"So, why did Sister Cyrene call Vya here?"
Vya tilted her head curiously, looking at Cyrene and asking.
Cyrene glanced at the surroundings, where the scene was slowly beginning to shift, as if shrouded in a dreamlike veil.
Light and shadow intertwined, illusory and hazy.
She patiently explained, "Right now, many people have been pulled into a dream."
"Vya knows that! So many people are asleep and won't wake up no matter how much you call them…" Vya quickly replied.
"That's because they've entered a beautiful dream. There are wonderful, wonderful things inside, and they themselves don't want to wake up," Cyrene said with a slight frown.
"Then… what can be done about it?" Hearing this, Vya grew even more worried.
Cyrene smiled, patted Vya's head, and said, "So that's when Vya needs to make her entrance."
"Gee, can Vya really help?" Vya was a bit excited.
"Of course. All you have to do is go and wake them up~"
"Just wake them up? That's all?"
"That's right~" Cyrene smiled and continued, "Hmm… speaking of which, it's about time~"
"Alright, I was just here to help introduce things. Do your best, little Vya~"
"Mhm, goodbye, sister."
After Cyrene disappeared…
"What about you, older brothers and sisters?" Vya looked at the group of people.
The six of them fell silent for a moment. Truth be told, they didn't have the ability to summon Vya directly.
However, in this strange space where consciousness and dreams intertwined, they had found a quill pen.
And in this special, interwoven state, the quill had undergone an unusual change.
Then, somehow, it summoned this pink-haired Cyrene, and Cyrene tried to pull Vya in.
"Do your best, Vya," the blue-haired brother said to Vya with a smile.
"We'll all be waiting for you here," the purple-haired sister added.
The others also chimed in, encouraging Vya.
And so, Vya set off, full of motivation.
Wow, there are so many people here she doesn't know… Vya weaved through the crowd. Most people woke up after she called them a couple of times.
But with Dystopia, it took some effort. Vya called her several times with no response.
It wasn't until she leaned in close and gently pinched Dystopia's cheeks that Dystopia slowly stirred awake…
Then there were little sister Griseo and sister Blanca…
There were simply too many people; Vya had long lost count…
...
Meanwhile, with Su.
Shortly after entering the dream, he found himself inside a building.
Su looked out the window and saw it was Long's family. Long was wearing an apron, carrying dishes, a blissful smile on his face.
The family was happily enjoying life together, a picture of idyllic contentment.
A shock ran through Su's heart. If Long was inside the dream, did that mean the Long outside was already…?
A sense of foreboding welled up within him.
"See? His family is living a wonderful life," a voice suddenly spoke up. "This is a beautiful world where anything anyone wishes for can come true."
A mass of gray-black shadow suddenly appeared beside Su.
"?"
Su warily looked at the shadow, a guess forming in his mind.
If he wasn't mistaken, this was the Eighth Herrscher. This ominous aura made his nerves tense instantly.
"But this is still just a dream after all," Su tried to remain calm.
But before he could finish speaking, the shadowy form wrapped around his eyes, plunging his vision into immediate darkness.
"Then… how about you experience it for yourself? I believe you'll like it…" The shadow's voice was full of enticement.
...
"Su, what are you spacing out for?" A familiar voice reached him. "Today's the day your patient is being discharged. Aren't you going to see them off?"
"Director Far…" Su shook his head, trying to maintain a clear awareness.
"Mhm, I'll go right now," Su replied.
"By the way, this is the wedding invitation from your friend. I brought it over for you," Far said, handing over an exquisite invitation.
Looking at the invitation Far handed him… it was for Kevin and Mei's…
Su felt a wave of emotion. 'It seems a beautiful relationship has finally reached its happy ending. I should go celebrate.'
"Alright. If it's inconvenient for you when the time comes, I'll see about getting you leave," Far said with a smile.
"Thank you, Director Far," Su smiled and put away the invitation.
Before leaving, Su asked one more thing. "Director Far, that experiment Dr. Spacy had you undergo… that cured your Honkai sickness, right?"
"Yes, why? But that method was too high-risk. Wasn't the latest special medicine already developed by you?" Far looked at Su, puzzled. "Why are you asking about this now?"
"Right," Su smiled again, then closed his eyes.
"Goodbye…"
He thought to himself, this dream is full of holes…
After all, how could everything end so easily?
At that moment, the surroundings fell utterly silent, as if time itself had frozen.
A clear, crisp birdcall rang out.
Several cyan feathers sliced through everything, like dawn breaking through darkness, piercing this false dream.
Su's consciousness slowly returned…
...
"Brother Su, move aside please! I'm here to find Uncle Long and the others~" Vya's clear, ringing cry was like heavenly music, hastening Su's return to awareness.
Vya looked at Su again. He didn't seem to have been asleep, and had probably just woken up.
She tilted her head, looking at him curiously.
"My, little girl, are you here to play too?" The Herrscher's consciousness nearby didn't seem to notice anything amiss; it was eager to toy with this little girl.
As for why Vya was here… it didn't think much of it…
Because Vya was here, it could no longer perceive the anomalies.
"Is there anything special you want? It can all be granted for you here~" The Herrscher tempted Vya with a cloyingly sweet voice.
"What sister says isn't right~" Vya shook her little hand, saying with utmost seriousness, "If you want something, you have to strive for it yourself. You can't rely on dreams to get it~"
"??"
The Herrscher clearly didn't expect Vya to say this. "What do you mean by that?!" The shadowy form shouted at Vya, its tone full of disbelief.
It never imagined a little girl could see through it.
Vya didn't speak, only responded with a smile. That innocent smile seemed to hold boundless power.
"Got you!" Su's voice came through…
"Herrscher's position successfully locked…"
Outside, Long, who had been under the Herrscher's control, returned to normal due to Vya's interference…
Even so, he still fired a shot at Dr. Spacy, though it missed its mark.
"Excellent, they succeeded." Mei looked at the incoming message, a smile of relief appearing on her face.
The moment he received the news, Kevin set out…
…
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