What an amazing world! Or that is what I would like to say if I wasn’t to appear in a generic forest that I’m already used to on Earth. Where the hell is all the magic??

—?

Ah, I just notice a flying whale in the sky. Yep, this counts for now.

I actually ended up having some difficulty falling asleep, but somehow managed to do it and—Here I am!

Turns out my checkpoint place was in a forest near the combined tower. Sure, I could see it from here, but it was still about a few feet away.

This “Dream World” or Aether, as Murakami says, is very different from what I imagined. I thought it would be a chaotic universe like the hypnosis she did to me earlier, where nothing made sense, but it turned out to be that typical medieval magical world I'm already used to reading around.

Ah, just thinking about it, I look like those protagonists from an isekai manga. Of course, this is wonderful, and it amazes me how accurate the mangakas were in their work. Did they happen to stop by here before? This would make a lot of sense! It would be a mistake on my part to think that only me and Murakami have access to this bizarre place!

I'm still not familiar with the terms of this world, but it seems that there are dreamians, soul-linkeds, and moonstrucks. Loveta, for example, seems to be a soul-linked, some sort of evil race from what the little that Murakami has told me. But um, weird... I don't think Loveta has this kind of profile. Are they that bad?

Phew, speaking of her, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't like to see her at least one more time. After all, she's one of the coolest characters I've ever seen in anime.

Oh, looks like I've arrived! There are three creatures here, and among them, only one is human. They must be those imperial ones Murakami mentioned earlier.

Uh... Why is everyone looking at me like that?

An armored lizard approaches me. He had a cannon in his back.

“So you are the dreamian from before?? Tssssss! What a disappointment! To think the Silver Princess would trade the Empire for someone like you, tststststs. I bet you don’t even fly!

Silver Princess...? Murakami?! And what is this thing about flying?!

Tch, I need to put that aside for now and ask where she is.

“Have you seen this... Princess around here?”

As soon as I ask that question, the only human besides me speaks up. He was sitting, leaning against a rock. He was very pale and had a giant scythe at his side.

What a scary guy! Scarier than the lizard and the werewolf next to him!

“She hasn't… arrived yet… but…, um…, would you mind if I asked you a… question?”

This guy talked just like a living dead! And, isn't he already asking?

“...What is it?”

“Since when... have you known the... Princess?”

Since when? Um, this question is a little suspicious. I don't know how long Murakami has been here, nor if they know we're from Earth. If I said something like six months, which is the truth, I might arouse suspicion. Murakami warned me not to do anything stupid, so I better be careful now... That werewolf is focused on what I'm about to say.

“Oh, I met her yesterday.”

This is by far the best answer I could give, simply because it seems obvious in their eyes.

“Tststststs, something wrong is not right. The Princess wouldn’t leave the Empire for a mere dreamian she just met yesterday, tsssssssss!”

“Graurrrrrrrr! I was already smelling something strange in this meat! He smells just like an unpurified soul!”

“A soul-linked then? Tsssshhhhhh!”

Damn it! I knew this question was some kind of ambush! Murakami! where are you?!

My body starts to feel heavy just like the last time. If it continued like this, I wouldn't be able to escape at all!

“Be calm... all of you… Regardless of what he... is... we have to keep... our word with... the Princess.”

Thank you very much, zombie! I was saved!

“At least… for today… since after that… she won't be… a part of… the Empire anymore.”

For today?! Does that mean we'll become enemies after that?! I don't really want to face these insane creatures!

The werewolf approaches me with his mouth full of drool and shows his sharp teeth.

“Grrrrrr! If I take a splinter, he would still be alive! I don't think it would be a problem, right? Right?!”

Oh shit... I don't like where this is going…!

ZOOOM!

At the same moment, a katana appears between the two of us, causing the werewolf to jump back.

That katana! It could only be—

“Murakami!”

“Sorry for the delay, I was solving some appointments.” She stares coldly at the werewolf.

“May I know the meaning of this, Ardolf?! I thought I was pretty clear!”

“P-Princess... Grrrr...”

The werewolf wouldn't stop shaking after her arrival.

Hee, not even in another world someone messes with her.

