Arsh tried to find Millway again, but the golden threads no longer showed him in any direction. He was alone once more in the strange void filled with countless lights.
For a while, he wandered among the star-like specks, wondering whether each one belonged to another person's dream.
"Your ability to use the siuni is incredible. But you can't keep them in the dream just yet. He woke up suddenly because he was frightened, it was a natural reaction he woke up. Don't worry, you'll be able to keep them in dreams longer with time," said the girl coming up behind him.
"I understand. I'll try that next time," Arsh replied. He had already guessed as much. Next time, he would be a little more careful.
"These lights... they're all someone's dreams," Arsh said as he continued to wander. He raised a finger toward one of the lights but stopped in mid-air without touching it. "Instinctively, I know how to use this siuni. So why is it more difficult for me to grasp things with my actual siuni?"
"I told you before. You are the one who defines its limits, which means there isn't much you can learn just by instinct," the girl replied. "Try different things. Think about how you can use it. That part is up to you—whether you succeed or fail depends entirely on your own skill."
"I understand," Arsh said once again.
"I wonder whose dreams these are. That larger light over there belongs to me," Arsh said, pointing toward a light in the distance that bigger than the others. "Then the ones around it must belong to people close to me."
"Is there someone else whose dream you want to enter?"
"Not really. I was just curious," Arsh replied. He stepped closer and touched one of the lights. "Just to test my power. I'll just take a quick look and come right back."
The moment he touched the light, the surrounding darkness and the specks of light were replaced by a bright sunlight. A few seconds later, he found himself standing in front of the house within the forest.
Bera and Walter were training, while Mes watched them with a smile. Seeing Arsh, Mes turned to him.
"Arsh, come here! Let's watch how Bera is beating Walter."
"Hey! I can hear you, Mes!" Walter shouted, but right then, Bera landed a kick on his leg, and he let out a scream.
Mes was smiling brightly; he looked much healthier than he did in real life.
Arsh walked over and sat down next to him on the grass. Mes continued to watch the scene, a gentle smile lingering on his face.
'This is a good dream. So this is what Mes's happy dream looks like—just spending time with his friends.' Arsh thought.
But before long, the view began to fade away. Everything change in a second again. This time, he found himself inside a room. It was a rundown house. A heavy downpour raged outside, and water was dripping from the leaky ceiling. The only piece of furniture in the room was an old bed. A dying candle on the nightstand flickered, illuminating the face of the person lying in the bed.
"Mes," Arsh said, his voice filled with concern.
The person lying on the bed no longer looked like Mes. He looked like nothing more than what was left of him. His entire body had wasted away to skin and bone, and was struggling to breathe.
"Arsh..." he whispered. "I'm scared."
As he spoke, a single tear slipped from his lifeless eyes and rolled onto the stained pillow beneath his head.
Arsh stepped closer and took Mes's hand.
"Why are you so afraid?" He couldn't understand how the dream had changed so suddenly. In the blink of an eye, everything had turned from a pleasant dream into a nightmare.
"I'm scared of dying alone in the dark... Don't leave me, okay? Just stay for a bit."
"I won't leave you. Don't worry. But why do you think you're going to die?" Arsh said with a smile. He could take control of this dream.
"I'm scared," Mes whispered again, closing his eyes.
By then, the dark room with the leaking ceiling had already changed into Mes's current room. Sunlight was coming in through the window. Mes looked healthy again
"Hey Mes, why are you scared? Come on, let's go to the library. You told me earlier that you wanted to show me a book today," Arsh said.
"Oh, right!" Mes said, jumping out of bed. He looked completely different from how he had been just a moment ago. After standing up quickly, he paused and looked back at Arsh, who was still sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Ah... wait, I don't remember what I was going to show you," he said, scratching the back of his head.
Right after that, everything began to dissolve again. Arsh was back in the space filled with lights.
"Whose dream was that?" the girl asked.
"It was Mes's." Arsh replied.
"Is there another dream you want to look into?"
"I'm not sure... Seeing inside someone else's mind feels a bit scary, especially if it's someone you know," Arsh said.
