“He’s awake! Shen beat Sandman!” relays Calypso as Leviathan draws closer. His forehead is bleeding as if he had been cut by something.
Frustrated, Schmidt plunges right into its depths, allowing himself to be swallowed whole. The only thing to be seen far out in the distance are blades poking out every once in a while as Leviathan writhers about in agony. Even its attempts to incinerate Schmidt are entirely worthless as its fireball can only form so far up its tract. Letting a fireball explode within it would just do more damage than necessary.
Meanwhile, Shen is awakening to the beauty he has just created—Hibiscus, pink delight, camelia, orchid, forget-me-not… and spider lilies. Clusters of pink tourmaline shield them from the battle ahead as he’s struggling to move his body. He’s utterly exhausted and can’t get off his feet either. Calypso returns, staring at the gems that had sprung into existence and struck him. Nikolay is still passed out, recovering from his battle as Leviathan is diced to bits by Schmidt.
“Are you okay?” Calypso asks Shen.
Shen shakes his head as he once again falls asleep.
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A day has passed since their battle, and the Dream Catchers have scattered, returning to their day-to-day lives. Though they don’t know each other, they’ve gone on to share their ambitions with Shen and Nikolay. Mirage had a rather boorish childhood of arbitrary rules and restrictions, which led her to pursue something as unruly and unpredictable as magic. Calypso simply wanted others to love him and is now trying to figure out how to be loved without enchanting them, going against the contract he had formed with a Z. Bell is neglected quite often and wishes for her imagination to accompany her. Schmidt wished to forge a brighter future for all unfortunate children thrust into these positions of burden and responsibility.
“Is there anything you want to do?”
Schmidt had left Shen with a pressing question he ought to answer instead of being dragged along by Nikolay. Shen knows he wants to go on a grand journey but has yet to figure out what that journey may entail and why he should go on one. Out of kindness, most of the Dream Catchers he had encountered so far are offering some of their time to him.
His first destination takes him to Bell, a girl as young as ten years old who had just started fifth grade. With Nikolay’s shapeshifting ability, they can make it into her school’s Christmas event. The cramped gymnasium leaves no room for cold hearts and sad thoughts as they are instantly snuffed out by hearty laughs, bright smiles, and the collective warmth of love. Punch and cake are spread far and wide, waiting to be devoured by the attendees. But first and foremost, a little performance by Bell and her kid’s choir.
The moment her eyes are set on the disguised Nikolay and Shen, she beams with joy and newfound pride. Her voice echoes and resonates along with the hymns of the other children yet they are so much louder to her two special attendees. Though short-lived, it was an eternity of awe to Shen. He cannot explain what kind of awe he felt, yet he knows that he wants to feel more of it. After her performance follow several songs by the choir made up of older children and one final song sung in unity with all children and a bit of assistance from the audience.
“Wasn’t I amazing??” she asks, expecting high praise and more.
“Of course you were! You were the star of the show!” Shen answers as he hoists her into the air.
Though she’s ten years old, he can’t help but adore her small frame and offer her all she wants for today. After a short night worth remembering, they part ways. Shen knows by now that Bell doesn’t have much of a support system. He can tell that the people who were supposed to be there for her tonight were her uncaring parents. Shen himself can only remember one of these Christmas parties primarily because of a great short-lived friendship that ended when his friend transferred schools without warning.
“I wonder what he’s up to now? Dead in a ditch because of his shenanigans?” he snickers to himself.
Nikolay can only stand by and watch, admiring Shen in secret.
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Their next appointment took them to the ice rink. Shen was invited by Calypso to drop by and just hang out. Several attempts at breaching the barriers between them were met with one-word answers and short quips typical of a moody teenager. The moment they hit the ice, Calypso runs off to approach another boy his age, almost falling flat on his face.
“Ahaha! How come your face isn’t flat yet? Is it all the crayons you shoved up your nose as a kid?”
The boy immediately, but playfully, starts off with a joke. Yet, not even a minute later, he slips and drags Calypso to his demise. Their laughter, though stifled, can be heard by anyone a dozen meters away.
While they have their share of fun, with a few more characters joining their entourage, Nikolay attempts to learn how to skate. It remains a wonder how someone like him can grasp flight and then go on to struggle on land. Shen, though not a frequent visitor of the ice rink, is quite used to keeping his balance. Picking up how to skate isn’t all that hard when you’ve done it before. Before long, Nikolay was already back on a bench, taking off his skates. Not only did he not put them on right, but he also kept twisting his ankles whenever he fell. A superhuman of his kind taking a breather…
“Are you okay?” Calypso asks as he draws closer.
