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The Gaming Owl broke free from Ella’s hands, slicing through the air and flying straight toward Anastasia. With a dazed expression, the owl plopped right onto Anastasia’s chest, snug in her embrace.

**Splat!**

Thanks to Anastasia’s cushy chest, the impact wasn’t too severe.

However, the fact that Ella had thrown it in the first place seemed to be the real shocker, as the owl flapped its wings in irritation, presenting its grievance to Ella.

Flapping frantically.

RGB colors swirling vibrantly and chaotically.

It was an adorable yet intimidating display.

Ella wore an apologetic expression as she addressed the Gaming Owl.

“I’m sorry! I messed up. Want to come back here?”

**Tweet!**

The Gaming Owl seemed to nod in forgiveness, fluttering its short wings as it flew back to Ella. It then gave her a gentle tap on the shoulder with its wings, as if to say, “Behave going forward!” and nestled back into her arms.

“Um, uh…”

Ella held the owl tightly against her, just like one would hug a giant plushie.

The owl, seemingly comfortable in that position, relaxed completely, melting into her embrace like a sticky rice cake in the summer heat. Its tiny legs stretched out contentedly below, slowly dimming the light emanating from its body, reminiscent of a gaming mouse entering power-saving mode.

But… just as the Gaming Owl settled in comfortably, Ella found herself in a bit of a predicament.

“What am I supposed to do with this…?”

Her arms were now effectively sealed off from movement, cradling the Gaming Owl.

Of course, the weight wasn’t too burdensome, so it wasn’t a huge issue. Perhaps it was a dream, or maybe this owl was just inherently light, but it felt like she was just hugging a balloon.

Considering how it had previously made it so she couldn’t move an inch when it perched on her lap, the current lightness was almost baffling.

Yet, just because it felt light didn’t mean she could hold onto it indefinitely, right?

In a dream world, who knew what could happen, and being stuck with her arms sealed off sounded troublesome.

“Little sister. You don’t need to worry. You saw it just now, right?”

Did Anastasia catch on to Ella’s anxiety?

With a broad grin, Anastasia pointed at the aftermath of what she called the “RGB Breath,” a preposterous name for an attack.

The area she indicated was utterly obliterated.

Any part that had received even the slightest glimmer of light had been erased, and the figures that had been running toward them had vanished without a trace. What’s more, this breath hadn’t merely wiped out buildings or facilities—it seemed to have torn apart spaces altogether, creating cracks like shattered glass in various places.

“I may not have great power in reality, but in dreams, I wield tremendous force. Because, you see, it’s a dream!”

Anastasia rattled on about the remarkable capabilities of the Gaming Owl Ella held.

In the dream realm, unless a colossal hamster devouring planets popped up, she basically believed that anything could be chased away.

“Wait a moment. Reality?”

As Ella listened to Anastasia’s explanation, she caught a word that rubbed her the wrong way.

“Does that mean there’s reality too?”

“Yes indeed!”

Anastasia answered confidently.

“Once you wake up from the dream, wouldn’t you be able to see it right away?”

She said that and then, realizing something, abruptly backtracked, saying,

“Ah, maybe not! You’re lying down and sleeping right now, and we’re lying on your back, after all.”

She calmly concluded that unless Ella evolved into an owl-human, she wouldn’t see them the moment she woke up.

“What did you just say… now…?”

However, upon hearing those calm words, Ella felt her stomach twist.

“These people are real!”

Ella had merely intended to practice witchcraft in her room.

But suddenly, Iarin and Iserin barged in, seized the room, and caused a ruckus, then dismissed her rightful protests and put her to sleep with a lecture about over-practicing.

Just encountering that was already infuriating…

And now, this troublemaker had come in and was using her body as a pillow!

To add insult to injury, they had even invaded her dream and stirred up chaos…

“Get out! Get out! Leave my dream! I just want to be alone!”

“Hmm? Little sister? Are you mad?”

Anastasia was momentarily flustered when Ella snapped at her.

But the surprise soon passed.

She moved swiftly to soothe Ella’s anger.

Anastasia dashed behind her and embraced her. Not stopping there, she rested her chin on Ella’s shoulder, flashing a cheeky smile while whispering.

“Don’t be mad~ I’m asking nicely.”

With a heavy sigh, Ella surrendered to Anastasia’s cuteness.

It was a sigh not of exasperation but one steeped in resignation.

“Fine. It’s not like this is the first time… it’s not like there was any bad intention…”

“Hm~”

Anastasia seemed displeased by Ella’s reaction and scowled at her face, but then a lightbulb seemed to go off in her head, and with a soft gasp, she pulled away from Ella.

