I opened my eyes, still wet with tears.

A breathtaking sight unfolded before me.

I was floating in the air, dozens of feet above the ground, below me a city lit up by countless lights, like stars in a night sky.

The Golden Hour!

I had arrived at my destination.

The Dreamscape of Penacony was divided into twelve areas, or "Moments" as they were called, corresponding to the hours of a clock.

The most popular and famous of these was this one: the Moment of Golden Hour, midnight.

In this dreamlike realm was painted a prosperous city frozen in time, which would never go to sleep and where the merrymaking and partying would never end.

Suddenly I realised I was losing altitude.

Instinctively, I concentrated on activating SAM's propulsion systems, but...

I don't have my armour on!

I was used to flying inside it, but to feel the cold air of this eternal night whip across my face was a sensation I'd never experienced before.

As I was about to hit the ground, I began to slow down and landed gracefully on a circular clearing that seemed to have been put there for that very reason.

But before I could look around, my head suddenly began to spin.

Memoria...

Now that I was out of my mecha suit, the great concentration of that strange substance began to overwhelm me.

But after a few deep breaths, I managed to get used to the strange atmosphere.

There were several people around me, but I didn't seem to have attracted their attention. After all, seeing people fall from the sky was probably commonplace here.

But I decided to get moving anyway.

I knew that Penacony's visitors were given a special pass, which served not only as a guide to the attractions of Dreamscape, but also as a form of identification.

If someone stopped me and asked me to show it, they would know immediately that I was a stowaway.

But where to go?

I looked around.

There was a wide street in front of me, flanked by two rows of tall skyscrapers plastered with illuminated billboards. They were surrounded by what looked like a network of giant tubes, with spheres travelling through them at great speed.

Ah, I read something about this, it was an old prison transport mechanism.

I glanced off into the distance and my eyes fell on an imposing structure floating in the starry sky.

What an incredible sight!

That must have been the Grand Theatre of Penacony, where the Charmony Festival, the most important event in the Land of Dreams, was to be held in a few days' time.

The Family would organise grand celebrations for the occasion, culminating in the performance of the Harmonius Choir.

I want to see it closer...

No, no, Firefly, you're not here to have fun!

It was best to avoid what seemed to be the main street of the town for now.

And going near the theatre was even more out of the question.

Now that the festival is approaching, it will be full of Family guards everywhere.

So I decided to take a side street that seemed to be very busy.

It was perfect, I could blend in with the crowd.

As I passed under a wide stone arch, I began to think about where to start my investigation.

My mission was to find out as much as I could about the Watchmaker's Legacy.

He was a legendary figure, said to be responsible for the creation of the Dreamscape. A figure so legendary that many didn't believe he ever existed.

But if he didn't, then who sent that letter?

A message had reached us Stellaron Hunters.

An invitation to travel to the Land of Dreams and search for his Legacy. And as far as we knew, we were not the only ones summoned.

There was only one clue in the message:

Why does life slumber... I wonder what it could mean?

I had to find an answer and then...

I had to help her unravel the mystery behind Penacony.

Deep in thought, I found myself facing a long flight of stairs.

Oh... maybe I should choose to go another way, since I can't use SAM her-

Suddenly I realised something and looked down at my hands.

I'd been so caught up in the spectacle of the Golden Hour that I hadn't noticed.

I... I feel fine.

To make sure I wasn't having some kind of hallucination, I improvised a jog up the stairs and reached the top without a problem.

This is...

I felt a tear trickle down my face.

Firefly, remember, it's only a dream.

ELS. Entropy Loss Syndrome. That was the name of the disease I was suffering from. It was incurable, probably caused by the way I was born.

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It had no external symptoms, but it made my life hell.

Over the years I had begun to feel a constant slowdown in everything I did. Walking, running, jumping, things that everyone took for granted had become a challenge.

It was as if I was losing touch with reality, moving into a dimension where I was always one step behind others. And I knew that soon I would disappear completely.

Like the insect from which my armour, and then I, took our name, my life was destined to be nothing more than a fleeting moment.

There was only one way to delay this inevitable fate:

SAM

My armour was also my medical bay, inside it the deterioration of my condition was slowed and I was able to move without suffering its effects.

Perhaps it was because I had spent so much time in it that I hadn't noticed that here, in the Dreamscape, my illness didn't seem to affect my body.

Perhaps...

I remembered Elio's words:

"You and the Trailblazer will receive unforgettable gains."

Maybe that was what he meant.

Here, even if it is only a dream, I am free from the shackles that imprison me in reality... perhaps here I can actually make my dream come true.

I had arrived at what appeared to be a shopping district. Numerous luxury cars were on display, surrounded by potential buyers.

Penacony is a popular holiday destination for the rich.

I put my hand in my pocket.

Mmmh, I didn't bring much, but maybe I could take a souvenir... No, what am I thinking again! The mission!

