"It doesn't look like anyone's been here..."
"Stelle... she should be alright, right?"
In the lobby of the Reverie Hotel - Dream, Firefly's face was etched with worry.
Though Stelle, as the protagonist of the Script, shouldn't be in any real danger, Firefly couldn't shake her anxiety for her.
"I still need to try harder," Firefly murmured, "to see if I can break free from the Script's constraints."
For Stelle's sake, Firefly was willing to attempt the impossible.
Tap... tap... tap...
Just as Firefly was mentally strategizing, three sets of footsteps echoed behind her.
Hearing the sound, Firefly paused her thoughts and turned. She saw the Memokeeper, the Galaxy Ranger, and Stelle, her face etched with worry but her eyes lighting up with a hint of joy at seeing Firefly.
Immediately, Firefly's anxious expression melted into a radiant smile.
But the next moment, her gaze shifted to the Memokeeper and Ranger beside Stelle, her eyes flickering with an unreadable light.
These two... they're dangerous. I can't let Stelle get too close to them.
Firefly's fingers twitched restlessly, as if scheming some hidden plan.
Now wasn't the time to dwell on such thoughts. As Stelle sprinted toward her, Firefly buried her negative emotions toward the Memokeeper and the Galaxy Ranger, summoning her most radiant smile as she raced to meet Stelle.
"Hmm?"
Just as Firefly thought she was about to embrace Stelle, a chilling aura of danger and death suddenly filled the Memory Zone.
!
In the next instant, the memetic monster they had encountered earlier materialized from the Memory Zone high above, as if it had locked onto its target. Ignoring the Galaxy Ranger, the Memokeeper, and even Stelle, it lunged straight at Firefly.
Caught off guard, Firefly felt a profound sense of relief.
Given how close the Memory Zone Meme "Something Unto Death" had been to Stelle just moments ago, she would have had almost no time to react. If Stelle had been its target, the situation would have been dire.
Well... it's not much better if it's targeting me instead.
Just as Firefly had feared, in the blink of an eye, the Memory Zone Meme "Something Unto Death" seized her body and flung her high into the air.
She instinctively reached for the SAM Transformation Device, but seeing Stelle below, she abandoned the idea.
I can't activate SAM. Not in front of Stelle. Not now...
So Firefly gave up struggling, forced to watch helplessly as the Blade of Death drew closer to her.
Thwack!
The next moment, the Blade of Death pierced Firefly's body. A sharp, bayonet-like object erupted from her abdomen, creating a terrifying "hunt" in the eyes of Acheron, Black Swan, and Stelle.
Time seemed to freeze. Acheron, Black Swan, and Stelle stood rooted to the spot, frozen in shock.
Only Lumina, hidden in the void, silently observed the scene unfolding.
"Hmm... why does Sleepie's mood seem so... excited? Even elated? Like a subordinate who's just eaten a piece of their boss's pie-in-the-sky promises?"
Lumina stroked her chin, pondering Sleepie's uncharacteristically exuberant demeanor.
"Ah, well, whatever. It's not my business anyway."
"Let's just chalk it up to Sleepie's periodic bouts of madness."
After all, she was merely a Little Droplet—a tiny ripple on the otherwise still waters of existence, unworthy of Lumina's deeper scrutiny.
"I'm sorr—"
Thwack!
Thwack!
Thwack!
Firefly felt overwhelming guilt for deceiving Stelle and for "dying" before her eyes. Tears welled up in her eyes.
But just as she opened her mouth to apologize to Stelle, the Memory Zone Meme "Something Unto Death" seemed to launch a follow-up attack, stabbing her three times in quick succession. The strikes left her unable to speak, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
Hmm... It's not pain I'm feeling, Firefly realized. These tears are falling without my control.
Ugh... How strange. Despite feeling no pain whatsoever, why do these tears look like they're caused by agony?
Feeling the tears sliding down her cheeks, Firefly's mind filled with confusion.
"Huh?"
The next moment, Firefly's peripheral vision caught a faint green glow hidden within the Blade of Death.
Seeing this, Firefly first felt a flicker of confusion, then a sudden realization dawned on her. She finally understood why she hadn't felt a single pang of pain as the Blade repeatedly pierced her body.
"Thank you."
Though she didn't know why the woman named Lumina had helped her, Firefly had no time for further contemplation beyond a silent expression of gratitude.
Splat!
Hiss...
As if feeling her performance wasn't brutal enough, Sleepie delivered another slash to Firefly before flinging her blade, sending Firefly's mangled body hurtling through the air.
"Firefly!"
Stelle's heart clenched. Snapping back to her senses, she rushed forward, arms outstretched, desperate to catch Firefly in her embrace.
Smash!
But before Stelle's hands could touch Firefly's ravaged body, an unknown light enveloped the girl. Just a meter from Stelle's outstretched arms, the light exploded, dissolving into a puddle of water—a chilling reminder that a girl had once stood here.
"Has Sleepie gone mad?" Lumina frowned in the void, watching Sleepie relentlessly slash Firefly. Even though the protective light shielded Firefly from pain, Lumina couldn't help but grimace at the brutality.
How could you bring yourself to hurt such a cute and endearing girl? And so brutally! Five consecutive stabs—is that even humanly possible?!
Wait... I guess Sleepie isn't human either.
Never mind. Lumina will settle this score with Sleepie later. For now, let's just let it off the hook.
Lumina shook her head, dismissing the thought.
Having witnessed Sleepie's methods, Lumina now understood how to reach Dreamscape Reef. While there was still a slim chance of shattering Penacony's Dream, the probability was so minuscule as to be negligible.
Locking onto Firefly's location, Lumina tore through the void once more and stepped through.