Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Depths of Grandmother's Dream
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Yu-na opened her eyes to a space of pure white, without a single speck of impurity.
Every direction was filled with white, making it impossible to tell front from back.
Even shouting produced only echoes, with no other sounds reaching her.
Pushing aside her vague fear, Yu-na recalled the merchant's words.
"If you eat Someone's Dream while thinking of Grandmother, the place you wake up will be inside Grandmother's dream. If you want to wake up from the dream, just break a finger—no need to worry."
Yu-na stroked her fingers.
But now wasn't the time for that.
"That said, if you do, Grandmother won't be able to return to normal. So let me explain what you need to do. First, the place you arrive is the surface layer of the dream."
"Everything white, without any contamination... right."
Yu-na lay down on the floor and slowly closed her eyes.
"The goal is simple. Keep sleeping. Until the place you wake up becomes the deep layer of the dream."
Falling asleep again inside a dream felt strangely unique.
Yu-na remembered her dad once mentioning something called a dream within a dream.
She didn't know the exact meaning, but it seemed to describe something like this.
With tinnitus ringing in her ears, Yu-na felt her mind gradually fading and her body floating up.
As the drowsiness invading her mind slowly receded and the weight on her eyelids vanished, Yu-na opened her eyes again.
It still didn't feel much different from before.
Just a white, silent space.
Without getting up, Yu-na closed her eyes again while lying down.
She surrendered to the familiar sensation.
"How many times do I have to repeat this?"
After sleeping and waking about ten times, the anomaly occurred.
"Hahaha———!"
The space itself was still white, but as if perfect white were a sin, black people gathered in small groups and wandered about.
"When the first anomaly occurs, you'll have reached the mid layer of the dream. Dreams differ for each person, so I can't predict exactly, but at least it's not dangerous yet."
As he said, they didn't seem particularly interested in Yu-na.
Some chattered and laughed in incomprehensible languages, while others spun around in circles as if playing a game of tag.
Suddenly, she remembered an old movie she had watched with Grandmother.
It was about black ghosts coming to catch naughty children.
"It wasn't scary back then because I watched it with Grandmother..."
The atmosphere overlapped with her current situation, making her body tremble for no reason.
Yu-na steeled her resolve by remembering why she was here.
She closed her eyes again.
Even after trying it a few times, falling asleep took less than a minute.
When she opened her eyes, the number of black people had increased a bit.
"The merchant uncle said it could get dangerous anytime. I have to be careful."
To be precise, he said to be careful because she didn't know when she'd reach the deep layer.
Fortunately, they still seemed to be in the mid layer, as the black people showed no interest in Yu-na.
When Yu-na fell asleep and woke again.
The number of black people had noticeably grown.
What had been groups of about five playing tag had now become gatherings of over twenty.
Yu-na closed her eyes.
"It's still okay."
Thud-thud-thump— Thump—!
She opened her eyes to the noisy sounds and found herself at the center of the tag game.
The black people circled her, stomping heavily.
And those not joining the game watched her as spectators.
Yu-na felt tears welling up in her eyes.
She clutched her fingers and fell asleep again.
Thud-thud-thump— Thud-thud—!
There were even more people now.
And they felt a bit closer.
Yu-na forcibly ignored everything and fell asleep again.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Too many.
The black people had multiplied until no white could be seen.
Still the mid layer, but the deep layer felt imminent.
A strong urge to break her finger hit Yu-na.
"I can do this."
Yu-na gripped her trembling hand and slowly closed her eyes.
...
"It's quiet."
Yu-na actually wished it would get even noisier.
The sudden silence made her afraid to open her eyes recklessly.
It felt like the horrific scene she was only imagining would happen the moment she did.
"Haa... Hoo..."
But she couldn't stay like this forever, so Yu-na cautiously opened her eyes.
In contrast to the surface layer, the whole world was shrouded in darkness.
"Is this the deep layer of the dream? But the sky seems to be squirming..."
And then the sky opened its eyes.
Not just the sky—eyes opened everywhere.
"The world didn't get dark."
The black people were surrounding Yu-na.
Another circle began opening beneath their pupils.
From Yu-na's brief life experience, that position was a mouth.
"If you truly feel in danger, that's the deep layer. Remember this from now on."
Yu-na recalled the merchant's words.
"First, break a finger!"
Crack—
With the sound of bone crunching, the world began to distort.
The black people's mouths gaped open and grew endlessly, turning into disgusting liquid that stained the white space black.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
"Then the place you wake up will be the previous dream, right before the deep layer."
Yu-na shoved aside the black people surrounding her and ran.
"Keep running. You must find the path to the correct dream."
Looking back, the circling black people stopped and began chasing her.
"The entities that detect your anomaly will start pursuing you. But don't worry. Those in the mid layer can't inflict any physical harm on you."
Even with the merchant's words, her worry didn't fade, so Yu-na had to force her shaking legs to keep moving.
Thud
Thud-thud
Thud-thud-thud—!
The footsteps grew closer.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud
When the sound grew to the level of right beside her, Yu-na couldn't help turning her head.
And right next to Yu-na, a black person glared at her with bulging eyes.
Yu-na's hand instinctively reached for her other fingers.
"So no matter what, do not break your finger. If they detect your anomaly and you return to the previous dream, they won't be the entities you knew."
"No!"
Yu-na shouted to summon her buried courage.
"Now, let me tell you how to enter the correct dream."
Yu-na kept running.
She would have been exhausted by now normally, but since it was a dream, it wasn't tiring.
"The path to the correct dream varies greatly by case. But since you're Grandmother's family, you'll definitely find the way to that dream."
Far in the distance, a rocking chair caught Yu-na's eye.
"That's..."
As she approached, a familiar voice emanated from the chair.
"Once upon a time, long long ago, when the tiger roared with a mighty roar, even the fairies and woodcutters fled... That doctor treated the village children..."
It was the story Grandmother always told Yu-na.
"It's here."
"If you find the entrance to the correct dream, break your finger right away. Ah, sorry. I've been forgetting lately. Correction: do not break your finger. Rest there. I repeat, absolutely do not break your finger."
Yu-na sat in the rocking chair.
A familiar coziness enveloped her, and she forgot the black people around her as she fell asleep.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The place she woke up was white, like the surface layer of the dream.
It certainly gave off the vibe of the correct dream.
And then, a voice spoke.
"Hello?"
It was a girl with a large scar on her face.
"Uh? Who... are you?"
The girl chuckled.
"Well. I was supposed to be gone by now. I even made that deal with the merchant. Looks like someone else remembered me. Probably... your grandmother?"
The girl said something incomprehensible.
"Anyway, it's not been that long, right? I helped you once before."
"Huh?"
"I'm talking about the business card. Could you have made that judgment in that situation?"
Yu-na couldn't understand what the girl meant at all.
"Well, that's not important now. You're here to find Grandmother, right?"
"Y-Yes..."
"Then follow me."
Yu-na matched the girl's pace and followed.
Strangely, Yu-na felt no threat from the girl.
Soon, they stopped before a massive statue standing alone.
It was a man resembling her dad, but more haggard.
"Stab it with a knife."
"Who is this? And I don't have a knife."
"This man is... your grandmother's regret. Time to set him free. And the knife is in your hand."
"Huh? Oh?"
As the girl said, a short dagger was in Yu-na's right hand.
"Why is this here?"
"Don't doubt it. This is a dream. Anything can happen in dreams. You've been surprisingly calm here, unlike how you just cry outside. Dreams are detached from reality like that."
Yu-na nodded and slowly stepped forward.
One step, two steps.
The statue silently awaited her without moving.
Yu-na raised the dagger high.
"Kyaa!"
The blade tip plunged sharply into the statue's chest.
Stab—!
As Yu-na pulled the dagger from the statue, transcendent light burst from the wound.
The light began crumbling the dream world.
And from the gaps in the vanishing world, the girl's voice came.
"Thank you..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The place Yu-na opened her eyes to was definite reality.
The peaceful meadow was gone, replaced by a ruined city littered with collapsed people.
In that scene, only one person stood, clutching one arm.
"Yu-na... well done."