In the Asdana System, where Memoria overflowed, Penacony's dreamscape was in truth far larger than it appeared now.
It was said that some dreams, like isolated islands, had existed for a long time even before the Family arrived here.
But Robin had not mentioned that just now.
She had not been thinking in that direction earlier, when Kiana brought up the possibility of a dream not controlled by the Family.
That thought had indeed surfaced in her heart.
Yet she did not explain it. Instead, she followed Kiana's speculation and offered a different answer.
Kiana seemed to truly know something.
Robin could faintly sense that she was guiding her to think along this path. Although there were still many doubts in her heart, Robin trusted her, and so she began to think in the direction Kiana had indicated.
"Should we go and take a look?"
"Go and take a look?"
Looking at her in mild surprise, Robin could now be certain—Kiana wanted her to make a trip there.
There was such a place.
The direction of her thoughts had been correct.
Kiana's concern...
Is it my brother?
She was exceedingly intelligent. In an instant, she thought of many things, many possibilities, yet none of it showed on her face.
How could she fail to hear the implication behind Kiana's earlier hints? But instinctively, she was unwilling to believe it.
How could her brother possibly be that traitor?
There must be some misunderstanding.
"Yes. Let's go take a look at the areas beyond the Twelve Hours. Perhaps we'll make an unexpected discovery."
"I've never heard that there's a way to reach dreams beyond the Twelve Hours in Penacony." Robin pointed out the crucial issue.
She had always been good at concealing her emotions. After falling for Kiana, she had to be even more careful not to let those feelings show, and her ability to hide what was in her heart had only grown stronger.
As long as she was unwilling.
Kiana could not see through her thoughts, unless Araya...
I need to be careful of the Remembrance Pathstriders.
And those capable of peering into others' minds.
"As for that, Araya should be able to help us." Kiana brought Araya forward at this moment, clearly prepared, and smiled. "She can find that isolated island beyond the Twelve Hours and send us there."
This was not a sudden whim from Kiana.
She had prepared in advance?
She had long intended to bring her there, which was why she arranged for her to meet Araya and even brought her into the dream together.
Because from the very beginning, Kiana's plan had been to use Araya's power to take her to that isolated island—one that existed, yet was not within the Twelve Hours?
She had simply been waiting for the right opportunity to bring it up.
Araya's gaze remained calm. Noticing Robin looking at her, a trace of confusion flickered in her eyes, as if asking why she was being stared at—did she doubt her ability?
"If it can be done, then let's go and have a look together. I'm also curious—what does a place beyond the Twelve Hours, one seemingly connected to the Watchmaker, actually look like?"
Kiana had warned her in advance that the Family's traitor might be related to her brother, and now she was mentioning the Watchmaker and dreams not controlled by the Family.
If she did not know her brother well enough, Robin might already have begun wondering whether he had established some kind of connection with the Watchmaker.
So Kiana—what does she want me to see?
Is that place truly special?
Seeing Robin choose to trust her without hesitation, without even a trace of doubt, Kiana could not help but feel moved.
For the sake of that unreserved trust alone, she had to tell Robin everything in full.
So that she would have more time to react.
She would not make the choice for Robin, but no matter what choice Robin made, she would stand behind her.
The worst outcome would be nothing more than the original storyline.
"Then I'll trouble you, Araya." Kiana looked at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Help us find the place I mentioned, and then take us there to have a look. All right?"
"No problem." Araya agreed immediately. It was not difficult for her. She glanced around and added, "Let's find a less conspicuous place. Using more of the Stigmata Terminal's power will cause some disturbance."
She had even thought of that.
Kiana patted her shoulder with satisfaction, then turned to Robin. "Should we head back to the hotel room, or...?"
"Back to the hotel room."
Robin made her choice quickly. In the dream, there were many places with few people—areas not yet opened or temporarily closed due to minor issues.
But those places were not truly safe.
And their level of concealment was not much different from a hotel room. Besides, it would not take long to return there from here.
Within the dream, under normal circumstances, it was impossible for someone to casually barge into another person's room.
"All right, we'll do as you say." Kiana nodded and took Araya's hand. "Let's go, Araya. We'll return to the hotel room."
Avoiding prying eyes, the three of them returned to the room in The Reverie where one could enter dreams and return to reality.
They did not say much.
After returning, Araya found a spot, closed her eyes, and began earnestly receiving information from this world, filtering out what she needed.
"We'll need to wait a moment."
Kiana knew it would take some time. She turned and explained the situation to Robin, asking her to wait together.
"This isn't something easy to accomplish." Robin looked at Araya with quiet emotion. "Araya possesses a very unique ability."
"Her ability is indeed unique." Kiana looked at Araya—who had not reverted to her original form but maintained the appearance of a child—and spoke softly. "Araya was born into this world as the Stigmata Terminal. She has extremely high authority over Stigmata, the Stigmata World, and similar existences."
"The Stigmata Terminal?"
When Robin heard this, the first thing that came to mind was the synchronization she had experienced when Kiana had just returned from Izumo, her body eroded by Honkai energy.
That sea of blood-red tides.
The extreme pain and despair within it were unforgettable. Although Kiana had explained to her why those emotions had appeared, the memory was too profound.
She had never encountered such emotions before.
And...
Robin had also wondered—if back then she had not chosen to return to Penacony, but had instead escorted Kiana home and spent more time with her, perhaps she would have understood her own feelings sooner.
It would not have left her lagging so far behind now.
She believed that even then, she had already felt something unusual for Kiana.
That was why, when she saw Kiana partially loosen her clothing to reveal the Stigmata, her heart had begun to race.
