Velvet refused to meet Udulluay’s gaze after saying that, fidgeting with her fingers instead.

“It could be something else, right? Like, why would He show up in a dream…”

“You tell Udulluay. Udulluay has no authority over actions made on lucid dreams.”

Why do I feel like he is mocking me?

“Ah, I messed up… But I’m starting to get used to messing up.” She sighed deeply. “Such is the price of walking the path of self-discovery.”

What was worrying her now, was if that thing would remain in her dream for too long. She couldn’t live without sleeping!

What if I go somewhere, call His name, and run away?

“How much time can someone like Lothrigern stay in one place?” She didn’t bother asking why she could say His name under the concealment spell.

Clearly Their powers were bigger than Udulluay’s.

“Also, I didn’t use the bells when calling for Him, so why would He even appear?”

“The rules for the dream realm differ from the material realm. If you go where Udulluay told you to, your questions will be answered.”

He is really bothered that I didn’t listen to him…

“I promise you that’s the first thing I’ll do tomorrow.”

The owl didn’t say anything else.

“... I'm going to take a walk.” She went to the bathroom to clean herself, before dressing up and leaving the hotel.

Unlike the day, the streets were now mostly empty, save for a few cloaked shadows, and almost completely dark, the only light coming from dim lighted gas lamps.

Velvet took a deep breath of frost air, exhaling a white smoke that curled in front of her until dissipating.

Her steps resonated softly on the stone pavement as she walked with no destination in mind. The stores she passed had their doors closed, and lights turned off.

Step by step, the closed signs changed, until there was none left. She had exited the market.

The thing that was now in front of her was the Mergifari’s entrance.

A metallic stairway that surrounded the cliff towards the lighthouse. Some security chains linked the sides. The whole stairway was rusty brown, but it didn’t even seem close to breaking down.

It was cold to the touch, and wet, since the mist had condensed. Velvet didn’t go up the stairs, it wasn’t time yet, but she touched the start of the railing.

Ding.

A soft tingle sounded behind her, as if a coin had fallen down.

She turned around, but no one was behind her. Looking down, she noticed something shiny on the floor.

It was a small golden bell.

This wasn’t here before.

She didn’t pick it up, walking around it while keeping her eyes upon it.

Ding.

Something small and metallic fell down behind her.

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Velvet flinched, now on full alert. She walked to the side, to keep both bells in her sights.

“Udulluay.” She called the owl, but no one came.

Ding.

Another noise, another bell fell behind her. She started running back to the market, not looking back.

All the shops were open, rows of bells dingling from the doors, the windows and the walls. And yet, it was still empty.

“Hyde?” He was supposed to be in her hat, she was wearing it right now.

“Yes?” Hyde’s voice was like a breath of fresh air.

“Don’t yes me, can’t you see what’s happening?” She hadn’t stopped running, going towards the hotel.

Ding.

A cluster of bells got close to tripping her, scattering between dingling noises when she kicked them.

“Are you scared?”

“Yes! Do you know how to stop this?”

Velvet was almost at the hotel door, where someone was waiting for her. Stopping on her tracks, she looked at the figure dressed in green.

“Of course, but I need you to say your name.”

The figure was smoking from a long, thin pipe, letting out a golden mist from his mouth with each smoke, to the point that it was surrounding him, making Velvet unable to discern his features. His long robe touched the ground, but that didn’t seem to bother him.

Together with the clothes, long green hair slid on the floor.

So beautiful… Velvet got her breath taken away, as if she had been awestruck. Why is someone so beautiful letting himself be touched by the filth?

And like the filth, she also wanted to touch-

“Your name.” Hyde repeated. “You want to get out, don’t you?”

“I…”

Wait, get out?

“Get out?” She repeated, still feeling in awe.

Ding.

This time the noise came from her hat. A thin spider leg, black and blue, with golden star-like specks leaned over her eyes.

“Yes, you want this to end, don’t you? You want to get out.”

Ding.

The body of a spider followed, dangling in front of her. Its eight eyes had been replaced with small golden bells. The bells didn’t fit on the small spider’s eyes, nor on his head, so they were mercilessly nailed with force, to the point the spider’s body was starting to break, a blue liquid falling down on the floor, making a noise different from the bells.

“What is your name?” The spider asked. “Your name.”

She screamed, kicking the spider away, but hitting the void instead.

Velvet woke up gasping, on the bed.

Her body was wet with sweat, a dry, burning sensation on her throat.

“Are you okay?” Hyde asked, seemingly being woken up by Velvet’s struggles.

“No! No I am not!” She kicked the bedsheets away, curling and hugging her legs. “Hyde, what’s my name?”

“Why are you even asking that now? You can’t have forgotten it…”

“Just answer me.”

The spider seemed to think, but Velvet soon heard his voice. “I cannot tell you.” Velvet raised her head to look at her hat, to where Hyde was.

Instead, a dingling noise received her.

A white gloved hand appeared in front of her, grabbing and raising her chin, the golden bells in his wrist making those soft noises. “You’re the one that has to say it.”

He didn’t wait for an answer this time, and blew a puff of golden smoke into her face.

“You did say mine, after all.”

She didn’t manage to see the facial features between the mist, coughing and pushing him away.

But she didn't manage to touch him, and hit the void.

Velvet woke up in her bed, in the hotel. Gasping for air, the taste of smoke still on her mouth.

“Are you okay?” Hyde’s voice in her mind startled her, and she reacted by crawling backwards away from the hat, getting ready to use magic, even when that might piss off Udulluay.

“Velvet?” He repeated, and that word made her relax immensely.

“Say my name again.”

“Velvet. What happened?”

“Yes, that’s my name.” She lowered her hostile pose. “And I wasn’t the one that said it.” Slumping against the bed, she covered her head with the pillow.

Hyde stood in silence for a few seconds, seemingly making connections. “What did you do this time?”

“I messed something up. Again.”