"Welcome to the Dreamscape Sales Store, Nameless of the Astral Express!"
The moment Lynelle walked up to the Dreamscape Sales Store that Sparkle had most likely forged, the giant eyeball sprang to life.
"Here, you can enjoy all sorts of fresh and fascinating dreams, from works produced by Clock Studios to private donations. We've got it all! Judging by the look of you, this must be your first time in Penacony, right? Don't worry. Dr. Edward will give you careful, thoughtful help and guide you toward your very first Dream Bubble, so you can enjoy this unforgettable feast for the eyes and ears."
So far, Lynelle couldn't spot any real difference.
Well, if she had to name one, the way the voice had put just a little more weight on enjoy just now felt suspect. If this was Sparkle, that little gremlin had to be laughing herself sick right now.
Lynelle's eyes shifted. Then, playing along, she asked, "Then... are there any Dream Bubbles that'd suit me? I heard the first one here can be tried for free."
"Of course. I've already chosen the perfect Dream Bubble for you. They say the memories inside... belong to the fallen Akivili! I can assure you, this Dream Bubble is a perfect fit!"
All right. That settled it. This was Sparkle's doing for sure.
Lynelle had just had Stelle buy that Akivili Dream Bubble, so even if this really were a proper Dr. Edward branch store, there was no way it'd still be selling the same one.
Sparkle had even scouted the place first just to set her up, hadn't she?
Lynelle didn't know whether she should feel flattered that a Masked Fool had put this much effort into her or troubled that Sparkle had latched onto her at all.
The corner of her mouth twitched, but her plan didn't change. If Sparkle had laid a trap, then Lynelle would step right into it. Who'd turn out to be the hunter was still up in the air.
After all, ever since she'd gone deep into the uses of mental perception with Aponia, Su, and the others on the Honkai Impact 3rd side, she'd built up more than a few defenses.
Two mental-type signets, a Little Senti trial card she could project at any time, plus her own Discipline and Corruption powers... as long as Sunday didn't force mental interference on her with Embryo of Philosophy, nobody below an Emanator should be able to break through her mental defenses.
Of course, if she was going to act, she had to commit to the bit.
"Really? But I've never used a Dream Bubble before... What do I need to do?"
"That's simple," Dr. Edward said, his voice warm and coaxing. "You only need to fully lower your mental defenses, accept the Dream Bubble of your own will, and let your mind enter its world. Rest assured, this store has operated in Penacony for many years. We've earned an excellent reputation in both privacy and safety. No matter what happens in the dream, nothing will ever be leaked."
"Since this Dream Bubble contains a large amount of compressed data, this store will speed up your perceived time inside the dream. So please relax with your whole body and heart, and simply enjoy the delight this Dream Bubble brings you."
Sparkle wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. This was six hundred and sixty-six layers of Sparkle nonsense.
As Lynelle complained inwardly about how unreliable a certain Masked Fool was, she quietly placed several protective Disciplines on herself.
To be honest, she was curious about what kind of trap Sparkle had prepared for her.
After all, in both appearance and nature, the thing in Lynelle's hand really did look like a sealed Dream Bubble, and it seemed to hold no small amount of information. That meant it couldn't be some empty fake.
"Then... I'm starting, okay?"
Lynelle lifted the strange pink Dream Bubble in her hands and gently pressed it to her forehead.
--+--
"Where am I...? Have I already entered the dream?"
It felt like only a blink had passed before Lynelle woke from her daze. Yet the moment she opened her eyes, she realized something was off.
The odd trembling beneath her, the fact that her arms were restrained, and the triangular wooden frame she'd been set astride all pointed toward one thing: her current situation was strange, awkward, and clearly part of Sparkle's prank.
Before Lynelle could think any further, another burst of bizarre buzzing cut through her thoughts.
"Dear customer..." Just then, the door in front of Lynelle swung open. From what she could see beyond it, this seemed to be some room aboard the Astral Express.
As Lynelle studied her surroundings, the culprit behind this whole mess, the Masked Fool Sparkle, came skipping over to her.
"Well? Are you satisfied with the contents of this Dream Bubble?"
"So it really was you, Sparkle..." Lynelle asked, unsurprised, her face flushed from the strange sensations coming from the prank device around her. "And you're calling this Akivili's dream?"
"Of course. And I'll let you in on a secret, Big Sis Lynelle. Lady Sparkle works part-time as a director, too."
Sparkle gave her a playful wink, then pulled out a remote and nudged it with her thumb. The words Lynelle had been about to say turned into a strange, startled breath.
"As everyone knows, the Aeon of Elation and the Aeon of Trailblaze were once very good friends. Even though Aha blew up the Express, both Akivili and that mascot on the train still seemed to consider THEM a Nameless."
"There are even rumors that when Akivili fell, Aha burst into a chaotic mix of dramatic weeping and maniacal laughter... Ah, what a tragic pair of star-crossed souls."
"N-No, wait..." Lynelle fought back the odd feeling, her voice coming out in broken pieces. "As a Masked Fool, is it really fine for you to make up stuff about your boss like that? And what does any of this have to do with this Dream Bubble?"
"Don't worry. THEY don't mind." Sparkle spread her hands. "And don't be so impatient. When I was on the Xianzhou, I once saw a strange kind of hook literature."
"It seemed to be the work of the History Fictionologists, so I used that hook literature as the base, added in my own personal experience, and compiled this Dream Bubble."
"...?"
Lynelle leaned back on pure instinct.
"You're not about to tell me..."
"Yep." Sparkle's lips curled. "Right now, your role inside the dream is Akivili, and my role is Aha."
"Do you know why Akivili didn't do anything to Aha even after Aha blew up the Express? The truth is, Akivili once sold hooks to Aha, and Aha had leverage over THEM. My ancestor was a Nameless from that era, and she saw the whole thing with her own eyes..."
Lynelle: "?"
--+--
Kiana-chan, who'd started recording the moment Lynelle got dragged in and had also quietly released Lynelle's controls: "?"
--+--
Aha, who'd come running to watch the fun after hearing Akivili's name, only to realize this wasn't fit for polite viewing and leave a moment ago: "?"
--+--
After reading out a long introduction that sounded suspiciously like one of those "humans have three great desires" prefaces that appear before certain Dream Bubbles, Sparkle cleared her throat and added one last line.
"By the way, every memory in this Dream Bubble comes from my own personal experience. So, Big Sis Lynelle, are you ready to accept twelve whole hours of my revenge?"
"Mm... sure."
Under Sparkle's startled gaze, Lynelle nodded without hesitation. "Actually, I think twelve hours is a little too short, so I helped you change the Dream Bubble's duration to twenty-four hours."
"?" Sparkle's pupils shook. "Wait, you—"
"And also..."
By now, Lynelle had already undone the restraints on herself. She gave Sparkle an adorable wink, making sure Sparkle could clearly see the layered marks shining in her eyes.
"Now then, my little Sparkle, please tie yourself up instead."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL