After chatting with Xu Wenxing for a bit longer, Blazing Flame returned to her room and went to sleep.
She shoved her phone under the pillow, and the exhaustion from a whole day of running around quickly flooded her body, making her eyelids heavy.
Soon, the girl lay in bed, falling into a deep sleep and entering her dreams.
She didn’t know how much time had passed before Blazing Flame slowly opened her eyes and sat up in bed.
It was pitch black all around, so dark she couldn’t see her own hand in front of her face.
Out of habit, she got out of bed and pressed the light switch, but no light appeared.
After pressing it a few times and finding the light still wouldn’t turn on, Blazing Flame shook her head, let out a sigh, and stopped worrying about the possibly broken bulb, turning back to the bed.
She rummaged under the pillow for a while, but when she didn’t find her phone, her heart instantly leapt into her throat.
Frowning, she pressed the computer’s power button, only to find the monitor didn’t turn on either.
Next, Blazing Flame tried calling out for Pandora and Xu Wenxing, but after getting no response, she instantly understood her current situation.
“Dreaming again… or is it that another Shadow Beast’s ability is to enter dreams and influence others?”
Blazing Flame muttered to herself, casually guessing at various possibilities, not taking the fact she was dreaming seriously at all.
She pulled open the door and stepped out of her room, and as expected, saw strange sights.
What greeted her eyes wasn’t the neatly arranged great hall, but a vast, empty space filled with a soft, white light source.
Large clusters of pure white, lotus-like flower bulbs floated in mid-air, illuminating each step Blazing Flame took forward.
Gazing at this warm and reassuring scene before her, Blazing Flame was lost in thought for a long time, then suddenly laughed out loud.
‘Great, it seems dreaming occasionally isn’t such a bad thing.’
‘At least I can see this kind of scenery in my dreams, something absolutely impossible in reality, to heal my body and mind, worn out from long periods of running around.’
‘Not bad at all.’
Looking at the breathtaking view before her, the corners of the girl’s mouth lifted slightly.
She emptied her mind and slowly walked forward. Her pace was much slower than usual, but it seemed exceptionally steady and powerful.
The surrounding scenery didn’t change at all. No matter how far Blazing Flame walked, those blooming white flower bulbs remained in place.
But Blazing Flame didn’t care.
She kept walking forward, occasionally stopping to look at the flower clusters on either side, observing their appearance, wondering where that light source came from.
Even knowing she wouldn’t get a definite answer, Blazing Flame didn’t mind.
She was just enjoying the process of thinking, enjoying the time where she could empty her mind and body and simply move forward.
Gradually, Blazing Flame felt her body was undergoing some subtle change, and the surrounding flower clusters also seemed to be getting closer and closer to her without her realizing it.
It wasn’t until her body was bathed in the light of a sun that had suddenly appeared in the sky, and the surrounding white flower clusters were completely touching her body, that Blazing Flame noticed her own change and stopped her forward progress.
And the moment she stopped, a familiar, gentle girl’s voice suddenly reached Blazing Flame’s ears.
“…You shouldn’t be here, Blazing Flame.”
Hearing the voice, Blazing Flame looked forward in surprise, wondering why someone else would appear in her dream.
But as soon as she saw the other person, she froze.
Because the other person’s face was almost identical to her own after transformation, like a sculpture carved from the same mold.
No, wait, there were differences.
The girl sitting on the white stone chair before her wore a simple white robe.
She appeared more mature and gentle than Blazing Flame, her hair was flaxen, and her eyes were a translucent green like jade.
Apart from the highly similar face, the other person was quite different from Blazing Flame herself.
‘Seems it’s not my copy.’
Thinking this, Blazing Flame snapped back to attention and asked the other curiously.
“Why shouldn’t I be here? Isn’t this my world?”
“This is both your world and our world.” The simple white-robed girl smiled. “Perhaps you will come here one day, but that time absolutely should not be now.”
“What do you mean? Can you speak plainly? I hate people who don’t talk properly the most.”
Blazing Flame propped her chin on her hand, pressing the other directly.
‘After all, this is my dream right now. I don’t need to give her that much face.’
‘If she really is some riddle-speaker who won’t talk straight, then I’ll just shake her body like crazy later, until she talks.’
‘Looking at her in that white robe, she probably doesn’t want to be shaken until she’s dizzy, right?’
Just as Blazing Flame was imagining her next course of action, the girl on the stone chair smiled gently.
“Sorry, Blazing Flame. I won’t get dizzy, so your idea probably won’t work.”
“You can actually know what I’m thinking?”
Having her thoughts spoken aloud, Blazing Flame couldn’t help but frown, feeling somewhat puzzled.
‘What’s going on? Isn’t this my dream world? How can this outsider know what I’m thinking?’
The white-robed girl nodded slightly, the loving smile still on her face.
“Yes, I can indeed guess what you’re thinking.”
“And not only do I know your thoughts, I know your past and present. I know what has made you feel sad or angry before.”
