Chapter 13: The Prophetic Dream

I find myself floating in a strange place, lying down as if weightless. All around me, babies with fish heads are singing the Cinderella song. Sharks with robotic arms twist giant keys into doors made of water.

Beside me, red-eyed girls stare silently. They whisper, “The thread of the president will be ready... once the vampires finish their war against the werewolf robots with rat tails.”

Now I’m drifting, lying down across a sea of blood. Violet stars arrange themselves into glowing words. Two-headed dragons spit noodles with meatballs. Goblins grin, their razor-sharp teeth glinting. On the other side, cowboys with four arms ride dolphins into battle.

I see fairy-tale characters slaying sultry witches. The Pope is being shot at by a group of women with their eyes torn out, screaming, “The power of the Prismacle will shine so brightly, the ballerina will finally have her chance to dance—in the ninja war of the Five Fishermen!”

Then—impact. I crash into a floor of spikes. Yet I don’t bleed. My body trembles as I struggle to stand. I can’t think clearly—the air is filled with the soundtrack of some old video game, layered with angelic hymns and demonic chants, all blending into the lullaby of Sweet Dreams.

I realize—I must be inside a dream. But why am I aware of it? Usually, if someone notices they’re dreaming, they wake up within minutes. Still… since I’m here, I may as well enjoy it.

I picture a colorful, gentle forest. The scenery shifts. But then I notice floating spider-bodies with human heads, whispering in eerie unison:
“It is still too soon.”

Too soon for what?
Does this dream… want to tell me something?

Then I see it. An angel descending in radiant light. I step closer, nervous, and ask:

“Are you real… or just part of my dream?”

The angel answers, “I am real. Franco, I have come to deliver you a message from the Goddess.”

I swallow my fear. “What message… does the Goddess wish to give me?”

The angel’s face hardens. “When you finish this trial—the first stage of your journey as a Magical Girl—train yourself well. You must be ready to confront the Demon Queen. I suppose… you don’t yet know her true name, do you?”

I hesitate. Did the Goddess ever tell me? I can’t remember.

The angel lowers his voice.
“Her name… is Eien no Shi. Speak it too often, and misfortune will surely follow.”

Shock freezes me in place.

Then he spreads his wings. “I must go now. And you must awaken. I pray that you succeed in defeating the Demon Queen. Good luck, Magical Girl. We will meet again… when your time of death arrives.”

With those chilling words, he vanishes into the heavens.

The dream begins to collapse. The bloody sea, the twisted monsters, the whispers—all dissolve into light. Warmth fills me, then everything fades into blackness.

A voice calls out from the dark.

“Taiyaki, wake up. It’s six in the morning. Time for breakfast. Wake up, please.”

I open my eyes. Mizuki is there, gently shaking me.

Still half-asleep, I mutter with a yawn, “Okay, Mizuki, I’m up. What’s for breakfast? I’m starving.”

She smiles. “Roasted bird eggs with choco-milk. Eat quickly—we leave in half an hour. We don’t have the whole day.”

I eat, regaining strength for the journey ahead. Ten minutes later, we pack up our bedrolls and last night’s leftovers, then begin our march once more toward the Desert of Minotaurs.

We still have to cross through the forest, and then a bridge leading to the red earth that marks the edge of the desert.

As we walk, Akane breaks the silence.
“Last night, while I was keeping watch, I felt something… watching us. I thought it was just my imagination since I couldn’t see anything, but after a while, the feeling vanished. What do you think it was?”

Mizuki answers calmly, “Who knows? Perhaps just a spirit passing through. Forest spirits wander often at night.”

Mizu bites her lip. “I… I don’t know. But I don’t think it was anything dangerous.”

Kori shrugs. “Whatever it was, if it meant us harm, we would’ve noticed.”

I ask Mizu quietly if she can walk with me at the back. The others go ahead, leaving the two of us slightly behind. She looks at me with a knowing expression.

“It was that angel, wasn’t it?” she asks softly.

My eyes widen. “H-how did you know?”

Mizu smiles faintly. “Because he came to me as well. In my dreams, he answered my doubts… and told me truths I didn’t want to admit. Don’t worry, Taiyaki. To me, you’re a true friend. They’ll accept you for who you are. After all, in our past life, you always had… unusual tastes for our world.”

I blush. “W-when did you realize that, Mizu?”

“Since we were fourteen,” she admits, “but I never said anything. I didn’t want to risk our friendship back then. Tell me, though… are you comfortable, living in this body as a girl?”

I hesitate, then smile shyly. “I think… yes. Somehow, I feel like I can finally be happy like this.”

She chuckles softly. “Good. Then you don’t have to care what anyone in our old world would’ve thought. Though… I do wonder how your parents would react if they knew.”

I grimace. “I’d rather not know… but honestly, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

Mizu squeezes my hand and grins. “Then let’s focus on the journey ahead, okay, Taiyaki?”

I nod with a smile. “Yeah. Let’s go, Mizu.”