"Hmm, you might be right. In dreams, people usually see their deepest fears, anxieties, and desires. Seeing someone you know like that can be unsettling," the girl said.
"There's something I want to ask. Mes's siuni... Is his body like this because it's too weak to form a bond, or is there another problem? Can you tell?"
"Hmm... I'm not sure. The energy I receive from him has always been very unstable. He's probably had an incomplete siuni for a very long time. Under normal circumstances, I think his body could have handled it. But it's difficult to say. If the siuni were completed, he might still have a chance. Even so, years of living with such an unstable bond have taken a heavy toll on his body."
"Then what can fix this bond?"
"You already know the methods."
"Yeah, I guess I do."
There were only two methods he knew. The first was to take the blood of people who possessed a siuni.
They could do that, but Arsh was certain Professor Reiner had already considered it. Mes would probably never agree to it. Even if it stabilized him temporarily, he would have to keep relying on other people's blood as long as his siuni remained incomplete.
The other method was something Arsh felt regretted whenever he remembered. The gold dust taken from the worms could probably work much more effectively. Even if Mes didn't have a siuni, he could go on with his life without any issues.
"The dust we got from the worms... why didn't I think of that sooner?"
"I wouldn't worry about that. Haru may still have some of it."
"Are you serious?" Arsh was surprised.
"Yes. He only helped Ezra take as much as he needed. There should be some dust left over."
"What about his siuni?"
"Give me some time, I'm sure I can find a way. Just... can you take a closer look at Mes's arm?"
"All right. I'll take a closer look tomorrow."
"Okay. But this is your first time using this siuni. Don't use up too much energy," the girl said before fading away.
Only then did Arsh realize that he was beginning to feel exhausted, even within the void. Before long, he slipped back into his own sleep, returning to his own dreams.
...
The next morning, Arsh woke to the sound of someone knocking on his door. It was Mes. His face was paler than usual, and the dark circles beneath his eyes made it clear he hadn't slept well. Without wasting any time, he got straight to the point.
"About last night..." he began, but still half asleep, Arsh cut him off.
"I'm sorry. It was an accident. I didn't enter your dream on purpose."
"It's alright. Actually... thanks to you, I got a good night's sleep." Mes replied, his voice uneasy. It was obvious he was lying. "I just... don't tell the others what you saw in my dream," he said, almost pleading.
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."
"Thank you... Let's head to breakfast in a little while. I'll be waiting," Mes said, turning to leave. But Arsh stopped him.
"Mes... if it's not a problem, can I take a look at your arm?"
Although surprised by the question, Mes rolled up his sleeve without saying a word and showed his arm to Arsh.
"Thanks," Arsh said. After that, Mes left the room.
Unlike Mes, Arsh felt completely refreshed. Even though entering someone else's dreams had exhausted him, the sleep had helped him recover quickly. He hadn't slept this peacefully in a long time.
A little later, they arrived at the main manor for breakfast. Professor Reiner asked a few questions about his new ability. Helen, on the other hand, was still surprised that Arsh had acquired a second siuni.
"I thought you would choose something to boost your physical strength. You're a bit on the weaker side, after all," Helen said with a laugh. "How do you plan on using this siuni?"
"I'm going to use it for torture. I can enter anyone's dream whenever I want, and I can do whatever I want in there," Arsh said, smiling back at Helen.
"Good plan," Juan said, laughing along.
"Hey, I'm warning you. Don't you dare peek into my dreams," Walter said, pointing his fork at Arsh.
"Oh? Why? What do you see in your dreams? Ah... you're still at that age, aren't you?" Helen teased him. Walter's face had already turned as red as his hair.
Everything around the table felt normal. Everyone was laughing. Even Ezra had begun to overcome his shyness, and Haru had finally started opening up to the others.
Everything was going according to plan.
If they could find a cure for Mes's siuni, Arsh could have his revenge, and through the FFSD, Professor Reiner and the others could achieve their goal as well.
'Everything was going well. And it was only going to get better.' Arsh thought.
But aren't the happiest, most peaceful moments usually the ones right before the biggest storms?