“It sounds rather unbelievable, doesn’t it?”
Hearing the other frankly state her ability, Blazing Flame was silent for a few seconds, then spoke.
“No. Since I’m dreaming right now, nothing that happens is strange.”
“…Hehe, you’re not dreaming.” The girl smiled.
“Don’t lie to me. How could I not be dreaming?” Blazing Flame twitched the corner of her mouth. “Look, I can even bring this out.”
“ULTIMATE REGALIA DRIVE!”
The moment Blazing Flame struck a pose and shouted the line, scarlet armor materialized beside her, spinning around her, awaiting her command.
Seeing the armor from her dream appear beside her, Blazing Flame waved her hand, telling the armor to fly back to its original position.
Upon receiving the command, the scarlet armor quickly vanished between the two, disappearing without a trace.
The white-robed girl sitting on the stone chair just silently watched Blazing Flame’s actions, saying nothing, smiling gently.
Having just performed a transformation with no actual object for the other, Blazing Flame shook her hand and spoke to the other again.
“Well? Now you should believe this is my dream world, right?”
“Hehe, if you want to think that, it’s fine. I won’t argue.”
“Why are you so stubborn? You won’t even nod and admit you lost.” Blazing Flame sighed helplessly. “Alright, alright, I’m not dreaming right now, are you satisfied?”
“Of course you’re not dreaming now, because you’ve come here, to our world.”
“There you go again… Can’t you speak plainly? What do you mean, I shouldn’t be here…”
“…Is it all worth it? Blazing Flame?”
The white-robed girl smiled, interrupting Blazing Flame and asking her.
Though the white-robed girl’s voice wasn’t loud, her words clearly reached Blazing Flame’s ears, making her stop her movements.
Looking at the other’s calm, gentle expression, Blazing Flame was momentarily lost in thought, biting her lip.
Then, she narrowed her eyes, puzzled.
“What are you talking about? I don’t understand you.”
“No, you do know, Blazing Flame.” The white-robed girl shook her head firmly. “You’ve asked yourself this question too, you’ve just never dared to face it.”
“Impossible. I would never ask myself such a boring question. I’m strong-willed, I never waver.”
“Perhaps. But you can’t deceive yourself, Blazing Flame.” The white-robed girl suddenly stood up, placing her right hand over her chest. “Because you have asked yourself, asked if your efforts were meaningful, and couldn’t find an answer.”
“…Honestly, I’m starting to dislike you a little.”
Having her disguise seen through, Blazing Flame lowered her head, saying with some displeasure.
Hearing this, the white-robed girl smiled brilliantly and threw a very nonsensical question at Blazing Flame.
“Blazing Flame, do you believe in hope?”
“What kind of strange question is that again? Can’t you ask something practical? That way I might actually answer.”
“This is a very practical question.” The white-robed girl laughed. “Answer me, do you believe in hope?”
Blazing Flame didn’t answer. She just stared at the other, her expression complex.
But seeing Blazing Flame’s reaction, the smile on the white-robed girl’s face grew even more brilliant.
She slowly turned, no longer looking at Blazing Flame, and cast her gaze towards the more distant sea of white flowers, speaking to herself.
“Thank you, Blazing Flame.”
“Huh?”
Blazing Flame looked at the other in surprise, her mind buzzing, not quite understanding why the other was thanking her.
‘She hadn’t helped this white-robed girl with anything, had she?’
‘Too strange.’
‘Both this white flower sea and this suddenly appearing girl are very strange.’
‘It seems my stress is really too great, to the point I can dream of such illogical, bizarre things.’
“We will help you when the time comes, Blazing Flame.” The white-robed girl paid no mind to Blazing Flame’s thoughts. “After all, we also hate that damned False Magic Fairy.”
“…False Magic Fairy?! Who?!”
Hearing the other’s words, Blazing Flame’s body stiffened. She suddenly realized something and asked the other almost urgently.
But the white-robed girl didn’t reply. She just smiled, gently touched her index finger to her lips, and bid farewell to Blazing Flame in a calm tone.
“Well then, goodbye, Magical Girl Scorching Flame.”
“Hey! Explain yourself clearly! Hey!”
No matter how Blazing Flame called out, the white-robed girl just smiled at her.
Then, under Blazing Flame’s gaze, the surrounding white flower bulbs and the white-robed girl’s body began to grow illusory.
Warm, white starlight flowed from within them, dissipating into the vast, empty world.
Until the white-robed girl disappeared completely, Blazing Flame didn’t hear any more useful information from her.
And when Blazing Flame opened her eyes again, she found she had returned to reality, and her body had reverted to its original state.
Feeling her familiar body, Lu Ren slowly let out a breath, took his phone from under the pillow, and checked the time.
Eight o’clock in the morning.
Right around the time the sun had just risen.
“…What a strange dream.”
Sitting on the bed, he thought for a long time, still not completely certain of the white-robed girl’s true identity.
Then, Lu Ren took his phone, rolled out of bed, and walked out of his room.