As soon as sleep took him, Akira was dragged into his pocket plane, "Castle in the Clouds" once again.
Merlina: "What would happen if we just tried to burst a balloon around this castle of yours..."
Akira: "Not gonna happen, cat."
Merlina: "..No fun at all."
Akira adjusted his sword, which floated on the level of his belt.
He gives it a command.
Akira: "Follow"
He looked at Merlina once again. Curled up in the clouds, she wagged her tail close to his feet.
Akira: "Right. We need to hurry and find a professor, I hope you're not going to slack today as usual..."
Merlina: "Are you serious?! I am the source of UNLIMITED assistance, my pupil. Who is going to heal your wounds, then you are about to wear off, hm?!"
Akira: "I was barely alive when you finally came to help!"
Merlina: "Some spells need preparations, lad! And some of them are not working at all...FOR NOW I mean, I was not aware that this giant pig looking creature - going to smash you that hard!"
Akira: "Some UNLIMITED assistance you are."
Merlina: "Stop whining, are we going or not?"
Akira: "Sure."
Akira raised his hand and started to focus. He opens the portal that leads him to a Dreamscape directly, avoiding the "chaotic plane" of in-between.
A dark purple, oval-shaped door opens, and Akira enters it without hesitation.
Merlina enters it as well.
Merlina: "Praise Allah - we're back!"
Akira gazed at the landscape, or, to be specifically correct, at Dreamscape.
Akira: "This place has no end, it seems."
Merlina: "This pyramid looks new, though..."
This part of Dreamscape was a chaotic version of Ryoto City. Instead of a clear sky, an ominous canopy of dark clouds stretched above, broken by sudden bursts of lightning. Their speed far surpassed real-world storm clouds, and their course was limitless.
This part of Dreamscape was a copy of the actual parts of Ryoto. Merlina was right, then she mentioned a pyramid. It floated high above the storm clouds, and at its apex, an artificial light glowed like a lighthouse, casting illumination across the space. Akira spotted the Frozen Citadel and the sun-scorched mountain desert beyond the city's edge.
Merlina stepped out in front of him.
Merlina: "Hurry on, freshman, we need to move faster!"
Akira gave her a puzzled glance.
Akira: "You're not going to shift into human form?"
Merlina: "As you can see, laddie, I'm perfectly fine as I am now. I think our 'ranger' is trying to make more trouble for us. Look."
She directed her gaze to the ancient roof jutting out of the stormy purple clouds, with a tall structure looming beyond.
This part of the Dreamscape, where Akira and Merlina made their stand, was still stable. It was a part of the street around "Barghest", the cafe, where they walked around in the morning.
Akira: "Why the hell is Mr. Nishioka here?!"
Merlina yawned.
Merlina: "No idea, freshman. If you don't hurry to the spot where I trapped our so-called 'professor,' we're about to wake up."
Akira startled. By the looks of it, Ota "the Ossan" Nishioka, with his great bow, was roleplaying ninja at this very moment, by jumping from one roof to another. Nishioka would have heard him for sure if Akira shouted at him right now. Not far, yet not quite within reach, Nishioka leaps between vanishing roofs until he stumbles, grabbing the last rusted roof fragment jutting from another building.
Merlina: "Ho-ho, that scoundrel. Looks like a capybara, but quick as a weasel!"
Akira: "Are we not going to help him?"
He stepped forward, poised to charge, ready to back up Ota.
Ota balanced carefully after the jump and landed on another unstable part of the roof. He turned around and spotted Akira and Merlina. With a quick two-finger salute, he disappeared behind the shadow of a nearby building.
Merlina: "Buh... HE'S FINE! Better look at this dark marble structure over there."
Akira looked at the place that Merlina was pointing out, which looked like a part of RIU, in this chaotic plane. They entered the purple mist again instead of the portal, which swiftly shifted them both to another location.
They end up around the statue, where Cleo reads her book in the real world. But the place looked different. Purple mist was blocking other paths, yet the path that led straight was open. A towering dark marble structure loomed behind the statue, a surreal fusion of Greek architecture and a brooding fantasy citadel.