“I would be if not for you…” Nikolay whimpers.
“You only asked to come. I never said I’d entertain you,” he utters as he skates off once again.
“He was such a nice kid when we were fighting together. Just what happened?” Shen bemoans as he keeps on watching Calypso.
Back when he was Calypso’s age, just five years prior, he would have loved to be embraced by so many people. It seems as if there’s even romantic tension between Calypso and a friend. That kind of love still starts witchhunts among classmates, but it seems his friends and even his potential lover are rather unbothered. He can observe a few gags and jokes aimed at Calypso’s relationship, but they’re all in good fun and something Shen wishes for even now. The fact that Calypso is achieving what once was his only dream without even having to charm them is incredible. He’ll look back to this moment with fondness.
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Mirage, however, spends her days hunting demons and gathering Devil Seeds, along with other dubious opportunities to amass funds, which will eventually help her learn how to use more spells. How one can dedicate their life to endless research as Mirage does is perplexing. But he can see that ambitious spirit in Nikolay, yet with a darker twist to it.
Mirage’s domain is just as vast as Nikolay’s, yet it contains more objects of research than Nikolay’s. They start their journey in her main hall. It is clearly inspired by some sort of ancient land long forgotten by history. The wall paintings and decorations are clashing with each other. A quipu, an ancient recording device, is located to their right as if Mirage herself had snatched it right out of the hands of ancient Andeans is to the east. Woodcarvings of the Tlingit are to the north. Strangely, dated Ainu knives made of some sort of metal are to the west. The skull and its various decorations are located to the south. Mirage cannot properly discern their origin but believes them to be from New Guinea.
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This rotunda of various collectibles is as round as it is tall. Its six entrances add an ominous aura to the building. The Tlingit woodcarvings possess a golden door leading to who knows where, while the skull leads into her collection of Devil Seeds. To the right of the knives is a red door opposite to a green door, while to their left is a blue door opposing a purple door.
“You’ve been doing research on demons, right? Don’t worry. I won’t spoil you, but I’ll invite you to my collective,” Mirage claims.
As they open the humongous black door, Shen can’t help but shudder. Nikolay seems to thrive off of the darkness he can feel overflowing along that corridor. They step onto a moving walkway and begin traveling along the display of Devil Seeds, all of which are contained in golden cubes. Shen wonders whether or not they were provided by Evergreen.
“Devil Seeds mostly lie dormant till they are exposed to sufficient amounts of dark magic,” Mirage states. “However, they can be rather volatile before they hatch, unleashing the demon within. If you deprive them of dark magic for too long, they’ll burst, leaving behind just a few meaningless shards.”
“Dark magic? I’ve read up on that on my Vambrance. Does each door represent an element?” Shen asks himself.
“Have you done your research on the fundamental elements? I’m sure it’s a lot to take in when you’ve just started exploring the world of magic.”
Nikolay grunts. “I’ve been doing this for two years now. Six of them with one undefined, right?”
He’s boasting as if he had so much more to tell Mirage than she does to them.
“Six of them? You got that off of your Vambrance, right?” Mirage asks as if she has just discovered a grand clue. “Mine doesn’t possess any information on a sixth element. So, let me thank you with a demon of your choosing. Both you and Shen…”
Her eyes are that of a snake. Any time she initiates eye contact, Shen’s faced with a gluttonous void devouring any clues it’s given. With her collection of nearly 500 demons, Shen can only pray for the best when making his choice. Meanwhile, Nikolay is carefully examining each one of them. His face is as lovely as ever yet its presence is overshadowed by Mirage’s gaze. After careful consideration, he finally makes his choice, while Shen had made his ages ago.
“I thought I was the only one capable of seeing their classifications,” she claims. “Is that how you’re weighing your options?”
“You can see them too??” he says excitedly.
“No, but thank you for telling me something so invaluable. I initially only cared for Shen’s presence, but yours is growing more intriguing every second. Mind if I study you for a dozen Devil Seeds of my choosing?”
“Just back off and let us leave!” Nikolay responds.
Regrettably, due to Nikolay’s unease and time constraints, they have to move on to their next venture.
