After being helped into his clothes, the embarrassment of that alone eating him up, Somnu was carried out of his room on the back of his brother, Mo.

  “What’s this? Baby boy too tired to walk on his own?” Aurora didn’t waste the opportunity to make an innocent joke on his expanse.

  Such was the blood of the Emberlyns.

  “Yeah, looks like all that fast food he’s been eating finally paralyzed him.” Mo nodded his head repeatedly, a slight snicker escaping his lips.

  “But he still has room for breakfast?” The delinquent girl made an effort to fake her surprise, even raising her voice slightly to make it seem like a genuine reaction.

  “What can I say? My little brother is a lost cause.”

  “You two done?”

  “Lighten up, little bro. I’m happy to cradle anytime you’d like.”

  “Carrying me is just fine, thank you very much.” The scarecrow sighed in dejection.

  “I, for one, would like to see that.”

  “Aurora!” Leyna finally built up the courage to come to his defense. “Somnu… Are you okay?”

  “Look at that, at least one person here cares about me a little.”

  “Somnu friend! I’m very much worried about your well-being as well! Might you have encountered a Bouncing Sheep and lost all strength?” Bro’Ski dropped yet another unfamiliar Nightmare Creature name with a voice that split between genuine worry, and complete unawareness.

  “I’m fine, just tired. Can we go get that breakfast now, please?” He pressed, the pressure of being unable to see their smiling expression making slightly regret clawing his own eyes out.

  And yet, knowing full well it had resulted in everyone’s safety at the time, he didn’t let it sit on his mind for too long.

  “Hold on tight, baby brother! We’re going to race to the cafeteria!” Mo proclaimed, lowering his stance as soon as Somnu felt the hallway’s more rugged air hit him.

  “Can you not? This is embarrassing enough! And who are you going to be racing exactly?!”

  “Well, who else?”

  “No…”

  The gentle voice from the side told him all he needed to know.

  “I, Aurora Emberyln, formally challenge the two brothers!”

  “I refuse-”

  “We accept!” Mo interrupted. “You’re on! Bro’Ski! Do the honors!”

  “Ay, ay, Mo friend! It’s a 3, and a 2, and…”

  “One! Go!”

  “?!”

  The last one to shout was Leyna, surprising the racers for an instant, before they both ran at top speed like school children who haven’t learned self-control yet.

  Or perhaps, it was that childish purity that helped them survive the Nightmare Realm in their own way.

  As he held on tight to his brother, despite everything that should have jolted him into taking more urgency, the whistling wind hitting his skin stretched his lips into a faint, unforgettable smile.

  Was this not everything he had wanted?

  While he enjoyed his last moment of peace with them, his mind had been racing about everything he was currently missing on without his skills. He couldn’t know if Fala had been affected too.

  However, could he not allow himself a moment to breathe with them, without worrying about the many obstacles in his way of making this kind of morning permanent?

  A morning he desperately dreamed of making a reality.

  ***

  The winner? It was Bro’Ski.

  The moment the racers had made it to the cafeteria, Leyna doing her best to keep up behind them with her dress, they all had to concede to the Luscairna who’s movements seemed all but impossible to track.

  Finally finding a table and getting their food, the five sat down and began to enjoy their breakfast.

  “Say ahhh!”

  “Mo, please, I can eat on my own. The joke is getting old fast.”

  “Here comes the choo choo train!”

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “Um, Aurora… I’m flattered you think so little of me, but I think I’ll pass on that, thanks.”

  “Aw.”

  “Me! Me! I want the choo choo train!”

  “Open wide, Bro’Ski!”

  “Leyna friend! You’re the best!”

  While the seamstress fed the Luscairna as if he was some kind of puppy, giggling all the way, Somnu barely touched his food.

  As much as he had wanted to, he had barely kept down the one corn stick he had eaten so far. Having gotten too excited at seeing one, he had devoured it before realizing how full he actually was.

  Whether he liked it or not, another side effects of his gluttonous familiars ensured his appetite remained non-existent.

  Nevertheless, he drank the coffee, wondering if someone had gone through the effort of growing the fruit for the beans, if someone could simply summon them somehow, or if it was a Dream Catcher, or a Memento’s ability, like a typical coffee machine.

  “So, Ashy has moved on?” Aurora suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

  “Pretty sure, yeah. I wish he could have met you Somnu, I think you would have liked him.” Mo spoke between bites, then seemed to notice the untouched food on his brother’s plate. “You’re not hungry?”

