My swarm… cloud? Nimbus?! No, too benign—a writhing, nebulous swarm of Phantasia surged from the city, ravaging everything in its path. Yeah, I like that one a bit more. It reminded me of that third Neo film, the one with the robotic squids invading the underground human enclave. What was the name of that movie again? You know, the one with the Wick guy! I’m sure the title will pop into my head at the most inconvenient moment. Isn’t that always the way?

Oh! Oh! That should be our trademark saying, like ‘This is the way,’ but instead, ours is, ‘Isn’t that always the way?’

Dream? Just… don’t.

Ugh, whatever! I really liked that one.

My personal matrix of nebulous Phantasias relentlessly advanced, resembling sinister sentinels on a deadly mission, tearing through everything in their path. The anguished cries from the city and the Slaethian airship reverberated through the valley, slicing through the roar of the howling mana storm. To me, it was a symphony of terror and nightmares, a grotesque delight that tickled my sadistic fancy.

“Fly my pretties, fly! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” I exclaimed.

Seriously, Dream?

“Yep! I’ll get all of you, my pretties, and your little dogs too! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” My laughter echoed maniacally.

“Okay, I guess I have lost half my mind after all,” I sighed.

“Oh, don’t give me that, Nightmare. You’re just bummed that Phantasia is eating more people and corpses than us.”

“Well, yeah, I’d literally kill to snack on someone’s intestines right now,” I confessed with a firm nod.

—Wait, did we just say all that out loud?

“Hmm... Yep, I’m insane,” I laughed, cartwheeling through the air while hugging myself, reveling in the madness.

It seemed that with the completion of my Nightmare soul’s plan, and Phantasia increasing in quantity from all the corpses it had consumed, my other soul, Dream, was starting to peek through—if you hadn’t already noticed. Ugh, even my narration is oscillating between regally horrifying and utterly insane, hence Dream’s contribution. Honestly! Sometimes, I can’t discern where one subconscious begins and the other ends—seeing as both are me. Anyway, I need to try my best to focus, which is hard to do with two souls, but hey, at least I’m never alone.

Where was I going with this again? Oh right! Phantasia! Phantasia, eVeRYwHeRe!

Imagine being surrounded by an endless floating sea of tiny, acidic, venomous, deceased octopuses, each no larger than a thumb, undulating menacingly around you. Their slimy tentacles latched onto your flesh, dissolving it incrementally in a slow, excruciating feast. A few Phantasias might be easily brushed off, but in such numbers, they became an unstoppable tide of agony.

They clung to victims, burrowing into ears, covering eyes, and slithering into every conceivable orifice. Acidic venom smeared across flesh, blooming into painful blights like sores on ravaged skin. The scene was grotesquely charming, akin to those hypnotic ocean documentaries showcasing endless drifts of jellyfish—only here, the spectacle was of flesh melting from the bones of terrified, screaming adversaries.

Wouldn’t a better analogy be more like a pissed-off beehive than jellyfish—jellyfishes? Fishees? I mean, they’re not floating, they’re swarming.

...Nah-ah, shut up, Dream! Also, ‘jellyfish’ is already plural.

Are you sure?

Quite sure.

Like, how sure? Because it doesn’t sound quite right to me. I think I like ‘jellyfishees’ better.

I hate myself—you, I hate you!

“But we’re the same person! And I love me,” I continued aloud, laughing as I hugged and twirled myself, all the while floating upside down in the air. Aw, life is good!

Mana saturated everything, and within its embrace, I felt invincible. I was a goddess—well… more of a demigoddess, actually a Demigod Pudding, but that’s a tomayto, baby tomahto sort of thing. I’d been tossing around a dragon-wannabe god like a red-headed stepchild. Hence, now you know why I dyed my hair green in my past life. Those childhood dramas aside, I was in utter bliss. It felt like I could consume the entire world—technically, moon, but you get the gist, right?

If not for my undying affection for Aurelia, it might have been my allies writhing in agony, too. Part of me lamented that my nebulous hive of suffering, guided by some dark intuition, could somehow differentiate between friend and foe. Really, would it have hurt to nibble on a friend or two hundred? Surely, they wouldn’t have minded a bite—bit!

My smile widened as I noticed several airships crashing into one another, with several more plummeting down into the city and valley below. My sixth symphony was utter chaos and carnage—wait, no, bad comparison. The term sixth symphony suggests a last and greatest masterpiece before the composer dies; honestly, I’m just starting.

Um… Nightmare, I believe it’s the ninth symphony you’re referring to, not the sixth, because, you know, there is no tenth symphony.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Oh, shit—you’re right! Huh, I’m surprised you corrected me, of all people.

Hey, what do you mean by that?

Oh, nothing.

Where was I going with all of this? Actually, I’m not sure... Where was I? Honestly! And while we’re at it, where am I? I’m floating upside down near the crater I created from impacting the side of the mesa—the one the dragon, or so-called ascended god, smacked me into with his tail. And here come little swarms of PHantasia heading my way.

You see what I did there? PHantasia, because of the acidity? PH? Huh. Huh. Huh!

Dream, just stop while you’re ahead.

Oh, fine.

Now, I had two ideas on what to do with my swarm of Phantasia. Sadly, I could only commit to one of my admittedly idiotic ideas—well, I could have pursued both plans, but neither would be as effective if I had to split the hive. It was an all-or-nothing sort of deal. One idea was to go full kaiju, letting Blake’azzila fight the dragon and kick his scaly ass! The other plan was simpler and required less effort on my part: just let the swarm do its thing. Granted, it was the less exciting of the two, but probably the more practical. That being said, there were two separate problems you should have realized by now…

“Blake’azzila! Blake’azzila! Blake’azzila!” I swirled all around, throwing my arms up, eyes wild with excitement. “Come on, Nightmare, let’s go full kaiju!”