But a deep desire began to creep into my mind.

This was a unique opportunity. Even if it was only a dream, I could finally taste what it was like to live normally in my own body.

At least for a little while...

It would be several days before the Astral Express arrived in Penacony. There wasn't much of a hurry to start investigating.

Besides, it would be useful to know the city.

With a more light-hearted spirit, I began to observe the shop windows. This shopping centre seemed to be very popular, there were so many people that my head started to spin a little. It was a new, almost pleasant feeling.

But everything here is so expensive!

As I looked at the goods on display in a jewellery shop, my eyes twinkling, something nudged my leg.

"Huh?"

I turned around.

In front of me was a billboard with two big eyes drawn on it, politely tapping my leg.

What the hell is this?

I had heard that you could meet anything in this place, but... I guess you could call it intrusive advertising.

I looked at what was written on the animated billboard.

A clothes shop...

I lowered my eyes.

I was wearing my usual black suit. It was all I had, basically the "work" uniform I wore when I wasn't in my armour.

Do I really want to meet Stelle dressed like this?

After all, these clothes were also part of my identity as a Stellaron Hunter, and I had decided that I only wanted her to know me as Firefly this time.

Well, it doesn't cost me anything to take a look....

The billboard led me dangling towards the shop it advertised.

I looked in the window and

...!

My eyes were immediately drawn to one dress in particular. A short, light black coat with gold trim was tied with an orange ribbon over a white dress with detached sleeves that ended in a skirt...

This colour reminds me of SAM's flames... I want it!

But when I put my hand on the doorknob of the shop, I started to hesitate.

But... can someone like me really pull off such a cute outfit? What kind of impression do I want to make on Stelle when I meet her?

Whatever I do... it will be a lie... but... I want to show her the me I want to be.

Ten minutes later, I came out of the shop with a much lighter wallet, but with those beautiful clothes on.

Even if it's just for a little while... this really feels like a new beginning for me.

I kept wandering around that commercial district until I started feeling peckish.

Hmm, how does it work? Can you eat in a dream?

The answer was clearly yes, as I soon found a shop that sold food.

I scanned the menu and found items I had never heard of before.

An Oak Cake Roll? What a strange name!

Driven by curiosity, I decided to order it. What arrived was a slice of cake with an icing that strongly resembled tree bark.

As soon as I took a bite, I realised it wasn't just an impression.

It feels like biting into a piece of wood, but... It's so good!

I ended up ordering another slice.

----------------------------------------

The next two hours were the best I had had in a long time.

Having finished my exploration of the shopping area, I had wandered out onto the main road.

I had admired the scenery beyond the railings that lined it: the endless depths of the golden hour, a metropolis that never goes to sleep.

I had visited the statue of Clockie, Penacony's most popular mascot, and then reached Aiden Park, an amusement park full of attractions.

I finally sat down on a bench, a little tired but very happy.

I... love this place.

I knew it was all fake, but...

Even if this place isn't real... how can I resist it? Here I can really live like a normal girl.

But while my mind was wandering, two people, a man and a woman, approached me.

Oh... I was careless.

"Good evening Miss, we're from the Bloodhound family, we're investigating a possible stowaway, could you show us your Dreamscape Pas- HEY WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"

I ran as fast as I could.

"Mmmh, I need to find a place to hide!"

I ran through Aideen Park, trying to lose myself in the crowd, but the two Bloodhounds were hot on my heels.

Eventually I found myself in a dead end.

Damn... Should I use SAM?

No, not if I could avoid it, I would have caused so much trouble if I had transformed here in the middle of the city and...

Now that I've experienced what it's like to be a normal girl, at least in this dream, I don't want to put on my armour!

My eyes darted around, soon the two who were chasing me would catch up with me. Then I saw it: a half-open manhole.

I would rather not go in, but... there is no other way.

I climbed down a ladder.

I was plunged into darkness, but the narrow place I was in did not seem to be a sewer. I crawled through the dark tunnel until, pushing a grate, I emerged in an impossible place....

Huh? But how?

I was standing on the roof of a skyscraper, so close to the sky that I felt I could touch it.

This place... it's magnificent!

In the distance I saw an even taller skyscraper that seemed to tower over the entire golden hour.

I want to go there!

I began to walk along a strange path. This part of the dreamscape seemed to be under construction. There were stairs that didn't seem to lead anywhere, but from the right perspective they allowed you to walk between the roofs.

After about ten minutes I reached my destination.

As I climbed the stairs that would take me to the very top, I began to hear a melody.

Is this... Robin's voice?

I was familiar with this song: "If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking".

I had listened to it many times because its lyrics resonated with me: it was about a caged person who wanted to break free from their chains to fulfil a dream after a life of hardships.

Just like me...

I had arrived. My gaze lost itself in the immensity of a blue sky, rippled by a shower of comets.

I... don't want to wake up from this dream.