Chapter 13: The Land of Dreams and Nightmares
[And welcome home... to the Land of Dreams.]
The endless battles of blue and red continued raging across the misty landscape in the distance, but for a moment the immediate area around them felt strangely still as Yume waited patiently for their response.
Luna tilted her head, her pink and purple hair swaying with the movement.
Pointing to herself with a single finger, she spoke in her usual playful tone.
"Hey... Yume, right?" she asked before adding, "Can you see me?"
Yume chose not to answer her, opting instead to fix her gaze on Akasha while casually pointing toward Luna.
[Master, who is this woman?] she asked, as if Luna wasn’t even standing there.
"Pfft!"
Akasha burst into a loud, genuine laugh that sliced through the muffled chaos surrounding them.
When it finally faded, he reached out, pulling Luna closer with his arm slipping easily around her waist.
"Well, Yume... This is Luna, my..." he began, then hesitated, glancing at her.
As... they had never really defined what they were.
Luna smiled, leaning into him as the cool, dreamlike breeze drifted by.
"I am his closest companion," she said with ease, "who will be with him for eternity and beyond."
Akasha smiled wryly and gave a nod.
"What she said."
Though he agreed, it was only for the time being.
When it came to Luna, he wasn’t sure if it was because of the connection they shared.... or something deeper than her memories.
But she felt more familiar to him than anything else, which made it easy for him to be himself when she was around.
’I might have spent eighteen years alone... but I’m not dancing to any tune but my own,’ he thought deliberately, knowing she could hear him.
He wasn’t the type to be overbearing; he wanted it to be clear that the terms were something they both agreed on.
Still, above all, he intended to be the one calling the shots in the relationship.
Seeing them standing so close, Yume’s expression softened as she dipped her head slightly toward Luna.
[My apologies Mistress Luna, for my previous behavior,] she said sincerely.
Then she turned back to Akasha, her dream-like purple hair drifting as if moved by an invisible current. Her voice shifted into a frantic, worried tone.
[Master... as you can see the Dream Land is in dire need of control and order.]
She bowed her head again, her expression full of urgency.
[And to you, I also apologize for not being able to reach out the moment you created me... but I have been trying desperately to keep these things from ripping the Dream Land apart.]
She then rose with a face full of worry.
[If that happens, your road of power will close forever.]
Akasha’s smile froze on his face as he looked out over the chaos once more.
The muffled roars and the constant crash of blue and red forces slamming into each other rolled across the misty landscape like endless thunder.
He turned back to Yume, his expression becoming exaggerated.
"Come again... say what?"
Though it was clear he had heard perfectly, he just couldn’t believe his Divine Luck had almost come into play again.
Imagine if he had kept drifting through the motions instead of showing up here—wouldn’t that have completely slammed the door on his path to power?
The idea itself was ridiculous.
Yume flinched at his sudden outburst.
She took a small step back, her dream-like purple hair drifting as if caught in an invisible current. Her face paled slightly, and she looked down, clearly thinking she had messed up.
[I-I’m sorry, Master—] she started, beginning to repeat herself in a rush.
Luna laughed lightly beside him, the sound cutting through the distant clamor. She placed a calming hand on Akasha’s arm, her touch warm and steady.
"It’s fine," she told Yume with an amused smile. "He tends to do this from time to time."
Yume nodded hesitantly, glancing at Akasha, who was still standing frozen, almost shocked, his crimson and white hair stirring in the strange breeze of the realm.
"Continue explaining. Fufufu~ He’s listening."
Hearing that, Yume steadied herself and continued.
[This place—the Land of Dreams and Nightmares or Dream Land—is intricately tied to your road to more power.] She gestured toward the endless chaotic plains.
[It was created the moment you created your Me... And it is completely accessible only to you. That’s why I was surprised to see Mistress Luna here.]
The distant war raged on as she continued.
[This realm is also connected to the greater outside Dream Dimension that all beings with Dream affinity can access. However, that place is essentially just a power bank for the Dream Land.]
After a while, Akasha snapped out of his reverie and gave a slow nod.
"So, how do I go about ranking up?"
Yume’s smile softened as the tension faded. With a graceful sweep of her hand—
HUMMMM!!!
Massive barriers of shimmering light erupted across the Dream Land, sectioning the chaos into twenty-one enormous battlefields.
[Master, it’s simple,] she said confidently.
[The Dream Land is your home... your territory. Your rank will increase each time you clear a battlefield and restore order to the Land of Dreams.]
"That’s it?" Akasha asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.
’If all I need to do is clear battlefields... couldn’t I just speed-run my way to power?’ he mused, recalling Luna’s words about progress varying from person to person.
Still, it all felt a little too easy.
Yume nodded, her dream-like purple hair drifting softly in the strange, directionless currents of the realm.
[Yes, but there are many ways to increase your rank. This is by far the fastest right now... though it will eventually become too slow once you near the Universal Peak.]
She tapped her chin thoughtfully.
[To truly rank up is to live through Dreams—whether spending time here, dreaming things into being, or forcing others to dream.]
[Anything through the use of Dreams can improve your rank... but the stronger you become, the more efficient certain methods become.]
Akasha took it all in stride.
"How do dreams work in this realm, given that beings rarely sleep?"
Yume smiled. [Dreams, at basic stages, are tied to sleeping and imagination. At higher stages, they are the potential to be and the potential to not be—the same as Nightmares.]
She giggled. [Nightmares, however, will most likely result in something horrible.]
Hearing all of this, Akasha still looked uncertain, as even with the extra details, it all seemed too easy. Not that he was complaining, but still...
Yume reassured him. [Don’t worry. The stronger you become, the more you’ll understand...]
Akasha took a deep breath and stepped forward, crossing the shimmering barrier into the first battlefield.
Comments