Chapter Text
You wake up, disoriented, flat on your back in the grass.
It takes you a moment to quell the panic. Either you’re dreaming, or you accidentally took a nap in a bad spot. You’re fine. You’re fine. Deep breaths.
Sitting up, you look around, disoriented. Why are you in a clearing? You don’t remember going to sleep in a clearing. Much less… a reminiscent one. You don’t take grass naps anymore, if you can help it. Why don’t you remember?
Were you… stargazing?
…That might make sense. You could’ve had a memory the Universe took back, and that’s why you’re lost.
Squinting up at the sun, it’s… either late morning or mid-afternoon. Why didn’t anyone wake you? …Did they decide you needed the sleep?
You rub your eye, and get up, stretching a little. You should figure out which way camp is.
“Mira? Isa?” You call, looking around to find the likeliest route you took to get here. “Bonbon?”
No response.
Pushing down the feeling of unease, you pick the widest path out of the clearing.
Then you stop, staring blankly out at the too-familiar village.
No.
No, no-
No no nono no NO NO NO NO
It’s over! You’re out! It’s a dream. A nightmare.
That’s it, you’re just having a nightmare. It’s fine. You’ll forget how vivid all this was when you wake up, and you’ll be far away from here and you’re fine.
You take a deep breath, and head to the Favor Tree.
Even in a nightmare, you want to talk to Loop.
…It’s odd that the Housemaiden didn’t wake you up, and the Fighter isn’t in his place.
You sit in your spot under the tree.
Loop doesn’t appear.
Oh well. You suppose this is just one where you’re alone.
You take out the coin, twiddling with it, then place it and your hat on the root across from you and sit back down.
There. Now you have company.
…This isn’t too bad, actually, for a nightmare. You know you’re dreaming, so you can just sit here and listen to the tree and the birds. You remember how much Loop liked sunlight. This is… restful.
Heh. You’ll remember this. ‘Memory of Sunlight’. ‘Go to the Favor Tree and turn your nightmare into a dream’. …You want to hear Loop’s voice.
“So, um.” You address the behatted coin across from you, keeping the bright glint in your peripheral vision so you can pretend they’re listening. “Things have been… fine, I guess. I got sick for a while, so we had to stay in the clocktower longer. We’ve left for Bamborche. Traveling feels… weird, but Bonbon is really happy they’ll get to introduce everyone to their sister.”
You listen to the birds.
“...You should meet her, too.” You swallow, closing your eye. “You know, everyone wanted you to come with us? Sometimes, I- sometimes…”
You lean against your root.
“I finished a carving the other day, and I wanted to show it to you. It always takes me a moment to remember you’re…”
Opening your eyes, you gaze at the bright hat and the glint of the coin.
“I miss you. I’m sorry I didn’t realize… I…”
You tip your head back again, slumping.
“I hope you’re resting well. You deserve it.”
-
“Sif. Hey, Sif.”
You rouse, blinking at Isa. He looks… worried?
“Were you crying?”
Blinking, you find your eye sticky with salt. “Oh. I guess so.”
“...Do you remember why?”
Well, that’s a weird question to ask. “Yes???”
He looks at once baffled and relieved. Um?
You squint out at the dusky field. “Wait, where am I?”
“Oh, you fell asleep at the Favor Tree.”
Slowly, you turn to face across from you. The coin twinkles despite the dusk, your pale hat stark in the darkness.
“I’m still having a nightmare.” You conclude. “Okay. On with the show.”
You get up, and walk past Fighter briskly. If you’re getting bothered, you’ll probably have to go to the clocktower anyway.
“Sif-? Sif, your hat!”
“Leave it.” You command the figment of your imagination.
…
You know the script by heart, so this isn’t very hard. Problem is, none of the actors seem to want to play along. But you don’t really care, you’re just annoyed at how long this dream is taking. You want to wake up soon.
On the other hand, dream-Bonbon didn’t make samosas, so you at least have something to eat while you wait. You thought all your mind could give you were the tastes of Craft and iron and sugar. The stuffed potato rolls are actually pretty good for being figments of your imagination. And potato.
Lying in bed all night is boring, and you’re almost glad to get to the House in the morning.
You keep up the script, though the other actors aren’t doing their parts, but you’re rather glad they don't bother with the Tutorial Sadness. You hate that thing.
Idly, you walk over to the correct pillar and pull the switch, ignoring the Housemaiden as she yelps something, and keep walking.
Any moment now, you’ll wake up.
You cast a buff and then cut through the floor Sadness, ending the battle.
Any moment now.
You enjoy a new kind of more savory cookie.
Any moment.
You get all the way to the King.
Ugh, this blinder.
“...Bright One…”
“Blinder.” You greet back with the same intonation, eye half-lidded in boredom.
“...Do you remember..?”
“Yes. Can we get this over with? I want to wake up now.”
You notice the actors are staring at you. You don’t care.
“So if you could roll over and disappear, it would save time.” You point out. “It takes forever to get through your fight.”
“.....Your wish-”
“I’m tired of your monologues. Seriously.”
“...You have done this before…”
You look up at him dully. “As satisfying as it is to crack your armor like a clam, it gets boring.”
“....” He moves slightly, clearly thinking it over.
“If you offer yourself for ‘redemption’ again, I will cut off your arms.” You inform him blankly. “You do not get to touch any version of Bonbon.”
“...Do you remember home..?”
“...I’m not that lucky.” You yawn. “Listen. Our island had lightless sand, and there’s evidence it was volcanic. There’s a cold current nearby, Bonnie says, so it gets cold at night. I pretty likely was from a fishing village, probably at the shore closest to the mainland. And you?”
“......I can’t… remember…” Well yes, he’s a figment. It’s not like you know.
“I know.” You look him up and down, letting the star-marked armor itself spark something from the ashes of your memory. “You’ve fallen far, Good Knight. This isn’t protection, this isn’t what you were sworn to do.”
He flinched, and let out a wail.
“Just give up.” You tell him. “Give up your wish. You’re hurting people.”
“They are safe! Bright One-”
“This isn’t our country.” You swipe your knife out, indicating everything. “It won’t be torn out of the world. It was never in danger of that. Just of you.”
“...But it’s perfect…”
“I don’t care that you don’t want it to Change. It’s supposed to. That’s why it was perfect.”
“I will keep it safe!”
“Do you have any idea what the death toll is?” You snap. “Even I don’t. You started at the edges. You trapped them. It’s already Changed because of you. People fled. Sadnesses formed. People died. Your perfect frozen moment is a grave.”
He recoiled, wailing. You step further forwards, aware of his reach and range.
“You are the one ending this country. You are a failure, a false despot, and a blemish on your blinding station.”
“LIAR!” He screamed.
You level your blade at him. “I suppose you can’t even register that it’s you that the Universe disfavors. It may have granted you a wish, but that means nothing. It grants wishes to anyone. I’d know.”
He attacked.
“Stars damn you to the void.” You tell him, shrugging off the memory of pain and going for the throat. “I’m going to put you down again, you blinder.”
This is a dream, limits are imaginary.
Your Craft bisects him. The armor barely holds together, and makes a satisfying loud clanging as he chokes and falls.
You close your eyes, and let the numbness take you. You feel a tug in your stomach.
*