Aleph walked calmly, the disc in his hands flickering faintly under the light of the Golden Moment.
Not far away, Cocona waited curled up on a bench near the statue of Clockie, her eyes still red.
Before reaching her, a loud tick-tock forced him to look down. A tiny figure was watching him with bright eyes.
"Aleph!" Called Clockie, waving his arms. "Come with me for a moment."
"The girl you were with before… there's something strange about her." Clockie said with a serious voice. "Her heart feels empty."
"Empty?" Aleph frowned, not fully understanding.
"Let me explain. That's my special power, the Clock Trick." He puffed out his chest proudly. "With it, by using emotional gears, I can adjust people's feelings."
Aleph muttered under his breath.
"Sounds more like a villain's superpower than a hero's…"
Clockie crossed his arms with a pout.
"No! It's the power of Dreamville's hero!"
Aleph sighed and raised his hands.
"Alright, you're right."
Clockie nodded in satisfaction. Then Aleph crouched and held out his hand.
"Let's go."
"Huh?"
Without waiting for an answer, Aleph lifted him onto his shoulder.
"Lend me your help to check what's happening with Cocona."
"Of course! I love helping! But tell me, why do you want to help her?"
Aleph stayed silent for a few seconds.
"Because something about her… reminds me a lot of a pathetic person I once knew," he murmured, his voice softer than usual.
They walked together, and along the way Clockie explained the basics of the Clock Trick.
"You mustn't abuse it. It works best around people with strong emotions. Those emotions turn into gears—blue is sadness, yellow is joy, green is calm, and red is anger. With them, you can repair someone's emotional dial or change their feelings."
"And where do I get them for Cocona?" Aleph asked. "And how do I know which gear she needs?"
Clockie chuckled and pointed at Aleph himself.
"You've got plenty to spare!"
Right before Aleph's eyes, several gears of different colors—almost ten in total—appeared in Clockie's hands.
...…..
At last, they reached Cocona. She lifted her face from her knees and, wiping herself with the same handkerchief he had given her, took the disc with trembling hands.
"Thank you…" She murmured.
Clockie jumped on his shoulder.
"Now! Use the Clock Trick."
Aleph obeyed. In an instant, the world turned into an ethereal gold. Cocona was frozen in the flow of time, and a glowing dial appeared on her chest.
"Can you put me down, Aleph?" Clockie asked.
Aleph set him on the ground, and the little one turned the dial's invisible crank. Inside, tangled gears clashed violently, throwing sparks.
Clockie tensed.
"This… I've rarely seen this. It's very bad."
He asked Aleph to place one sadness gear and one calm gear. When Aleph inserted them, the mechanisms began spinning with a more harmonious rhythm.
"Get ready, Aleph."
"Get ready for what?"
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
"We're going inside her emotional space."
...…..
A spotlight lit up the darkness.
In the middle of the light, Cocona sat at a piano beside an older man. He laughed kindly.
"You've impressed me. You truly have an uncommon gift for singing."
She looked happy, though doubt still lingered in her eyes.
"You'll be finishing your studies soon. You don't know which path to follow, do you?"
She nodded weakly.
"I used my connections to get you an opportunity. It'll be your first performance. It's not much, but it's perfect to start."
He cleaned his glasses and smiled.
"I'm looking forward to seeing you on stage."
Cocona looked at him, moved.
"Thank you…"
They said goodbye, and he reminded her to think carefully about his offer.
...…..
The spotlight shifted again.
Cocona was now with her friends. They were all talking about their dreams and the steps they were taking to reach them.
"And you?" They asked her.
Cocona hesitated. Then one of them praised her.
"You have a wonderful voice. Why not give singing a try?"
She remembered her teacher's offer and, after a brief pause, nodded.
"Maybe… I should try."
Her friends encouraged her and wished her luck. Days later, several of them left Penacony to pursue their goals.
She sang as part of the chorus of a beginner band. The concert was a success, and happiness filled her face.
For the first time, Cocona felt the pure joy of achieving something of her own.
...…..
