The night is made for dreams. Dreams are a place where one can escape from the hardships of real life…But dreams can often turn into nightmares.
Chero stood waiting in the room with the fireplace. Danni walked in.
“Danni! You’re back! What happened to Hime?!”
“…She…she fell asleep…” Danni said, looking away from Chero, avoiding eye contact, “Very…deeply…”
“…No…” Chero cried, her eyes filling with tears.
“So…Now we’re the only ones left…” Dante said, looking at Danni, Kiki, Chero, and Dino.
“Hime is…” Chero covered her eyes.
“We failed again! We’ve got the key. Now-” Kiki started, but Dino interrupted her.
He hugged Chero tightly and said, “When we’ve lost so many? I can’t.”
“There’s no point…” Danni said.
“Yeah…let’s leave this key to our next selves…” Kiki said.
“I’m sorry…”Chero said.
“Bella? What’s wrong?” Dino asked.
“Chero…You didn’t do anything-” Danni started.
“I’m sorry! It was me! It’s all my fault…because…because I-”
---------------------------------------------
Chero sat up in her bed and gasped.
“A…A dream…” she said, “I guess it’s not quite a dream, ne? Even here…It’s affecting me. I hate this!”
Chero crossed her arms, “Is it because I remember too many things? Maybe it’s
backlash? I…I’m beginning to forget the memories from long ago…When did I first meet Dino? How did we first come together? I can’t remember how Hime and I met
either…Maybe when I finally leave…I can remember…”
Chero looked around at everyone’s sleeping faces, “Everyone is breathing…right? Yes. I even saw Hime rolling around…Thank God.”
“I didn’t know this place existed…and I really didn’t expect to still be alive…If I’ve come this far…the next thing to do is…”
The next morning Dino gathered everyone up to have a meeting. They sat around a table after they enjoyed a nice breakfast.
“We need to discuss what to do next, everyone is fully rested, so there should be no problem listening. Right, Danni?”
Danni stuck her tongue out at Dino’s grinning face.
“Yes. The food Chero made was good. So I am all full and well rested!” Kiki grinned.
Chero smiled, “Thanks~”
“Well~ Who’s going to speak first?” Francis asked.
“Jenny, this all started from you finding that page on tumblr right? But you have
nothing to do with it, do you?” Mocha asked.
“I don’t have anything to do with that Thing,” Jenny said.
“If Wifu is telling the truth…Then we are screwed!” Danni whined.
“You don’t blame me?” Jenny asked.
“What?” Hime questioned.
“It’s my fault we all got dragged into this. If…I had not bother you all with
this…We never would have gotten trapped here.”
Chero stared at her hands.
“I thought that you would blame me more.” Jenny said, “I’m rather disappointed! You can be mad at me, you know?”
“Jenny? Is that really what you think?!” Kiki asked.
“Stop saying nonsense!” Mocha added, “This may have started with a word from you. But we all went along with it, right?”
“Oui! We could have chosen not to come, but we chose to come with you,” Francis said.
“You may have laid out the rails…But we choose to follow them,” Dante said.
“I see…Thank you. If you say so…I…” Jenny started.
“Bene. That is why we need to work together.” Dino said, “We can make it through.”
“…Hey!” Chero suddenly exclaimed.
“What?” Hime asked.
“Um…Well…Can you listen to me? There…is something I want to tell you,” Chero said.
“Sure, go ahead, amore,” Dino said.
Chero fidgeted and pulled at her hair, “Can you all join me in the basement? I can’t speak about it…unless I am there.”
Danni groaned and sprawled herself on the table, “The basement! That’s so faaaaar. Can’t you just talk here?”
“It’s really important! Please. I feel as if I can only talk if I am down there…” Chero said.
“I see…Alright. Let’s go. There is something I want to check out on our way there
anyways,” Dino said.
“Where?” Kiki asked.
“The cave with the burned rope. I want to pick something up I saw,” Dino said.
“Alright. Let’s all go together then!” Hime said.
“Yeah! Thank you!” Chero smiled.