Suddenly, she leaned in and forced her arms into a lock around Ella’s own, starting to drag her somewhere.

“I’ll show you a great sight, just like last time!”

Anastasia led the way toward the space shattered by the Gaming Owl, stopping in front of the most heavily cracked area and knocking on it lightly with her knuckles.

**Crack.**

Anastasia’s touch caused fragments to begin falling from what was barely holding its shape.

From where it barely maintained its form due to the cracks, dark light spilled out, swirling as if it were trying to take over the surrounding destroyed city.

Yet, the living light couldn’t cross beyond the cracks, merely lingering in one spot with an unnerving glow, rippling ominously.

“What’s this…?”

Observing the rather unsettling light, Ella couldn’t help but feel a wave of curiosity.

So, she turned to the dream expert, Anastasia, and asked, but Anastasia just shook her head, denying her a response.

“Hm, little sister? You’re missing the magical words.”

Her unasked, and thus unspoken expectations were evident, as she wore a bright grin like she was urging Ella to speak up.

“Big sister, what is this…?”

“That’s it! You did great!”

Hearing the title “big sister,” Anastasia’s face bloomed with a wide smile.

“Well, this is a kind of border.”

“Border?”

“Yeah, you could say… a national border? A fence? That kind of vibe?”

She gestured to the cracks, describing them as barriers separating dreams from dreams, and minds from minds.

“Since it’s cracked like this, it means there’s a problem with that border.”

“Problem…”

“Now, here’s a quiz. What happens when a border has issues?”

“People might sneak in or out…?”

“Correct!”

If a wall had a hole, it becomes a passageway linking two sides.

A tiny hole might just be a peephole, while an adequately sized hole could become a place to pass items.

And if it were large enough…

It wouldn’t be a hole but rather a door or a path.

“This crack connects to other places. Normally, little sister, no matter what you did, this ‘wall’ wouldn’t be like this!”

Anastasia pointed at the Gaming Owl nestled in Ella’s arms.

“All thanks to this destructive, fierce bird, this became possible!”

“Hold on a moment. So the wall has crumbled? Are you saying the wall in my dream world has crumbled?”

“Ah, don’t worry! It’s just a temporary occurrence, and when you fall asleep next time, everything will be perfectly fine. Dreams aren’t that flimsy. Besides, something like this shouldn’t have happened in the first place—it seems like a wild coincidence. Statistically speaking… this is probably akin to winning the lottery!”

Anastasia’s broad smile reassured Ella not to worry.

“So don’t fret, little sister! Let’s enjoy this chance together! It should be fun, right?”

“Someone else’s dream…”

“Oh, and there’s no need to worry about invading someone’s privacy. It seems that the dream connected to you right now has nothing to do with personal matters!”

Anastasia gestured toward the undulating dark light.

“This is a nightmare.”

“A nightmare…?”

“Considering its pitch-black hue and aggressive demeanor, it’s definitely no ordinary nightmare.”

“Then isn’t that dangerous?”

“Little sister, what are you even worried about? You’re holding the Gaming Owl! An RGB-lit one, at that!”

She dismissed Ella’s worries as trivial.

With the owl in her embrace, everything was possible!

Whatever emerged from the nightmare could just be treated like a horror movie, merely to be enjoyed!

Anything that came out from the nightmare would be wiped clean with a breath!

“R-right…? But…”

“Actually, are you doubting your big sister’s words? This is a command! Let’s go watch!”

But when her persuasion fell flat, Anastasia resorted to the power embedded in that authoritative title of “big sister”!

Ella found herself unable to resist that overwhelming power.

“Alright, then let’s go watch!”

The moment Ella relented, Anastasia sprang into action.

With a strange-looking creature at her command, she summoned soft chairs and popcorn while instructing the Gaming Owl cradled in Ella’s arms to unleash a diminutive breath, clearing away the black light.

**Sizzle.**

The dark light evaporated under the glorious breath, and Anastasia seized the opportunity, pulling something resembling a paintbrush from nowhere to adorn the newly opened space.

Thus, the gaping hole filled with a transparent substance like glass, reflecting the scenery outside like a projector.

Initially, the view spilled from the hole looked fuzzy and out of focus.

But gradually, it sharpened and enhanced, ultimately presenting a clear picture akin to a high-definition movie.

“Um…?”

A different person’s dream.

A different person’s nightmare.

That nightmare resembled the abandoned hospital Ella had once seen.

 

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