As I feared, my hair was a tangled mess—wild, unkempt, reflecting the chaos in my mind. The answer was right in front of me, close enough to grasp, yet I couldn't find the words to name it. I couldn't even form the thought properly.
I was in pain.
I was in pain.
Manori smiled faintly.
"You look terrible," she said lightly. "When was the last time you slept? …So, you want help?"
"Yes!"
I raised my hands desperately.
"The power of the dream—the sandbox, the Creation Mode—whatever it's called… give it to me!"
Manori blinked, clearly confused.
"Huh?"
She stepped closer. My eyes were lifeless, hollowed out by exhaustion. Every hope, every burden from the worlds I wanted to save pressed down on me. Not just them—the people from before, the ones I had already failed.
And most of all…
The one person I needed to save.
Shadows crawled up my body, swallowing my silhouette. Manori recoiled slightly, fear flickering across her face as she stared at the person she once saved.
"…Adam?"
Her expression was blank. She tried to smile, clumsy and uncertain.
I clutched my chest.
"The power… give it to me. I need it to save someone. I don't have time to explain."
She turned away, deep in thought, searching her memories. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall giving me such a power.
"The dream!" I snapped. "You know! Don't pretend you don't—this is your dream!"
Panic tightened my throat. Time was running out. She might already be starving… or worse—trapped inside that behemoth's skin.
The room began to distort.
The walls stretched and collapsed. Colors spiraled violently—white and black swallowing purple and red. The space shrank and expanded like a fever dream losing control.
[Adam! Calm down!]
I gasped, fear clawing through my chest.
[Isn't it strange to tell someone inside a dream that she's someone in the dream?]
Rehan muttered in frustration, shaking her head.
Manori's mind began to collapse. Feelings bled into sensations; sight stretched unnaturally. A spiraling rainbow formed in her pupils, spinning wildly.
I rushed forward and grabbed her shoulders.
"Manori!"
Guilt flooded me instantly.
She covered her eyes, teeth clenched.
"Forgive me… forgive me… forgive me. I can't do anything. I'm useless."
I let go.
"Being here right now is the most useful thing you can do!"
I looked away, embarrassed.
"Seriously—without your power, I might die to that Shin guy…"
My mind cleared, if only for a moment.
[Are you really going to force to push away someone to save another person?]
"…Tsk."
"I just need… to know."
She looked at me, listening.
"The power of this dream," I said slowly.
"To turn unreality into reality. To make imagination become truth."
She exhaled, confused, forcing herself to calm down—to stay lucid, afraid of waking up.
"So… you want the power of the dream, and it somehow comes from me? So this messed-up world is actually a dream?"
I nodded.
Suddenly, she grabbed my hand, startling me, and ran toward the door outside.
The room was small—there was a piano, scattered drawings, a painting of a family: father, mother, daughter, son. A red vase sat beneath it of spider lily. The carpet bore a strange illustration of a monster.
She flung the door open.
Bugs crawled over the ground—ants, millipedes, insects emerging from the soil. Bushes and overgrowth blended with vibrant flora, plants painted in unnatural colors.
Then—
A forest.
Animals roamed freely. Deer drank from a luminescent river. Trees of every kind rose upward—striped trunks, pines, oaks—dark woods covering the sky above.
Manori smiled, looking at me.
"I think you'll find Minori!" she said cheerfully. "I don't really understand it, but—MINORI! I WISH FOR A TIMEOUT!"
The world twisted into a spiral.
[…This girl's subconscious is terrifying…]
Rehan muttered, out of her thought.
—
Suddenly, a television box and speaker burst from my mouth.
I collapsed, coughing violently being in shock, gagging as someone patted my back. Around us, mannequins clapped wildly, like a circus audience.
A ringmaster stepped forward—red-and-black gown, matching top hat, cane in hand.
"Well, well! Isn't that Adam? Nice magic trick?" he laughed. "See? I told you—everything in this world turns out fine!"
Spotlights blazed down on us.
A microphone was shoved into my hand. Screens stared back at me.
Confetti and balloons rained down.
"Ahem," I said firmly. "I need your help."
The room fell silent when he saw my expression.
"…Give me Creative Mode."
Sweat beaded on his face.
"Adam… what are you trying to do? I mean, I could give it to you—but why?"
I looked away.
"My friend is in danger. This power… it can change reality."
The mannequins stopped clapping.
Minori appeared beside me instantly.
"You already have it."
I froze.
"But I'm not stupid," he continued. "You're trying to use a power that doesn't belong outside this world. Because If the problem were here, you wouldn't look this desperate."
My breathing became erratic. My vision reddened as miasma leaked from my body.
A cane gently rested on my head.
"You're really erratic, kid," the ringmaster sighed. "You take everything too seriously."
"Someone is going to die!" I shouted. "Someone important to me!"
My legs nearly gave out. Anxiety strangled my thoughts.
Why did she care about me… when I barely knew her?
Why?
Why?
Manori stepped beside me, smiling softly. She took a deep breath.
"Come on, Adam. You're not like that. The person who saved me would never give up. Even when there was nothing. Even when he was powerless."
I stood, dark circles heavy beneath my eyes.
"YOU DON'T KNOW ME!" I snapped. "I'm weak. Selfish. Stupid. I hurt people no matter what I do!"
Minori shook his head.
"That's not how we see you. You saved lives. And saving even one life matters."
Manori didn't fully understand—but she nodded anyway and patted my shoulder. Tears fell from my hands.
"I know you'll do great things," she said gently. "You're special. Kind. Unique. Don't give up."
I finally met her eyes.
They were empty—yet filled with pure adoration and comfort.
Minori turned away.
"A dream is just a dream," he said quietly. "Something we create for to hope of wonder and imagination, even knowing it isn't real. Doesnt do anything And eventually… it fades."
Then—
Power surged through me.
My eyes turned white as my body dissolved into something ethereal.
"Dream."
Energy pulsed violently. My desire screamed—to bring everyone back, to keep them safe forever.
Selfish, wasn't it?
The entire scape levitated.
"Stay by my side—come with m—"
The world cracked.
A portal tore open.
Blinding white light exploded outward.
From it stepped a girl with yellow hair, wearing a blue luminescent suit that was striped around her clothes with being a sharpened jacket of fiber. Drones and machines followed her—sleek, futuristic...
Analyzing everything...
I stared, frozen.
"…How is this possible?"