped the man was a bad guy.

Sunday revealed that the Penacony Grand Theater was the Stellaron and identified Dream Master Gopher Wood as the likely culprit behind Penacony’s dream. Jiang Yu eagerly proposed sending Gopher Wood to work at his Fragmentum factory, while Sunday wondered how the child had gathered such powerful allies.

• Himeko questioned Gallagher about the Watchmaker’s invitations, and Gallagher explained that he had hoped to expose the traitor within the Family.
• Sunday revealed that the Stellaron was the Penacony Grand Theater and said Dream Master Gopher Wood had probably used it to cause Penacony’s crisis.
• Jiang Yu offered to punish Gopher Wood by putting him to work at his Aha’s Fragmentum factory, which needed someone capable of doing the work of 107,336 people.
• Sunday explained that Gopher Wood had been his next suspect after Gallagher while investigating his sister’s murderer, but that the elusive Dream Master was hard to find.
• Jiang Yu suggested disrupting Gopher Wood’s plan to force him to appear, and Sunday reconsidered the child’s confidence after seeing the Knights of Beauty guarding him.

Sunday and Robin joined the Astral Express in opposing Gopher Wood and the Charmony Festival, while the Knights of Beauty set out ahead of them. As the group prepared to confront the Dream Master, Jiang Yu revealed that the Xianzhou was on its way, bolstering their support.

• Sunday and Robin explained their past ties to Gopher Wood and vowed to stop the Charmony Festival if the Family had turned against Harmony.
• Himeko, March 7th, Stelle, July, and Jiang Yu agreed to help confront the Dream Master, and the Knights of Beauty pledged to act as well.
• Most of the Knights of Beauty departed, leaving Argenti, Yaoyorozu Kami, and Tir Anders with Jiang Yu.
• Welt offered to accompany Sunday and Robin, and the group set off as the festival deadline approached.
• Welt warned the Astral Express crew that the Dream Master could command Harmony's forces and held the Stellaron, while Jiang Yu said the Xianzhou and Knights of Beauty were backing them.

The Astral Express crew learned that the Xianzhou Luofu itself was coming to Penacony, while Welt left to face the Dream Master alone. Gallagher then revealed the last Nameless’s legacy and led the group to an unmarked gravestone to honor his promise.

• Jiang Yu suggested Argenti accompany Welt, but Welt refused and left alone after asking the others to seal the Stellaron if things went wrong.
• Jiang Yu secretly sent his companion to watch over Welt as Gallagher praised his resolve.
• Himeko asked Gallagher about the last Nameless, Lagwork, and Gallagher confirmed that his hints had pointed to someone they had encountered indirectly.
• July joked that Jiang Yu’s growing popularity had made him more infectious than a memetic virus, and Gallagher privately regarded him as the Astral Express’s ultimate weapon.
• Gallagher told the group that Lagwork had left a gift for the successors of the Trailblaze, then led them to his unmarked gravestone and spoke to his old friend.

The Nameless reached the Watchmaker Mikhail’s resting place and found his legacy dream bubble apparently empty. Himeko insisted Mikhail must have left something precious behind, while Gallagher privately misunderstood who or what the Watchmaker’s backup plan was.

• The platform and surrounding buildings rose until they connected to a castle beneath the Penacony Grand Theater, and Gallagher led the group toward Mikhail’s resting place.
• Stelle touched the dream bubble held by Mikhail, but saw nothing inside; March 7th, July 7th, and Jiang Yu also found it empty.
• Gallagher said the empty bubble suited Mikhail’s faith in the Nameless and doubted he had left a backup plan.
• Himeko argued that Mikhail must have left the Nameless something precious and said they had yet to unravel the dream bubble.
• Gallagher privately believed Mikhail’s backup plan was Jiang Yu, leaving him confused by Himeko’s interpretation.

Himeko asked Gallagher to lend his pet so she could investigate the Dreamscape Goods Store for Mikhail and Penacony's future. Meanwhile, Dan Heng and Boothill checked into The Reverie, and Dan Heng revealed his confidence in Jiang Yu's power as Little Aha worried about the danger ahead.

• Gallagher said he understood the Trailblaze's beliefs and agreed to let Himeko borrow his pet.
• At The Reverie, Dan Heng and Boothill asked Ellie to register them as guests, and she made an exception at Sunday and Robin's request.
• Dan Heng told Boothill that Little Fish had likely secured their welcome and pointed out that the Cat Cakes accompanying them belonged to Jiang Yu.
• Boothill asked why Dan Heng was not worried about their companions, and Dan Heng said Jarilo-VI's sky explained his confidence in Jiang Yu.
• Little Aha worried that Jiang Yu might face an Emanator of Nihility and silently urged Idrila to keep any restrictions within her power.

Dan Heng and Boothill investigated Penacony’s hotel but found no useful information and no Oak Family members. In the guest lounge, Boothill’s attempt to claim a supposedly reserved bottle failed, and Dan Heng tried to redirect him toward an even more intense drink.

• Boothill and Dan Heng questioned people at the hotel and found that nobody knew what was happening in the Dreamscape.
• Dan Heng noted that no Oak Family members were present, while Boothill pointed out that the Corporation was watching the hotel.
• Ellie gave Boothill and Dan Heng their room key cards, and they went to the guest quarters’ lounge.
• Boothill asked bartender Anderson for a reserved bottle of Asdana White Oak, but Anderson said the bar had no such liquor.
• Boothill ordered the most expensive drink on the menu, praised its unusual flavor, and rejected Dan Heng’s suggestion of a Mecha Knight.

