---
"By the way," Noa said, casting a sidelong glance at us, "I forgot to ask your names."
"I'm Rem, and his name is Ashborn. We were on our way to the Land of Dreams before... well, before we ended up here," Rem replied, a little too eagerly. Her eyes brightened as she spoke, as if sharing this bit of information might somehow ground us amidst all the surreal madness.
I resisted the urge to groan. Telling people practically everything about ourselves wasn't something I'd usually volunteer, but Rem was just too friendly.
(She didn't even introduce me...) Kran's voice grumbled in my head, indignant.
Do you care? I asked dryly.
(Nope. Just rude, that's all.)
"Really? The Land of Dreams, huh?" Noa mused, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "I thought most people gave up on trying to reach the First Plane through regular ways. Since you can get there just by being accepted by one of the thirteen nations."
"Wait, what?" I blinked. "There's another way?"
"Huh? You didn't know?" He shot me a confused look before waving the topic aside. "Let's talk more after we deal with the nightmare."
I had a hundred more questions burning in my mind, but he was right. There was a nightmare we needed to find, and escaping this loop came first.
As we followed the same routine, passing through the halls with their gaudy decor and immaculate servants, Noa's presence raised no alarms. The servants didn't question his sudden appearance in our group, which only served to deepen the eerie sense that everyone here was part of some elaborate, hollow play.
I tried my best to scan for changes or differences in the environment, but nothing seemed out of place—except for us, we looked very random in this perfectly decorated place.
"You said you didn't have a suspect," I asked Noa as we navigated the endless hallways. "But is there anyone you're sure isn't the nightmare?"
Noa nodded. "Actually, yeah. The nightmare has to be someone who appeared in the manor today. The loop only allows that much change. Anyone who's a permanent fixture, like the servants, is practically guaranteed to be safe."
"It has to be one of the guests, then," I concluded.
Rem chimed in, "Don't forget about the people brought in just for today because of the girl's birthday. It could be one of them too."
"Right, I almost forgot," I admitted.
"There are fifty-three people here today," Noa continued, "including fifteen servants and us three. So that leaves forty-five people as suspects. But following them directly doesn't seem like an option..." Noa scratched his head, frowning. "I've tried keeping an eye on each of them, but when the loop resets, the space changes at the end, and I can never follow anyone all the way through. It's like every real person here is being funneled into the same place in the end, no matter what."
"Wait—what have you been doing for the last few cycles, then?" I asked, genuinely curious.
Noa grinned sheepishly, glancing away. "Uh... I've been trying to brute-force my way out. I spent the last five loops punching that same window over and over, hoping it would shatter for good. Every time I stopped, though, the damn thing fixed itself."
(So that explains why he looks like he hasn't slept in years,) Kran mused with a chuckle.
Yeah, punching a window for five days straight probably does that to you. His rough, tired appearance made a lot more sense now.
We entered the grand ballroom again. The lavish chandeliers sparkled overhead, and musicians were setting up in the corner, tuning their instruments. But something had been nagging at me since the last loop.
"I knew it," I said, suddenly stopping in my tracks. "There are six of them!"
"Huh? Six of what?" Noa asked, looking confused.
"Musicians," I clarified. "There were six of them when we first came here, but last loop there were only five. I wasn't sure if I'd miscounted, but no, there are definitely six now. That bearded one wasn't there last time."
Noa's eyes sharpened, focusing on the bearded musician. "So, your appearance here disrupted the loop. The nightmare probably adjusted its behavior after realizing the presence of more people, causing it to make a mistake."
"Exactly," I said. "The fact that one musician was missing last time isn't a coincidence. He must have crossed paths with the nightmare and didn't reach here."
Noa scratched his chin thoughtfully. "If we learn where he was before this, we can figure out where it happened. That might give us a clue about where the nightmare hides, or who it is."
Rem nodded, "Then let's see what this musician did today. It might lead us right to the nightmare."
The grand ballroom hummed with low chatter and the gentle strains of music as we approached the bearded musician. He was tuning his violin, his face calm and oblivious to the tension we were carrying with us. He looked up as we approached, his eyes settling on us with polite curiosity.
I caught his gaze and nodded. "Excuse me, sir. May we have a word?"
The musician set his violin aside and stood up, brushing down the front of his coat. "Of course. Is there something I can help you with?"
"We were curious about your day," Rem said softly, careful not to sound too intrusive. "You know, the preparations for tonight. You've been very busy, haven't you?"
The musician chuckled, a low, friendly sound. "Busy? Oh, yes. A musician's life is never dull, especially on a day like this. So much to prepare, so many songs to perfect. But it's a joy, really."
I exchanged a glance with Rem, then continued, "Right, right. We just wondered... could you walk us through what you were doing earlier today? You know, before arriving here in the ballroom?"
The musician tilted his head slightly, giving us a bemused smile. "Before I arrived here? Why, it's been a rather ordinary day, really. After breakfast, I spent most of the morning in the music room with the other performers. We were rehearsing for the young lady's party—it's quite the honor to play for her, you know."
