"Nothing," Julia lied quickly. "Just… a headache."
She forced a smile, trying to shake the unease.
Alex frowned with concern, then brightened as Julia suggested, "Let's hit a bar. A few shots will kill this migraine."
"Ha! Spoken like someone who finally learned how to live." Alex grinned, nudging her shoulder.
As they walked toward the neon-lit street, she added teasingly, "By the way… you haven't read a single chapter today. Can you believe that? You! The one who binges web novels like oxygen."
Julia chuckled despite her throbbing head. "Sometimes I need to stop , to really know what reality looks like."
Alex gasped in mock horror. "Excuse you, I know you better, for you books are better than reality. If you could transmigrate into one of those worlds, you'll disappear leave this boring one in a heartbeat."
Julia's smile lingered, but the words cut deeper than she expected. Her headache spiked as if something within her was listening. The murmurs stirred again, stronger this time, like a chorus answering Alex's wish.
Julia pressed her fingers against her temple, her vision blurring for a split second.
"…Maybe," she whispered, almost to herself, "you shouldn't say that too loudly."
She said to Alex again " Let's go to a bar, You told me you know about a good one in this area."
Alex nodded " Yes, I had come here, three weeks ago."
It did not take long for them to find the renowned bar in the area.
The bar's neon lights washed everything in red and violet. Music pulsed through the walls like a second heartbeat, and laughter clung to the smoky air. Julia went and quickly sat slouched against the counter. She ordered five shots directly in one go, and the people sitting nearby cheered when she did that.
Amongst the cheering, loud music and smoke, Julia had downed the five shots in quick succession. Now, her cheeks were flushed , due to the effect of alcohol.
The world felt loose, as if the edges of things had softened.
Beside her, Alex was already chatting up a tall man with tousled dark hair who introduced himself as Sam. He had a cocky grin and eyes that gleamed mischievously in the dim light.
"Looks like the universe wants us to party together," he said, sliding another drink toward Alex.
Julia gave a lazy smile, watching them, but her thoughts swam. As the alcohol settled into her blood, the faint murmurs she'd been hearing all day grew louder. Not murmurs this time—words.
Clear, resounding, heavy they were actually prayers.
"The Almighty, Angel Goddess—"
Julia stiffened, as if she recalled something. Her gaze flicked from Alex to Sam, but neither seemed to hear it. She pressed her palm against her temple, heart thudding.
She turned to Alex, her voice soft but steady, "It was a wonderful day, Alex."
But the voices didn't stop. They surged in the back of her mind like a tide breaking a dam.
"The one who has gazed upon this place from beyond."
Alex frowned at her, then looked at Sam uncertainly. "Julia, you've been phasing out the whole night. And now you're drunk." Her tone softened, "How about Sam and I drop you home before we… go out?"
But Julia barely heard her. The words were now, echoing inside her
"The ruler above chaos and the wanderer of the endless void."
She blinked, the world around her flickering like a glitch in a screen. The smoky bar, the chatter, the music, all seemed stretched thin, like paper ready to tear.
Julia shook her head slowly, strands of hair falling into her face. "There's no need for that, Alex."
Her reflection in the bar mirror caught her eye. Except it wasn't her anymore. Black hair shimmered and drained into flowing strands of molten gold. Her irises shifted, dark brown bleeding into an unnatural, glowing purple.
Reality shuddered. Cracks split across the floor, racing up the walls, splitting tables and barstools, yet no one screamed. Instead, everything around her began fracturing into shards of light, like glass breaking in silence.
The prayers roared, final and undeniable.
"The one who masters dreams and memories."
Julia straightened, her lips curling into a smile. She raised her hands and brought them together in a single, resounding clap.
*Clap*
Her voice rang with command, layered with power not of this false world:
"This dream ends now."
The entire bar—Alex, Sam, the neon lights, the air itself—splintered into countless glowing bubbles, rising and drifting into nothingness. Each bubble contained fragments of the day: Alex's laughter, the bowling strikes, Sam's grin, even the taste of caramel latte. They popped one by one, dissolving into shimmering dust.
(Author Note : A harpy is needed because it can snap people awake from their dreams, so the entire ritual's essence is to be immersed in a dream and be unwilling to wake up from it. The Harpy can be replaced by something equivalent, for example Audrey used The Fool's Angel's Embrace to remain lucid in the dream instead. In the case of our protagonist the prayers from everyone in the Angel Corps woke her up from the dream)