The Nightmare Great Demon King
10:00
"You can't see this?"
"Nope."
"Nope…"
"Nothing at all."
Nes, An, and even Bian, who had joined us last of all. The friends staring at me all shook their heads at my question. To my eyes, the pure white light floating right beside me was radiating presence enough to blind, yet not one of them seemed aware it existed.
I cupped my hands beneath it, holding it up as if to display it.
"Come on, look right here. The light's clearly zipping around, isn't it?"
Zing~ zing~ it went, darting about with abandon.
"…Even if you say that, I can't see anything."
"Lily, I can't see it either."
"Maybe you're imagining things?"
"……"
Why was I the only one who could see this light? Because it was a gift from the Dream Fairy?
But I knew the truth. Six- or seven-year-old Lily might not have, but twelve-year-old Lily at the very least understood that the contents of a picture book were nothing more than a fairy tale, and that none of it was real.
And yet this light was, unmistakably, real. Anyone could see that.
Then what on earth was it?
'Am I still dreaming?'
"……"
─……
"Um… Lily?"
"Yes?"
"What's over there?"
At the entrance leading up to the garden where I'd fallen asleep, An stood gazing straight at me, her long brown curls catching the light.
Well, if I was the only one who could see it anyway…
"It's nothing. Let's go."
First, we'd play. Afterward, I could call for the Fairy, just like she'd told me to.
■
"So then I—"
"Pfft! Really?"
15:08
Five whole hours had passed since we'd discovered the beautiful new hillside and thrown ourselves into the grass. Setting aside the brief trip down to eat, we'd been playing nonstop for four hours straight.
Uuaaah…!
Ah—correction. Someone was resting, at least. Nes was sprawled in the grass fast asleep, while An and Bian were deep in conversation with each other. They were having so much fun that their chat had already stretched past two hours.
Ordinarily I would have been right in there with them, chattering away, but right now something else mattered more.
'This should be enough, right?'
I lay down, feigned sleep, and spoke to the light drifting before my eyes in my mind.
'Dream Fairy. Please come out.'
Zing…
The formless light, which had been wandering about at will, suddenly flared with a brilliant flash. I squeezed my eyes shut against it on pure instinct, and when I opened them again, the Fairy I'd seen in my dream was standing before me.
"Wow…"
Truly, an impossibly beautiful face.
─Hello there.
'Ah—hello.'
─Did you need something?
Did I need something. A thousand questions bloomed in my head at once. Where to even begin—what the Dream Fairy actually was, why I'd had that nightmare, why the nightmare had been real, what this light that only I could see was supposed to be. Countless more crowded in after them, but the first thing that left my mouth was confirmation.
'…Am I still dreaming? Even now?'
─Not anymore.
'Reality? This is really, truly reality?'
─Yes.
'……'
I couldn't believe it one hundred percent. Even inside fairy tales, you only ever met the Dream Fairy within a dream. Meeting her out here in the waking world was something I'd never heard of, never seen, never even imagined.
As if she'd read the thought, the Fairy shook her head gently.
─Ordinarily, it would only be possible in dreams. But the situation has grown dangerous, so I've chosen to show myself.
'…What kind of situation?'
The Dream Fairy was an extraordinary being. The keeper of the Garden of Dreams, where every dream in the world was grown—a king of the dreamland, or rather, a fairy. What could possibly be dangerous enough to make someone like her reveal herself?
The Dream Fairy wore a smile tinged with sadness.
─I no longer tend every dream.
'? Why… Ah.'
The contents of the book came flooding back. Every dream in the world grew in a place called the Garden of Dreams, tended by the Dream Fairy. That was why the world had always been full of nothing but happy, joyful dreams—until one day, a wicked creature called the Nightmare invaded the garden.
The Nightmare was a being that wished for people to hate one another more, to be more miserable. It had tried to plant its venom in the Garden of Dreams, but the Fairy, sensing the intrusion, gave the Nightmare a fierce scolding and flung it far away, down to the surface of the earth.
And just when the incident seemed to be over… there was one great problem.
"The Nightmare Great Demon King stole the seeds!"
─That's right. That creature stole what was mine.
Just before it was banished from the dreamland, the Nightmare had succeeded in snatching several dream seeds that hadn't yet been planted. Dream seeds, by their nature, were plants that could only grow within the Garden of Dreams. But steeped in the Nightmare's foul energy, those seeds gained the ability to sprout even in the Garden of Nightmares the creature had made.
And so miserable, terrible nightmares spread across the world—and the Nightmare, feeding and growing fat on humanity's unhappiness, became the Nightmare Great Demon King…
─It was my fault. I should have checked that creature more thoroughly before casting it out.
"It's not your fault, Dream Fairy!"
The wicked one was the Nightmare—how could anyone pin the blame on the Fairy of the Dreamland? It made no sense at all.
"You did your very best. You gave the people of the world happy dreams, and you even drove the Nightmare from the garden when it invaded. You did everything you could! No one has any right to say otherwise!"