Dan Heng and Boothill discussed the strange situation on Penacony, including Acheron’s use of the Galaxy Rangers’ name and the Family’s unusual festival plans. Dan Heng suggested asking Little Fish for answers, and Boothill realized that Aha might be nearby.

• Boothill pulled Dan Heng aside to assess the uncertain situation on Penacony and raised doubts about Acheron impersonating a Galaxy Ranger.
• Little Lan knocked Boothill down twice for misquoting the Reignbow Arbiter, and little Aha explained why; Dan Heng stopped Boothill from drawing his gun by telling him Little Lan belonged to Little Fish.
• Boothill warned that Acheron seemed methodical and might have an ulterior motive, while Dan Heng focused on the Family’s unusual invitations and insistence on holding the Charmony Festival.
• Boothill suggested that Xipe’s orders could explain the Family’s behavior, and Dan Heng said Little Fish might be able to answer questions directly to Aeons.
• Dan Heng told Boothill that Little Fish was close to the Aeon of Elation and that Aha might be nearby, prompting little Aha to recognize that Boothill had guessed correctly.

Dan Heng and Boothill followed Black Swan’s clues back to the Astral Express, where she revealed that Acheron could explain her own story. Black Swan also wondered whether Fuli was feeding Jiang Yu power from the Path of Remembrance.

• Dan Heng argued that the Nameless had inherited responsibility for choosing their own path after Akivili’s fall, and Boothill agreed that people had to answer for their choices.
• Bartender Anderson’s memories revealed that someone had left Boothill a bottle of Asdana White Oak bearing a message to meet aboard the Astral Express.
• Dan Heng and Boothill returned to the Express, where Pom-Pom told them two visitors had been waiting in the parlor car.
• Black Swan appeared and apologized to Pom-Pom for boarding without permission, then reflected that Fuli might be supplying Jiang Yu with power from the river of memories.
• Black Swan introduced herself to Dan Heng and Boothill and said Acheron knew her own story better than Black Swan did.
• Acheron approached and introduced herself to Dan Heng and Boothill.

Acheron urged the Astral Express crew to leave the Asdana Galaxy, then recounted how she had met an old Galaxy Ranger who laid the Bloodcrime Spirits to rest. Meanwhile, Sunday relived memories of his work hearing confessions before Robin found him in Golden Hour, where he said he was fine.

• Boothill accused Black Swan of betraying him and aimed his gun at Acheron, who asked the Astral Express to leave the Asdana Galaxy for everyone's safety.
• Acheron told Dan Heng that his companions were safe but needed help, and told Boothill she had sought him out to return an old Ranger's belongings.
• Pom-Pom considered driving the Astral Express back toward Penacony, but Little Aha stopped the Conductor from acting before Acheron finished her story.
• Acheron recalled meeting an old Galaxy Ranger who guided the Bloodcrime Spirits, the lingering shadows of fallen Galaxy Rangers, toward their rest.
• Sunday remembered hearing confessions from Penacony residents, including a servant, a desperate Dream Chaser, and a mocking Pepeshi merchant.
• Robin found Sunday in Golden Hour after he crossed through the dreamscape, and Sunday assured her that he was fine.

Sunday and Robin discussed whether Penacony’s Dreamscape could offer genuine happiness as they encountered guests and prepared to meet the Dream Master. Sparkle confronted them, questioned their plans, handed them two strange buttons, and left after learning Jiang Yu had returned; the Dream Master was soon to arrive.

• Welt spoke with Sunday and Robin about calling off the Charmony Festival, and the siblings said they would try to persuade the Dream Master.
• Sunday and Robin helped a drunken Pepeshi, whose praise of Penacony’s dream troubled Robin, while Yaoyorozu Kami secretly watched them and kept an eye on Welt.
• As they explored, Sunday argued that Penacony offered ordinary people refuge from a world where the strong exploited the weak, while Robin remained unconvinced that its dreams brought real happiness.
• Sparkle appeared disguised as Robin, mocked the siblings’ plans, and asked Sunday whether he had found Jiang Yu; Sunday realized Jiang Yu had returned.
• Sparkle gave Sunday and Robin two strange buttons to use if the Charmony Festival went ahead, then left to seek an interesting stage.
• Sunday heard ravens calling and said the Dream Master would arrive soon.

Sunday explained to Robin why he believed Penacony’s Dreamscape could give the weak a future, while Robin argued that it could take their futures away. Later, Yaoyorozu Kami told Dr. Ratio that the twins had to realize their wish themselves, and Jiang Yu turned the revived Duke Inferno into a worker for Aha’s Fragmentum factory.

• Sunday and Robin debated whether the Dreamscape offered refuge to the weak or trapped them in a future already decided for them.
• Sunday recalled how their childhood Melodi-Dove died after Robin released it, and argued that some fledglings could never survive in the open sky.
• Dr. Ratio asked Yaoyorozu Kami which Aeon could fulfill the twins’ utopia, and she said none could do it for them; they had to make their wish come true themselves.
• Argenti and Tir Anders showed Jiang Yu the Duke Inferno Bloodcrime Spirit they had recovered from nihility after Acheron killed the Flame Demon.
• Jiang Yu restored Duke Inferno, then Tir Anders flattened and stored him as a paper cutout for transport to Aha’s Fragmentum factory.
• Gallagher watched Duke Inferno’s fate and concluded that Beauty was terrifying.