Brain bloom

So... there are no ghosts.

"Not necessarily. The key is what the person having the nightmare is dreaming about."

They sat on a bench, observing the scenes unfolding around them. Just like the clouds in the sky, which never have a fixed shape, the stories that unfolded on the streets each night were also never the same. Even if people had the same nightmare repeatedly, there were at least subtle differences.

Suddenly—

Something powerful appeared on the street, and a crack appeared in the sky.

The shattered sky drew their attention, like broken glass scattering countless fragments. But instead of embedding themselves in the ground, the fragments fell into the mouths of those on the ground, who chewed on the glass shards as if they were delicious.

One of the naked, fat men, who hadn't eaten, looked up.

From the crack emerged a gigantic monster, its body jet black, with sharp horns and fangs, baring its claws and its eyes bulging like pumpkins. It descended to the ground using its wings and pointed its fork at the man.

“Look, that’s the devil.”

"...What kind of demon is this?! I've never seen anything like it before!"

"There's nothing we can do. All kinds of people have their own inner demons. Who cares what your demons are really like?"

As Dandelion said, the giant demon pinned humans to the ground, appealing to their souls in a vulgar tone, and calling himself a demon, saying he wanted to kill everyone.

Just as it was about to seize the soul of the terrified man, it couldn't resist the urge to intervene—

But with a scream, the glass-chewing man, the demon, and the man nailed to the ground vanished, leaving behind layers of blood mist, reeking of blood.

I hope that when I look back, I'll find a dandelion tugging at my clothes.

"Don't leave my side, or you will die."

"Um……"

"Everything you see is a false nightmare. But if you go inside alone, you become a supporting character in the nightmare and will often die a terrible death—I'm not kidding."

He swallowed hard and sat back down next to her.

Then, even more terrifying nightmares unfolded around the streets. They were so close that they could smell the death and see the blood splattering everywhere. All sorts of bizarre and grotesque things were being cooked up like a stew pot.

Many people were already asleep.

And he was plagued by nightmares.

I wish I could start to regret it, but even the realm of demons doesn't have so many strange things.

"Um, Princess Dandelion, if someone dreams of strange and unusual things, like ancient wars of gods... could those dreams come true?"

“No, my magic level isn’t high enough to materialize something like that.” She smiled mysteriously. “But there are plenty of strange and unusual things… If I’m lucky, I might be able to see them.”

“…I…I want to go back to the Demon Realm. Please let me go back. We’ll see each other tomorrow. I’ll keep it a secret and pretend I didn’t see anything. I won’t discriminate against you and Mori…” Yuan said sincerely, unconsciously clenching Fufu tightly.

"Wait a minute, darkness is coming in a little while."

Volume 1, Chapter 305: Casablanca Flowers

dark.

The word Dandelion used made Yuan suspicious. Weren't the two of them currently in darkness?

Through her travels, she gradually grew accustomed to the bustling, bright daytime atmosphere of the human world. Even in the realm of demons, because the ancient demon king wanted her to live a normal life, she was often illuminated by light, so it wasn't as bad as she thought.

But nights like this don't come often.

"Come...come to my side."

As if reciting poetry, the dandelion stood up, standing in the night sky where countless nightmares had come true.

Nothing terrifying could touch her; it was as if the dandelion had become a visitor from another world, simply observing everything firsthand. She listened quietly, finding it impressive but not understanding what was happening. In any case, she was prepared to open a portal and return home at any moment.

In the distance—yet another nightmare has come true.

A human, whose hands and feet were fused together, was ridden by a thin, red skeleton, which whipped him along with a knife, the posture bizarre. With each whip, a roar that could pierce the eardrums echoed, accompanied by the skeleton's wicked laughter.

But the gentle whispers of dandelions coexisted with them, dispelling those strange nightmares.

"Fellow countrymen... awaken from your dreams, rediscover yourselves from endless bitterness... and then, the turbidity of our souls will once again flourish in the garden of flowers, adding a fresh touch to this desolate world."

She murmured to the air.

"And now, gather around me, so that I may convey my heartfelt wishes to you."

After he finished speaking, nothing changed in the surroundings.

I hope I know this is far from simple, and I've raised my guard to the highest level. Ever since Dandelion revealed their connection to the so-called ghosts, I've developed a certain fear of the Four Seasons. Strangely, it's an instinct that seems to exist deep in my blood.

But she also sensed that the dandelion did not harbor any ill will towards her.

All of this is simply a longing for something... and it also carries a fervent expectation.

Time seemed to move slowly, even stretched out, as the dandelion stood motionless and silent. She didn't call out again, but remained quiet and patient. Her aquamarine eyes, undimmed by the night, gazed at the end of the street.

gradually--

Suddenly, she realized that since then, no more strange nightmares had come true, no longer tormenting her with those visions a thousand times more terrifying than the devil. The street had fallen silent without her noticing.

Moreover... the surrounding darkness became even purer, and even moonlight could not penetrate it.

At first—the towering statue of the coffin bearer, whose silver ring, which should have always shone, had lost its luster.

The ring faded into obscurity.

