"But this place is so different from the 'Dream' I know. Claustrophobic... remote... unsettling. And these floating words, you can see them too, right? A place like this shouldn't exist in Penacony under the rule of The Family. So, is it a Dream Bubble...?"

Firefly shook her head: "No, that's not right—remember? Before we lost consciousness, that 'friend' of yours said as much—the true Penacony..."

"He is not my friend."

Firefly looked ashamed: "I should have suspected him sooner... I'm sorry. Regardless, The Family must be hiding something about the truth of the dreamscape..."

"Also, you must have noticed when you woke up, right? The clocks and ticking sounds everywhere... My intuition tells me that the secret hidden here is likely related to that mysterious Watchmaker."

"If it points to the 【The Clockmaker's Legacy】—then it concerns everyone currently in the dream of Penacony..."

— —

Akame ga Kill!.

The young emperor sat on the gold-inlaid throne, his clear eyes reflecting the blurry dreamscape of Penacony.

"Minister, look." The little emperor pointed at the dreamscape on the Celestial Screen that Stelle and Firefly had just stepped into, "I think Penacony's dreamscape must be divided into sweet dreams and nightmares. The Family manages the sweet dreams, while those exiled by The Family... head to the nightmares. This so-called nightmare is the true backdrop of Penacony. The dreamscape beneath Stelle's feet is the real Penacony, the one in the nightmare."

"I—I see!" Minister Honest's obese body leaned forward slightly, his fat face layered with exaggerated admiration: "Your Majesty is truly brilliant! Such profound insight, even this old minister is ashamed of his own inferiority!"

His voice was sycophantic to the point of being grating, but the little emperor seemed to quite enjoy it.

"That goes without saying." The little emperor lifted his chin proudly, "I also believe that this person named Mikhail is, nine times out of ten, an exile from The Family."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Honest immediately picked up the thread, a glimmer of cunning flashing in his murky eyes, "In my opinion, this person must be the leader of the exiles, harboring ulterior motives, attempting to lay hands on The Family's authority over the sweet dreams!" At this point, his voice suddenly turned gloomy, "Just like... those rebels outside the empire today."

The emperor blinked, a trace of confusion appearing on his innocent face: "Rebels?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Honest leaned down, a sinister arc curling at the corners of his mouth, "Those despicable traitors, like Night Raid... aren't they just like Mikhail, 'exiled' by the glory of the empire, yet still coveting your territory?"

The emperor nodded as if he understood, a trace of unease flashing in his eyes: "I was just saying... I hadn't thought Mikhail would be so dangerous."

"Extremely dangerous, Your Majesty!" Honest pretended to be heartbroken, his thick lips trembling, "They lurk in the shadows, waiting for the right moment, just waiting for a moment of your laxity—" He deliberately dragged out his tone, observing the emperor's gradually paling face, "And they will drag you into the abyss of nightmares."

The emperor's small hands gripped the armrests of the throne tightly, his knuckles turning white: "Then... what should I do?"

Honest's smile twisted, like a venomous snake coiled in the shadows: "The Mikhail on the Celestial Screen won't lay a finger on your kingdom, but the 'Mikhail' in reality... you just need to leave that to your humble minister."

"...I will strangle all these seeds of rebellion in the cradle."

— —

【Stelle and Firefly decided to investigate the truth together.】

【Along the way, those white words that appeared out of thin air kept emerging: "I understand... we're playing hide-and-seek, right?"】

【That voice followed the two along the way, seemingly always looking for the hidden Mikhail: "Mikhail, where have you hidden yourself?"】

【"Mikhail..." Firefly also began to pay attention to this overly frequently appearing name.】

【The two continued forward. When they arrived at an inverted fountain, Firefly was astonished by this wondrous sight in the dream, but she stopped and pondered: "Since just now, these words have been appearing and disappearing constantly. Are they someone's inner voice? And who is 'Mikhail'..."】

【"Mikhail, I feel like I've heard that somewhere before..."】

【"I think I can feel the... emotions contained within. Confusion... fear... sadness... and a faint, almost imperceptible..." Firefly swallowed, "determination to face death..."】

【On the way to find a way out, the white words on the walls kept appearing:】

【"Mikhail, you seem to have something on your mind... Is it something very important?"】

【"Tell me... Mikhail, it's... so dark... so dim here..."】

【"Don't go, okay? At least take me with you... please? I beg you..."】

— —

No Game No Life.

Inside the hotel in Elkia, Aether and Haku curled up on the soft sofa. Watching the text constantly appearing on the wall, even separated by the Celestial Screen, the two could feel the sadness in the speaker's words.

Haku frowned slightly, her slender fingers subconsciously gripping the pillow in her arms: "Brother... that voice... he is trying to get Mikhail to stay... it's very sad, and very fearful..."

Aether rested his chin on his hand, thoughtful, his gaze fixed on the flickering text on the Celestial Screen: "Hmm, I guess this Mikhail is likely a very key figure in Penacony. Even if he isn't the Watchmaker himself, he is at least a core member of The Family."

Haku rested her chin on her knees, her long silver hair draping down: "The Family... core?"

"Exactly." Aether snapped his fingers, "That girl with twin tails just said, in the 'true dreamscape'... but isn't Penacony itself a dreamscape? Does this suggest that Penacony's dreamscape is nested, with another layer of dream within the dream... This dream is like the underlying code in a game, which everyone must abide by and cannot bypass."

"The Family cannot be unaware of this dream. And for this Mikhail to appear multiple times in the underlying code, it's enough to show he is very key." Aether frowned, "But listening to this person's words, Mikhail seems to be heading somewhere... but where is this place? Could it be that he returned to reality and left the dreamscape forever?"

— —

【The two arrived in a spacious room with a fragmented painting in the center. Two pieces floated toward different doors. Stelle went into one of them; the furnishings inside were warm and childlike.】

【A little red bird hopped out impatiently, but after taking one look at Stelle, it realized she didn't seem to be the person it was waiting for.】

【The little bird shook its wings in disappointment and flew away.】

【"This is the origami bird I folded for you, Mikhail. Take it with you!"】