“I warned… them…” says the relaxed undead.

She stares at him.

“If I hadn't arrived in time, I doubt you, Thanatos, would have done anything!”

“In this matter… you're not… wrong…"

“Grrrrrr, you don't understand P-Princess... He smells like an unpurified soul!”

“You know I left that title yesterday, so don't you call me that anymore. And no, don't be silly, if he were to be a soul-linked, he wouldn't be here right now.”

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“Grrrr...”

“Tststststs, I don't think Ardolf is wrong.” Says the lizard. “My abnormality stone has been pointing out something odd about this dreamian all along, tssssssssss!”

She sighs.

“You know, Gouti, your stone has already been mistaken twice.”

“Tssshhhhh...”

Without losing her composure, Murakami continued.

“Okay, if you really want him, then come. I will not report to the Empire. But I’ll also not guarantee that you three will come out of here alive.” She points her sword to them.

Wow! I wasn’t really expecting this...!

“There's... no... need... we're leaving... but remember Prin—Miss. Murakami... I won't say if... the boy is really a... soul-linked, but you know what happens... to those who break... the law. We are not...few...”.

That said, the zombie man disappears like magic, as both werewolf and lizard burrow into the dense forest.

“Hey... did that zombie disappear out of nowhere?”

“No, he just used his super speed.”

Super speed?! He's gone! I saw absolutely nothing! But how insane...

“Phew, even though I threatened all three, I don't know if I would have taken care of them all at once… Well, let's get going, there's still a lot you need to learn.

Nod.

Funny, even though half a second ago she had acted so imposing, now she looked more like a simple exhausted girl.

* * *

“So that's why I was feeling my body heavy?” I ask as we walk through the forest. It was still daylight.

Murakami had given me a necklace with a blue crystal, which had the symbol of a crown carved into it. It was a replica of what she already wore.

“Yes, without the stability necklace, your physical state is directly linked to your emotional state, and that ends up harming you. For example, if a person in real life feels aimless, has no desires or goals, it is very possible that, if they came to this world, they would lose the sense of space around them. Or if they’re going through some life changes, and are really worried, if they came here, their teeth would start to fall out."

Urgh! How horrible!

“But then, if I understood correctly, the reason my body got that heavy…”

“It was because you were scared.” Complements her.

Tch! What a noob thing...

“But despite that, there is a bright side to this story.” She continues, with her good and composed tone. “To some extent, this instability protects you. In the case of fear, if you are about to die here, it would cause you to awaken in real life, and therefore you would be safe.”

“Ah! So that's why you attacked me the first time?”

The second time, during hypnosis, I know it was just to check whether I was lying or not. But the first time, was it to save me? She actually has a good heart after all!

“No…Yesterday I was just following orders. I didn't suspect you would be a human. I only stopped my attack because that soul-linked one screamed your name, and then I associated your appearance…” Murakami thinks. “I'm glad she did it, otherwise you'd be dead by now.”

“Huh? What do you mean by dead? Dead in the Aether you say, right...?

She shakes her head.

“No, you would be dead on both Aether and Earth.”

What......?!

Murakami stops walking and looks directly into my eyes.

“Look, this is very serious! What is here, in reality, is nothing less than our materialized souls. If your soul dies, your body, on Earth, enters a vegetative state, which is almost synonymous with death. So it is good to be aware from now on, even more after you have acquired the necklace of stability, which only allows you to awaken through some external stimulus, coming from your own body on Earth. Of course, it's your choice to wear the necklace or not, but I can tell you that using it is the best option.”

So that's what this is about... right? Phew, I actually understand the situation. Basically, I'm stuck in this world every single night from now on until my alarm clock goes off in real life.

And just like she said, wearing the necklace is indeed the best option. Not only because it would prevent me from waking up every night, but it wouldn't let me go through all that craziness of having my teeth fall out or lose the notion of space.

There's only one problem with that...

“So that means I'm going to be in danger every night from now on, right...?”

Oh shit.

“Don't worry, as long as you're in a safe city, without the presence of soul-linkeds, you won't have any major problems. We should get there soon, by the way.” She resumes her walk, and I follow her thoughtfully.

