Len eventually left the party since she and her siblings were going to record another fire gathering soon. Her help let me get through about sixty percent of the patch content.
But Len being gone also meant that I could finally tell Kandance about the dream thing.
"So… did you know that your dreams are visible to me when you sleep in the God Panel?"
"Huh… really?"
"Yeah, this little dream cloud appears above your head on its own and starts showing your dreams to me."
I made sure to include the fact that I have nothing to do with it appearing so that she hopefully isn't mad at me for peeking at her dreams.
"Well now… tell me more. What did I dream of last night?"
"Your second visit. You and the tenth Hero were together, and you were discussing with the first pontifex you made there about getting her friend to be the next one."
"She… she was my companion…?"
Sounds like it might be hard for her to take in. Makes sense, since she thought the tenth was someone she disliked for a long while…
"Now I'm even more confused… how could I have mistaken her for an enemy? For the fifteenth Hero, no less?!"
I just shrug. What am I supposed to say? I know just as much as she does in this situation.
"Don't forget that it is a dream, so who knows how much of it is real. Her face was missing in it, after all, and I doubt that actually happened."
"Right… right. I must ask that you perceive tonight's dream for me, as well as any others I might have."
Well I've been up for over thirty six hours straight at this point. But hey, who needs sleep, anyway? Not me, that's for sure! I've been ordering energy tonics from the cafe whenever I feel like I might be close to passing out! Who cares that there's a label saying not to substitute it for actual rest?! NOT ME!
"Yeah, sure, ok."
"My thanks, Yoru."
I mean, it gives me something to watch. It fills the void of dopamine that continues to grow the more I have to click through text boxes and skip cutscenes and wait in queues to do dungeons and raids to progress the story. I wish I could enjoy this stuff on my own time instead of having to rush through it to meet a deadline, but if I'm not sick of this game by the time it's all done, maybe I'll watch the cutscenes and read what I'm skipping through at a normal pace.
Night has fallen once more by the time I complete the last of the first expansion's patch quests and can now begin the second expansion. Halfway there, or something akin to that, I hope!
Kandance, meanwhile, is back asleep. I did say I'd watch the dreams for her, but it's not like all of them are important.
There are periods with no dreams at all, after all. And even the dreams she does have aren't always about the tenth Hero or stuff she's done. Sometimes she's dreaming of living out fantasies like visiting Earth or hearing endless praise as she descends upon Fanta Regauss.
Can't really relate to the second one, but… yeah, I'd like to go to Earth someday as well. Even if it's just temporary, I want to know if the impacts I tried to leave were not in vain. That my friends can continue to live happily and reminisce on the time we spent together as joyous moments instead of reminders of my death.
Then again, I could probably watch some stuff going on from Earth, considering how Kandance could view my demise when I first saw her. I'll have to ask her about that when I'm back up in the dome.
Speaking of Kandance, though, it looks like another dream is starting.
"Anita? Anita Ferreira?!"
Ah, it's starting the same way with Kandance calling Anita's name. Guess I can listen out for that to realize when a dream might be important to pay attention to.
"Miss Fa, Miss Fa! Two meanies from behind!"
Kandance's view swivels around and I see her use holy light to blast two demons into ash that disappears under a bunch of snow. I guess she's in some sort of fight?
"Have you located the source of the demons yet, Anita?"
"Sorry Miss Fa, I can't. But Miss Cathy found Mister Farr! I can see them through the windows saving students and they look so cool fighting together!"
Okay, lemme try to piece together the scene. Kandance, Anita, and Catherine are at the Wisseneisse University, which is in a snowy place, to get Farrwyn to become a pontifex. But demons are attacking the place, and they're trying to help. Kandance, as Cahdenza, is dealing with demons outside. Catherine found Farrwyn and the two are saving students from demons inside. And Anita is giving information and some orders from above. At least to Kandance, can't tell if Catherine can also hear her.
"Oh, Miss Cathy says a student told her to check the basement! And that there's a big door on the ground outside for it as well!"
Okay, I guess she can at least hear Catherine.
"Right, going to the basement!"
In her Deinaaz form, Kandance/Cahdenza was able to blow away a bunch of snow with her wings and eventually found the outdoors basement entrance. She opened it up and loads of dark mist was pouring out!
"I'm going in, Anita. Keep giving me whatever info Catherine finds!"
"Alrighty, Miss Fa!"
Holy light circles around Kandance/Cahdenza to illuminate her surroundings and protect herself as she enters. Despite being indoors, the disguised Goddess has no trouble flying through the place and discovering the source of the dark mist: a magic circle created by a single demon.
Dark purple skin with red, pulsating runes carved all over its skin. Horns that curve in on and pierce upwards through themselves, one black eye and a white eye that they might be blind in, and a ragged cape made out of monster hides, I think?
As for the circle, it spewed forth demons one after another, with the dark mist seeming to be a byproduct.
The white eye is motionless, so I guess it is just not functioning, but the black eye looks up at Kandance/Cahdenza.
"Fortune… did not mention you?"
"Ew, a demon trying to speak the common tongue? Hold still while I snuff you out!"
The Goddess fired off another light beam, but the demon threw up its circle to protect itself, causing the summoning circle to shatter from the attack.
"No, no! Bree-Kaugh must live… must meet The Damned One…!"
The demon has a name? Did it give it to itself, or did someone else name it? Also, a fortune and living to meet The Damned One… lemme look something up…
Putting in "The Damned One" into the search engine yields… the fifteenth Hero, The Damned One. Ah. The creator of the Dreimaaz. I getcha.
… Wait, no. There's still, like, over four thousand and nine hundred years until they'd be isekai'd here. What kind of fortune telling bullshit can see that far ahead?!
Oh, right the dream! Bree-Kaugh uses the dark mist to teleport away.
"Hmph, not even worth chasing. They'll be killed off soon enough…"
Guess Kandance/Cahdenza was a lazy ass even back then, huh?
"Miss Fa, there's no more demons appearing! Did you stop them?"
"Indeed I did, Anita. Make sure to let everyone know that it's thanks to the will of the great Yugaria Dasshudily Kandance, The One Whom The Stars Shine For, that we arrived and ended the blight of demons upon their university."
"Alrighty, I'll tell them all that Miss Yu saved the day!"
Lemme guess, she's gonna get mad that the Hero isn't using her full name?
"... Sure, tell them that Miss Yu was here."
… Is it bad that I'm getting jealous over this dead girl for being favored more by Kandance than me? Because I am!