  “I’m good, you can have it.” Somnu pushed his tray to his side, then asked out of simple curiosity. “This… Ashy guy, who is he?”

  “Wait! Man, I completely forgot!” The muscular firefighter unintentionally slammed the table. “Enzo was here too! Enzo from our Duskville! Wasn’t he your classmate back in the day, Somnu?”

  “Yeah… I already heard.” Somnu felt his brows knit into a frown he quickly made sure disappeared. Even if it was under the blindfold, he didn’t want to give them any reason to worry, or question his distaste of the name.

  “Man, at first, I really thought it was him who had attacked you.”

  “?!”

  Somnu shuddered, not expecting the conversation to go in that direction.

  “Momo!”

  “What? I’m just saying.” Mo coughed at his sister’s sudden cry, then swallowed his food before speaking again. “He’s the one who found you and called the ambulance. Why would he attack you and then help? Had he been a bit late, god knows what could have-Aw!”

  “That’s enough from you, mister!” Leyna seemed to adapt a strict tone, shutting down her brother’s careless ramblings. Somnu guessed she was likely pulling on his ear, but he had no way of confirming his suspicions.

  I didn’t want to bring this up with them, but I’m glad he gave me that information. Arman more or less avoided the question, and Mo… Somnu thought, sinking back into his own little world. Mo is too pure to see through the lines. There are plenty of potential reasons for calling the ambulance after attacking me. Like believing I was already dead and calling them to seem innocent, knowing full well he would be the first target, and without any evidence, the first one to be dismissed as the attacker.

  Whether it was Enzo or not, Somnu simply needed to find out from him directly.

  “I-It’s… It’s going to be okay.”

  “?”

  Feeling a gentle, yet hesitant touch over his hand, jolting him out of his thoughts, Somnu reflexively straightened his back.

  Having stayed silent for most of the conversation, Aurora had reached forward to comfort him.

  Why is she…?

  “We’re all here together now.” She added, her voice slowly growing more determined as her hands slightly squeezed the scarecrow’s remaining one. “Whatever happens, we’ll face it together. Whether on this Layer, in the waking world, or in whatever realms we end up thrown into in the future.”

  “Nicely said, savior of humanity.” Mo chuckled.

  “That’s ma’am savior of humanity, except for Mo, to you, mister.” The delinquent girl retracted her arm, letting out a snicker of her own.

  “Give me a break, save me too, why don’t you?”

  “If I feel like it maybe.”

  “Please do!” Leyna added a heartfelt plea.

  “Well, if my best friend asks me…”

  “What is this discrimination? We tall, muscular fellows deserve some love too.”

  ‘Master!’

  ‘...!’

  Suddenly, while silently listening to the conversation, Somnu felt the familiar, smooth touch on his cheek and shoulders.

  ‘Naga! You’re back!’

  ‘I missed you, master! Did you miss me?’

  ‘Like you wouldn’t believe…’

  The scarecrow immediately resonated with his serpent, outlining the world with his borrowed vision.

  Naga kept nudging him with her head and scaling his cheek.

  ‘I’m sorry, master… I’m sorry I left you alone…’

  ‘It wasn’t your fault, Naga, but I need you to do something for me fast.’

  ‘Of course, what is it, master?!’

  ‘Scatter your clones in the fort again, and make sure to find Carmella and protect her.’

  ‘On it, master!’

  “Oh? I see the little serpent is back!” Mo noticed, giving his brother a wide smile he knew would finally be seen. “I guess I won’t be carrying you back. Too bad.”

  “Maybe you should carry Leyna, she might feel left out.”

  “What?!” The shy girl blurted out, taking a step away from the table.

  “What a splendid idea, baby brother!”

  “I second the notion!”

  “Aurora?!”

  “Me too! Mo, friend! Carry me too!”

  “Hop on, Bro’Ski!”

  As everyone got up to catch the retreating shy girl, Mo suddenly stopped and leaned toward his brother one last time.

  “Oh, by the way, I think that old girlfriend of yours was here too, what was her name…? Not sure though, it’s been years since I last saw her and she wasn’t here for long.”

  “?!”

  Somnu felt a jolt of static rush through his entire natural system.

  It can’t be… Right?

  Nevertheless, he soon ignored the thought and tried to spend time with the others. He didn’t want anything interrupting it now.

  After all, this could have been their last chance together.

  At least, until they all made it back safely to the waking world.