Echoes of the Departed Constellation - Even If It's a Nightmare
It had been three days since I'd learned the principle of unmoving mind from Nahibi, even if it was a nightmare.
[Breathe in... and hold.]
Nahibi's voice echoed in my mind. With my eyes closed, I gazed into the inner sea. The wild waves of emotion were gradually calming.
Fear, impatience, anger. They still existed, but they no longer swallowed me whole. I wasn't a shipwreck victim drowning in the emotional surf anymore—I was an observer standing on the shore, watching the waves roll in.
[Breathe out.]
"Hoo..."
I opened my eyes with a long exhale. My vision felt clearer.
[Not bad. For a lowly creature, you pick it up fast.]
Nahibi was nagging as usual, but since we were linked, I could sense her satisfaction.
[My teacher's excellent.]
I chuckled and stood. The difference from our first training session was that I'd finally mastered telepathic communication through wavelengths.
Everything else... I stroked the head of the girl sitting beside me, just like me.
"Mump?"
"Nah, don't worry about it."
Once Nahibi and I dove into intensive training, Eve got bored and insisted on joining us.
Preparations were just about done now. I approached the bed where Bani lay. He was still drenched in cold sweat, writhing in agony.
"Alright, let's go."
I reached to place my hand on Bani's forehead.
"Kal! Are you going?"
"Yeah. Gonna fetch Uncle Bani."
Eve grabbed my hand, her eyes full of worry.
"Eve? It's okay, no need to fret so much."
"Okay..."
Eve sidled up beside me. She watched intently as I placed my hand on Bani's head, then plopped down next to me.
"Nahibi, ready?"
[Yes. As I've said a dozen times, the key precaution is.]
[Maintain my sense of self.]
[Right. Then—]
Nahibi's presence surged. Now that I knew what to look for, ever since awakening as a constellation bearer, I could truly grasp how immensely powerful she was.
My vision blurred, and a humming filled my ears.
That's when Eve grabbed my arm tight.
[No! If Her Majesty jumps in like this so suddenly, it's dangerous... Urk!]
Nahibi tried to stop her, but it was too late. The moment Eve seized my arm, her overwhelming wavelength hooked into my mental channel.
Space shuddered. Nahibi puffed up in panic, then sent a wavelength like a sigh.
[...Haa. It's already connected. Her Majesty's will is too strong.]
[Is this okay?]
[It might even be a blessing. She's young, but undeniably a queen in spirit—no way she'd interfere.]
Nahibi sounded resigned.
[But we'll have to hurry. That lowly creature's too weak to handle two minds.]
With that, my consciousness was sucked down the path Nahibi opened, plunging into Bani's unconscious. Like a dream, the world before me softly flickered white.
*
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I sensed was a riot of colors.
The entire world shimmered with vibrant, beautiful hues.
"Whoa, so pretty!"
Eve was suddenly beside me, and I scooped her up.
"What're you doing, barging in like that!"
"But..."
I decided to give Eve a proper scolding this time. "Eve. That was wrong of you. It might've been fine this time, but it could've been dangerous."
"But I was scared you'd get hurt... I..."
I set Eve down and met her eyes. She averted hers, knowing she'd messed up.
"Eve."
I called her name seriously. Only then did she look at me. Calmly, in a gentle voice, I continued.
"Don't you trust me?"
"No!"
She shook her head fiercely.
"Really? Then why does it feel like you don't? It makes me so sad."
"Kal sad?"
"Yeah. Sad."
Her pupils trembled at my words. I gently clasped her small hand.
"I know you wanted to help. Thanks."
"......"
"But it hurts that you don't see me as reliable."
Her eyes widened in confusion. She'd meant well, but it made me feel small instead.
"No! Kal strong! I trust!"
She clutched my clothes and shouted. I stroked her head softly.
"If you'd gotten hurt, I'd have been devastated. So next time, trust me. Waiting and believing in me—that's how you help."
I held out my pinky.
"Remember? The promise ritual."
Eve looked into my eyes.
"Yeah... Promise to trust Kal."
"Good. Promise made."
After that, surveying this colorful world inside Bani's dream, I let out a sigh. 'Which way do we even go in a place like this?'
"Kal. This way!"
Eve tugged my hand and led forward.
"Huh? You sense something, Eve?"
"Yeah! Uncle Bani's smell."
"That's so very you."
I chuckled and followed.
Even amid the directionless colors, Eve pressed on confidently. As we went, I felt a shift.
'The chaotic colors are aligning... This is?'
The myriad hues began clustering into familiar shapes.
'Bani.'
Bani's entire mental world was screening memories of him like films everywhere. Every one brimmed with precious, beautiful moments with his wife and daughter.
And where Eve stopped, I caught the scent too.
Freshly baked bread, rich coffee.
"This is... Bani's nightmare?"
I looked around. It wasn't hell. A spacious garden bathed in warm sunlight, green lawn rolling down to a distant blue sea, a two-story house on the hill.
Everything peaceful, idyllic.
"Uncle Bani's definitely here!" Eve declared with conviction.
"Daddy! Hurry! Toast's getting cold!"
A clear girl's voice rang from inside, overlapping hers.
"Coming, coming! Our princess must be starving this morning."
The familiar voice. Bani. Drawn like a moth, I approached the entrance. The door stood open.
At the dining table inside sat a younger Bani, clean-shaven, no wrinkles or scars.
Across from him smiled a beautiful woman; beside her, a cute seven-year-old girl munched jam-smeared bread.
"Honey, canceling your schedule for vacation out of the blue—something up?"
His wife, Lina, asked.
"You bet! Register this new route I found, and the bonus'll be fat. Then we all head to that resort planet in Sector 6."
"Huh? Sector 6...?"
"Whoa, our princess caught on quick? Yep. Where Zai loves filming Tiny."
"Yay~ Really? Really? Daddy's the best!"
"Heh heh heh."
Bani wore the happiest smile imaginable. None of the weary, battered reality version. This was the everyday life he'd craved—and lost forever.
"......"
I hesitated to shatter the peace. But Eve charged right in.
"Uncle Bani!"
She dashed past the entrance into the living room without a hello. I hurried after.
"Huh? You... Eve?"
Bani's eyes went wide. His daughter Zai, mid-bite, and Lina froze, staring at us.
"And... Kal?"
Bani looked flustered at first, then flashed his usual affable grin.
"What brings you two here? Been ages since we had guests. Honey, two more plates? Friends dropped by."
He invited us to the table so naturally, as if we were weekend neighbors, not intruders.
I stepped up and stared him down.
"Bani."
"Why so stiff? Sit. Lina's sandwiches are killer."
Cruel as it was—and Nahibi said time was short—I had to spit the harsh truth at this oblivious Bani.
"This is a dream."
I said it straight. The table's air iced over. Wife and daughter's smiles halted. Even the clock's ticking seemed to stop.
But Bani still held his sandwich. His expression wasn't shock—it was resignation.
"......I know."
His reply caught me off guard. I furrowed my brow.
"You... know? Then why?!"
"My wife Lina and daughter Zai die again tonight."
The moment he spoke, time accelerated.
"Kal..."
The sun dipped; moonless night cloaked the world in seconds.
"I knew this was fake the instant I saw my wife and girl."
Bani set down the sandwich. His eyes darkened, deepened.
"But what can you do? Even if it's a nightmare, it's the scene I've longed for..."