Eugene gazed at Noir's face against the backdrop of the trembling twilight. Her face, facing away from the setting sun, was shadowed and dark, yet her expression was clearly visible even in the dim light.
There was no smile on Noir's lips. There was not even a hint of playfulness in her at that moment.
"In this dream, we can kill and be killed forever," Noir whispered. "Death here might not be the death I have longed to understand all my life. But if I'm with you, I can give up such things."
Noir slowly raised her hand. The ring on her ring finger caught the twilight and emitted a faint glow. She caressed her neck with her left hand and continued softly, "Beyond killing and being killed, there is much more we can do. In this dream, we can dream many dreams, not just nightmares. Hamel, having experienced many dreams, you know my words are neither false nor pretentious."
Of course, he knew. Without the awareness of it being a dream, this world would be no different from reality. In fact, it could be better than reality. If he did not desire nightmares, if he wished for joyful and happy dreams — this world could fulfill all the fantasies Eugene could ever want.
"We can do anything here,” Noir promised.
Noir's hand clasped her throat as she felt the pulsing of her heartbeat and continued, "Here, we can dream endless dreams forever. If you wish, ahaha, Hamel, if you truly wish, I will gladly become Aria for you. With Aria's face, with Aria's voice, I will serve you as my god."
Eugene still gazed at Noir without uttering a word.
"But ideally, I would rather you wanted me instead. You don't have to love me. It's okay to kill me hundreds of thousands of times. If you want me , that is enough for me," Noir voiced her desire.
Eugene closed his eyes briefly, not wanting to see the ring on Noir's finger. He did not want to see the neck she clasped, the necklace, or the ring that dangled there."Hamel."
But Noir wasn’t done yet. With unwavering eyes, she continued to stare at Eugene and said, "I spoke of 'forever.' That was no lie."
Time flowed differently in dreams than in reality. If Noir wished, she could turn a year in the dream into just a day in reality.
"Of course, I cannot achieve this eternity alone. This place is our dream, yours and mine. But if you accept it, we can truly achieve eternity in this dream," she continued to entice.
Whoosh!
The form of the trembling dream changed.
The corpse-strewn wasteland bloomed with green grass and flowers of various colors. A shimmering lake appeared, and a quaint mansion stood tall, as if straight from a fairy tale book.
"In that eternity, we will never be bored. We can enjoy new days every day," she said, weaving a story.
The grass turned into brick pathways. The lake transformed into a massive castle, and the flowers became buildings. Suddenly, Eugene and Noir were in the middle of a bustling small city.
“If the languor of idle days becomes wearisome, I shall create a dazzling city for you. I know, Hamel. Humans continue to only ever seek greater desires. That’s no problem. I am Noir Giabella, the Queen of the Night Demons. I have witnessed millions of desires and crafted millions of dreams. All these will enrich our eternity,” Noir promised.
Eugene opened his eyes.
“I understand, Hamel,” Noir whispered. “You have a mission, a destiny. What you have wished for, and what has been entrusted to you by another.”
All the gods had willingly entered the mouth of the God of the Giants. The God of Giants had become the Light. The Sage had turned into the World Tree. Vermouth had reincarnated Hamel. The specter had wished to save the world.
“I know you are not one to ignore your mission and destiny. Even if you grumble in displeasure, you ultimately do not forsake expectations and desires. You cannot forsake them.”
Eugene listened to Noir’s monologue in silence.
“Slaying the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. You do not even concern yourself with whether it is possible.”
Noir chuckled softly, releasing her hand from around her throat.
“But, Hamel. Not everyone can be like you. Not everyone can move forward as you do. Some might prefer a thin, long day-to-day life over an honorable and sublime death. Some might choose happiness until the very end over an uncertain war.”
Her laughter tapered off.
“I can even embrace such weakness. I can invite everyone you know, those who do not wish to die, to a blissful dream. Until the world ends, we can enjoy eternity in our dreams.”
Noir paused, a brief silence allowing her to compose her emotions and grasp the core of the fluctuating dream.
“Even Sienna Merdein, Anise Slywood, and Kristina Rogeris, though I truly dislike them. Hamel, if you wish it... I will invite them into the dream. If needed, I vow not to control their emotions. I promise them freedom,” Noir offered.