I nodded, keeping my expression neutral, though my mind was racing. "And after the rehearsal?"
"After the rehearsal?" he repeated thoughtfully, scratching his beard. "Well, we took a brief break in the afternoon. I strolled through the west wing library for a bit. It's a lovely place to clear one's head before a performance. I love spending time near books, even when I don't read them."
Rem's eyes flickered with interest. "The west wing library? Did you see anyone while you were there?"
The musician's brow furrowed as he considered the question. "I might've passed a servant or two, but no one I spoke with. I like to keep to myself before performing, you see. Helps me focus."
"Understandable," I said, offering a polite smile. "And after your walk?"
He raised a hand to his chin, thinking carefully. "After my walk, I returned to my quarters briefly, just to freshen up. I recall the servants were busy preparing the ballroom, bustling about as they always do. Then it was straight here to join the others. The rest, as they say, is history."
I felt Noa shifting slightly behind me, but I continued, keeping the conversation steady. "Sounds like quite the routine. Do you usually visit the library before a big event?"
The musician smiled warmly, though there was a flicker of curiosity in his eyes now. "Not always, but today felt special. It's not every day you get to perform at such a grand occasion. And the young lady's family has been so kind to us musicians. It's the least I could do to ensure the performance is perfect."
Rem leaned in a little, her voice gentle. "We appreciate you sharing this with us. You see, we're trying to understand something happening today—so much is going on, and the day has felt... rather unusual, don't you think?"
The musician chuckled again, a low rumble in his chest. "I suppose it has, but in a place like this, every day is extraordinary. It's what makes life here so... magical."
I could feel Noa's tension beside me, his patience wearing thin, but I shot him a quick look to stay calm. We couldn't just say what was going on, since he wasn't going to be able to understand anyway.
"One last thing," I said, offering an easy smile. "When you arrived here for the performance, was there anything out of the ordinary? Anything that caught your eye?"
The musician raised an eyebrow, his fingers tapping absently against his violin. "Out of the ordinary? No, not that I recall. Everything seemed perfectly in order. Though..." He trailed off, eyes narrowing slightly as he searched his memory.
"Though?" Rem echoed, her voice encouraging.
"Well," he said slowly, as if the memory was only just surfacing, "as I was walking toward the ballroom, I thought I heard something. A strange sound coming from one of the rooms in the west wing. It was faint, like... like a whisper. I dismissed it at the time, of course. The mind can play tricks when you're focused on a big event."
"A whisper?" I asked, hoping that was a clue.
The musician nodded. "Yes, but I wouldn't worry about it. These old walls make all kinds of noises"
Rem forced a polite chuckle. "Old places do have their quirks."
The musician returned the smile, the brief flicker of curiosity now replaced by a more comfortable dismissal. "Well, if that's all, I really should get back to tuning. The performance will start soon, and we must be ready for the young lady's entrance."
"Of course," I said, offering a nod of thanks. "We appreciate your time."
He bowed slightly before turning back to his violin, his movements smooth and unhurried, completely at ease, as if our conversation had been nothing more than an insignificant exchange.
We walked away, keeping our expressions neutral until we were well out of earshot. The moment we were far enough, I leaned toward Noa and spoke quietly. "So, what do you think?"
"He's not hiding anything," Noa muttered, though his eyes remained clouded with frustration. "But that whisper he mentioned... that could be something."
Rem nodded, her hands fidgeting nervously. "It's the best lead we've got so far. Whatever that sound was, we need to find it."
Following the musician's vague description, we made our way to the west wing of the manor. It was quieter there, the bustle of servants and guests fading into the background as we passed the library and three smaller storage rooms. The air was thick with the faint smell of old wood and musty books. We checked the storage rooms first—empty, undisturbed, and clearly untouched for a while.
"So it's in the library," I said, my voice lowered.
"It seems so," Noa replied, his gaze sharp and focused. "We can't be sure it's there right now, but it was in the library before. That's enough for us to act."
"Don't we need to find it?" Rem asked, uncertainty creeping into her voice.
"No," Noa said firmly, pulling a glowing crystal from his pocket. "We know it'll be here in the next loop. That's all the confirmation we need." He drew a series of intricate symbols across the door of the library with swift, practiced movements.
As the last symbol flared with light, he stepped back, his expression grim but resolute. "This will activate once the seal on my powers weakens. It'll stretch time inside the room by over a year. Whatever enters the library will experience a year, while only a hour will pass outside. Even a nightmare at the level of an Incubi can't survive that long without feeding on fear."
Rem blinked, clearly surprised by the simplicity of the solution. "So... this was all we had to do?"
"Yeah," Noa replied, his voice casual as though laying a trap for a nightmare was an everyday occurrence. "I tried investigating everyone, but it's pointless. Leaving this trap is our best option, and my powers are perfectly suited for this kind of scenario."
I glanced at the clock on the wall. The time for the nightmare to appear was drawing near. The anticipation hung in the air, thick and palpable.
