Rikuya Saionji traversed the darkness, two enormous blue eyes resting overhead like lamps.
This was already the seventh night of his roaming across Tokyo City, hopping from one dream to another.
The mysterious figure, with glowing blue eyes, had given him another task.
A task, if left unattended, would bring more disaster upon the world.
As the blue eyes guided him to the next dream, Rikuya went through the person's memories, trying to find someone.
"How does this work again?" Rikuya asked, directing the dream.
Till only a few days ago, he could only influence someone's dream to some extent, nudging the person to do something that Rikuya wished them to do.
The way he was using his Dream Walk Quirk felt too different, but more efficient.
[There are two parts to the human mind.] The blue eyes over Rikuya's head pulsed. [Conscious and Subconscious. More often than not, dreams stem from a combination of these two, involving spiritual and mystical elements.
[So, even if a person does not remember everything that he did in the last few days, or all the people that he met and saw, the subconscious mind still holds a shadow of those encounters.
[What you are doing now is nothing but an application of that.]
Rikuya's eyes narrowed.
He didn't ask why this Thing hadn't taught him to do it way before.
By now, he had a pretty good idea that there was a symbiotic relationship between them.
He needed the Thing to explore the dream worlds. There was a gulf of darkness between the two dreams that he just couldn't cross. It was like two islands separated by black waters.
The Thing acted as a compass for him, letting him know in which direction to steer the boat, i.e., his Quirk.
In return, It asked of him… favors.
The first time It had approached him, It had shown him what was going on at the Blue Site. If it wasn't for his father's changed behavior, Rikuya had almost ended up hating him.
Then, It had offered him a way to explore the Dreamworld without ending up dying in his sleep.
In return, It had asked him to protect his idiot cousin from time to time, who, by the way, was getting crazier and crazier by the seconds.
And now, it was this.
The Thing had offered him a new way to manipulate dreams.
In return, he needed to find Hero Killer: Stain.
How his idiot cousin lost the Villain he had publicly kidnapped was beyond Rikuya. But, knowing that Luke had a few screws loose, it hadn't come as a surprise to him.
What did come as a surprise was the Thing's urgent tone.
Rikuya could feel it in his bones.
There was something deeply wrong about all this.
"What aren't you telling me?" he asked finally, unable to take it any longer. "What's wrong with this… Stain?"
Rikuya knew his limits.
He wasn't as smart as his sister, Aina, and, as much as he disliked admitting, he couldn't match up to Luke's reasoning abilities as well.
However, that was only comparative.
Rikuya knew this Thing was something utterly incomprehensible. He wouldn't even be surprised if one day It started calling Itself God.
For It to act like this, there must be a greater reason behind Stain's disappearance.
[… I cannot tell you.] The blue eyes pulsed. [Not yet. It's related to Luke, though. My… Brother has found the secret behind Luke's strange powers. Now, He controls Stain. And, unfortunately, He isn't as tolerant as I.]
Rikuya's eyes widened. This Thing… has a brother?!
As if that thought wasn't enough, something in Its tone was telling him that this brother wasn't… a nice guy…
Rikuya already considered the Thing as a mystical god-like entity.
What should he consider Its brother, then?
And this thing was after Luke?!!
"Strange powers?!" Rikuya asked, trying not to ask about the brother. "You only mentioned Bioalchemy to me. He has even more Quirks?!"
Were all bastards this lucky?
Bioalchemy in itself was a logic-defying Quirk in Rikuya's opinion.
[… I cannot tell you.] The voice sounded hesitant. [What your brother has done can result either in disaster or… exploring a route that has never been explored before. I want to see how far he would go before realizing the consequences of his actions… and what his choice would be when he stands before those consequences.]
Rikuya stood there for a moment, processing the unfathomable words.
"You said my brother's actions can result in disaster," he repeated, narrowing his eyes. "What kind of disaster are we talking about?"
Involuntarily, Rikuya's heart was thumping in his chest.
He wasn't in the Dreamland physically, as his body was still at home.
However, any physical, emotional, and spiritual reaction or damage here also brought reactions to his body.
So, this nervousness within Rikuya was as real as it could get.
Especially when he had an idea of what kind of answer he would get.
[The world ending kind.] It answered, voicing Rikuya's thoughts. [There will be nothing left but blood and corruption.]
A chill ran down Rikuya's spine.
"And you will let that happen?!" he asked. "Why not go to Luke's dream and stop him…"
[It's not possible now.] The blue eyes pulsed with a broken rhythm. [He's corrupted beyond return. I have already confirmed it by visiting his dream.]
Rikuya was aghast. Just what was going on?!
[That is Luke's fate, Rikuya.] It said after a while. [People. They try to run from fate. They try to hold it in their palms… control it. But that's nothing more than an illusion. Fate is — Eternal.
[Telling you more will be counterproductive. Let's end it here today. We will try again tomorrow.]
Rikuya's fingers balled into fists.
Then, he let out a sigh, knowing how futile it would be to push this Thing.
Suddenly, something clicked in Rikuya's mind. "These strange powers, you mentioned," he asked, walking through the darkness, "… can I get them, too?"
The blue eyes over Rikuya's head narrowed.
[… Yes.]It said. [If what I think my Brother's trying to do is true, then…
[… I will have no choice but to interfere as well.]
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