As the ship eased closer to Penacony, Tsutsumi pulled out his cards, letting his thumb slide along their edges while he considered them. There was no rush in his movements, just quiet selection, like choosing clothes before stepping outside.
Feixiao leaned over, eyes following the cards. "What are you doing?"
"Picking a face," he replied. After a moment, he drew one card free.
Azu's side screen lit up, displaying a familiar image.
WANTED - DEAD
DECADE, THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS
Bounty: 10,000,000,000 Credits
Somehow, without destroying a single planet in this world, he had already secured the top spot on multiple interstellar wanted lists.
Form Ride: Arthur!
The change happened immediately. His purple-and-magenta hair shifted to a clean golden blond, the sharp hue fading into something brighter. His eyes followed, turning emerald green, and his androgynous features softened into a more traditionally handsome face.
The darker clothes remained, but on him now, they looked less ominous and more refined.
The handsome appearance of the King of Britain is really eye-catching.
Feixiao and Jingliu couldn't help but find his new look quite charming.
"I didn't know you could turn into other people," Acheron said, studying him. "Is this another ability of Finality?"
While Tsutsumi changed his form, the sense of Finality still lingers on him, not enough for others to notice unless someone is paying close attention to it and is actively looking for it.
"No," Tsutsumi said as the ship began its descent. "That one's just me."
The ship settled into Penacony's parking station, sliding neatly into place among rows of other vessels. Luxury cruisers, private spaceships, and transports from all over the galaxy filled the docks.
Feixiao looked out the window. "That's a long line."
Ahead of them, the reception area was already packed. A rough glance suggested at least a hundred people waiting, maybe more.
"And here I thought we were early," Acheron muttered.
They had arrived a few days before the Charmony Festival, but Penacony clearly didn't care. The place was already overflowing. It seemed that this place really lived up to its name as a hot tourist attraction.
Acheron glanced down at the VIP ticket in her hand, then back at the others. "I can get in with this. What about you three?"
She didn't sound eager to leave Tsutsumi behind.
"With this," Tsutsumi said.
He raised his left hand. Two overlapping aurora-like curtains unfolded in midair. The first shimmered like a doorway to somewhere else entirely. The second overlaid it, aligning precisely.
The next step took them out of the station corridor and straight into Penacony itself, past the line, past security, past the waiting crowd.
They emerged from a narrow side passage and blended seamlessly into the flow of visitors.
"Y-You could do that the whole time?" Acheron asked, genuinely caught off guard.
"Yes," Tsutsumi replied.
They stepped out from the narrow alleyway and merged directly into the flow of people. No one paid them any attention. One moment they weren't there, the next they were just another group of tourists moving through Penacony.
Acheron walked beside him, fingers loosely hooked around his hand. "Then why didn't you just do that from the start?"
"Because I didn't know what Penacony was before just now," he said calmly.
They reached the registration area soon after. Tsutsumi moved to the counter without hesitation.
"I'm Arthur. These are Acheron, Feixiao, and Jingliu."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
The staff member pulled up the system, fingers moving quickly. A few seconds passed. Then their expression changed.
Jingliu noticed immediately. With her blindfold now off, she leaned forward slightly. "Is there a problem?"
"I can locate all of your information," the staff member said, choosing their words carefully, "but… there's only one room reservation. It's under Mr. Arthur's name."
"We'll share," Tsutsumi said.
The decision sounded like an afterthought.
He'd already had Azu book a room before arriving. One was enough. Acheron had a habit of forgetting, and Jingliu and Feixiao were now his servants. Paying extra hadn't crossed his mind.
Not that it mattered. Azu was using stolen credits anyway.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Arthur," the staff member said, visibly uncomfortable. "Our Standard Dream Pool rooms are designed for a single guest. Each room only has one Dream Pool."
Tsutsumi frowned.
"Then Acheron takes the room," he said. "The rest of us will go back to the ship. We'll meet back later on."
Acheron understood immediately and nodded, turning toward the counter.
The staff member hesitated. "Mr. Arthur, transferring the room to Miss Acheron is a bit-"
"What's the issue?" Acheron asked, her patience thinning. "The room was booked under his name. Doesn't that mean he decides how it's used?"
The staff member faltered, clearly unsure how to respond. Tsutsumi watched the exchange, unimpressed.
Penacony advertised itself as the pinnacle of hospitality. For a place built entirely around indulgence and service, the rigidity was unexpected.
"Fine," he said. "Just give me the key."
"Of course."
The hesitation vanished instantly. The system chimed, and a Dreamscape Passport slid across the counter.
Tsutsumi picked it up, turned slightly, and handed one directly to Acheron.
The staff member froze.
They stared at the card, then at Tsutsumi, then at Acheron, clearly trying to process what had just happened and failing.
...
"Enter the dream?"
Acheron stood still for a moment after the door closed behind her.
The room was quiet, spacious, and decorated with soft lights that reflected faintly off polished surfaces. It looked more like a high-end suite than anything related to sleeping. She scanned the space again.
She couldn't find anything resembling a bed.
Her gaze shifted toward the center of the room near the window. There, placed almost ceremonially under the city lights outside, was a large bathtub shaped like a giant seashell. Its curved edges were smooth and glossy, the interior filled with gently bubbling liquid that released thin streams of steam into the air.
As she started to study the Dream Pool. She walked toward it at an unhurried pace and stopped at its edge.
The liquid inside shimmered faintly, reflecting the lights of Penacony's skyline beyond the glass. The surface rippled lazily, as if inviting her in.
Acheron looked down into it.
Her fingers lightly touched the rim of the shell-shaped pool. The warmth rising from it brushed against her skin, but it didn't register in any meaningful way. Without that familiar presence nearby, everything felt muted.
He said they would meet again. That was enough reason.
She stepped into the Dream Pool without hesitation. The liquid closed around her legs, then her waist, then her shoulders.
Acheron leaned back slightly and closed her eyes. For a brief moment, there was only darkness.
Then her vision returned, as she was free-falling from the sky.
Wind passed by her body as she hovered thousands of meters above the ground. Below her stretched an entire world, prosperous cities floating among layers of white clouds, platforms linked by bridges of light, towers rising upward as if trying to pierce the atmosphere itself. Golden structures reflected glowing light that didn't quite feel real.
Her body tilted slightly before she descended, landing smoothly on a rooftop without effort. The surface beneath her feet was solid enough.
"So this is the dream world." Her voice carried softly into the open air.
The sky above wasn't a true sky. It felt layered, like painted scenery with depth. The clouds drifted in slow motion, and distant laughter echoed faintly from one of the buildings suspended farther away.
Acheron ignored all of it. Her eyes moved slowly, deliberately.
She focused on trying to locate the essence of Finality.
It wasn't overwhelming here. The dreamscape diluted everything, wrapped it in artificial harmony. But it couldn't erase it completely.
She stood still, letting the wind brush against her hair as she concentrated. Locking on to a thin thread of presence, somewhere beyond the floating districts ahead.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Without wasting time, she bent her knees and stepped forward, pushing off the rooftop and landing on the next one several meters away. Then another. Then another.
Her movements were smooth and direct, cutting through the air between structures as she headed toward that subtle trace.
The dream world was wide and bright. But as long as that faint sense of Finality existed, she wouldn't lose her way.
Meanwhile, Tsutsumi, Feixiao, and Jingliu didn't bother with the Dream Pool.
They stepped through an Aurora Curtain instead.
The shimmering gateway overlapped the air briefly before opening into the Dreamscape itself. One step forward, and the three of them were standing on a wide plaza.
Feixiao blinked. "So you can just… walk into another dimension."
"Yes."
Jingliu glanced around, quietly observing the architecture and the artificial sky. "Convenient."
Tsutsumi didn't respond. He was already scanning the surroundings, trying to locate Acheron.
They had barely taken a few steps when a young silver-haired girl suddenly ran straight toward him.
"S-Sorry for bothering you!" she said, slightly out of breath. "Could you please help me?"
She looked up at him with wide, slightly watery eyes, hands clasped together nervously.
Tsutsumi opened his mouth to refuse.
"Hey! Look, she has an accomplice!"
A man in a black suit rushed over, pointing directly at them. A dark-skinned woman followed behind him, crossing her arms confidently.
"Good work! Now we can nab both of them!"
Several mechanical hounds clanked into position around them, metal limbs moving in sync. Behind them stood a red humanoid robot with a large TV screen for a head and torso, its screen showing an angry face.
Within seconds, they were surrounded.
The silver-haired girl instinctively hid behind Tsutsumi.
Tsutsumi: "…"
Feixiao: "…"
Jingliu: "…"
Both women stared at the situation in silence.
Tsutsumi exhaled slowly.
They had been in Penacony for less than five minutes.
"Are we really doing this right now?" he asked flatly.
He briefly considered switching back to Decade on the spot. If people were going to attack him anyway, there wasn't much point pretending.
Why deal with cannon fodder when he could just skip to whoever was in charge?
Instead, he pulled out Excalibur.
The golden blade materialized in his hand, radiant and steady.
He started walking toward the man and woman.
Their earlier confidence faltered almost immediately.
"W-What are you waiting for?! Get him!" the man shouted.
The mechanical hounds lunged.
Tsutsumi tightened his grip and swung once.
A violent burst of golden light erupted from the blade. The hounds were cleaved apart instantly, metal bodies split cleanly in two. The red humanoid robot followed, its frame shattered by the same arc of energy.
The force didn't stop there. A massive slash mark tore across the plaza floor and into a nearby wall, leaving a long, glowing scar before fading.
Silence fell.
The two who had been shouting seconds ago were now visibly shaking as Tsutsumi continued walking toward them.
The blade still glowed. As he dragged it lightly across the metal surface, faint scorch marks trailed behind.
"Esteemed guest, please wait!" A new voice cut in.
A tall man with brown hair in a formal gray vest and dark brown suit hurried over, hands raised slightly in a calming gesture.
"There appears to be a misunderstanding."
He stopped a short distance away and offered a polite smile.
"My apologies. I'm Gallagher, security officer of the Bloodhound Family. I've been assigned to maintain order during the Charmony Festival."
He shot a sharp look at the two trembling officers behind him.
"My boys here are young and inexperienced," he said, voice turning firm. "What's gotten into you? The witness report clearly stated the stowaway was a young lad with silver hair."
His gaze hardened further.
"You were chasing a girl with silver hair and even tried to detain another guest? Have you lost your judgment?"
The two immediately straightened.
"S-Sorry, sir!"
"Forget it. Get out of the way. I'll handle this."
"Yes, sir!"
They ran off without another word.
Gallagher turned back toward Tsutsumi. His eyes lingered on Excalibur. Even though the violent flare had subsided, the golden radiance was still unmistakable.
For a moment, he seemed unable to look away. Until Tsutsumi dismissed the sword. The glow vanished instantly.
Gallagher blinked, clearing his throat lightly. "Again, my apologies for the disturbance. This was a regrettable mistake. On behalf of the Bloodhound Family, I offer you my sincerest apology."
Feixiao stepped forward, folding her arms. "What exactly is the Bloodhound Family?"
"We're the security force of the Dreamscape," Gallagher explained smoothly. "Maintaining order, protecting guests, and arresting individuals who attempt to enter our world illegally."
He said it professionally.
Behind Tsutsumi, the silver-haired girl stayed quiet.
Tsutsumi said nothing.
Feixiao said nothing.
Jingliu said nothing.
All four of them had entered the Dreamscape illegally.