Following closely behind, the city of Silver Ring, which had been illuminated by the radiance of the Holy Letters, also lost its usual protection, and the streets were no longer shimmering with letters.

The world was truly plunged into darkness. She could not see her own hands when she looked down. Even when she curled her long hair and brought it to her eyes, all she saw was darkness. What time was it? She felt as if she had entered another world, where she could see nothing at all.

But neither the chairs they sat on nor the stone pavement beneath their feet had changed.

—From some unknown, secluded place, a myriad of faint fragrances wafted in.

"The scent of flowers?" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Mmm, the scent of flowers."

Yuan rubbed his eyes, wanting to try to manipulate his mental energy to ignite a wisp of fire.

But a hand gently stopped her—"Don't be afraid."

"This is darkness?"

"Yes."

Then, Yuan noticed something strange: she could see dandelions. This girl, about her own age, was completely untouched by black. Her clothes, eyes, long hair, and even the plant on her head—none of them had ever faded.

Her face was also full of smiles.

“In a little while, we will meet again in a different way,” she said to the endless darkness. “No… it’s not me going to your side, it’s not that I want to give up. It’s that you came into this world…”

I hope you can sense that the fragrance of the flowers is coming from the darkness.

There was also the natural feeling of grass, soil, and dew. She tried closing her eyes and gently inhaling the air, feeling as if she were in a flower field under a blue sky. The flowers filled every corner of her vision, as if they were about to climb vigorously into the sky and decorate the blue sky with their petals.

But when I opened my eyes—there was still only darkness.

There seemed to be something in those places she couldn't see? Because the dandelion was communicating with them.

"No, I don't intend to do anything that extreme... Well... maybe after you wake up, you'll find that the human world has returned to its desolate state. That would be a good thing, wouldn't it?"

"..."

“Alright, remember not to fall asleep again, because we’ll be able to meet soon. I’m just here to wake you up…” Dandelion turned to look at Wish and said, “That’s the daughter of the ancient demon king, and also my friend.”

I felt a chill run down my spine and took a few steps back.

The dandelion's tone is friendly, but this kind of introduction sounds like a market vendor introducing goods, similar to "I just picked these bok choy today, look how tender and juicy they are! Hey, don't just look, buy some!"

She had read stories like this before, about seemingly kind girls who led their innocent friends into alleyways and then offered them up as a sacrifice to the devil. Could the devil really be a sacrifice, offered to something far more terrifying? Was this all a complete hoax?

Dandelion stroked her chin, stood there for a while as if listening attentively, then nodded and smiled.

Then, she reached her hand into the darkness.

"Princess Dandelion, I just remembered I have something to do..."

But she did not draw her knife, nor summon the monster lurking in the darkness. When her hand left the darkness, it carried a bouquet of fresh, full flowers, a gift for Yuan.

Five Casablanca flowers in total, arranged in a bunch. In the darkness, the white stands out even more, and the curved petals are particularly beautiful. Most importantly, they are fresh and healthy, and smell wonderful.

I was pleasantly surprised to receive this bouquet of flowers; I never expected it to turn out like this…

"Goodbye...yes, goodbye." The dandelion waved goodbye to the darkness, seemingly content.

The darkness gradually dissipated, the streets returned to normal, and they were able to see things more clearly.

Although the dandelion was a little tired, it was still overjoyed to see its fellow dandelion. She sat back down in her chair and watered the dandelion to cheer it up. She held the flower, still looking somewhat bewildered.

"Before they wither, these flowers will turn to dust and disappear on their own," the dandelion said. "So don't worry about them being difficult to handle or a waste to throw away; they don't want you to see them wither."

"Well……"

"What's wrong? Don't worry, it's not poisonous. They just gave it to you out of kindness."

I earnestly ask, "I've heard... that giving flowers to each other in the human world represents love? Could it be that I've been confessed to?"

You're overthinking it.

Volume 1, Chapter 306: Prelude

By the next morning—everything seemed normal in Silver Ring City.

No trace of her battle with those monsters remained, even though she solved the problem with fire afterward. What surprised her even more was that such a terrifying nightmare had truly vanished without a trace…

Nightmares only at night... Yes, they are dreams; once you wake up, nothing is left.

After experiencing all of this firsthand, Yuan felt that she finally had something to brag about to her father, even though Dandelion hoped she would keep it a secret.

Speaking of dandelions, after getting up early this morning, I excitedly ran to the living room, found a good spot, and kept looking out the door and window—

She waited patiently, full of anticipation.

But after waiting for quite a while, even though the freckled girl's pastry shop reopened and the streets began to bustle again, she still hadn't seen the person she longed for. This inevitably left her feeling disappointed. She had wanted to talk to Mori about yesterday; finally, she had something to talk about with someone from the Four Seasons...

Just then, Yuan, who was sleeping in late, came downstairs, and Dandelion immediately complained to her.

"Ugh, why hasn't that stupid strawberry plant come back yet? Could it be... that she really ran away? Even if she didn't make any money, it would be good if she came back sooner. I won't blame her. Why did she run away?"