Noa grinned, the tension easing from his shoulders. "Turns out all I needed to solve this was a bit of random help. I was starting to think I'd have to call in the Hands of Dreams."
I frowned, remembering what I'd heard about the Hands of Dreams from Kran. They were responsible of keeping the balance in Dreamscape. I never saw one myself, but Kran's attempt to call one through a Mouth of Dreams had resulted in a direct encounter with the Rule of Destruction.
"Why didn't you call them sooner?" I asked, curious as to why Noa had held off.
"Their solutions are... drastic," Noa admitted. "They only care about maintaining the continuity of the Dreamscape. If they showed up, it's possible they'd destroy the girl along with the nightmare just to fix the problem. Besides, I'm used to spending long stretches of time in loops and anomalies. This wasn't that bad for me."
I nodded, understanding his logic. It was clear Noa valued the girl's life more than a quick solution, something I could respect. Saving a life meant playing the long game, even if it meant a bit of suffering along the way.
"Well," Noa said, glancing at the clock, "the time's come."
As if on cue, the symbols he had drawn on the library door glowed faintly before sinking into the wood, disappearing from view. The trap was set.
We waited. The usual unsettling noises of the nightmare's appearance—the crash, the screams—never came. Instead, there was nothing but a heavy, oppressive silence.
"Eh...? What is this now?" Rem's voice was soft, barely breaking the stillness.
Feeling uneasy, I stepped forward, moving through the hall to investigate. As I turned the corner, everything shifted. The familiar hallways of the manor faded, replaced by a small, well-decorated room. A child's room. Plush toys lay scattered around a large bed, drawings made by a child hung on walls.
I turned around in confusion, but the hall was gone. So were Rem and Noa. It was just me... and a soft voice that called out from behind the bed.
"Mom, is that you?"
A small head peeked out from behind the bed, long silver-gray hair framing a pair of wide, amethyst-colored eyes. The girl from the portraits. The one who had created the loop.
She stared at me in shock, clearly not expecting a stranger to appear in her private space. I didn't want to frighten her, so I raised a hand in what I hoped was a calming gesture.
"Uh, hi," I began awkwardly. "I'm kind of lost. Could you tell me how to get to the west wing library?"
Her eyes remained wide, her mouth twitching slightly as if she were struggling to find words.
"But... that isn't possible," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Only Dad and Mom know about this place. How did you come here?"
I tried to think of something to say, but no explanation came. My silence was clearly the wrong move. Her face crumpled, and tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Oh no—" I started to panick, not knowing what to do.
"Tsk tsk. That's no way to handle a kid," Kran's voice cut in dryly from my shoulder. "Let me show you how it's done."
Without waiting for my protest, Kran ignited his small metal claws, the flames swirling in the air like living creatures. They morphed into the shapes of birds, fish, and other animals, each one flitting and swimming through the room before dissolving into embers.
The girl's tears stopped as she watched in awe. Her eyes sparkled as she followed the fire-animals with rapt attention.
"Shiny lizard is so cool..." she whispered.
Kran jolted at the name but quickly puffed up with pride. "Heh. Yes, I am," he said smugly.
Despite the strangeness of the situation, I couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope. I didn't know what had happened to Rem and Noa, but for now, this seemed to be a step in the right direction.
---
"Where did Ashborn go? What just happened?" Rem asked, her voice trembling as she looked to Noa for answers. The silence in the manor felt suffocating, unnerving.
"The nightmare didn't attack this time," Noa replied, his expression hardening. "It didn't reset the loop like usual. That means it's somewhere in the manor now... and it has its powers back."
A cold dread seeped into Rem's veins. "What do we do now? That thing—it's strong, isn't it?"
"It might be free now," Noa said, clenching his fists, "but so am I. There's a reason it chose to hide all this time rather than face me."
A slow, mocking voice interrupted them, echoing from the shadows of the hallway. "Well, there was a reason... until now."
"?!"
Before Noa could react, an invisible force hit him with crushing power, sending him flying across the hallway like a rag doll. His body slammed into the heavy doors of the library with a sickening thud, the wood groaning beneath the impact. He crumpled to the ground, dazed.
"Enjoy your free year, Enforcer," the voice sneered, thick with malice. "I hear there are some lovely books in there."
The doors to the library creaked ominously as they closed, sealing Noa inside his own trap. The symbols flared briefly before disappearing, locking him away. He was gone.
Rem's heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming in short gasps as she realized what had just happened. Her eyes widened in terror as she stared at the figure emerging from the darkness. It was the bearded musician, but his eyes were no more, and face was twisted into something far more sinister. His smile stretched too wide, too unnatural.
"You..." Rem whispered, barely able to form the words. "It was you this whole time..."
The nightmare chuckled, his voice dripping with mockery. "I really slipped up last time, but eh, end well, all's well, don't you think?" His grin widened, the malice radiating off him like a palpable force.
Rem stood frozen, completely alone now, with nothing but the nightmare's cold, predatory gaze fixed upon her.
---