Back at home, she rushed in, eager to tell her parents.
"I did it!" She said enthusiastically.
She expected pride, congratulations.
Instead…
Her father didn't even look at her.
"Don't waste your time with useless dreams."
She was met with coldness.
Her mother laughed scornfully.
"Did you really believe those words? You have no talent. That teacher just wants to take advantage of you. A young woman like you… what do you think he'll ask of you next?"
"What…?" Cocona stepped back, shocked.
"With your looks and voice you'll attract a wealthy man." Her father continued indifferently. "That will be enough to support the family."
"What are you talking about?" She asked, confused.
"A friend of mine owns a shop in the Golden Moment." Her mother said cruelly. "I offered her your résumé. You'll be working there."
Cocona's heart shrank.
"But… I don't want to work there."
"You owe us everything." They replied in unison. "Your duty as a daughter is to repay, with interest, everything we've invested in you since childhood."
"Don't worry about the money, we'll manage everything so you won't waste it on nonsense." Her mother added.
"Just focus on working and taking every opportunity you can to rise."
"Wow, this is more than I thought… What do you think, Aleph?" Clockie looked confused as he noticed Aleph's distant gaze.
That's when Clockie realized it.
Aleph's emotional dial was in an even worse state than Cocona's.
It was unnatural, as if the pieces of two different clocks had been forced to fit into the same space, canceling each other out.
The scene before them shifted.
Cocona appeared in a clothing store in the Golden Moment. She smiled at customers, worked diligently, and in no time even managed to earn the favor of a wealthy woman known for her strict character. With Cocona, however, the woman was kind and polite, even inviting her out for lunch on several occasions.
But the light of that success stirred shadows in others.
The other employees whispered behind her back, fueled by resentment.
They murmured that it wasn't her work ethic or charm that made her shine, but the abuse of her physical appeal.
One day, Cocona confronted them.
They laughed, brushing her words aside.
"Stop pretending you're some kind of saint."
"Everyone knows you'll be the next manager because you slept with the owner's husband."
A crack split Cocona's heart.
...
Over time, the wealthy woman's son began visiting her alongside his mother.
He was kind and attentive, and before long they became friends. His mother smiled quietly, pleased to see them grow closer.
...
The complaints from the other employees eventually reached the owner's ears. She didn't care if the rumors were true or not; what bothered her was what she perceived as Cocona's arrogance.
"Your mother is my friend, so when she recommended you, I gave you a little leeway and special treatment. But who would have thought you'd turn out to be such a problem?"
"But I didn't do anything!"
"And you dare raise your voice after everything I've done for you?… what a pompous, conceited girl you turned out to be."
Her workload was increased. The title of manager didn't come with better pay, only more pressure.
The owner threatened to fire her if sales dropped below a certain point and forced her to lie to customers, describing cheap fabrics as imported materials.
Another crack etched itself into Cocona's heart.
The integrity she once took pride in had to be swallowed. She did what she had to in order to keep a job whose wages her parents would control anyway.
That night she cried herself to sleep.
And the next morning, she returned to the store with the fake smile she had already grown used to.
Everyone suffers, she repeated to herself. Your pain is nothing, it's small compared to what many others endure. You're not special. No one cares about you.
She held back her tears, gritting her teeth as she forced the fake smile to stay on her face.
...
An oasis appeared in the middle of her desert—the young man's company and his mother's sincere affection. Romance bloomed, and for a time she knew true happiness.
But nothing good is meant to last forever.
The woman passed away, defeated by old age and a congenital heart disease, leaving Cocona and her son steeped in grief. Things at home and at work never improved.
...…
Encouraged by her boyfriend, Cocona began singing again.
She recorded an original song on a disc.
She called it Imagine a Rose Blooming.
He hugged her and proposed they escape Penacony together, get married, and start a new life elsewhere.
He even showed her the tickets. Cocona wrapped him in an emotional embrace.
Before leaving, he asked her to meet him at the agreed time. He invited her to watch the race he would compete in, but Cocona refused; the very thought of seeing him risk himself on those machines terrified her.
"See you later."
He left with a confident smile.
...
Hours passed. Her smile slowly faded. He still hadn't shown up.
Instead, Willburg, a friend of her boyfriend, arrived. He appeared with a furrowed brow, scratching his head. Avoiding her eyes, he sighed and handed her a note along with a small bag of old concert tickets.
Cocona read it, and her hands began to tremble.
In the note, her boyfriend confessed that he had bet all his savings and taken out a huge loan from the Corporation. He had counted on his victory… but a foreign rookie defeated him, taking first place. Now he was buried in insurmountable debt.
In the letter, he apologized, regretting that he couldn't see her one last time.
And with that, Cocona's heart finally shattered completely.
*******
"I understand it all too well…" Aleph murmured as he watched everything with a dark expression. He felt a tight grip in his chest, as if someone had reached inside and squeezed with all their strength.
He couldn't watch any longer; soon he began walking toward Cocona.
Clockie looked at him in confusion.
Far from his earlier mood, Aleph seemed to have sunk considerably.
In front of them, Cocona was… arguing with herself.
One clenched her fists with stubborn resolve; the other held a knife in trembling hands.
One was her conscience, the other, her ego.
"Stop… please, stop." The conscience pleaded, her voice broken.
"You can still turn back. Don't destroy what good is left in you."
But the ego didn't listen. She believed that if she killed the conscience—if she ripped out all hope, all dreams, all desire—the pain would fade away. She could survive one more day with that empty smile she had practiced so well.
Aleph rushed forward to stop her, but he was too late. The knife sank into the conscience's chest.
With her final words, she whispered to the ego.
"There will always be a shard of me inside you…"
Before Aleph's eyes, countless memories flashed like lightning.
Monotonous, empty days, each one making her wonder.
Was it really worth getting up every day?
Aleph let out a sigh.
"Aleph!" Clockie called out, alarmed.
But Aleph was already far away. Sparks from his dial flared brighter.
The damaged, defective mechanism forced itself to keep turning as if it were normal.
...
Aleph pushed through increasingly heavy images. Short phrases floated in the air.
A multitude of phrases rose up.
Why don't you just give in already?
Give up.
There's no place for you here.
Ignoring them, Aleph kept moving forward.
Everything you do is useless.
No matter what you try, your only end is failure.
In the distance, he saw her climb up a building.
...…
Clockie ran after him and, in doing so, stumbled upon something strange.
The intensified sparks from Aleph's dial grew, and memories spilled out from them.
"…Is it really that bad?"
He heard a young voice asking that.
Please.
Another voice begged. This one felt far more like Aleph's. It sounded so utterly desperate that it was hard to reconcile it with the boy who most of the time sounded lively or energetic.
"To want even the smallest…"
The young voice carried such a soft, lonely feeling that Little Clock couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.
Don't leave me.
Countless faces flickered past. From a young girl with honey-blonde hair and green eyes to a boy with white hair and blue eyes.
"Little one…"
I'm scared.
Countless moments flashed—standing before untrustworthy-looking adults, deformed monsters, even a strange being covered in masks and party trinkets.
"So insignificant…"
The self-loathing carried in those words was immense…
It's so dark…
"…A sign of affection."
I'm so cold.
The faces of everyone he had lost or who had abandoned him raced past. His mother, his sister, his father.
One way or another, they all left his side.
"Is it really so wrong to want someone to love me?"
What can I do without you?
The images blurred.
A black-haired boy shifted between his own image and that of a gray-haired one.
A short pink-haired girl flickered between her and another woman similar to her, but with a far more mature figure.
"And to love them in return?"
To shower them with all my affection and care.
The image of a gray-haired girl flashed in and out just as quickly.
"Is this desire of mine… really that selfish?"
An image appeared before Clockie—a short boy with amber-orange eyes and chestnut hair, staring silently at the sky.
Someone as insignificant as me… do I even deserve to exist?
The boy sat in silence, waiting for either death or the new day, not caring which would come first.
Only one image lingered in his mind.
The sweet, bright, slightly goofy smile of his best friend.
