Chapter 259

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on March 14, 2025

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Telegram

Gaming.

Owl.

Words that neither match nor should match, and words that can’t match at all.

But Ella could only express the presence before her in that way.

What else could she call that thing with the same appearance as an owl, glowing with brilliant RGB colors and constantly changing its fur color, if not a Gaming Owl?

“No matter how much of a dream this is….”

Ella looked at the owl before her in astonishment. The owl sparkled its beady eyes like game pieces, gazing straight at her, while its short wings flapped continuously, struggling to keep its large body—about the size of a human head—aloft.

Meanwhile, the owl’s fur color kept changing, dazzlingly lighting up Ella’s body like the club’s lights.

Bweeek.

The mysterious cute creature, which Ella had dubbed ‘Gaming Owl,’ opened its short beak as if pleased that she recognized it, uttering a cry, then flopped around before landing on Ella’s lap. It then tucked in its wings, curling its body into a round tuft of fur while looking directly at her.

Bweeek.

It stared at her confidently, as if claiming she should take care of it, and seemed to be resolutely determined not to move until she promised to nurture it. In its seemingly random eyes, there was a firm resolve, and its short beak was tightly clenched, imbued with steadfast will. Moreover, no matter how much Ella wriggled around, it remained perfectly still, clinging to her knee.

Thus, Ella found herself eye to eye with the Gaming Owl.

For what felt like an eternity—like the second hand of a distorted clock winding all the way around.

It was a scene reminiscent of a tense standoff between a cat and its owner.

Watching this wait, was it frustration?

Someone barged in.

“Sis, what are you troubled about?”

The one who brought the Gaming Owl.

The witch who uninvitedly invaded Ella’s dream.

Her biological sister claiming to be Ella’s elder.

It was Anastasia.

“I’ll be your master, and I’ll accept your pledge of loyalty! Hurry and say so!”

She gracefully walked in from behind a bench, urging Ella on. In response, Ella, irritable about being bothered even in her dreams, turned towards the sound of the voice.

“Huh?”

But Ella couldn’t help but wear a dumbfounded expression.

The being before her didn’t resemble the Anastasia she was accustomed to; instead, it looked like the very first time they had met.

With the same height, the same face.

Ella questioned whether this was a mere phantom in her dream or a real person.

She scrutinized the Anastasia who had appeared before her. Surely, if this were a dream, there would be something off about it.

But as soon as the mischievous tone she knew all too well slipped from Anastasia’s lips, all doubts vanished as if washed away.

“Hi! It’s your sister~”

A gentle yet playful voice, both commanding and embracing, like a gentle breeze tickling yet strangely penetrating her heart.

It was the voice of the Anastasia she knew so well.

Anastasia fashioned heart shapes with her fingers and acted cute, seated right next to Ella, poking her with her fingers. Even in a dream, it felt like reality as the tickling sensation overwhelmed Ella.

Pokey, pokey.

“Pek, pek, pek.”

“Hick, eek! Stop, stop it!”

“I won’t~”

Struggling to move because of the Gaming Owl, Ella couldn’t properly respond to Anastasia’s antics and was forced to twist her body back and forth.

“What is the meaning of this? D-do stop!”

Ella snapped in frustration, demanding to know why this was happening.

Anastasia halted her poking, tilting her head for a question.

“Here’s a problem for you, little sister. Is this a dream or not?”

“What?”

“If you guess correctly, I’ll stop poking! If you’re wrong…”

You know how it goes, right?

Anastasia cheekily urged Ella to answer.

Hurry up and tell me.

Ella tilted her head at the question.

If this isn’t a dream, then what is it?

A platypus saving people, capybara legions causing mayhem, and a world warped like a Salvador Dalí painting, full of bizarre shapes—if this is not a dream world, then what could it be?

Moreover, even the Gaming Owl perched on her knee had no chance of existing in reality, and even the bench she sat on didn’t feel like anything she could experience in the real world.

“Of course….”

Ella opened her mouth to answer her question.

The moment she was about to say this place was obviously a dream.

Ella suddenly clammed up, sealing her lips tight.

Was it because she lacked certainty?

No.

Was it because she contemplated the possibility of it being somewhere that wasn’t a dream?

That wasn’t it either.

The real reason she closed her mouth was something else.

A chill.

A strange feeling, as if the dream world itself were warning her.

That feeling caused her to instinctively shut her mouth.

“You’ve got talent too, little sister~”

Anastasia giggled in delight at Ella’s silent response, her face filled with kindness and a hint of mischief. She leaned in closer as if to tease her, whispering quietly in her ear.

“That was a taboo word~ Well done?”

She patted Ella on the head as if congratulating her. Then, she tapped the Gaming Owl on the head with her finger, signaling it, and springing up from the bench. She plucked a handful of cloud from the back of the bench and molded it into a megaphone shape.

Taking a deep breath, she shouted with all her might.

“This is a dream!”

The makeshift megaphone crafted from the fluffy cloud amplified Anastasia’s shout tremendously as her words echoed throughout the city.

From the park to the city’s edge.

From the street into buildings.

From the gathering crowd to the sprawled-out capybara legion.

From the platypus holding a press conference to the birds flying in the sky.

To every single being.

“….”

They fell silent.

They all stopped chattering and sealed their lips tight.

Then, everyone halted what they were doing, rising to their feet, one by one, turning to face Anastasia.

Those inside buildings leaned out the windows.

Those walking turned around.

Those lying down rose grotesquely like weebles.

All movements ceased, and they stood stiff as scarecrows in place.

Everyone.

Everything turned to look at Anastasia.

And in that eerie silence, someone spoke.

“You only think it’s a dream.”

A single line packed with terrifying malice.

That was the spark that set off the frozen people back into motion.

Towards Anastasia.

“AAAAAAH!”

“You call this a dream?! A dream—!!!”

“You guys are always the same! You’re always just like this!”

“A dream? Why the hell is this a dream?!”

“Die! No, kill!”

“Kill them—!”

With faces twisted by dreadful malice and hatred, they began to run at breakneck speed.

Those who had leaned out of the windows threw caution to the wind and jumped down toward them.

Those whole ran, charging in like zombies on a person.

Those with mobility issues crawled on all fours, racing toward them.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you-!”

“No, don’t kill! If you kill us, we’ll wake up!”

“Capture them! Lock them up!”

They shouted angrily, charging towards Anastasia and Ella.

The scene before them could only be described as…a nightmare.

“So it was a taboo word…?”

Ella trembled in fear as she saw the swarm of people rushing in.

What the heck had she and Anastasia done?

“That’s right! It’s forbidden in lucid dreams~ But…Hmm~”

Yet, Anastasia remained unfazed.

Even with countless people roaring, trying to rip them apart, she was as calm as could be, as if it were nothing. Not only that, but the mischievous smile Ella had seen before was still on her face, now even tinged with a peculiar sense of excitement.

“This is my second question, little sister! Is this sister the real one or just a fake?”

“Of course, she’s real! A fake wouldn’t do something so crazy!”

“That’s right~”

She patted Ella’s head as if congratulating her again and lifted the Gaming Owl, which had been sitting on her knee. Then she perched it on her shoulder like it was a missile and took aim at the charging beings.

“RGB Breath! Fire!”

A playful name.

A seemingly playful action.

But the outcome was far from playful.

KABOOM!

The Owl on Anastasia’s shoulder inflated like a balloon, and with a beak wider than ever, it unleashed a torrent of rainbow-like light into the air, slicing through the chaos and erasing all the frenzied beings in an instant.

Erasure.

Literally, erasure.

The beings could leave no trace, all vanished without a word, leaving a gaping void where the playful light known as RGB Breath had passed, as if the space itself had been cleaved away.

It looked like a scene birthed from a dragon’s breath, a destructive spectacle.

“What in the world…?”

“What do you think? Isn’t it amazing?”

Anastasia approached Ella, who was trembling in awe at the Gaming Owl’s power.

“Now, this destructive and fantastic owl is yours, little sister~”

She presented the Owl, still perched on her shoulder, and handed it to Ella.

“What?”

“I used a bit of power~”

“Power?”

“To catch the attention of some strange beings and ensure you won’t sleep well at night. So, I brought a bodyguard who can completely protect you in this dream~”

Bweeek!

The Owl seemed to shout in agreement, flapping its wings.

“Then why was the taboo word…?”

“Well, you were curious about the bodyguard’s abilities, right? So I did that on purpose~”

Bweeek.

The Owl raised its wings in a V shape, as if to say that was nothing at all.

“What do you think? Impressive, right? This sister is such an amazing person! This is my power!”

Anastasia proudly flaunted her tremendous capabilities.

She boasted and posed proudly, hands on her hips.

Bweeek!

And the Owl too seemed to take pride in its abilities.

It regarded Ella with an arrogant expression, as if to say she should be grateful to have such a great protector, urging her to praise it.