Heliona had tears hanging near her eyes. She snorted and turned her head away quickly. Nainiae raised hear hand carefully and started to brush Heliona’s wings.

Sitting on Nainiae’s palm, Heliona was letting Nainiae pat her wings. Heliona looked as sad as a child who was about to part way with her mother.

“I’m not going into Young Master’s dream simply because I need to become an artificial summon spirit. Young Master had been asleep for several weeks now. I must go.”

<…>

“Actually, I agonized over this. I wondered if I should have used this method sooner… We cannot afford to hesitate anymore. The reason why Young Master is unable to wake up… I need to go find it myself in his dream.”

Nainiae looked at Riley who was asleep and occasionally struggling. She was aware that he was thinking about someone. However, she didn’t know what kind of nightmare he was having.

This was why she was trying to confirm what it was.

Finding out what kind of nightmare Riley is having, and finding out why he is suffering so much… These were far more important than finding the spirit that would turn her into an artificial summon spirit.

“Ms. Sera.”

Heliona looked gloomy as if she had given up. Nainiae gently brushed her wings. Nainiae turned to look at Sera and said,

“I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“That means?”

“Defenseless?”

“I’ll probably fall asleep like how Young Master is.”

Sera understood the explanation. With petrified face, Sera nodded and opened her arms to hug Nainiae.

“…”

Sera, without saying any words, embraced Nainiae. She released Nainiae from her arms and said,

“I’ll wait for your return. Come back with Young Master Riley.”

“… Yes.”

In stiff voice, Sera said to Nainiae to come back. Nainiae also said she will come back later in stiff voice as she walked toward Riley who was lying on the bed.

“Well then…”

Nainiae looked back at Heliona and Sera for the last time. She nodded lightly and started to move the mana inside her.

‘Dream Link.’

It was a magic that she learned after becoming Seven Circles mage. Nainiae’s body started to get surrounded by feint silver light.

‘Just a little while longer…’

With gentle look on her face, Nainiae looked at Riley. She got on her knees in front of the bed and brought her hands together to lightly grab on to Riley’s hand.

‘Wait just a little while longer.’

The silver light, which was surrounding Nainiae gradually, slowly moved, and it moved toward Riley through the joined hands.

“Nainiae!”

As if she was sending a prayer, Nainiae was on her knees with both of her hands together. Her body looked like it was about to tip over to the side. Sera barely supported her before it happened.

<… I think the spelled worked correctly.>

Asleep, Nainiae was in Sera’s arms. Heliona looked at Nainiae and redirected her gaze toward Riley who was still asleep soundly on the bed.

“… Yes.”

Nainiae opened her eyes inside the darkness.

“…”

The darkness came to her so suddenly, and Nainiae was not used to it yet. It was not easy for her to regain her sight. She extended her right arm to the front and recited a spell.

“Light.”

She used Light, the most basic magic where the caster floats a sphere of light on the palm. Although she cast Light, for some reason… nothing appeared above her palm.

‘I cannot use magic here?’

She could not feel mana either, so she realized she could not use magic here. She lowered her arm and started to look around.

‘It’s dark.’

She looked everywhere, but the entire area was just darkness. She started to strain her eyes.

It was in hope that her eye would get adjusted to the darkness sooner, even if it was just a little bit. Unfortunately, she could not see anything even though several minutes have passed.

“… Young Master!!”

With her vision still not restored, she decided to try sound. She put both of her hands together in front of her mouth and called Riley in loud voice.

Young Master…

Young Master…

Only echoes came back. She didn’t get any other response. She started to walk aimlessly.

‘As Ms. Heliona said… This place is like a maze.’

It didn’t feel complicated like a maze, but the fact that she couldn’t tell the directions apart, left, right, top or bottom, was the problem.

All there was just endless darkness. It was to the point where she was not certain if she was walking forward, backward, on land or sky. 

‘I don’t have any other way in particular.’

Nainiae tried stepping hard on the floor. She also tried hopping on where she stood. She tried many ideas, and she came to the conclusion that walking would be best. She started to move her legs.

‘For now, walking aimlessly is the only thing I can do.’

Inside dark space where she could not even use magic, Nainiae walked alone for quite a long time. Instead of sense of fear, sadness and pity came forward on Nainiae’s face.

‘Young Master was in a place like this all by himself…’

Because the place she entered was Riley’s dream, Nainiae naturally was concerned about Riley first. She bit her lower lips and tightened her fist.

‘Don’t blame yourself, Nainiae. You have made up your mind, haven’t you?’

Nainiae shook her heads left and right and was about to walk again. However…

“… Huk. Huhuk!”

She heard the cry of a child coming from somewhere. Nainiae raised her ears.

‘This sound…’

She looked around everywhere, and the space was still filled with complete darkness. However, she could hear the cry clearly.

She slowly walked toward the direction where the cry was coming from. The sound was becoming more clearer as she walked, and she started to walk faster.

“… Haaah, haaah!”

Soon, she found a small firefly light at where the sound was coming from. Nainiae was having hard time catching her breath as she looked at the firefly light.

‘A firefly light?’

“Huhuk… Huk…”

Nainiae thought the crying sound was coming from the light. She slowly extended her arm out to the front.

“Young Master.”

Perhaps it got scared because Nainiae had horrid looking face with scars, her hand was missing fingers and her voice was torn a little from exhaustion. The firefly light tried to go away into the distance. Nainiae vacantly opened her mouth.

“Young Master…”

Watching the light moving further away, Nainiae blamed herself who was lacking in many ways. From behind Nainiae, a small butterfly flapped its wings and approached her.

“…?”

It came flying in silence. Nainiae, who had gloomy look on her face, turned and looked at the butterfly.

The butterfly’s wings were black.

The black winged butterfly came flying like that and sat on Nainiae’s shoulder. As if it was resting, it started to flap its wings lightly.

Flap, Flap…

The wings were moving in a regular pattern. It was like a clock work.

“…”

Nainiae was watching the butterfly on her shoulder. Out of curiosity, Nainiae carefully reached for the butterfly with her left hand’s index finger.

<… You are Nainiae, right?>

“…?!”

Breaking through the silence, the voice could be heard, and Nainiae flinched her shoulders. She started to look around the surrounding.

At the same time, it seemed the butterfly on her shoulder was surprised. It started to flap its wings and fly away from her.

“Who is it?!”

It was not Riley’s voice at least.

It sounded like she had heard the voice before. The voice was beautiful like a pearl rolling on a silver plate. It was a woman’s voice.