A Distant Reverie

Chapter 28

Who is that?!

Vesper nearly jumped. The foreign voice resounded loudly from the depths of his subconscious. It sounded distorted, ethereal, almost as if it didn't belong to this world. He spun around in confusion, trying to discern where the voice came from.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why don't you say something?"

The voice spoke again, echoing directly inside his head. Vesper grimaced. The sensation was extremely intrusive, as if someone had taken over his inner monologue. His mind felt like it was being violated, as if something that wasn't supposed to be there had suddenly been embedded deep within.

Am I going insane?!

He glanced over towards Marine and Suisei. The two ladies had also same confounding expression on their faces. Vesper pointed at his head—the two of them nodded immediately. Vesper felt a hint of relief, knowing that he wasn't the only one hearing a disembodied voice inside his head. Still, the fact that they weren't alone in this bizarre sterile space made him increasingly unsettled.

"Hello? Hel—ah, I see. Maybe this will help."

When the voice trailed off, Vesper's head suddenly trembled. His vision flipped, overwhelmed by an intense vertigo. The dizziness must have lasted for just a second. But once he came to, the scene before him suddenly changed. The empty, unblemished space they were just in had disappeared.

Instead, Vesper found himself before an endless green field. Beds of spider lilies were scattered around. Their thin crimson petals slowly quivered, meandering back and forth in a tranquil waltz. Near Vesper and his companions, a tall tree stood in full bloom. Light purple wisterias hung from its branches, straying elegantly in a place where there was no breeze. Far off in the background, a colossal clocktower overlooked this field of crimson viridescence. The tower's height seemed to stretch to the skies. And hiding behind the tower's peak was the moon. The celestial body, however, looked uncanny—it seemed too large, its distance too close to the ground. Closer enough that the uneven ridges along the moon's surface were visible. It looked as if the moon was glaring, giving off an ominous vibe as it loomed over this strange eerie place.

Where the hell are we?

Vesper felt suffocated. A chill crawled up his spine. He was afraid, but he didn't know why. Alarms were firing off in his head. There was something unsettling about this place that he couldn't quite fathom. Perhaps it was odd juxtaposition of the sights. Maybe it was the closeness of the moon in the sky. Maybe it was the fact that the scenery in front of him had suddenly manifested out of thin air. Something felt wrong.

Vesper suddenly noticed another presence in their vicinity. Just a few meters in front of him was a thin translucent screen, resting unassumingly in the middle of the green field. The silhouette of a person could be seen behind the screens. They were sitting down on a stool, leaning sideways, their arms and legs crossed.

"Now then, your gratitude, please," the person said. This time their voice was noticeably clearer—no longer did it resonate inside their heads, instead coming directly from behind the translucent screen. Vesper noted the distinct feminine soprano tones. It sounded human. The sultry voice had a tinge of aristocratic haughtiness, as if the trio should be honored to be in its presence.

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For a moment, it was quiet. No one spoke. The person behind the screens remained still, waiting for their response, seemingly unfazed by the uncomfortable silence.

I guess we're getting nowhere just staring at each other.

Marine sighed, deciding to set aside her apprehensions. Knowing her companions, she was going to be the one to speak up first.