Northern Shore of the Conquest Sea, Navaha.
Late at night in Navaha, most people had returned to their homes, and the streets had mostly fallen silent once again. Another tranquil night was beginning.
In a luxurious inn room, Dorothy sat at her desk, carefully reading the Literary Sea Logbook in front of her. The page she had opened was filled with writing, handwriting she immediately recognized as belonging to her brother, Gregor.
Not long ago, Dorothy had contacted Gregor through the Literary Sea Logbook, asking him to inquire with the little fox about "Panmoth" and the various abnormalities in Navaha. Gregor had just replied, and after carefully reading through the information, Dorothy felt deeply astonished.
"Butterfly and Moth... I didn’t expect the ones behind the scenes in Navaha to be from the Blackdream Hunting Pack. The Moth god they worship, and the Butterfly god who opposes it... I’ve received quite valuable information this time," Dorothy muttered as she reviewed Gregor’s writing.
Due to the little fox’s hostility towards the Blackdream Hunting Pack, she had provided extensive intelligence without hesitation or demand for payment, delighting Dorothy greatly.
"It appears the little fox is a believer of this Butterfly god. Given that the Butterfly god holds titles like ’Dream Knight’ and ’Moon’s Emissary,’ She must be one of the Four Knights of the Moonlight serving under the Mirror Moon Goddess, similar to the Wind Knight Arthur."
Dorothy recalled the fairy tales she heard as a child, where fairies served the Lady of the Lake. Given that this Butterfly god was also called the Fairy Queen, it matched the fairy tales, suggesting the Butterfly god was indeed linked to the Mirror Moon Goddess lineage from the Third Epoch. However, she was uncertain about why a Moth suddenly emerged in opposition.
"According to the Blackdream Hunting Pack, the Moth represents the Butterfly’s further metamorphosis—an evolved form. Yet, the little fox denies this claim, labeling the Moth god as a false deity. The truth remains unclear."
Considering the Literary Sea Logbook’s descriptions of the Butterfly god, Dorothy thought about the Four Knights of the Moonlight. She knew of three: Arthur, the Wind Knight, revered as a national hero and founder king of Pritt, whose divine seat seemed now vacant. The Blood Knight was entangled in unclear relations with Anglo the Monster and the Spider Queen, but currently, the Spider Queen from the Eight-Spired Nest occupied that divine seat. The Dream Knight was evidently the Butterfly god, currently embroiled in conflict with the Moth god, with uncertain circumstances.Dorothy knew least about the remaining Knight of the Moonlight—the Spirit Knight—and their superior deity, the Mirror Moon Goddess. The Goddess’s state was critical, and Dorothy wondered what had caused such upheaval among her divine ranks.
Shifting her focus to more immediate concerns, Dorothy considered the intelligence about the so-called "False Moth."
"False Moth… a mystical creature cultivated by the Blackdream Hunting Pack through Moth’s power, existing between reality and dreams, feeding on the Dream Cocoons of ordinary people. Clearly, this creature is the root cause of the abnormalities in Navaha."
The Blackdream Hunting Pack propagated hidden cabals offering beautiful dreams to feed the False Moth. Worshippers had their Dream Cocoons captured and drained, eventually losing their minds—this explained the essence of Sleep Decay Syndrome.
"According to the little fox, the Blackdream Hunting Pack obtains mystical abilities directly from the False Moth, unlike mainstream mystical organizations. The stronger the False Moth, the stronger their derived abilities. This unconventional approach probably explains why they possess Dream Devourer Path-like abilities but can’t effectively use Revelation spirituality. Essentially, they’re merely Apprentice-rank Shadow-path Beyonders without extra Revelation spirituality for divination."
Dorothy now understood why such a large gathering of Revelation-path affiliates didn’t impact the mysticism world significantly: they weren’t traditional Beyonders.
"I wonder how mature the False Moth in Navaha has grown. Investigations reveal Sleep Decay Syndrome has persisted here for over a decade, affecting hundreds currently and likely thousands cumulatively."
Dorothy frowned, acknowledging the severe implications. Navaha had around 150,000 residents, yet thousands had fallen victim over the years. Such high rates were only concealable due to the Blackdream Hunting Pack’s deep infiltration and the powerful allure of the Moth cult’s dreams.
Given the thousands of Dream Cocoons consumed, this False Moth must have reached at least the cocoon stage.
Considering Navaha’s current predicament, Dorothy grew increasingly solemn. Feeding thousands of dreams to raise a mystical creature, the Blackdream Hunting Pack’s methods surpassed even those of the Afterbirth-affiliated sects and the Eight-Spired Nest.
After analyzing all the intelligence, Dorothy hid the text on the Literary Sea Logbook, closing it carefully. She closed her eyes briefly, extracting cognitive poison from the information, gaining 3 points of Shadow and 2 points of Revelation spirituality.
Having acquired this information, Dorothy grasped Navaha’s overall situation. Facing the powerful False Moth, she didn’t intend to retreat but was determined to eradicate the Blackdream Hunting Pack from Navaha.
"The Blackdream Hunting Pack has operated here for over ten years, accumulating significant resources while harming countless innocents. Both personally and morally, I must eliminate this threat. Fortunately, the Church forces are present—it’s a perfect opportunity. I need to seize this chance to find that False Moth."
Dorothy resolved to begin her search immediately. Normally, she wouldn’t rashly confront such a formidable enemy alone, but with the Church nearby, she intended to make the most of this opportunity.
Under the cover of night, Dorothy controlled her miniature corpse marionettes to disperse silently, spreading across every corner of Navaha once again. They infiltrated various locations within the darkened city, beginning surveillance on diverse targets.
