"We meet again, boy."
'Again?'
"AGHH!"
A crushing pressure bore down on me, like I was deep beneath the ocean.
I groaned and sank to one knee, my legs trembling, my eyes forced low.
I had felt a similar pressure before.
'The Dream Eater!'
It wasn't hard to guess who was standing before me, wearing Melissa's form.
Slowly, the figure approached.
"Hehe… how amusing."
I felt as if I were sinking deeper into the ground.
My left eye started to burn.
_Whirr!
A strong wind swept through the air as a massive shadow loomed behind me.
"KREEEEEEEE!"
A piercing cry tore through the dreamscape, and the crushing pressure vanished.
::MIND STAYING AWAY FROM MY CONTRACTOR::
A colossal voice rumbled across the entire plane, shaking everything.
A giant bird landed behind me.
"Orran!" I muttered absently.
"AGHH!"
The figure hissed, its expression twisting into something demonic.
::YOU DAMN BIRD::
The tree pulsed with bright light,
but stopped halfway through.
The figure's face reverted, smiling again.
"Hehe. It's fine. I'm in a good mood today."
It stepped back, leaning casually against the tree's trunk before glancing toward me.
"Though, I didn't expect you to bring a friend with you."
Orran shifted, his massive form shrinking and reshaping into my original body.
I frowned. "What is going on?"
"We're inside that girl's subconscious," Orran replied calmly.
He turned toward the Dream Eater, his red eyes glimmering faintly.
"You go and get her. She's inside the tree trunk. This thing is just an image."
"Scary! Scary! This pigeon is so scary."
The Dream Eater clasped both hands together, fidgeting like a frightened girl,though the smile never left its face.
"Boy, why would you bind yourself to such a scary thing, even after rejecting to become one with me?"
My frown deepened as I stood up.
'Had Cale met it before?'
From the way it spoke, it sounded as if the Dream Eater had made contact with Cale long before this.
How? Why? What was he even doing here in the first place?
There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but I held my tongue.
'Let's just get out of here.'
The last thing I wanted was to entangle myself further with it.
I quietly moved toward the tree.
"Oh, come on, boy, are you ignoring me now? How horrible." The Dream Eater pouted,
then its eyes sharpened.
"Don't you want the reward for completing the trial?"
".."
I continued to walk in silence.
'What trial?'
"You were so desperate to get it before, and now you're ignoring it."
Whatever it was, I could find out later.
I reached near the trunk.
"We can make a deal, leave the girl, take the reward, and I'll let you out."
The Dream Eater tried to approach me, but Orran stepped between us.
The creature's expression suddenly turned cold, but it quickly reverted back.
"Fine, I'll add more to it, leave the girl and I'll return everyone I devoured."
I stood before the narrow opening in the trunk.
"Don't you care about your friend I devoured?" The Dream Eater smiled menacingly.
'Cale's friend?... May they rest in peace.'
I tore the roots apart. A faint blue glow pulsed from within the trunk.
I stepped closer.
Inside, suspended in that pale light, was a girl, her body curled gently, her hair drifting as if underwater.
A cocoon of translucent azure wrapped around her form, threads of light running through it like veins of crystal.
Each pulse matched the rhythm of a heartbeat.
"What to do now?" I asked Orran.
"Hmm, a normal method won't work. The tree's got a solid hold on her."
"You heard him, it's too late for her. Take my offer," the Dream Eater spoke again.
"Why is it so desperate for her?"
"It's her life force," Orran replied. "To put it simply, she's like an engine that never runs out of oil."
Orran turned toward the Dream Eater, whose expression was twisting more and more.
"If it uses her, it can create a never ending dream, slowly developing it into a domain of its own."
Then he turned toward the cocoon again.
"But there is a way to get her out."
"Which is?" I narrowed my eyes on the cocoon.
"Bind her soul with yours," Orran smoothly replied.
"Pardon?"
"Bind your soul with hers."
"No... Damn it! I heard you the first time. What do you mean by that?" I asked in frustration.
It seemed we'd had a similar conversation not too long ago.
"If you lay claim on her, the Dream Eater won't be able to consume her."
"...And for that, I need to bind part of my soul with hers?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Correct!"
"Hell no! What do you think my soul is, a charity buffet?"
Orran blinked, unfazed. "That's the only way."
I groaned.
"...Great. Wonderful. Why not throw in my kidneys while we're at it?"
Orran tilted his head again.
"Those are not necessary."
"That was sarcasm, pigeon-brain," I retorted.
Orran's lips twitched slightly.
"I'm aware."
"Are you sure?"
"Mostly."
"AGH!" I groaned again.
"But can't we bind souls just once?"
"That is not correct. With your soul, even a hundred wouldn't be a problem."
".."
Something told me he actually wanted to test that theory.
I looked at the cocoon again.
'Damn this girl. Never had any other girl caused me so much trouble.'
But there was nothing else I could do.
"Fine, let's do it."
"Alrigh—"
"Are you sure?"
Suddenly, the Dream Eater, who had gone silent for some time, spoke again.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
I continued facing the cocoon.
"Well, the Nightmare King can only protect you inside dreams."
The voice slowly changed from cheerful to eerie.
"Who will protect you outside?"
I froze.
"I'll let you go, so just leave."
I slowly turned my head, meeting its eerie smile, and flashed one of my own.
Now, it was its turn to freeze.
I turned back to Orran.
"Do it."
"Place your hand on the cocoon."
I followed.
::YOU WILL REGRET THIS!!::
'It's time to wake up now.'
A blinding light covered the whole area.