"Better days will come, }@#73!"
"…I hope so, Kevin."
Clockie couldn't help but wonder—
Was this part of what Aleph's heart carried?
...
At last, on top of the building, Aleph reached Cocona. She stood at the edge, the wind tugging at her hair.
Aleph managed to grab her hand in time.
She looked at him, her face stained with sorrow.
"Why don't you let me go?" She asked.
Aleph didn't look away from her eyes.
At last, he understood what that familiar feeling was.
"I won't let you fall." He squeezed her hand tighter.
A memory crossed his mind.
"We're not even friends, let alone acquaintances. Why would you care about me?… Why? Why you… when no one else did?"
A flash went through his mind.
A sunset, a stormy sky, and a fool who stood at the edge, ready to jump.
Aleph repeated firmly.
"I won't let you fall."
He had once been saved by an idiot with white hair and blue eyes.
Around Cocona, phrases floated like shadows.
Why trust you?
Aren't you just doing this because you want something in return?
Go on, let me go, and let it all end.
Kindness doesn't exist, everyone wants something when they help.
What is it that you want?
But hidden among them, a tiny phrase lingered.
Please… save me.
And that was enough for Aleph to refuse to let go of her hand.
Cocona bit her lip as she tried to hold back her tears.
Aleph smiled when he felt her squeeze his hand tightly. Little by little, he pulled her toward him.
"Would you let go of my hand?" She asked in a low voice.
"I won't."
Cocona stared at him, hesitant.
"Really… you wouldn't let go?"
"No."
"And if it starts to sweat?"
"I'm not letting go."
"And if I squeeze too hard, won't it hurt?"
"Heh. Trust me, nothing will happen to me." Aleph looked at her with a calm yet resolute expression. "No matter how many times you ask, the answer won't change."
A soft laugh escaped Cocona as she wiped her tears with her free hand.
"You're stubborn… but thank you."
By the time Clockie arrived, Cocona's emotional space was already starting to collapse.
"Aleph!" He greeted energetically.
The boy nodded.
"It's time, isn't it?"
Clockie spun his hands with a cheerful tick-tock.
"Let's go back to the Golden Moment."
...….
Once outside, with the effect of Clock Trick over, everything returned to normal.
"Why am I smiling…?" Cocona blinked in confusion, feeling her lips curve into a smile.
Her cheeks flushed when she saw Aleph in front of her.
"Come on, up you go."
He offered her his hand, and she instinctively took it to rise from the bench she had been sitting on.
"What just happened?"
"I don't have the slightest idea." Aleph replied with a shrug.
Cocona looked at him doubtfully, but that simple answer was enough to put her at ease.
"I feel… lighter. It's strange, but pleasant."
Aleph nodded with a very soft smile.
"That's what matters."
With more energy now, she pulled her phone from her pocket and held it up in front of her face.
"Would you give me your number?" She asked, then smiled with her hands on her hips. "I'm not leaving without it."
Aleph scratched the back of his neck a little embarrassed before giving it to her.
"Perfect!" Cocona quickly saved it. "Then we'll talk soon, okay?"
As she left, she waved at him with great energy—she truly seemed like a completely different person from before.
Clockie hopped onto the bench and gave him a thumbs-up with a grin.
"So how does it feel to use the power of Clock Trick to help others?"
Aleph closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"It was incredibly annoying, exhausting, and a bit tough… not to mention it made me remember things I'd rather forget."
Then he opened his eyes and gave a sideways smile.
"…but it was undeniably satisfying."
Clockie laughed with a cheerful tick-tock.
"That's what it feels like to be a hero."
************
In the bar near the lobby, Himeko, March, and Stelle said their goodbyes to Topaz.
"If you need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask me." She said before leaving.
Soon they turned to their next goal. According to what Alley had said, if they wanted more precise information than what she could offer, they needed to speak with a high-ranking member of the Hound Family.
"Do you remember that Gallagher I told you about? We could try talking to him. I'm sure we can convince him."
March looked at her curiously.