─…You think so?
"Yes!"
'My best, huh…'
─Thank you. For thinking of me that way.
The Dream Fairy nodded, as if a little comforted.
─The Nightmare Great Demon King's power keeps growing. People are having more and more nightmares, and now the corruption has grown strong enough to bleed into reality itself.
"So that's why you came to me…"
─Did you read the book?
I nodded. The Nightmare Great Demon King, cultivating nightmares and devouring the world's unhappiness to grow ever stronger.
─Then you know how it ended for that creature?
"One day, the Nightmare Great Demon King, busy scattering nightmares across the world, found a girl untouched by any of them."
Even the Demon King's nightmares couldn't touch her. Enraged by the girl, the Demon King sent down horrors far crueler—but still she remained unharmed. Finally, patience exhausted, the Nightmare Great Demon King resolved to enter the girl's dream personally and break her apart from within. But the girl was under the Dream Fairy's protection, and the moment the Demon King laid eyes on the Fairy, it tried to flee—only to be caught, and stripped of every last shred of its power.
"…And that was how the nightmares vanished from the world. But the residue they left behind lingered faintly, and sometimes, every now and then, people would still have scary dreams."
─That's how it was. That was so long ago now.
"Then why has the Nightmare Great Demon King…"
─Has appeared again.
This time, one stronger than even that Nightmare Great Demon King. A true Demon King was coming, one who would crush people's very souls.
─Some wicked soul gathered the scattered remnants of nightmares left across the world and revived the Nightmare Great Demon King. And this time, it will be far worse.
"…Then don't tell me—"
─That's exactly it.
Once again, a girl to stand against the Demon King was needed.
"You… can't capture it yourself, Dream Fairy…?"
─As the book tells it, I can only act within dreams. Showing myself in a form like this is possible, but to wield my true power, it must be inside a dream.
'……'
─If you're afraid, you don't have to do it.
The Dream Fairy drew a firm, unwavering line.
─I could never force this on anyone. No one in this world has the right to order another to bear it.
"…What happens if I say no?"
─I would have to find someone else. Or devise some solution of my own, however I could.
'……'
─I'll say it once more: you don't have to take this on. Nothing about this is being forced on you. You have no obligation to sacrifice yourself for anyone else.
A fight against an enemy she couldn't hope to match—an enemy whose mere sight sent shivers down her spine. The odds of failure were high, and even if everything went well, the damage would be certain. There was no reason at all to shoulder such a burden.
And yet.
"I'll do it."
─Why?
"Because if it isn't me, it'll have to be one of my other friends."
She was Lily. Even with no power of her own whatsoever.
"They have to be children, don't they? Young enough to fool the Nightmare Great Demon King. It'd be better if it were me."
─……
"And…"
'I keep telling you, I'm not a saint…'
'The world's falling apart, so why do I keep running around saving people… No, wait, that's not it. I'm not running around saving people. It's just…'
'…It's just self-satisfaction. No big reason behind it.'
"It's partly self-satisfaction, too."
─…What do you mean?
"Becoming the Dream Fairy's disciple, of course! That sounds totally fun!"
Young Lily beamed, bright and carefree. But I knew better. I could see the faint tremor running through her arms and legs. Terrified of the nightmares as she was, she would still throw herself into them, of her own will, to save the world.
'Downright stubborn, that's what she is.'
The Dream Fairy smiled.
─Heh heh…
"Fairy?"
─You won't regret it? No taking it back?
"Of course not!"
─Then it's settled. Lily.
Light bloomed.
■
"…?"
Lily's friend Nes woke to sunlight spilling across her face. The spot Lily had introduced her to was wonderful. Perfect for playing around in, and whenever she got tired or wanted a break, she could simply flop down into the grass and rest. The whole village was visible at a glance from up here, and a cool sea breeze kept the heat from ever getting oppressive. Best of all, there was the great big tree that shaded most of the grove…
"Huh? Where'd it go?"
There had definitely been a huge tree right there before she'd fallen asleep. She brushed off her bottom and walked over to where it had stood, but only dirt and grass remained, as if the tree had never existed at all. The only things visible were a few scattered branches lying some distance away.
Tilting her head, she looked around—and spotted Lily, looking utterly startled.
"Lily!"
"Huh? Wh-wh-wha—?! What? What is it?!"
"…? What's wrong? Why are you so jumpy?"
"N-nothing!"
"Then why are you hiding one arm behind your back?"
"Ah! I just, um, scraped it a little. Hahaha."
Lily laughed, keeping one arm tucked behind her back. Nes figured that was that and let it go, but Lily couldn't hide how rattled she was.
Etched into Lily's arm was the mark of a fairy. She brushed her fingers over it gingerly, the scene from moments ago replaying in her mind.
'Unbelievable…'
The sight of a decades-old tree crumbling to nothing, without so much as a trace, from a single casual punch.