Her hand moved from her neck to her chest, pressing down on her fluttering heart.
“I dislike them, and naturally, they dislike me too. But if it must be so, Hamel, for the sake of dreaming an eternal dream with you, I am willing to compromise. Perhaps, haha, who knows? Maybe, in the dream, we could grow a bit closer,” Noir suggested with a laugh.
Though she said this, she thought it unlikely. Yet, if those three kept their decorum and acted appropriately in their place, Noir would gladly grant them the right to love Hamel.
She continued, “Maybe, just maybe... we could become quite friendly, idly chatting away. Yes, Hamel, with you. Traveling through dreams, sitting at the same table to eat, entering the same bathtub, lying in the same bed. Haha, it’s hard to imagine, but it might not be so bad after all. And—”
“Noir,” Eugene interrupted.
Ignoring the voice, Noir continued, “And, and. Sometimes, we might even discuss the problems of reality, not just dreams. We might wonder how much time has passed outside. Maybe the Demon King of Incarceration will disrupt our blissful eternity. If so, then together—”
“Noir Giabella.” A low but firm voice cut her off. “That’s your name,” Eugene said.
He felt the tremors intensifying.
"The Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabella,” he repeated.
The once distant shaking was now drawing ever closer.
"Your sweet dreams will never become reality,” he said.
He heard a voice. It was faint and small, yet it was not a whisper. The Saints were calling out Eugene’s name with desperation.
"Hamel," Noir responded. She slowly smiled. "Do you really want to end this dream?"
She knew. A dream was just a dream. Everything Noir spoke of — it was all but an illusion that could never manifest into reality. It was a contradictory fantasy that denied the very foundation of the relationship and feelings between Noir and Eugene.
To make that sweet, blissful dream last forever, both Noir and Eugene would have to let go of many emotions. Eugene would have to discard his intent to kill her, seeing her not as Noir Giabella but merely as the reincarnation of Aria. Noir would have to forget all the reasons she had fallen in love with Hamel. She would need to relinquish her lifelong yearning for death.
"Do you really want to step out into reality, not just dreams?" Noir asked one last time, knowing all of this.
"Yes,” Eugene responded, also knowing it all.
There could be no other answer. He hadn’t even considered it. His response was calm and unwavering.
Through countless repeated dreams, through numerous pleas and appeals, after much confusion, agitation, and hesitation, Eugene spoke a clear conclusion, "There is no such thing as an eternal dream."
His voice was soft yet steady. Eugene’s eyes gleamed. He lifted his sword, Levantein, which was soaked in his own blood, to the side.
"Dreams are meant to be awakened from, eventually,” he proclaimed.
Flames sparked from the blood-soaked blade, instantly causing the blood to evaporate.
Fwoosh!
This flame was the brightest and most vivid of all the flames ever conjured in all the dreams. In the dreams where the scenery changed countless times, the only constant — the dusky red of twilight — was pushed aside by the light emitted from Levantein's flames.
"Ah." Noir let out a sound. It sounded like an exclamation, yet also like a sigh.
She pressed down harder on her throbbing heart, overwhelmed with excitement, sorrow, joy, and love. She felt the pounding of her bursting heart through her left hand, adorned with a ring.
Noir's smile changed. She no longer smiled like Aria, wistfully and painfully.
Noir Giabella smiled, a smile befitting the Queen of the Night Demons, a smile Eugene had known for three hundred years.
"Brilliant," Noir said.
Crack!
Her fingers pierced through the fabric and dug into her chest. Bright red blood filled Noir's palm. The ring was stained with blood. She felt even more vivid pulsations.
"I have suffered in this moment. I confused your and my existence. I was swayed by memories and emotions that were not mine. I felt both love and hatred. I wandered lost among contradictions,” Noir admitted.
She strode forward, the crimson twilight that seemed ready to swallow the world trailing behind her.
"I can swear to you, Hamel, every word I whispered in the dream was true. If you had wished to be with me, I would have been there as I pleaded,” she said.
"I know,” Eugene answered.
Prominence soared high. Eugene's divine flames shone brilliantly against the twilight that filled the dream.
Noir perceived beauty in that sight. She felt the resolved, scar-ridden intent that had almost crumbled but ultimately stood firm.
She felt love.
It was so endearing that it was unbearable.