"It is an existence capable of managing Stigmata and reconstructing the Stigmata World." Kiana did not delve further into this topic with Robin.
If they continued, it would inevitably lead to why she had created the Stigmata Terminal in the first place, and how she had brought Araya into being.
After what had just happened—Araya not valuing her own life—Robin would surely remember it clearly. Kiana did not dare let Robin realize that Araya had learned all of it from her.
If Robin found out that Araya had learned everything from her, she would definitely try to correct her way of thinking.
And she did not want Robin to worry.
Understanding Kiana's intention, Robin, though still puzzled, did not pursue the topic further.
If it were something harmless, with Kiana's personality, she would patiently explain it. Since she chose to stop here, there was no doubt she did not wish to continue.
Though curiosity lingered in her heart, Robin did not want to make Kiana uncomfortable over mere curiosity.
That would not be beneficial for what she intended to do next.
"Found it."
Araya suddenly spoke, drawing Robin's gaze. It seemed Araya had only just begun searching—they had exchanged merely a few sentences.
Had she prepared in advance?
Was this just a formality?
As the thought arose, Robin saw the faint surprise in Kiana's eyes as well. Seeing that, she dismissed her suspicion.
"You found it?"
Araya nodded and looked downward, her gaze seemingly passing through the hotel room, through this very Hour.
"It is located beneath this dream."
Robin looked down in astonishment, seeing only the floor of the hotel room.
She could hardly believe it.
From her conversation with Kiana, she knew the place truly existed, but she had not expected it to be so close.
Seeing Robin's shock, Kiana deliberately asked, "Are you certain it's there?"
Araya considered carefully, then nodded. "That place is slightly different from here."
Different?
Robin suppressed her astonishment, took a deep breath, and said, "Whether it matches our speculation or not, let's go and see."
Once they reached Dreamflux Reef, it would be time to seriously discuss those matters with Robin. The longer she delayed, the less time she would have.
"Is that all right?"
Thinking of what she would soon have to say, Kiana looked at Araya and asked whether she could send both of them over.
It posed no difficulty for Araya.
She merely extended her hand, letting her power envelop the two before her. With a single shift of will, she completed the transfer from one region to another.
However...
Her technique clearly required further practice.
Having prepared herself mentally, Kiana did not resist the force that moved her. She followed its pull, and in the blink of an eye, left the hotel room and arrived elsewhere.
Her body was plunging rapidly downward.
The sensation of weightlessness startled Kiana. Instinctively, she searched for Robin's figure and spotted her not far away, likewise in free fall from high above.
"This landing spot is a little too well chosen, isn't it?"
There was still a considerable distance to the ground, yet Kiana had the presence of mind to complain inwardly. She adjusted her descent and reached out to grab Robin.
Though this was a dream, she had no intention of gambling on what it might feel like to crash straight into the ground.
Robin, who had been about to use the power of Harmony to ensure a safe landing for them both, glanced at Kiana and quietly abandoned the idea.
Kiana exerted slight force, pulling her closer, while scanning their surroundings for Araya. She did not see her in the air.
...Surely that wasn't intentional?
The thought made Kiana stiffen slightly. She instinctively turned her head to glance at Robin.
Perhaps startled, Robin felt that holding hands alone was not enough to give her a sense of security.
She wrapped her arms around Kiana's waist.
Kiana wanted to reassure her—to say they would land safely—but the moment she opened her mouth, fierce wind rushed in, making the experience thoroughly unpleasant.
Forget it. Better to land quickly.
Closing her mouth, Kiana controlled their descent. Within a few breaths, she brought Robin safely back to solid ground.
"You weren't frightened, were you?" Kiana released her and looked at her with concern. "Araya's teleportation may have had a minor issue. The positioning wasn't entirely precise."
Robin withdrew her hands, shook her head, and replied with a reassuring smile. "I'm fine."
When Kiana's body stiffened just now—was it because she wasn't used to physical contact, or because she wasn't used to contact with me?
The thought flickered through her mind.
But now was not the time to dwell on such things.
She pretended not to notice Kiana's embarrassment and silently gave Araya credit for the little mishap.
The lighting here was extremely dim. The only source of illumination hung high above. Judging from its outline, it appeared to be the grand theater.
Looking more carefully at the sky, one could see other dream structures of Penacony.
At that moment, Robin gained a deeper understanding of Araya's words—
Beneath the dream.
"The architectural style here closely resembles Penacony's," Robin said, withdrawing her gaze from the grand theater and surveying the surroundings. "Perhaps, just as we speculated, there is a special connection between this place and Penacony."
They had landed on a rooftop, from which they could roughly observe the surrounding area. Aside from the excessive dimness that lent everything a somewhat oppressive atmosphere, this place was not drastically different from Penacony's dream.
There were even residential districts here.
Robin's gaze lingered on the streets visible from their vantage point, on the people moving below.
Within Penacony's dream...
There was actually such a place.
She had grown up in Penacony, yet she had never heard of an area like this existing within its dream.
Though she had only just arrived, Robin, through the melodies she perceived, gained a preliminary understanding of this place.
It was completely different from the dreams governed by the Family.
The melody of this dream was not harmonious. It was filled with a kind of "disorder" distinct from the Family's order. The Memoria here also felt primitive and unstable.
Is this what Kiana wanted me to see—the reflection hidden beneath Penacony's brilliance?
Yes. This place was like a reflection.
"This is Dreamflux Reef—the earliest dream city of Penacony, a land of exile."
Having carefully arranged her words and steeled herself, Kiana wore a helpless smile as she looked at Robin beside her.
"Come to think of it, you probably noticed long ago, didn't you? I seem to know quite a lot. My acting isn't exactly convincing..."