Madelyn and Dunn returned to their seats to watch over Asa Amerta while eating the bread they brought as provisions.
"I'm curious about what happened in their dreams in detail," Dunn muttered suddenly.
Madelyn nodded, "Me too. In my whole life, it's the first time I've seen Joan in such a tired and panicked state like earlier. Usually, he's always relaxed and poker-faced."
Dunn nodded in agreement, "Hopefully, when he wakes up from his rest, he can tell us more clearly about what happened."
In the midst of their small discussion, a groaning sound came from Asa Amerta, who had been silent since the beginning. Seeing the change, Madelyn and Dunn hurriedly approached Asa and sat beside her.
As if realizing the presence of her two teammates, Asa slowly opened her eyes. However, she didn't move, she didn't turn, and she didn't even breathe heavily like Joan did when he woke up earlier.
"Big sis, you finally woke up!" Madelyn exclaimed happily.
"How are you feeling?" Dunn also asked with concern simultaneously.
However, Asa didn't respond to anything. She just sat in silence with a straight gaze ahead without blinking.
Madelyn and Dunn exchanged puzzled glances, their concern growing as Asa remained unresponsive. The room, once filled with the murmur of their conversation, now carried an eerie silence.
"Big sis, are you okay?" Madelyn asked again, her voice tinged with a hint of worry.
Asa continued to sit with an unbroken gaze, her eyes fixed on an invisible point. It was as if she existed in a realm between the dream she had experienced and the waking world, caught in a trance that defied explanation.
Dunn, growing increasingly uneasy, gently touched Asa's shoulder. "Asa, can you hear us? What happened in your dream?"
There was no response. Asa's distant gaze seemed to penetrate through the walls of the city hall, lost in the echoes of a reality that only she could perceive.
"I think we should give her some time," Madelyn suggested, her concern deepening. "Maybe the transition from the dream to wa—"
A sudden sobbing sound echoed and interrupted Madelyn's sentence.
Madelyn and Dunn turned to Asa, who suddenly hugged her knees tightly in her sitting position and cried heavily.
Her crying sounded deeply distressing.
Madelyn and Dunn looked at each other in confusion, but both understood that they needed to give Asa some time.
Dunn gently patted Asa's back in an attempt to provide comfort to his Pillar leader.
Madelyn, on the other hand, hugged Asa's body from the side. "It's okay, it's okay, just let it all out, big sister. Cry for everything you want to cry for," she said.
Following Madelyn's words, Asa's crying intensified, and frustrated screams also escaped from her throat.
Madelyn and Dunn exchanged concerned glances, realizing that Asa was grappling with intense emotions stirred by the dream.
Awakening to Asa's cries and screams, Joan hastily stood up from his sleep and ran towards Asa.
"Asa, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Joan asked with concern.
Hearing Joan's voice, Asa lifted her head, revealing a tear-stained face with an expression of pain and anger, just like Mia's face in their final moments.
Joan's heart felt a pang, but he swallowed that feeling and asked again, "Are you oka—"
As if possessed by an angry spirit, Asa grabbed the white cloth hanging around Joan's neck and pulled Joan towards herself, blind rage burning in her eyes. "I told you not to cast the spell on me."
Joan was a bit confused, but he understood what Asa meant. She must be referring to when Heya cast a life replacement spell on Mia. "Asa, you're awake now, you are not in the dream anymore. I'm Joan, not Heya."
Seemingly deaf to what Joan was saying, Asa stood up, pulling Joan up with her. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO CAST THE SPELL ON ME," she raged on, screaming so loudly that her voice echoed in the old city hall.
Joan, sensing the depth of Asa's distress, tried to calm her down. "Asa, please, it's me, Joan. You're safe now."
But Asa's grip on Joan's cloth tightened, and her eyes burned with a rage that seemed to transcend the boundaries of the dream and reality. Her words came out in a torrent of anger and frustration. "You left me, Heya. You promised you'd always be there for me. Why did you leave? Why?"
Joan, still maintaining his composure, gently placed his hands on Asa's shoulders, attempting to break through the turbulent emotions clouding her mind. "Asa, it's in the past. None of it is happening now. We are here, in the died city hall. There is no flood. You're safe."
Asa's gaze wavered for a moment, and then her eyes met Joan's. The anger in her expression began to soften, giving way to confusion and pain. She slowly released her grip on Joan's cloth, her hands trembling.
"I... I'm sorry," Asa whispered, her voice choked with emotion.
Joan nodded understandingly. Perhaps carrying the habits from Heya and Mia's lives, Joan reached for Asa's body and hugged her tightly. "It's okay, I understand. I'm sorry for leaving you there. You didn't deserve to be left alone, fighting for life with our son."
Madelyn and Dunn quickly turned to each other. Both of them had amusingly confused expressions.
"They have a child together?" Madelyn whispered in shock.
Dunn gasped and answered in a quieter voice, "Do you think they did the do there?"
Disgusted by the question, Madelyn smacked the back of her teammate's head. "Stop asking stupid things, idiot."
In front of them, Joan continued to hold Asa, comforting her as she released the emotions pent up during the dream.
It took some time for Asa to finally calmed down and Madelyn and Dunn quickly handed her some water to drink.
Madelyn also handed them some pieces of bread, "Eat first, both of you. Replenish your energies and then you can tell us in detail what happened in the dream because both of us here are super clueless and we want to know what son you guys are talking about too."