-----

"Wait, where’s Big Sis Nyx and Celes?" Ernestina wondered.

"They said they were going to eat with us today..." Lucifer replied. "I don’t really know. The last thing I heard from Nyx was that she went on a date with Celes."

"So they’re finally dating!" Oberon exclaimed. "Oh yes! Finally!"

"Finally indeed..." Celeste nodded, crossing her burly arms. "It was getting really tiring how long they kept avoiding it for years!"

"Ugh, you can say that again," Thanatos sighed. "Truly, to think my elder sister can be so foolish sometimes..."

"Hey, Thanatos, don’t talk like that about your sister," Lucifer said, glaring at the boy.

Thanatos quickly apologized.

Nyx and Celes had only begun dating three months ago. It was shocking how long they had taken to confess their feelings for each other.

And even then, they had yet to do so openly.

They were still acting painfully shy about it, until Celes finally gathered the courage to ask her out on a date.

"Celes is a kindhearted boy. He just has a hard time... well, doing these things. He gets really embarrassed for some reason, heheh," Nia giggled.

"Yeah, I mean, I know my big brother better than anybody else..." Celes nodded. "Big bro is too soft sometimes—I mean, he’s really damn strong, but he’s soft inside!"

"Well, everyone has their own way of loving," Lucifer said. "Nyx is... very patient, and it seems she really didn’t want anybody else but him."

As the family chatted and enjoyed Alma’s stew, yet another new portal opened, revealing Laura and Maria’s mother walking in.

"Ah, everyone! You’re eating?" Laura asked.

"Auntie!" all the children called out, their voices full of affection.

"Hello, everyone..." Maria’s mother said, prompting a warm chorus of greetings in return.

"Hey, Grandma!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Hiiii!"

"Come eat with us!"

"Been a while!"

Happy to be surrounded by so many grandchildren, Maria and Laura’s mother smiled brightly, giggled, and sat down to enjoy the meal with everyone.

They shared anecdotes, talked about life, and marveled at how much everyone had grown.

Liam smiled as he listened to the lively chatter, yet at the same time he felt strangely distant from it all.

It had always been like this for him.

Whispers from another Plane always lingered at the edge of his life—things only he could see.

"Liam? Liam, are you alright?"

"Hm? Ah..."

Liam turned to see his mother, Alma, sitting beside him and gently patting his shoulder.

"Are you alright, dear? You seem tired."

"Maybe I am a little tired, yeah..."

"Are you sure it’s only that, though?"

"I... yeah. Don’t worry."

"Come on, Alma, let the boy be. Here, I also brought your favorite."

"Oh?!"

Liam’s eyes widened as Maria quickly conjured a generous slice of lemon pie—his absolute favorite—perfect with a cup of Earl Grey tea.

"Thank you, Mom," Liam said with a smile as he looked at the transparent package. "May I enjoy it back in my room?"

"Sure. You must be tired, so go ahead and rest well, dear," Maria said.

"Yeah! Don’t overexert yourself!" Alma added.

"Hm." Liam nodded, then walked back to his room and lay down on his bed.

His eyes trembled as they constantly scanned things no one else could perceive.

There it was, right in front of him.

Despite no one else seeing it.

He could.

TRUUUM!

"Huhuh... Huhuhuh... Huhuhuhu... What a beautiful family... huhuhuh..."

A monstrous being from beyond the Dream Plane laughed maniacally, rubbing its dozens of hands together in twisted delight.

The entity was composed of black threads wrapped tightly around one another, with large eyes glowing like red lights. It looked utterly grotesque, its giant wings made of solar panels buzzing like those of a colossal, aberrant fly.

"Leave!"

Liam stood up, his aura surging with power.

"Huhuhuh... Why so stingy... Let me stay... will you? Let me stay... come on... huhuhuhu..."

He gritted his teeth and pointed his hand at the creature.

Then, his Dream Heart awakened.

Liam had no Dream Weapon. Since he was a baby, he had never been able to manifest one.

Instead, his "Dream Weapon" and "Dream Spirit" were his own body.

A unique Physique.

The Primordial Dream Soaring Emperor Physique.

A tremendously powerful body constitution that served as both Dream Weapon and Dream Spirit at once.

This was what created such a deep connection with the Dream Plane—and what allowed him to see things even Maria could not.

Liam’s body was a permanent portal to the Dream Plane, through which entities could slip in to observe the world of the living.

And even attempt to interfere.

"Huhuhuh... I’ll eat you... then... huhhh... I can just do whatever I want!"

The giant monster leaped toward Liam, its massive hands rushing down.

Liam stood firm, his pink cloud-like aura wrapping protectively around his body.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Dozens of attacks struck him at lightning speed.

Yet Liam remained completely unfazed.

"I told you already—you can’t beat me."

He clenched his fists tightly as the entity groaned in frustration.

TRUUUM!

"G-GAAAACK?!"

The monster screamed in agony as a giant hole tore open in its body.

Liam was a kind and goodhearted person.

"Leave now. I won’t harm you anymore—just leave!"

"Huhuhu...! How about no?!"

The entity roared, piercing space and flickering in and out of existence, appearing and disappearing rapidly to confuse him.

As it did, it scattered countless black wires everywhere, attempting to trap him in a dream formation.

"What are you trying to do?"

"Huhuhuh! You’re now deep in my trap!"

The beast laughed wildly and charged, slashing at Liam’s head with its giant claws.

Liam swiftly punched back, tearing off another chunk of the monster.

With an agonizing shriek, the creature retreated, frantically gathering its wires.

"I got you!"

The black wires suddenly wrapped around Liam’s body.

They activated their power, greedily absorbing his life force and, above all, his delicious soul essence—the very thing beings from the Dream Plane craved most.

"..."

However, something was wrong with this pink-haired young man.

"...?"

The creature’s large red eyes faltered as it realized it was gaining no life force at all. Instead, its own energy was being drained.

"W-What...?!"

Before it could understand, Liam grasped the black wires tightly and reversed their flow, wrapping the entity instead.

"AAAACK!"

As the creature screamed, it rapidly shrank, absorbed by Liam.

"H-How...?! How can you do this?! Please spare me...! Pleaseeeee!"

"I won’t have mercy for those who dare threaten my precious family."

Liam clenched his fists. The black wires crushed the entity completely, compressing it until it was destroyed.

All that remained was a small black orb, which Liam picked up and swallowed.

"Gulp."

He groaned in disgust.

Sighing in relief, he sat down and focused on stabilizing his energies.

Slowly, the rift between dimensions closed.

"I can’t let any of these things interfere... not when the war against the tower’s upper floors is about to begin..."

With another sigh, Liam lay back on his bed and finally enjoyed the slice of lemon pie.

The bright, tangy flavor refreshed his mind a little as he stared at the ceiling of his large room.

Then he noticed something else creeping across it.

Yet another entity was trying to slip into this plane.

Liam rolled his eyes and clenched his fists tightly.

"Disappear."

BOOOM!

The creature exploded instantly into a tiny crystal, which he ate to seal it away forever.

Exhausted, he slowly drifted into sleep.

---