The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 335: Internal Processing

Meanwhile, Lys and her sisters had finally reached an agreement.

Lys would stay behind in the real world to keep watch over their physical body, while the others entered the Family Dream.

Lys threw a fit. "(σ｀д′)σ Why do I have to be the one to stay behind again?! I want to go play in the dream too! You wouldn't let me into the Virtual World, and now you won't even let me into the dream!"

Seeing Little Lys throw a tantrum, her sisters remained completely unbothered. White Queen sighed. "Lys, you do realize we're going into the dream with a mission this time, right?"

Lys puffed out her chest proudly. "(○｀ 3′○) Yeah! We're just going to fall in love, right? I can do that too!"

White Queen replied. "Then tell me, our brilliant Little Lys. How many people does it take to fall in love?"

Lys held up two fingers confidently. "(￣▽￣) Hmm... two people, right?"

White Queen said, "Exactly. Two. But as Pankey mentioned, the strangers in the Family Dream are all terrifying adults. You're not planning to fall in love with one of them, are you?"

Lys shook her head vigorously. "No way! Their eyes are scary!"

White Queen concluded, "Which means we have to handle it internally. I'll pair up with Black, and Secret Princess will pair with Red Death Apostle."

The Family Dream was a dangerous place, and Dia and the others had no intention of charging in recklessly. They had one major advantage over the other dreamers in that they weren't alone.

Ashe's suggestion had been spot on. If blindly integrating into the Senheiser family led to assimilation, then the safest strategy was to "supply your own partner." While others had to scramble to find someone to love, the four of them could simply pair off among themselves.

Lys blinked, taking a full three seconds to process the math. "w(°Д°)w Then what about me!?"

"That's just how it is," White Queen said, shrugging from within the mirror. "There are five of us. Since we're pairing off in twos, one person is left over."

"Σ(っ°Д°;)っ No, no, no! I don't want to be left out! Make another sister for me! I'll fall in love with her!"

White Queen said firmly, "Sisters are not created for that purpose! Be good, Lys. It's not that we don't want to take you, but that the math doesn't allow for it. Stay in the real world and do whatever you like. Ashe's Substitute will handle the intel gathering, so just don't cause any trouble."

Lys's eyes suddenly lit up. "(>▽<) Wait, that's not right! I can have a partner too! I can ask Dad—"

White Queen reached out from the mirror and rapped Lys on the head. "Do NOT drag Ashe into a criminal abyss! Children are not allowed to date adults."

Lys whined. "╥﹏╥ Waaah... that's not what I meant! I meant if Daddy joins us, then there'd be six of us, right? Then I can pair with Red Sis, and Dia can go with Dad. Everyone gets a happy ending!"

Red Death Apostle finally spoke up, her voice cold. "Why me?"

Lys beamed. "ヾ(≧▽≦*)o Because Red Sis is the nicest! You've never scolded me!"

White Queen almost laughed in exasperation. What an ungrateful little brat.

She had put the most effort into raising Lys, and yet Lys feared her the most. Meanwhile, Red Death Apostle had barely participated at all, yet somehow she had become the "best sister."

Sensing the shift in her sisters' moods, like a dark tide rising, Lys blinked and tried to backpedal. "Actually, I like White Sis too! How about I pair with White Sis, and Black Sis can go with Dad—"

"STAND! STILL! AND! STAY! HOME!"

Lys snapped upright. "Yes, ma'am!"

***

When the mark on the back of her hand finally stopped burning, Lys knew her sisters had all successfully crossed into the dream. Bored out of her mind, she rolled back and forth on the bed. Seeing Ashe's substitute diligently flipping through books and finishing homework, she wandered over and propped herself up beside it to watch.

The substitute acted as if it noticed nothing, continuing its search through the reference materials in complete focus.

"Come to think of it, Daddy's hair has gotten pretty long!"

Lys suddenly clapped her hands. "I'm going to help him cut it."

The substitute paused ever so slightly.

Lys added, "But first, I should probably learn how to cut hair."

The substitute's hands began to tremble.

Lys held up a fruit knife. "I can't find any scissors... whatever, I'll just use a knife! Substitute, show me your head!"

The substitute slowly pushed back its black hood. Perhaps it was just the lighting, but its face seemed a shade paler than before.

***

White Queen opened her eyes. She stood within a vast expanse of white mist, while above, a river of multicolored bubbles flowed across the sky.

"So this is the Family Dream... it really does feel similar to the Virtual World..." She paused mid-sentence, realizing something was off. "Wait... have I been separated from them?"

She looked down. Instead of Dia's black-and-white checkered outfit, she was wearing her own pure white ceremonial dress. There were no voices in her mind, nor anyone beside her. The silence was sudden and heavy. Perhaps for the first time since her birth, she was truly alone.

I need to find them, quickly...

Just as the thought formed, a sudden gust of wind swept through, scattering the mist. Feathers drifted down from the sky. Music filled the air, and the rhythmic strike of leather shoes against the ground fell into a perfect cadence, like footsteps walking on a heartbeat.

White Queen turned her head and immediately relaxed. "Black?"

The newcomer wore an immaculate black suit and white gloves. Her short hair was sharp and neatly styled, and a faint smile played on her lips. It was the Black Butler she knew, though something felt slightly different. She didn't remember Black's eyes being such a vivid, piercing crimson.

Still, in a dream, appearances could be reshaped at will. The fact that Black hadn't turned herself into a man already counted as a sign of restraint.

"Black, we—"

White Queen had barely begun to speak before the other person seized her hands.

The ground beneath them morphed into a grand stage. Fireworks erupted in the distance, and as dazzling lights descended from the heavens, the music shifted into a passionate, electrifying dance.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Chaos sang. Death cheered. The melody of bone-crafted instruments pulsed alongside beams of light, while the rhythm of skin drums guided the dancers' breath. It felt as if a sea of corpses was lifting the stage itself, as crimson madness and fallen gold converged on the two figures at the center.

White Queen was overwhelmed by the spectacle. Her vision filled with the grandeur of the performance, her ears drank in the intoxicating music, and her entire being moved in perfect rhythm with the figure before her.

"Here, you can finally rest," the Black Witch said, her smile captivating. "You don't have to worry about witches, or the Watcher, or Lys. All you need to do is indulge in the brilliant, colorful life you've always longed for, a life where all eyes are on you. Because this... is your Queen's Dream.

Her voice melted with tenderness. "Surrender your heart to me... completely."

***

"Hey, White, you—"

From behind, the White Witch wrapped her arms around the Black Butler and took a deep breath at her neck. "You're actually quite shy and passive, aren't you?"

"White, something's not right with you!"

Black Butler struggled, trying to break free, but the next moment, she was shoved onto a bed.

A bed?

White Witch gripped her by the tie, pulling her close. With a domineering tone, she whispered, "Now it's just the two of us. No one will ever know what happens here. Surrender your heart to me."

***

While studying the structure of the Family Dream, Dia suddenly turned to find someone identical to herself walking out of the white mist. It was as if her reflection had stepped out of a mirror and taken on a life of its own.

Dia asked curiously, "Little Red? Why are you wearing my clothes?"

"I might be Little Red... or I might not."

The witch tilted her head and smiled slyly. "Let's play a game. Before the night ends, try to guess who I am."