These individuals had been carefully chosen by Dorothy as primary subjects of observation, including devout believers of Panmoth, directors of psychiatric hospitals, and senior officials like the mayor at Navaha City Hall. Each of these targets potentially maintained secret connections to the Blackdream Hunting Pack, and by closely monitoring them, Dorothy aimed to uncover the cabal’s trail.
Late night was particularly favorable for a Shadow-aligned cabal like the Blackdream Hunting Pack, making it an optimal time for Dorothy to conduct comprehensive surveillance. If she caught the cabal’s activities tonight, their detailed information would logically and convincingly reach the Church fleet stationed at the harbor by morning.
"Though the Church is here, they might not be well-versed in Dreamscape matters. If they’re unable to deal effectively with these people, that could complicate things. I’d better prepare a backup plan," Dorothy thought as she continued her surveillance.
Prompted by this thought, she directed her miniature marionettes in believers’ homes to thoroughly search for items such as Panmoth’s religious scriptures. She carefully examined these texts while instructing her marionettes to observe how the believers worshipped Panmoth.
"Oh Moth… please flutter within my mind… grant me tonight’s beautiful dreams…"
Under Dorothy’s careful watch through the marionettes, in a humble residential home, an elderly couple, emaciated and frail-looking in their nightwear, worshipped at a concealed altar dedicated to Panmoth. After performing a brief ritual, they staggered from the room, closed the door behind them, and quickly retired to bed, soon extinguishing their lights.
Seeing them asleep, Dorothy immediately sent her marionettes to scour their home for information on Panmoth. However, shortly after the search began, something unexpected occurred.
In the darkness, the elderly couple, who had just fallen asleep, suddenly began trembling violently. Painful groans escaped their lips, and their closed eyes snapped open, revealing only whites.
"Uwaaah…!"
As if afflicted by seizures, their shaking grew more intense, violently rattling the bed beneath them. Dorothy was taken aback by this disturbing sight.
"What’s happening? Could this be their state when receiving dreams from the False Moth? But this doesn’t look like a beautiful dream at all…"
As Dorothy pondered the situation, similar incidents unfolded in other homes under her surveillance.
All monitored believers, including several city officials, simultaneously exhibited identical symptoms—uncontrollable shaking and anguished moaning. Each appeared trapped in the same horrific nightmare, clearly not the pleasant dreams promised by Panmoth.
Realizing the abnormality of this collective reaction, Dorothy immediately understood this was not their normal sleep state. The commotion even drew concerned neighbors knocking at their doors, clearly alarming for the believers themselves.
In the psychiatric hospitals, Dorothy observed patients abruptly rise from their beds and kneel silently, arms extended in worship towards an unknown direction.
"What on earth is happening in their dreams now?" Dorothy wondered anxiously, a sense of foreboding rising within her.
…
Beneath Navaha, in an expansive underground space shrouded in darkness, countless figures knelt silently. These individuals were emaciated, clad in tattered clothing, their eyes vacant—resembling living corpses, identical to patients from the psychiatric hospital.
The gaunt worshippers knelt in concentric circles, uniformly raising their hands in reverence, staring blankly toward the circle’s center. There, a group clad in dark gray robes stood. Their robes were adorned with spiral moth patterns, and they murmured softly. At the center of their circle hovered an enormous object.
It was a gigantic cocoon, nearly ten meters tall, suspended vertically in mid-air without external support. The cocoon emitted a faint glow, appearing semi-transparent and ethereal, existing between reality and illusion. Brief, phantom images of a forest flickered intermittently around it.
The cocoon’s surface was entirely covered by countless translucent white pods, continuously writhing and slowly merging into the cocoon—a nauseating sight.
Below this massive cocoon, among the figures in gray robes, stood Garcia, gripping a wooden staff, eyes ablaze with fanaticism as she stared at the cocoon. She spread her arms wide and fervently cried out.
“Oh Cocoon! Devour freely! Consume all remaining cocoons! Absorb every remaining dream! Then, undergo your transformation!”
“Moth’s offspring, this is no longer the time for you to slowly grow. A crisis now stands before us; Radiance seeks to pierce our Dreamscape. We need you! Transform now! Use your wings to shield us from Radiance! Let the Eternal Dream endure!”
Garcia called passionately toward the massive cocoon. Immediately, the giant cocoon absorbed all the remaining cocoon-like forms clinging to it, becoming smooth and pristine upon integrating every last one.
After a brief silence, a crack appeared on its illusory surface.
At that moment, an invisible force burst forth from within the cocoon, rapidly spreading upward to the surface and across the town of Navaha. Anyone touched by this power swiftly sank into deep sleep.
Seabirds flying through the air suddenly succumbed to overwhelming drowsiness, dropping from the sky. Police officers on duty yawned uncontrollably and collapsed onto the ground. Thieves in mid-robbery fell asleep on rooftops. No creature could resist this force.
This unseen power quickly engulfed all of Navaha, centered upon the giant cocoon. Inside her inn room, Dorothy, who had become vigilant due to the sudden anomalies observed through her marionettes, abruptly felt an overwhelming wave of sleepiness—a drowsiness so potent she found herself utterly unable to resist.
Within this intense urge to sleep, she had almost no capacity to fight it and began slipping into unconsciousness. At this critical juncture, Dorothy recognized the gravity of the situation.
"This is bad... Mystical interference..."
"I can’t... fall asleep like this..."
In the final instant before succumbing entirely, Dorothy used her remaining clarity to tightly hug herself. Then, without applying her insulating Flowing Current Form to protect herself, she allowed her body to release a surge of electricity.