"And how do you plan to do that?"
Stelle puffed out her chest arrogantly.
"In the end, who could resist the request of three beautiful women?"
March raised her fist in the air. As much as she wanted to deny it…
Stelle's words made a lot of sense!
"You're right!"
Himeko sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead.
"Please…"
...….
As they walked in search of the Hound Family members, Stelle snapped her fingers, her eyes sparkling—a brilliant idea had just popped into her mind.
"I've got it." She said, looking at them. She smacked her fist into her palm with conviction. "We could cause a scandal. That would force them to show up."
"Don't even think about it." Himeko replied sternly.
Stelle deflated and looked at her best friend with pleading eyes.
She could always count on March.
"Yeah, no." March added, shaking her head side to side while making an X with her arms.
"…'Stabbed in the back when you least expect it'—who would've thought the movies were right." Stelle muttered, slightly dejected.
She crossed her arms with a pout.
"Bah, killjoys…"
A moment later, her eyes lit up again as she remembered something.
"Of course! The Corporation's employees were drinking and singing like crazy. If I file a complaint, the Hound Family will definitely show up."
A slightly mischievous smile spread across her face.
Of course, this time she wouldn't tell March or Himeko so they couldn't stop her.
...…
"They work fast…"
Stelle thought as she saw Topaz apologizing to a Hound Family member for the scandal caused by her subordinates.
Himeko took the opportunity to approach the hound's companion.
"Excuse me, would you know where we can find a man named Gallagher?"
The woman hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded—though she soon frowned.
"And why do you want to know his location?"
Her companions tensed, her sharp eyes focused on them, alert for any sign of hostility.
Before Stelle could open her mouth, March clamped both hands over her face.
"Mmmpf!" Stelle protested, flailing her arms in the air.
Himeko stepped forward, smiling calmly.
"We have some unfinished business with him, but nothing you need to worry about." Gesturing toward Stelle, who was still struggling in March's grip, Himeko wove her story. "You see, she was saved by Mr. Gallagher, and she wanted to thank him personally."
The woman didn't look very convinced—at least until one of her companions quickly confirmed the truth of the story.
"So she was the one mistaken for a stowaway, huh?" The woman sighed and ran a hand over her head as if feeling the start of a headache. "…Now I understand why the Captain was so irritated."
The woman studied them a few moments longer, then relaxed and nodded.
"I saw him heading toward the Dream Border. The final edge of all of Penacony's dreamscapes. Sorry for the trouble, esteemed guest."
Once she finished speaking, she frowned and signaled her companions to withdraw.
Himeko let out a relieved sigh.
"We should head out right away."
"Now? But I'm hungry!" March complained.
"Me too." Stelle added with pleading eyes.
Himeko looked at them with exasperation as both threw her puppy-dog eyes.
"Fine, we'll eat something first…"
**********
Meanwhile, in the main mall of the Golden Moment, Welt and Acheron were talking.
"With all the chilling tragedies that have happened, this dream still sustains itself effortlessly." Welt commented calmly. "I can't imagine any force besides the Family being able to maintain something of such magnitude."
Acheron nodded.
"The Family itself functions as a vast, perfect construct. Every individual, no matter how small, fulfills a specific role. Their tasks are calculated in detail. Like cells, organs, muscles… united into one being."
Welt nodded, intrigued.
"That's an interesting analogy. Perhaps that's why Penacony's sweet dream has lasted for so long."
Acheron's eyes dropped to the floor.
"But a body, whether divine or mortal, always has its limits."
"That's not the kind of comment I would expect from you."
Welt watched her calmly as she adjusted her glasses.
Acheron tilted his head in mild confusion.
"What do you mean? I'm just stating facts. You, of all people, should understand better what I just said."
Welt sighed.
"And what makes you say it with such certainty?"
She lifted her gaze toward the sky of the Golden Moment.
"Penacony's sweet dream is collapsing. And it's not because of an Aeon, a faction, or any particular host. It's its natural end, something The Family refuses to accept or acknowledge."
Her voice was steady, without dramatics, as if she were speaking of an inevitable truth.