“Hum, and what are these soul-linked ones you always talk about? That lizard thought I was one, and you're always treating them like some kind of enemy...”

That was one of the first things I heard when I first came into this world. And on the second, that lizard man also called me by that term. Looks like they're well known around here.

“Hum, let's see, I think it would be easier to explain what dreamians are first, since soul-linkeds would be more of a sub-category... For a start, dreamian is the name given to any creature that lives here. Of course, this excludes us, since we humans are actually its creators.

“Wait, what? Their creators??”

Murakami confirms.

“We not only created all the dreamians that exist here but also all the things that make up this world.”

Wow! I didn’t really expect this!

“Have you ever heard of the term Hatsuyume?”

“Ah, the dream you always have on the first day of the year, and that might indicate your luck in the future?”

“Yes, in reality, the truth behind this is much greater than you might think. It is always on the first day of the year that Aether, the sky god, feeds on our imagination. In exchange for this meal, he allows those he chooses to feed on to have some prediction of their luck.

What?! So Aether is a god!? And we are inside it!? But what a weird thing!

“When our imagination feeds Aether with some living creature we dream of, and that creature presents no harm to the world, it comes to inhabit that god. To this being is given the name dreamian. If the creature shows any signs of threat, it simply transforms itself into vital energy for him.”

“Of course, it makes sense, Aether wouldn't put something inside that has the potential to kill him. But then, following this logic, a soul-linked is an abnormal creature that Aether couldn't eliminate for some reason, which makes them a threat to both the world and other dreamians, right?”

Hmph, that was too easy!

Murakami shakes her head, instantly destroying my brief excitement.

“I figured you would think something like that. But no, you are wrong. When a dreamian is born, it is automatically a soul-linked, that is, a being whose soul is linked with that of its creator. Only in the process of purification do they leave that title, losing their connection with them.”

“Huh…? So why are they seen as some kind of threat by you? It doesn't seem critical that they have this connection with their creators...”

Murakami sighs.

“I wish it were that simple... The reason why we see them like that is because some soul-linkeds have a too strong desire to see their creators to the point that they would be able to destroy this whole world to create a connection with Earth. And of course, considering the powers they have, it would be certain for them to bring chaos to our world. No wonder they are often called terrorists. The name given to the group of soul-linked who have this kind of ambition is moonstrucks. Murakami frowns. “They are by far the greatest threat to both Earth and Aether. The worst possible type of creature in existence...!” She spoke with hatred and disgust. It was clear her grudge towards them.

“…That's why the Empire has the mission to hunt down soul-linkeds; do the soul cleansing, and prevent them from becoming moonstrucks. When the purification is accomplished, the soul-linkeds lose the attachment and the memories they have of their creators, gaining their own fraction of life here on the Aether, and becoming independent of their existence to stay alive.”

“...But do you really believe that all soul-linkeds are like that? Isn’t it possible that some of them are just like ordinary dreamians, who just want to live in peace here on Aether, but without forgetting the face of those who created them?”

The reason why I'm asking this to Murakami is because of Loveta. Seriously, I can't see her as some kind of terrorist.

Even though I only spent that brief period of time with her, I can safely say that she is peaceful. In reality, she is a being just as I had imagined her; a caring person, who cares for those who are dear to her, and who would in no way harm any innocent life. That would only fight those she would think to be on the wrong side of history. Hm?

Upon hearing my question, Murakami calms down a bit.

“No, absolutely not… And that was one of the reasons I left the Empire. I don't think it's fair to treat them all the same.”

Good, so she thinks so too—

—!?

“Watch out!!”

KABOOM!

As soon as I alert her, Murakami quickly dodges the onslaught of currents coming her way.

“Master!! Hurry! Get away from her!”

“Huh?? Loveta!?”

She desperately runs towards me, only to be interrupted by the quick appearance of Murakami, who then points her sword at the enemy, causing her to create distance.

“Don't touch him!” Says, enraged.

“Wait Murakami! She is a good one!”

“Ryouzen, I understand that you are her creator, but she had the last summoning crystal. She's no ordinary soul-linked, she's a moonstruck!”

What...? Loveta is a moonstruck!?

“Tch!”