"Long time no see, Nameless of the Astral Express~" A drawn-out voice echoed through the alley, as if it had come from hell.
"Stellaron... Hunter." A bat appeared in Caelus's hand at once. "What are you plotting this time?"
"Me? What am I plotting?" Hanxing emerged from around the corner and slowly removed his mask. "Giving you a chance... at revenge?"
"I suggest you leave, now... Penacony probably doesn't welcome wanted criminals like you." Caelus gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the bat.
"Why so impatient?" Hanxing sneered. "Don't you want to know about... the 'grand legacy'?"
"You... how do you know about that?" Caelus was puzzled, but he didn't let down his guard. "You really are naive..." Hanxing looked at Caelus, then asked, "Don't you know... Elio?"
"Elio..." Caelus thought for a moment. "That hunter who can only be taken alive, the prophet?" Hanxing nodded. "Of course. It's obvious."
"The legacy is a Stellaron!" Hanxing told the lie he had planned long ago. "All the invited factions will pursue that Stellaron and solve the mystery of 'why does life slumber?' Of course, as Stellaron Hunters, we enjoy a spectacle. So naturally, we'll be among those factions."
"So you've set your sights on a Stellaron again." Caelus raised his bat. "I won't let you get your way."
"Heh heh..." Hanxing laughed. "Calm down, great Trailblazer. The time hasn't come yet." As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes turned blue, and he fixed Caelus with a glare. "First-get some good sleep."
Looking at Caelus lying on the ground, deep in an illusion, Hanxing nodded, turned back into Yan Bai, and left.
"How was that? Pretty good performance, right?" Hanxing looked at Firefly, who was waiting nearby, and smiled.
"Wasn't that... a little too hateful?" Firefly asked cautiously. "He used to be our companion, at least. Was that really necessary?"
"If I don't make him hate me, how am I supposed to draw him into this?" Hanxing shook his head. "I have no choice. Let's just let things take their course."
"Where are we going next?" Firefly asked Hanxing. "Somewhere... deeper," Hanxing answered vaguely, then took Firefly with him as he searched around.
"Oh, you're finally here." A girl in a skimpy kimono turned around, a butterfly in her eye glimmering with an unusual light.
"You must be Miss Sparkle," Hanxing said politely. Silver Wolf had naturally told him about her in advance.
"If there weren't some fun to be had, I wouldn't have taken your commission." Sparkle shook her head. "Anyway, I'll send you on your way first." Suddenly, several yin-yang fish appeared out of thin air. A wave of drowsiness washed over Firefly and Hanxing, and the two slowly fell to the ground, fast asleep.
"Where... is this?" Firefly looked around. It looked like the Dream Pool in the hotel lobby, but on closer inspection, everything seemed distorted. A warped pocket watch nearby ticked incessantly. "Mikhail, where did you go?" A voice muttering to itself came from the background, lending the surroundings a touch of horror.
Firefly slowly walked out the door. Sure enough, it was an entirely ordinary room, but the atmosphere around her remained eerie. Fortunately, Hanxing also emerged from another room.
"This is... the real 'dream.'" Hanxing left it at that, then added, "The Family is hiding something. It must have something to do with the so-called 'legacy' and the 'Watchmaker.'"
"In any case, whether we're looking for the truth or a way out, we have to get moving." Firefly shook her head, chasing the thoughts from her mind. "Let's start with the ground beneath our feet."
"I don't have a very good impression of this dream, with all the muttering to itself. Anyway, let's get out of here quickly." Hanxing said no more and set off.
"It's... blocked?" Hanxing looked at the blocks moving up and down ahead of them and felt a headache coming on.
"Let's go around through the corridor on the side." Firefly pointed to a door on the other side and led Hanxing through it.
"This is a dead end too..." After climbing a staircase, the two came to a hall. "Maybe... we're supposed to go across the wall?" Firefly ventured.
"Wait... I think I forgot something." Hanxing slapped his forehead, grabbed Firefly's hand, and teleported to the other side. "I thought we had to solve a puzzle."
"Mi... khail?" Firefly looked at the name thoughtfully. "Let's not worry about that for now." Hanxing led Firefly onward.
"Come to think of it, what are those... strange-looking televisions and puppies?" Hanxing looked around. The place seemed to be full of them.
"The Dreamjolt Troupe. They're the... corrupted products of some attractions. There are plenty of them at Dream's Edge too." Firefly gave a brief answer, then passed through two doors. A massive fountain appeared before them.
"That's... really 'spectacular'..." Firefly sighed, then spotted the exit across from them. "Ready?" Hanxing looked at Firefly, and she nodded. "Let's go."
Hanxing grabbed Firefly's hand again, and they vanished, appearing at the exit on the other side. "As Silver Wolf would put it, this is practically... 'cheating,'" Firefly marveled. She couldn't imagine how complicated this stretch would have been without Hanxing's ability.
"Oh, come on. Don't you have Sam to fly you across?" Hanxing was as insensitive as ever, speaking coldly. "But... didn't the Family publicly claim that the dream was completely safe?" Firefly suddenly asked. No matter how she looked at it, this place didn't seem safe.
"A... jigsaw puzzle?" The two opened the door to find one before them. Two puzzle pieces then flew into the two rooms beside it like playful children. "Let's split up. It'll be faster." With that, Hanxing went left, and Firefly went right.
"A pretty... dreamy room." Hanxing looked around, then took the piece. Before long, he heard an unusual noise from the neighboring room. He had just walked out when he saw Firefly, who had just taken off Sam. "Looks like you had a fight."
"It doesn't matter. Let's put the pieces in place." Firefly held out her hand, revealing the puzzle piece. Hanxing put both pieces back where they belonged, and a door appeared on the wall. The two passed through it, then through another door. A chest appeared before them, illuminated by the only spotlight.
"We might as well take it. Let's see." With that, Hanxing threw open the chest in front of them, but there was nothing inside. Instead, the lights came on in an instant, revealing six doors lined up neatly before them.
"So many doors?" Hanxing looked around. "But... one of them has to lead out, right?" With that, he led Firefly toward one of them, but after passing through the corridor, they seemed to have returned to where they started. "Help... help!" A voice rang out from somewhere.
"What's this?" Hanxing looked around again and confirmed that they had indeed returned to the starting point. "What if... we try going back?" Firefly suggested. They passed through another corridor and, unsurprisingly, returned to the same place again. "Told you, don't, open the box..."
"A ghost leading us in circles?" Hanxing suddenly blurted out. "What?" Firefly watched their surroundings warily. "A saying from where I'm from." As he spoke, Hanxing took Firefly through a random door. A bell rang, and the door opened again, revealing the same unchanged scene. "Please, I'm, scared..."
"Never mind all that..." Hanxing murmured. He grabbed Firefly again and went through another door. More and more black-and-white televisions appeared around them. After a burst of intense white light, a purple eye appeared on every television at once.
"Watch your surroundings," Hanxing murmured. With that, he cast a seemingly casual glance at Firefly. Space tore open in an instant, and an unsheathed embroidered spring saber appeared in his hand. Then a monster covered in eyes appeared above them.
"Get ready... to fight!"