When Ais suddenly collapsed, eyes closing as she fell to the floor, Loki didn't look alarmed in the slightest. Instead, she watched the large floating eye beside Tsuna with growing curiosity.
"So, what does that eye do? You just stare at someone and it drops them into a dream?"
"Pretty much," Tsuna said casually. "Its power is to pull someone into sleep—into a dream so vivid they'll never want to wake up."
Loki raised an eyebrow. "Not forced sleep, but… making them choose not to wake?"
Tsuna nodded. "Yeah. I came up with the idea after seeing the Dark Faction."
The eye glowed faintly violet, its iris encircled by rings of light, each adorned with a single black magatama.
"The grunts in the Dark Faction—most of them were deceived by the gods into joining. They were already broken, mentally. Losing everything made them desperate to escape reality. Joining Evilus was their way of running away."
He continued, voice calm but steady. "So I thought—if they want to escape, why not let them? Let their consciousness fall into the dream they long for most, and meet the person they miss the most."
"People with holes in their hearts… they always try to fill them in dreams."
"And beautiful dreams," he added softly, "are the hardest thing to say no to."
Tsuna glanced down at Ais. Even lying on the floor, her lips had curved into the faintest smile. She'd fallen fast—almost instantly.
"The dream feels more real than any drunken haze," he said quietly. "Some people even know it's fake, but they still choose to stay."
"That was fast," Loki murmured.
She could sense the change immediately. Ais's emotions—once sharp and turbulent—had softened, smoothed out. The anxious energy that had been clawing at her was fading.
"I just hope she doesn't get addicted to it," Loki said with a sigh.
"She won't," Tsuna reassured her. "There's a safeguard. Even the sweetest dream can't hold you forever. As long as someone inside the dream tells her it's time to wake up, she'll come back—no matter how much she doesn't want to."
"Hmm. Still, it's only a temporary fix," Loki said. "A way to ease her emotions, not cure them."
"Exactly," Tsuna agreed. "Ais has been bottling up too much for too long. If she keeps suppressing it, it'll turn into something worse."
Loki nodded thoughtfully. Using dreams to ease someone's mind… it was an impressive approach. And clearly, Tsuna knew what he was doing—Ais's obsession with strength had crossed a line long ago.
"That kid's been overdoing it since the start," Loki muttered. She knew Tsuna was right—there hadn't been much she could do before now.
"But just once, all right? Don't let her make a habit of it."
"I know," Tsuna said. "Once in a while is fine, but too often would be bad for both body and mind."
He understood perfectly. There was a line that couldn't be crossed.
"By the way, Miss Loki," Tsuna asked suddenly, "how's your leg feeling?"
"Much better."
Loki flexed her foot experimentally. The soreness had almost completely faded, replaced by a pleasant lightness that spread through her body.
"Tsuna, you ever study medicine or something?"
He had already conjured small water clouds to rinse his hands, and a faint breeze from a spirit spell whisked away the remaining droplets.
"Not really. I just used to massage my mom's shoulders sometimes."
"Oh~ no wonder you're so good at it."
"If you'd like, Miss Loki, I could make a monster specifically for massage."
"Nope," Loki said immediately.
"For massages, I'd much rather have someone do it personally."
The look she gave him left absolutely no room for misinterpretation.
Tsuna hesitated, then exhaled. "If it's after dinner."
"Deal!" Loki beamed, instantly perking up.
That topic settled, Tsuna glanced at Ais sleeping peacefully on the floor. "Should I move her back to her room?"
"No need," Loki said, waving it off.
"She'll just break into mine again tomorrow morning anyway. Better to let her sleep here—it'll save me the trouble of being startled at dawn."
Loki knew Ais's habits too well. If she hadn't updated her Status tonight, she'd definitely be hammering on Loki's door first thing in the morning. Letting her sleep on the floor was easier—for both of them.
"There's a blanket in the cabinet. Just throw it over her. A Level 5's body isn't that fragile."
Tsuna nodded, took out a blanket, and gently draped it over Ais's shoulders. Once done, he straightened and headed for the door.
"Good night, Miss Loki."
"Night, Tsuna."
When the door closed, Loki let her gaze linger on the boy's back for a moment before looking back down at Ais.
"Let it all out in your dream, kid," she murmured softly. "Just don't cling too hard when you wake."
She chuckled under her breath, already imagining tomorrow morning's chaos. Then, with a yawn, she stretched and stripped off the excess layers of her clothes before sliding under the covers.
"Ahh… sometimes this body really is a hassle," she muttered sleepily.
"Tomorrow's problems can wait until tomorrow."
Her lips curved in a faint smile. "Having a capable kid around really is a blessing…"
And with that, Loki drifted off to sleep.
"Mom… Mom…"
In her dream, Ais was a child again. Her expression—usually blank and stoic—was now bright and full of life, her smile dazzling as she clung to her mother's clothes with tiny hands, unwilling to let go.
She'd forgotten where she was when her mother suddenly spoke.
"Ais, it's time to wake up."
"Wake up?"
Little Ais tilted her head in confusion.
Her mother smiled gently and tapped her forehead. "This is your dream, sweetheart. I'm just your memory. Don't mix dreams with reality."
The smile on Ais's face faltered, her shoulders slumping.
"I don't want to go," she whispered. "There's no you or Dad out there."
Her mother stroked her hair tenderly. "Dreams are just the past, Ais. You still have to keep moving forward."
"Your father and I will always be here, waiting for you in your dreams. But there are people outside waiting for you too."
"If you want to see us again, you can always come back here. But for now…" She smiled softly. "You need to wake up."
Before Ais could answer, the world around her began to blur.
And when it cleared again—
She was staring up at a familiar ceiling.
"…I'm awake."
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Note: Well, chat we didn't make it to the top 30 this time… so I'll stop here again..
Alright, deal - if we get it done tomorrow after the reset, I'll give you 15 chapters. Sound good?Anyway, have a great day (or night) ahead!
Also, you can read up to chapter 110 on patreon.com/NiaXD.
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