'Little Herta' reached out and gently patted AR-214's head.
The power of Remembrance began to stir the surrounding Memoria.
The Dreampool's passive mechanism kicked in, attempting to pull both 'Little Herta' and AR-214 into the dreamscape together.
Of course, 'Little Herta' was technically an Emanator of Remembrance herself, and AR-214 was physically incapable of dreaming.
In that sense, the Dreampool's activation was technically a waste of effort.
With 'Little Herta's' abilities, she didn't even need the pool to escort AR-214 into a dream; she could have done it on her own.
However, doing so would have marked them as "illegal immigrants" within the dream.
It wouldn't do to have some unfamiliar Bloodhound chasing them down the moment they arrived.
'Little Herta' began to let the external Memoria interface with their psyche, establishing a stable link. She focused this process primarily on AR-214.
"Ngh...?!"
As her consciousness brushed against the chaotic external memories, AR-214 reacted as if she'd stumbled into a nightmare.
Her body tensed, snapping into a state of high alert.
Predicting this, 'Little Herta' squeezed her hand. The power of Harmony sprouted from within her, carrying her voice across to stabilize the other girl's spirit.
"Don't be afraid. Your consciousness is just perceiving the Memoria right now. This is the domain of Memokeepers; a little discomfort is only natural."
While offering these comforts, 'Little Herta' adjusted her resonance, diving deep into that chaotic sea of Memoria.
From AR-214's perspective, she had suddenly plunged into an ocean of Memoria, sensing the hidden chaos and danger lurking within.
Just then, Bai Ming's voice rang in her ear. Immediately after, the girl holding her hand emerged from the darkness.
Seeing her, AR-214 felt an immediate sense of security. Her combat stance relaxed, and she even found the curiosity to observe the flickering shadows rushing past in the dark.
"Madam Bai Ming... is this the dream?"
"No. This is a sea of chaos piled high with Memoria—a place of endless, disordered memories. Don't forget, you can't actually dream."
'Little Herta' looked at AR-214 and continued to pull her deeper into the depths.
"But it doesn't matter. As long as you're still human, there is Memoria within your body. By entering this place, we can use Memoric contact to step into that Dream."
"At the end of the day, a dreamscape is just a part of Memoria; there isn't much difference in essence."
By using the power of Remembrance, she wasn't making AR-214 fall asleep to dream.
Instead, she was linking AR-214's mind directly to the Ocean of Memoria, allowing her to "land" on an island within that sea.
In other words, she was lending her power to AR-214 so the girl could clearly perceive the Synesthesia Dreamscape.
This achieved the same effect as dreaming.
As for the dangers and side effects? Under 'Little Herta's' protection, as long as they didn't venture into the deep recesses of the Memoria, there was no risk.
The power of Remembrance spread out, gradually enveloping AR-214 completely.
Soon, 'Little Herta' noticed a subtle anomaly.
Within this chaotic, disordered sea, a faint, wispy force was guiding her and AR-214 toward the location of the Sweet Dream. This force felt almost identical to the Dreampool's effect.
She had previously assumed it was a specialized technology belonging to The Family, but now it seemed this power extended even into the Memory Zone.
That was strange. Was The Family really that capable? To leave such a large-scale mechanical influence in a chaotic sea like this?
You guys are the Harmony, not the Remembrance faction, she thought. This is definitely off...
Was it some unique regional mechanic of the Asdana system?
Or perhaps the lingering power of someone from the past?
'Little Herta' was tempted to investigate, but with AR-214 in tow, she suppressed her curiosity for now. She'd explore it later when she had the chance.
Guided by that unique force and 'Little Herta's' own power, the two quickly located the Synesthesia Dreamscape protected by the Harmony.
The power of the Harmony itself was only meant to wall off the encroaching chaos; it didn't have a function to repel outsiders.
Thus, the two easily crossed the defensive line and laid eyes upon the Sweet Dream of the Twelve Hours.
The "pass" built into the Dreampool identified them as allies to the Harmony's power, preventing them from being flagged as stowaways.
Right then, AR-214 let out a sudden gasp.
"Madam Bai Ming, your appearance... is this what you really look like?"
"Me?"
'Little Herta' blinked, looking down at herself.
Well, look at that. Her appearance had shifted from 'Little Herta' directly into the form she had recently constructed using the Halo System.
This wasn't right.
If such a transformation were to happen, shouldn't it have occurred the moment she entered the dream?
Furthermore, with her current mastery over Remembrance, controlling her own dream avatar should be child's play. How could such a massive change happen without her even noticing?
Something was wrong. Yet, even after a careful scan, she couldn't detect a thing.
Keeping a mental note of the anomaly, 'Little Herta' nodded to AR-214. "In a way, yes."
"Your true face is so beautiful. And so elegant."
AR-214 threw her arms wide and pulled her into a hug, her eyes practically sparkling.
This was the first time she had seen someone so beautiful; it was as if she had stepped right out of a painting.
Praise aside, though...
"Why are you hugging me?"
"Didn't you say I could hold onto you? Is it not okay...?"
'Little Herta' had intended to say something, but the moment she saw AR-214's lonely, touch-starved expression, the harsh words died in her throat.
Fine, let's be understanding, she thought. It's her first time hugging someone; she's just overwhelmed by the novelty. She'd let the kid hug it out until she'd had her fill.
"...Fine. Have it your way."
"Hehe, yay!"
'Little Herta' shook her head and led them into a direct freefall from the sky.
They chose the Golden Hour as their landing site.
While going to the Dewlight Pavilion would make it easier to find Gopher Wood, seeing AR-214 acting like a curious kitten made her decide to take the girl for a stroll through the Sweet Dream first.
Besides, the entire Dreamscape was under The Family's thumb. It would be much easier for Gopher Wood to find them than for them to go looking for him.
The two landed smoothly in the plaza.
"Where are we going next? What about Mr. Gopher Wood?"
"Time is limited. I'll take you around the Sweet Dream for a bit first, then I'll go catch up with an old acquaintance."
"Oh..." AR-214 nodded. She remembered the warning that she couldn't stay in Penacony for long.
Since that was the case... "Then I'll have to trouble you to keep me company, Madam Bai Ming. I don't know anything about this place, so I hope you don't mind."
"It's exactly because you don't know anything that I brought you here to play. Alright, enough chatter. Let's go."
'Little Herta' grabbed AR-214's hand and pulled her toward the edge of the plaza.
This place was far more bustling and vast than any in-game model could portray. To AR-214, it was a literal paradise, filled with novel and interesting sights at every turn.
As she accompanied the girl through the crowd, 'Little Herta' began to wonder what kind of temporary name she should give AR-214.
Calling her by a serial number was just too weird—and a bit of a mouthful, too.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL