"Is this the place?" Hanxing looked around; it seemed identical to the place they had gone to on their way to Dreamflux Reef. "So... what clues did you find?" "According to Sunday, the ' Dream Master ' also participated in this incident," Firefly said seriously. "His strength is no less than Sunday's, and he deserves even more attention. Also... there's 214..."
Hanxing fell silent. 214 was killed by the Dream Master herself, and Firefly should avenge her. But as she looked ahead, Hanxing slowly drew her Embroidered Spring Blade: "Approaching stealthily is not a good choice," the Dream Master said. Firefly turned her head at Hanxing's voice, and the Dream Master's face appeared before them.
"No... it's just a Dominicus from him," the Dream Master said calmly. "Don't think I'll let my guard down. I know your true colors. Whatever your purpose is, I will stop you." The Firefly's hostility was palpable.
"No need to be so tense," Dominicus glanced at Hanxing had a knife to his neck, and smiled slightly. "Miss Firefly, Mr. Hanxing, I am merely a fragment of Remembrance. You are free to attack and confirm this. However, I am not without purpose; my existence here has its purpose."
Hanxing sheathed his sword, his eyes still icy: "Finish what you have to say." "Thank you for your honesty." Dominicus's face was like a mask that could only ever smile, devoid of any emotion. "I, too, know nothing of the ' Dream Master's' heinous acts, but he has been waiting for your arrival. The Glamoth Iron Cavalry he personally killed, he hopes that through my existence, he can bring her 'justice,' and that you, Miss Firefly, her friend, will witness it."
"... Fairness?" Firefly was somewhat taken aback. "Indeed, I'm quite familiar with this place and can guide you. It also has its significance for you—witnessing his repentance is equivalent to revealing his crimes." "We don't need your guidance to do this," Hanxing said firmly.
"But you need someone to decipher the truth. Force alone cannot solve anything," the Dominicus said. Firefly paused for a moment, then spoke again, "Even if I refuse, you won't stop. Please lead the way, but I will keep an eye on you."
"Where is this place?" Firefly quickly accepted Dominicus's role as "guide." " Oak Mansion was once part of the Morning Dew Mansion. Before becoming the ' Dream Master,' he often held the Family council meetings here, but it has been abandoned for many years and sunk into the Primal Memory Zone," Dominicus explained. Meanwhile, the three of them continued forward and arrived at a cliff. Hanxing flipped a switch next to him, and a bridge appeared ahead.
"That is..." Hanxing's gaze fell upon the three statues ahead. "I'm afraid it represents suffering," Dominicus explained briefly. "Did the Oak Mansion originally have this kind of decoration?" As the group approached the statues, the dolls imprisoned in cells were the most eye-catching. Firefly looked at the statues and asked curiously.
"After entering the realm of dreams, he never rejects anyone who sincerely seeks them, even if they are cunning and wicked." The Dominicus, perhaps seemingly exonerating the Dream Master, states. "Walk in Harmony," believing that even the wicked can be moved by Xipe's benevolence. Love mercy, do justice, walk humbly.
"He seems to have failed," Firefly coldly refuted the Dominicus's words. "Indeed, the villains have never repented, even colluding with each other in an attempt to form a family. How arrogant they are! To this end, they even sent a messenger across the vast universe to request permission from their 'master.' In the end, they only brought shame upon themselves."
"And then the riots broke out?" Firefly seemed to have a thorough understanding of Penacony's history. "Fortunately, he and the Oak Family were already of one mind, and he survived by sheer luck—but could never escape his dream. Soon after, the mansion was arranged like this." "Is this... a wake-up call?" Hanxing asked the Dominicus. "If what you believe has led you to this state, why remain so stubborn?" a voice said, seemingly coming from nowhere.
"--This is precisely a reminder of this matter," the Dominicus concluded. "At least now... I can understand this feeling," Firefly said empathetically. "And I seem to understand why I exist here as well." The Dominicus spoke again, "At that time, Gopher Wood stood at a crossroads, pondering whether ' Harmony ' was the right path. Where it ultimately led, my fragmented Remembrance did not reveal... But since he was about to commit such a heinous act, leaving behind the Dominicus's ' Dream Master,' he was probably hoping I would walk towards another possibility."
"But... it's too late now." Hanxing sighed. "Perhaps not. We might as well continue our journey. Good intentions are always the final product of evil, because they know they should be stopped. And his past choices will reveal his conspiracy to us."
"In your opinion, which side will the Dream Master choose?" Firefly asked. "Perhaps the path of 'power.' But Miss Firefly, you may do as you see fit; I won't consider anything else today." Firefly sighed softly, "Let's go, Hanxing, let's go to the right."
As the three stepped onto the stairs, another path, visible to the naked eye, slowly collapsed. "The path not yet trodden cannot be retraced, even in a dream..." Dominicus sighed softly. Just then, the three found themselves standing in front of a television, on which the Aeon was none other than Nanook, the " Destruction."
"It seems that all paths lead to the same destination; the power of human will is truly negligible." "What is this?" Just as Firefly was somewhat surprised, a Tuning audio suddenly sounded, pulling the two into memories. " Nanook personally appeared, and the Lord Ravager perished as a result... This matter shook the world, and I already knew about it. Why bother a 'master's' envoy to personally go to the border?" The scene shifted, and a bird-shaped Dream Master and a puppet appeared before the two.
"Just by the way, I've come to bring punishment—the crime is yours." The puppet's authoritative voice rang out, eliciting silence from the Dream Master: "I nearly died before, and have been unable to reveal my true form until now. Why, upon returning to this place, am I unjustly punished?"
"You have confessed your crimes." The messenger's voice remained cold. "Even if he were merely the leader of a branch family in a remote region, the Family would not tolerate his incompetence. Not only was he unable to control the situation, but he was even murdered—if not for Nanook's intervention, the ' Lord Ravager ' would have descended upon Penacony, eradicating the wicked. But you were fortunate enough to survive, and that is why I set out. You must personally quell this matter and reclaim the lost reverence—not for yourself, but for the Family."
"... Born hastily, I was powerless to act." The Dream Master was somewhat flustered upon hearing this. "Therefore, your sins will be punished with a 'gift'—" the puppet changed its tone. "I bestow upon you another sin. Its evil is boundless; once it is known, the name Gopher Wood will lose its meaning, and you will live as if you were dead."