Alice misA--白色城堡桌

Chapter 11, The Sleepwalker★Part 5

Part 5. APP, Mirror, Dusk

The collective subconscious is like the deep-sea universe under an iceberg, an abyss where countless dream particles exist. Dream particles construct chakras, evolving into dream power. Dream power condenses into dreamscapes, giving rise to dream caves. Dream caves maintain the temporal order and the four processes of dream power:

Displacement: Using dream power to combine two or more dream materials into entirely new ones.

Condensation: Directing dream power to various people and objects to perform actions.

Symbolization: Strengthening emotions with symbolic dream power, transforming either oneself or objects.

Secondary Revision: Integrating dream power into a chakra system to sustain the ecological balance of dreams.

The cycle of dream power, dreamscapes, and dream caves forms an ever-evolving ecosystem – the collective dream, leading to the birth of dream life, or dream spirits. These spirits follow human collective culture, contributing to the development of civilization.

Jasky organized the explanation into notes, and the Wisdom Caterpillar, amused, complimented, "Your organizational logic is impressive, Jasky."

"Oh, it's nothing. Your explanations, Professor Wisdom Caterpillar, are easier to integrate than a certain Frog-san," Jasky replied.

"Hey! Don't take this chance to mock Frog-san!" Toosb protested.

"Alright, let's move on to the next stage. First, Jasky, I have a question. You were brought into this world by dream caves, right?" Wisdom Caterpillar asked.

"Yes."

"But before that," the Wisdom Caterpillar blew a smoke ring in front of the three, "please share your experiences of how you arrived here. The smoke will perform based on your narratives, interesting, right?"

Toosb eagerly raised his hand, "Wow, a versatile smoke show! Let me go first! It happened one evening on a bullet train!"

As Toosb spoke, the smoke turned into an image of Toosb sitting on a train. He waved to everyone, and Amisa said, "So cute!" as she tried to touch him. Mido, curious, bit into the smoke, but both passed through.

"I was playing a mobile app called 'Heart Dreams' on the train. It was magical! After opening the Heart Dreams app, a mirror appeared, and the train went through it."

"The whole train passed through the mirror?" Amisa asked in amazement.

"Yes, all the passengers inside disappeared in an instant. Then, I played the second-level 'Heart Dreams Storybook' game..."

"From then on, Toosb continued his story, 'Once upon a time, there was a man with an ugly face who, despite having no friends, possessed astonishing talents. One day, he fell in love with a girl and taught her everything he knew, turning her into an opera star. However, the girl later fell in love with someone else, leaving him heartbroken. In sorrow, he decided to leave the country and live a secluded life with his mother.'"

"Though I cleared the level, I didn't like the negative story. When I stepped out of the train carriage, a strange scene unfolded. The station was empty at dusk, except for a shadowy figure at the ticket gate sipping tea."

"Wait... is this a ghost story?" Amisa asked, shivering at the sight of the shadowy figure formed by the smoke.

The outline gradually turned into the shape of a rabbit, and Toosb continued, "It looked like haha~ he called himself the March Hare and said his tea was about to run out. So, he quickly gave me rabbit ears and this outfit, instructing me to enter the country, participate in a talent competition, and find the wise one. Then, the March Hare disappeared into the platform. Only then did I realize that the outside had turned into a labyrinth of green grass, so I followed the orders to participate in the talent competition as the Red Heart."