"Come, Hamel," Noir whispered. "Come and kill me in this dream. With your sword. Burn down the dream that could have lasted forever."
Eugene silently stepped forward.
Whoosh!
The divine flames pushed Eugene's body forward. Levantein, wrapped in flames, swept through the dream world.
Noir had always tried to avoid a direct slash by Levantein. Even in a dream, being cut by that sword was fatal to maintaining the dream. When it seemed inevitable, she would end the dream herself and start anew.
This time, she did not. Noir, smiling brightly, pulled her hand from her chest. Her blood-soaked left hand stretched towards Eugene. The blood spewing from her chest scattered from her hand and fluttered like petals.
"Hamel.” Her lips parted with a faint smile, and blood dripped out. Her ring-adorned left hand slowly moved to touch Eugene's cheek. "This is the end of the dream."
Noir offered no resistance to Levantein. She willingly opened her chest, allowing the sword to pierce her through. Her heart burst. Yet, Noir still heard its steady beat. She felt a surge of euphoria spreading through her body.
"The twilight has passed,” she said.
The hand caressing his cheek felt warm. He felt the ring. Eugene silently looked into Noir's eyes. They were close. He felt her hot breath. He smelled the thick scent of blood.
"But," Noir whispered.
Rumble!
The blood-red sky melted away. The flames from Levantein seeped into the dream and started to burn everything.
The Saints' prayers were clear and close. A wedge was driven deep into the dream. Sienna did not miss it.
Levantein's flames burnt through the dream, and Sienna's magic shook and crumbled the world outside the dream.
"Dawn will not come,” Noir proclaimed.
Her blood-soaked lips curved into a broad smile. Everything collapsed. Noir was consumed by the flames and turned to ash. The ground beneath crumbled, and Eugene fell into a vast abyss.
He tried to fly up with Prominence, but it was not to be. The concept of flight seemed to have vanished from the world. All Eugene could do was fall into an unknown depth.
At that moment, a tiny light appeared in the distance and pierced the darkness. Unconsciously, Eugene reached toward the light. It quickly drew nearer and took on a form.
"Hamel."
"Sir Eugene."
Two voices sounded. The light stretched a hand toward Eugene, who grasped it without hesitation.
He opened his eyes. The feeling was faint. Was this place the reality? Or had the previous dream ended, only for a new one to start? How long had he been in the dream?
Questions spread through his mind, followed by a brief sense of powerlessness. He felt exhausted. His head throbbed, and his chest ached. He tasted blood in his mouth.
This was reality. All these sensations affirmed that this was indeed reality.
The dream had ended. He had awakened from his sleep. No longer did the voices of the Saints sound from afar or near; they resounded within Eugene. He felt their light.
Rumble!
A massive quake shook his body. Eugene steadied his trembling legs and looked around.
"What a foolish method,” he couldn’t help but say.
Eugene saw the large vines stirring up the vast space of Giabella City, proof of Sienna’s magic at work.
‘Still, less foolish than a meteor,’ he thought while pressing his throbbing temples.
"Did you sleep well?" a voice asked.
It came from above.
He could hear a whisper, "Good morning, or rather, good night…? Hehe, nor that either."
A large, ornate casino building came into view. Eugene’s gaze climbed up the building, passing a darkened neon sign, and met the eyes of two Giabella-Faces perched on the roof. But Noir was not there.
In the pitch-black night sky, without the moon or stars, was where the third Giabella-Face was floating. Noir Giabella was above that bizarre flying object. She sat in a splendid chair, looking down at Eugene.
"What a splendid night, Hamel,” she said.
Against the pitch-black night sky, Noir appeared like a goddess of the night.
Her purple eyes sparkled as she parted her red lips and said, "Welcome back to the reality you wished for."
Noir flashed a playful smile and spread her arms.
Fwoosh!
Light returned to the dark city. Neon signs glowed in vibrant colors, and the entire city awakened from its slumber.
"Welcome to my city, to Giabella City."
Noir Giabella, the mistress of this city, had awakened from her dream and returned to reality. Sienna’s magic could no longer shake Giabella City.
"But Hamel, do you know?" Noir said. "This reality will still become a nightmare for you."
She spoke with a smile, but her intent was deadly.
Openbookworm & DantheMan's Thoughts