"This dream has lasted so long that the foundations laid by those who created it have vanished. What remains is a degenerated shell, turned into a catalyst." She lightly brushed the sheath of her katana. "More and more souls sink into it, drawn to a dream world where consequences and pain are replaced by pleasure and delight. And as they cling to that illusion, they edge closer and closer to necrosis."
Welt didn't interrupt her.
"No matter how much bliss they find… death remains the inevitable end. And without control, this necrosis will spread like a disease, contaminating everything. What will happen when it doesn't just trap the guests, but the very members of The Family? What happens when the pieces of this perfect construct stop functioning?"
She lowered her gaze indifferently.
"Like a building without a foundation… it will collapse. And those sweet dreams, born from the desire for freedom, will become a cage that imprisons everyone."
She shook her head, as if all of it were regrettable.
"Someone once told me that Penacony wasn't like this, and that it shouldn't be." She said. "I've traveled across reality and through all the dreamscapes of the planet of celebrations. I've seen despair, ambition, madness… the spirits of the poor and the rich sinking alike into a spiral that always leads to the same end. And even knowing this, they continue, as if they didn't know any other way to live. That's why I believe the collapse of this dream is inevitable."
"Maybe there's still a way to save it all." Welt said.
"No." She shook her head and turned to look him straight in the eyes.
"Save it? This outcome is what the people of this world desire. It is what they themselves brought upon themselves. If the living choose to sink into this dream… do we really have the right to change it?"
Welt removed his glasses and wiped them with a cloth.
"Then I suppose it's my turn to speak."
Acheron watched him silently, his gaze urging him to continue.
"I met two men long ago, in my home world. Two fools, each with their own reasons, each with their own purposes. Yet, both sought good, even if they did it in different ways."
A flicker of curiosity appeared in Acheron's eyes before fading.
"Don't you think it would be good to give them names? In the long run, I think it would help tell your story better."
Welt thought for a few seconds, then nodded.
"I suppose we could call them… Orpheus and Icarus."
**********
At the edge of the dream, Himeko, Stelle, and March walked through the crowd.
The members of the Hound Family patrolling the area seemed to recognize the post and that the Captain was resting there before returning to work, but whenever they were asked about Gallagher, their expressions turned puzzled. Some even exchanged glances, wondering if someone by that name really existed within the organization.
"Captain Gallagher…" Repeated a uniformed woman, her face confused. "Are you sure that's the name?"
"Yes, very sure." Stelle replied.
Himeko frowned.
Something didn't fit here; there was a detail slipping past her.
"…But what?" She murmured quietly.
That was when Aleph appeared around the corner, waving at them.
"What are you doing here?"
"And what are you doing here?" Stelle asked, quite surprised.
Aleph scratched his head, slightly embarrassed.
"It's a long story…"
March placed his hands on his hips, adopting an authoritative stance.
"Summarize it in less than twenty words."
Aleph sighed.
"I got lost after finishing some matters in the Golden Moment."
"That was eleven." March replied, puffing out his cheeks.
....
With Aleph now joining them, they continued walking along the dream's edge.
Suddenly, Stelle pointed toward a corner.
"I saw him! I'm sure Gallagher went that way."
They ran toward the spot, but a Hound Family guard blocked the way.
"I apologize, guests." He said cordially. "This area is restricted. Only accessible to Family personnel."
As he spoke, his eyes landed on Aleph and widened in surprise.
"Wait… you."
He stepped closer, squinting.
"Have we met before?"
Aleph smiled nervously, scratched his cheek, and looked away.
"I don't think so…"
The Hound widened his eyes and pointed at him.
"You're that weird guy who was shouting something about Trick Clock friendship while hitting me along with that weird blue-haired guy and a black-haired girl!"
Cold sweat ran down Aleph's forehead as he received the blank stares of Himeko and March.
"…"
Stelle puffed out her cheeks indignantly.
"Hey! And why can he cause disasters and hit people while I'm always stopped?"
Aleph covered his face with one hand.
"This can't be…"