Merlina: "I hope you're ready boya, if we enter it now, we can only go back after we deal with the obsessed."
Akira: "I hope you're ready yourself, Merlina, don't let me down this time, and use your protection spells BEFORE the fights and not after."
She looked at him once again and winked.
Merlina: "Like I even would let you down!"
Akira gave a slight eye roll, took a breath, and entered the dark marble bizarre bastion.
After passing through the archway, Akira and Merlina found themselves in the hall of this "Gauntlet". Merlina concealed herself behind Akira's leg, and Akira himself didn't bother to keep an eye on the cat. As he raised his sword, he proceeded forward.
Inside the dark-purple megaron, Akira spotted two rooms he could enter.
Merlina: "Alarm freshman! We are under attack!"
As Merlina spoke, a dark cloud spawned before Akira, releasing a stone gargoyle.
Merlina: "Have it here, freshman, a protection spell - just like you asked for. Hi-Ho!"
Akira flashed a positive grin. And attack the gargoyle.
In the Dreamscape, battling 'nightmares' felt nothing like real-world fights or any video game experience. Anyone who has ever fought inside a dream knows strikes usually feel slowed and less powerful than in reality. During their early adventures, Merlina and Akira realize that any real-time action is "forbidden" in the dream world. Whenever they face an enemy ready to kill them, both mentally and physically, they're suddenly transported to an arena that looks like a glowing disco floor.
Above, ethereal beams of light crisscrossed the vaulted ceiling, casting flickering patterns that danced like flames across the polished surface. The walls echoed with distant cheers and the clash of unseen battles, but the spotlight was on the floor itself—a radiant stage where skill, speed, and willpower would collide in a spectacular test of strength.
The battle grid arena sprawled out like a dazzling mosaic beneath their feet, shimmering with every color of the rainbow. Each square pulsed with a faint glow, shifting hues in time with the rhythmic hum that vibrated through the air. As Akira stepped onto it, the floor seemed alive, a kaleidoscope of light and shadow weaving beneath him like a living spell. Then, as if the arena itself held its breath, the vibrant colors drained away, replaced by a cold, metallic dark blue—an unyielding signal that the battle had begun.
The battlefield, a 10-by-10 sanctum of war, stood divided - an invisible line cleaving young "Ars Goetian" from "Nightmare", Akira's side against the enemy's domain. As if fate itself had drawn the boundary, daring both sides to cross it and claim their destiny.
They fight each other... to the death.
In a blink, the cat magically perched on his shoulder. Merlina took a comically oversized megaphone and roared into it.
Merlina: "Are you not entertained?"
Akira stumbled, clutching his ear.
Akira: "Are you trying to kill me?!"
She quickly poofed the megaphone with a straight-looking face and said.
Merlina: "Uh, sorry, I got carried away.. And don't forget about stepping on 'shiny squares' while we're at it, my boy."
Just like Merlina said, they were glowing, color-coded squares on an arena 10 by 10. Every arena, or to put it simply, tactical grid, has always shuffled to the advantage of one side and the disadvantage of another. Once combat had begun and the turn order was set, certain squares kept their special color, awaiting to be discovered.
Thanks to Merlina's talent, "Scheherazade's Luck", Akira's turn was always the first one.
In the Dreamscape, any Ars Goetian blessed by fortune - or utterly forsaken by it, possibly can face 4 types of Creatures: A King, A Duke, A Prince, or Marquis if Ars Goetians themselves are not fighting each other - or not summoning any of them to help them fight.
Akira never dueling real Ars Goetian like him before, his first fighting opponent was Merlinaza Scheherazade or Merlina. In truth, Merlina was a powerful oracle and a legendary storyteller from One Thousand and One Nights.
Merlina: "Do something!"
Akira: "I'm on it, cat.."
Akira closed the distance, aiming to strike the gargoyle with his sword, Black Razor the Third. In the Dreamscape, collecting glowing "bonuses" scattered across the battlefield didn't count as an action, but ignoring an enemy's presence came at a cost. If he dared to slip past them, the creature would lash out with a swift counter, which is called an attack of opportunity.