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Smoker takes them to their second to last spot the same day they ventured into Mirage’s domain. Their secret adventure leads them up the Berlin TV tower. For some reason, it doesn’t light up like Shen is used to. Though the facilities on the inside are rather spooky under these circumstances, there’s some kind of beauty to it Smoker likely is aware of. Its beauty would shine far brighter if there weren’t a few McDonald’s just scattered around the area along with their chain-smoker gassing up their tour.
“We’re going all the way to the top? At this hour?” Shen asks. Yet he’s met with no answer.
“Don’t worry. He’s always such a weirdo,” Nikolay adds.
“Fuck you,” he replies to Nikolay.
They continue their ascent past the restaurant and bar with the elevator. Somehow, they even switch past the observation deck onto an entirely different space. The moment their elevator comes to a halt, it shatters, leaving only the floor behind. They’re taken by surprise as they find themselves in a dark room lit up by just one holographic copy of Earth.
“676th Enforcer of the O.GER.,” he shouts at the sphere as his vambrance becomes visible. It’s entirely different from Nikolay’s and Shen’s and likely has more access to certain functions. Mirage seems to indicate so.
It responds by highlighting Germany granting access to information on all kinds of Dream Catchers. They’re met with awe as the sphere zooms into Bavaria, highlighting just one Dream Catcher. She goes by Railgun, yet several aliases are assigned to her. Most notable are ‘Cursed Child’ and ‘Tool’.
“Anyone bearing a Vambrance or a Gauntlet has a record. If I ever wanted to find out where you are or what you may even be up to, I could do it right away. That’s what you agreed to by getting involved,” Smoker says.
“But you…?” Nikolay asks before being cut off.
“I don’t have to. Plebian Dream Catchers get plebians with potential involved in signing contracts with Zs. Councils pass regulations as long as they align with the Overseer’s vision. Then, Plebian Dream Catchers live their lives according to these rules. You are no exception to them.”
There’s a clear hierarchical structure among Dream Catchers, yet something seems amiss. The moment Smoker fixates on ‘Tool,’ a few key points are presented to them. According to this network, she’s just a convenient scare tactic no one should associate with. Her purpose was to have blame assigned to her for things that were out of her control. That blame would steer people away from acknowledging the actual failures of those responsible with the expectation that Dream Catchers would eventually kill her. Strangely enough, she has survived that hostility and is now climbing the ranks while still remaining an object of hate. Railgun is a convenient way to funnel away attention from the actual perpetrators.
“You could become just like her if you fall out of favor with me or many other Dream Catchers with authority. You should be more aware of your actions! Don’t make me lecture you again! And you, Sunny, ought to consider your place. I will not hand out any more favors to a disappointment of your kind!”
As soon as he is done grandstanding and lecturing these two, a bright flash blinds them as they are teleported home. Nikolay is speechless as Shen is trying to figure out what exactly spurred this reaction.
“Why? Did I do something wrong, Shen? Am I doing too much?” Nikolay asks as if he had just been disowned.
“He’s telling us to be careful. He only ever talks like that when he presents himself as Smoker the Dream Catcher,” Shen claims, even if a little uncertain. “He can’t offer us any more favors since we’re officially involved. Meeting all these other Dream Catchers was probably the last thing he could do for us?”
“Indeed!” A Z has presented itself simply, making itself comfortable on top of their couch.
Nikolay bites his tongue and spits out blood spikes, stopping right before the Z.
“Don’t worry. Us Zs operate independently. We only grant contracts to potential Dream Catchers!”
He retracts his spikes and waits for its next action, switching from sadness to hostility.
“He told us to relay a little message. He wishes you well but cannot aid you any longer. Regrettably, he has to cut ties to protect you. If you wish to talk to him again, only do so on official business. Otherwise, you jeopardize your safety and your future as a researcher. For now, you’ll have to spend your time apart.”
“For now?” Nikolay asks.
“‘Some day, our paths will converge again. I await that day with impatience and would love to tell you more about myself when the opportunity arises. Take care, Sunny from your chain-smoker Ruben,’ was all he had to say.”
Since their paths aren’t entirely severed with a few threads connecting them, there’s hope. Still, Nikolay can’t help but break down the moment the Z departs without ever stating what it gets out of delivering Smoker’s message. Shen has yet to find his purpose in accompanying Nikolay. Yet, that night he slept over at Nikolay to comfort his little mischievous devil he is awoken by a voice.
“I could possibly have an answer.”