“Ugh, where am I?” Lune suddenly found himself among an endless visage of clouds, “Ah, I know this place. I’m dreaming.”

Now that I think about it, the last thing I remember doing in the awake world is talk to Meil and the girls. That, and I specifically remember Cecily hitting me on my chest, but that’s beside the point. Right, so we’ve established that I’m dreaming, but do you know what happens when a person realizes they’re in a dream?

“They get to do impossible things like this!” I said as I felt myself rise up from the ground, my feet slowly escalating as if they were carried off by a mysterious entity, “Woohoo! Boy do I miss this dreamland of mine! I haven’t dreamed since I was in Cardina!”

In that very moment, the cloudy visage around me had just as suddenly been replaced with the very same dreary place I had spent my life as Sol in. Would you look at that? Is this another one of the dreamland’s powers? If so, then who am I not to indulge and have myself a little tour of the place! Y’know, for nostalgia’s sake.

“Ooh! I’m right above the city plaza right now! Look at all the people below me, they’re nothing more than ants from this perspective! And over there’s the forest, which means to the other side of it is the Grys Castle! Man, Marina had to trek this whole road by foot, but with the dreamland’s flying ability, I made it here in the blink of an eye!”

Choosing to enter the Grys Castle, I had noticed that it was suddenly night, and a storm was starting to brew. Meanwhile, next to me was none other than Issei. Looks like this is the dreamland making me relive the heist we pulled that one night. Heh, look at him, he looks so young!

“Lune, on the count of three, remember?” Issei said as he raised three fingers before making a mad leap to the window… and missing the entire window completely.

“Phahahahaha!” I started laughing uncontrollably, leading to Adam showing up, “Eh? Adam’s here, now look what you did, you dork! Pfft!”

Since this was all a dream, a figment of my imagination, you can imagine that I wasn’t at all pressed about being found out by Adam. In fact, you could argue that Adam played along as well, as he started making fun of Issei as well. Dang, do I really wanna laugh at Issei so much, for my subconscious to start imagining such a scenario?

“Nice going, foreigner!” Adam jeered, “Lune, please tell me this guy isn’t gonna be your best man for the wedding?”

“The wedding?” I asked as the scene around me changed once more, “Oh right! I need to get married to Marina because she’s pregnant!”

Looking down at my attire, it appears my clothes changed into my white wedding tuxedo I adorned during my big day. How nostalgic, I know it’s a shame for a man to wear his wedding tuxedo after losing his wife, but it’s still nice to remember this beautiful day.

“Sol?” I suddenly heard a familiar and cute voice come out behind me, “Would you like… to dance with me?”

“Of course, dea-!” I turned around all excited, only to be terrified at what I had seen.

The voice I had heard belonged to Marina, the thing in front of me was wearing her wedding dress, but that thing wasn’t my wife. Its eyes had all but fallen off, the skin peeling off as we speak, and it’s dry as if someone literally dug out a corpse and dressed it in a wedding dress. It was disturbing, not to mention disgusting.

“Wha-?!” I fell back on my butt, causing everyone else to turn to me, “W-Who are you?!”

“Dear?” The thing’s mouth opened, insects crawling out of the orifice, “What’s the matter? Is there something on my face?”

Immediately, I sprinted out of the venue and left the entire ceremony, running for my dear life. Is this really… what she looks like now? Thinking this, I couldn’t help but start crying uncontrollably. It was all just too much. I had to run to a safe place – our inn should do.

Breaking open the door because I didn’t have the keys with me that day, I saw a lot more pleasant of a sight. Everyone was here. Cecily and Issei were busy talking about me and my lousy antics in a lighthearted fashion, Anna was playing with Nelly while Arthur smiled away at the sight, Ed and Meil kept switching topics between medicine and inventions, all the while demonstrating the uses of their Iros. It was all such an amazing sight to behold that I couldn’t help but crack a smile. Just as I was about to sit down and join in on the fun, though, I couldn’t help but notice another red-haired person besides Cecily sitting nearby.

“Carter?” I said expectantly, “Is that you, buddy?”

“Nightmare, nightmare, nightmare…” He murmured to himself the same thing he repeated the last time I saw him in a dream.

“…Right, good to see you’re still the same you then.” I tried to sound chipper, “Geez, you’re gonna scare Nelly like that, y’know?”

Turning him around by grabbing his shoulder, he finally revealed his face to me. It was that same thing once again. Just like with Marina, his face resembled a reanimated corpse, just this one looked way more decrepit. His eye sockets were empty, and his skin was noticeably greener. We stared at each other for an uncomfortably long time, all the while he continued murmuring Nightmare endlessly.

“…Did you forget them?” He suddenly asked.

“F-Forget who?”

“Them.” He pointed behind me, towards the front door.

Turning around, the thing wearing Marina’s wedding dress showed itself and began slowly walking towards me without even a single sign of stopping.

“Stay away…!” I quickly jumped over the sofa and tried to hide behind Ed.

“…” The being had somehow fazed through the sofa and continued approaching us without a single care in the world. It’s after me, but then why isn’t anyone else scared?! Come on, Ed, save me, please!

“Don’t worry Lune.” He said, “I’m responsible for this, so at least let me atone.”

Just then, he simply walked up to the being… and allowed himself to get eaten by it. What the hell are you doing, Ed?! You’re gonna die, I don’t want you to die! Fuck!

“Get the hell away from me!!!” I continued inching back further, only to get my feet caught on something.

Looking down, I had seen two completely black pairs of baby hands grabbing onto my trousers, as if pulling me down towards the hell from whence they came out of. They were nothing but disembodied baby hands, but I could still for whatever reason hear clearly what they were saying to me.

“Dada…” They beckoned, “Come and play…”

“Leave me be… please!” I bargained, “I… I couldn’t protect you, but I can still do the right thing with Nelly!”

“Dada…” They called out to me once again, their cries and shrieks making my head split open from the horror of it all, “It’s scary down here. Won’t you join us?”

“Yes dear,” Marina’s corpse spoke in a similar tone as she yet again extended her hand towards me, “Won’t you… join me?”

“Ha-ha…” I began laughing at the absurdity of it all, “HahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHA! OF COURSE, I’LL COME, OKAY?! YOU WANT ME TO ACCOMPANY YOU IN THE AFTERLIFE, THEN FINE BY ME! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!”

Taking her hand, I finally saw everyone’s face turn from a grim glare into something resembling a wholesome smile. Ah, I see, so that’s how it is. Everyone’s just waiting for me to finally die as well, eh? Figures, not like I deserve to live that much either, given my track record. Who knows, maybe if I was quicker to accept Death’s offer, I might’ve been able to stop Ed from being eaten by Marina’s corpse…

“Let’s go to Heaven.” I grabbed Marina’s withering hand.

“Heaven?” She suddenly raised an eyebrow.

In the next moment, everything faded to black. I couldn’t see anyone anymore, nor could I hear them. The room around me became deathly cold, and all I could hear was someone knocking at the door, before letting themselves in and calling out to me.

“Daddy, Mommy told me to feed you some fwuits she bought fwom the stowe.” Nelly toddled her way to where I was lying down, “Daddy, why awe youw bandages wet like you wewe cwying?”

Right, I’m not dead. I’m alive, if just barely, but alive nonetheless. I’m currently recovering in the Palace’s infirmary, and I’m with Cecily and Nelly. Patting her gently on the head, I said nothing and ate my food in peace.