Akira: "Take this!"
Akira strikes the gargoyle with a regular attack, and after a strike, his enemy gets dissolved, leaving only gray smoke behind it.
Merlina: "The first strike is ours, freshman, but it's too early to lose your grip just yet..."
Another pack of enemies has spawned in front of him. Blue-stoned Gargoyle, and the Gray One, looking just like the previous, he just crushed.
Merlina: "It's their turn, Akira!"
Akira shrugged.
Akira: "Thanks, Captain."
Merlina: "You know what they said - Say the obvious once, then say it louder..."
Akira interrupts.
Akira: "Yes, and then - shut up, cat."
With an exaggerated sigh, Merlina conjured a handkerchief out of thin air and dabbed at a fake tear like a stage actress.
Merlina: "Rude!"
Akira: "I'm the one who does the fighting."
It was Gray Gargoyle's turn. It approaches Akira and slaps him on his head, then leaves him confused for one round of the battle.
Akira: "Any words of advice now, "Sensei?"
Merlina: "Don't look at me, look at the second one who's casting ice magic boya!"
Akira: "Wonderful..."
After the grey gargoyle strikes him hard, he has another stroke of fate, right in his face. It was an icy spell that froze his legs, rooted them, chaining his movements.
Merlina: "Do something! Anything! You rookie!"
Akira: "Guh!"
He got down on one knee.
She shakes her head in disappointment.
Merlina: "Absolute tragedy, my boy."
She heals him after the frost gargoyle does its evil deed.
Akira stands up.
Akira: "No comments".
Merlina: "A simple 'thank you' wouldn't hurt next time."
Akira: "My sincerest thanks, you infernal feline!"
She giggled and wrapped her paws around his neck and whispered gently.
Merlina: "No need to be rude, boya, we are about to strike them back!"
It was their turn again. Akira stepped forward and unleashed his technique - "Sweep", and the edge of his blade flashed low in a controlled arc, leaving Grey-one Gargoyle prone. The problem was to reach the second one. Gargoyle Sorcerer was channeling another portion of his frost magic, which he unleashed after 1 more round.
Akira's passive talent in the Dreamscape - Ironclad Defiance usually shakes off any status ailments that enemies try to cast on Akira. He was unfrozen right after Blue Gargoyle cast his first spell on him. Which, however, did not help him avoid the damage.
One cannot continuously rely on Ironclad Defiance. Akira understood - next round would be a do-or-die deal... And he had to finish it.
Akira thundered.
Akira: "Ars Goetia!"
Akira: "Come forth, Devilish!"
As he shouted, Akira channeled his unique resource, Adrenalin-Bravery. In the Dreamscape, every warrior-type Ars Goetian draws power from this force, granted only to those fortunate enough to awaken as one.
Ars Goetians rarely choose their own destinies - and even less often their first summons. Akira's summon was a creature named Devilish, which he acquired on his second day in the Dreamscape.
Devilish emerged in battle as a shadowy, cloud-like entity with a sinister grin carved across its smoky face. Two ghostly horns curled from its head, and rows of razor-sharp teeth gleamed beneath glowing eyes. The dark spirit loomed silently behind Akira, like a cursed guardian waiting to be unleashed.
Akira proclaimed.
Akira: "Charge!"
Merlina: "You are not using him now, Akira-boy?"
Akira: "Let's see if they have someone else in stock for us."
Akira charged in alongside Devilish, slamming into the gargoyle and knocking it prone.
Right in front of the prone Blue Gargoyle, Akira, after finishing his charge, ended up standing on the red square, increasing his chance of critically hitting an enemy in front of him.
Akira: "This is destiny!"
Merlina: "Here he goes again..."
Akira shouted: "Hii-YAA!"
Merlina: "You showed them, tiger!"
Akira let out a slow breath.
Akira: "No comments."
Merlina: "You are no fun..."
Akira: "You already said that, any more enemies?"
Merlina narrowed her eyes.
Merlina: "Let's see..."
She paused, then suddenly added.
Merlina: "No, that's all! We won!"
Akira: "Surprisingly..."
Merlina: "Hush your grumbles, aPURRentice. Let's try the next room."
They moved to the left after shifting back to the megaron area.
Past the columns, Akira saw two Gargoyles standing in the middle of the room, who were not moving, and someone was stuck in their arms. It was looking as if someone got teleported right into Gargoyles' clutches against person will.
..And it was Liza.
Merlina: "A witch!"
Akira: "Don't shout, you disastrous panther!"
He pauses.
Akira: "What is Liza doing here?
Merlina tried to respond, but it was all for naught.
He grumbled again.
Akira: "Another portion of your 'coincidence' speeches, cat, and I'm seriously running out of the last scraps of my patience!"
Merlina: "That freeze spell really cracked your cool, huh?"
Akira: "Don't push it, cat..."
Liza: "Hey, anybody, please, anybody, help!"
Akira was out of her sight.
Liza: "ANYBODY HELP MEEE..."
Liza sounded exhausted, it was impossible to starve to death in the Dreamscape - but her stomach, oddly enough, "grumbles" with her in unison.
Akira: "I hope she's not going to lose it, like me, for the first time."
Merlina: "You were 9 years old!"
Akira: "Yes, but she is a girl and I..."
Merlina: "Still a wimpy."
He blushed, but shook it in instantly.
He glanced at her and, after a pause, said.
Akira: "Whatever..."
Akira moved in front of Liza for her to see him.
Liza: "Senpai! How you..."
Akira: "Be careful, don't move too much, I'm trying to release you."
From Akira's shoulder, Merlina declared.
Merlina: "Well, hello, beautiful."
Liza's eyes popped open like toast from a toaster.
Liza: "A t-t-talking cat?!"
Merlina: "I can sing too, by the way!"
Akira: "Don't let her near a karaoke mic - someone will die."
Merlina: "Ah, again... got stabbed in the back by my own pupil! Sad that his knife was dull as his jokes!"
Akira focuses his will on Gargoyle's hands and turns one of its hands that was holding Liza. The stone crumbled into sand, and Liza fell right into his arms.
Merlina: "Keep this guy away from the girls. This natural lady-killer just keeps them getting rescued."
Akira takes a confused sigh.
Akira: "Are you all right, Liza?"
Her daring attitude that she shows during the day got vaporized at this very moment.
She stumbled over her words.
Liza: "Im, Ama, Am, Erm..."
Merlina laughs loudly.
Merlina: "You see, nothing we can handle with this one..."
Liza finally found her courage right after Akira helped her back onto her feet.
She blushes a little.
Liza: "Thank you, Senpai."
She spun her head around, trying to make sense of it all.
Liza: "Senpai"
She pauses.
Liza: "But - where in the nine hells are we now?"
Akira tried to explain.
Akira: "I..."
Another band of gargoyles spawned behind the statues and attacked them.
Akira: "Stand behind me, Liza. Merlina, get ready!"
Merlina: "Aye, aye, sir!"
All of them are being transported to the same arena from before. Surroundings are being toned differently, but it was the same. The battlefield, a 10-by-10 sanctum of war. A Dreamscape battleground.
Liza panicked a little.
Merlina stood behind her.
Merlina: "Don't be afraid, girl - you are a witch! You can conjure spells like me!"
Merlina let out a dry chuckle before continuing.
Merlina: "Although you are my natural enemy, I must admit. It's not very comfortable to tutor you on how to fight these things."
Liza: "Fight?! What?! Senpai, tell me it's some kind of sick prank? We are NOT seriously, need to fight these creatures right here and now, right?! It's all must be - a dream, a game, I don't know... Something!"
Akira: "It's going to be a death game for us, Liza, if we don't take it seriously."
He raised his sword.
Merlina: "We are ready for anything!"
But Liza turned her eyes toward the Merlina, melodramatically horrified..
Liza: "But I don't know how to fight any supernatural creatures, Magic kitty..."
Then she broke down into exaggerated sobs, flailing just a little for dramatic flair.
Liza: "We're all gonna diiie here, Senpaaaaai!"