No! Let the nebulous swarm of Phantasia deal with him while we safely hang back and enjoy the show.

I stomped my foot into the air beneath me, pouting. “Lame!”

“And what happens if he ignites our entire body in fire when all of our pudding flesh is merged together?” I retorted, almost chillingly so.

“Fire is no longer a weakness!” I shot back, spinning on the spot, a defiant grin plastered across my face.

Doesn’t mean we’re immune to it. What if he has holy magic and can mix it in with his fire? We’d be holy screwed with all of our mass in one spot for him to set ablaze.

“Lame!” I twirled, dismissing the caution with a wave of my hand.

“I don’t care. We’re sending in the swarm,” I declared, putting my hands on my hips and glaring with a cold, decisive gaze. “He’s less likely to be able to counter a swarm of Phantasia. It’d be like trying to fight off a hive of killer bees.”

“Don’t you mean, jellyfishees?” I giggled, floating from one foot to the other, delighted with my own joke. Tee-hee!

I hate you!

“We’re sending in the hive!” I declared, nodding firmly to myself.

Wait, did you say that last part aloud, or did I?

Does it matter?

…No?

I flicked my wrist sharply toward Zarathos, the dragon’s eyes widening in alarm. As if summoned by an invisible force, the Phantasia swarmed forward. They diverged just before reaching me, their paths weaving an intricate dance of evasion. The swarm hurtled towards Zarathos, a relentless tide of malice and motion. Behind them, my laughter echoed, a haunting soundtrack to the impending chaos.

Zarathos reeled, his massive wings batting furiously, not to take flight but to fend off the relentless assault of black puddings. His tail whipped through the air, stirring dust and debris, while his head thrashed. He scraped at the tiny invaders with a desperate claw, blanketing his scales. Bursts of flame erupted in sporadic defiance but halted abruptly as he dragged his backside across the ground, much like a dog on a carpet. A shudder rippled through me as the stark realization dawned: Phantasia could, and did, invade every single orifice—no exception. This thought tickled a dark corner of my humor, and soon, peals of manic laughter burst from me. My body shook, echoes of my uncontrollable cackles filled the air, my eyes gleaming with wild delight as I reveled in the chaos unleashed.

“Now you know how Aurelia feels!” I called out, unable to contain my glee.

“Dream!” I chided a hint of surprise in my voice.

“What?” The question came innocently enough.

I glanced around, both hands slapping over my mouth. From what I could tell, no one had heard the chaotic thoughts I’d accidentally voiced aloud. Relief washed over me in a cool wave—I couldn’t bear the thought of Aurelia catching those unintended words from my idiotic half.

Not cool.

Oh? Oh! Oh… my bad. Good thing nobody heard me. Seriously! I’d be devastated if she cut us off from her back door.

“Dream? Seriously! You’ve got an unhealthy obsession with her butt,” I hissed, my voice a blend of amusement and exasperation.

Don’t you?

My appreciation is... measured.

“W-What? And mine isn’t?” There was a slight crack in my voice, a hint of genuine surprise.

“Yes,” I concluded firmly, turning away to hide a smirk from myself.

We share the same face, Nightmare… I can feel you smirking.

I don’t know what you’re talking about.

I was on the verge of jabbing myself in the side, chastising myself for being a two-faced, smart-ass bitch—a bit harsh, perhaps, but honesty can sting. Just then, the surrounding mana shifted dramatically, sending ripples through the air like a stone thrown into a tranquil pond. Or, more accurately, it was like an earthquake unleashing chaos amid a hurricane. I grimaced. Analogies were never my strong suit.

As I glanced down, I saw the dragon still cradling his champion protectively, even amidst the onslaught of the Phantasia swarm. Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, a doorway materialized from thin air in a shroud of blinding white light. Squinting, my gaze shifted, tracking the emergence of a new figure stepping through what seemed like the folds of reality itself. Draped in ethereal robes and crowned with a gold diadem that shimmered with a disquieting glow, this figure commanded instant awe. Yet, there was something unsettlingly familiar about his presence.

With a casual flick of his wrist directed towards me, darkness overwhelmed the scene. Instantly, my vision blurred into blackness, and a profound, searing pain engulfed me as if my very essence had been shattered into dust once more.

Nightmare! Nightmare!

I cried out as everything swirled into chaos. I felt a part of my soul vanish suddenly—dread, panic, and pain consumed me. Yet, this horror tethered me to reality; I knew I wasn’t dead, even though something inside me had been severed. Struggling, suffering, I wept as I fought to pull my consciousnesses together, searching within.

D-Dream! I’m here!

Relief should have washed over me, knowing both of my souls were intact, confirming I was still alive, even if perhaps scattered across... well, everything. Yet, confusion clouded this solace as pain continued to blaze through me, obstructing my comprehension. Despite having both Dream and Nightmare within me, I sensed a void where part of my soul had once vibrated with life. Something essential was missing, and I couldn’t explain it...

T-Then, a memory of something my new mother once explained surfaced, igniting a surge of realization and horror that swiftly replaced the pain with deep sorrow and burning rage. Dream and Nightmare had each constituted a separate quarter of my soul, together forming only half of what was truly essential.

Throughout my last life, I had always felt incomplete, an outcast, perpetually drifting from one relationship to another in search of the missing piece. In this next life, I had found what was missing—I had a soulmate. She had been the other half of me—and now… now…

We can’t feel her.