117. Tacit Understanding and Speculation

Yusuke was dreaming.

He was clearly aware of this, yet he could not wake himself from the dream.

The surroundings were a vast, pure white expanse, unlike the varied scenes of a typical dream. Furthermore, unlike most people in a dream—who, even when lucid, cannot control their actions—Yusuke found that he could move about completely freely.

Puzzled, he looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them. The sensation of his palms pressing together was identical to that of reality. Yusuke furrowed his brows, a faint sense of vigilance rising within him.

He scanned the area, but the empty, white void seemed to have no boundaries. After a moment of hesitation, he decided against trying to run at full speed in one direction to test if he could escape this strange environment.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but the moment he abandoned that thought, a faint, cold scoff seemed to echo in the air, as if saying, "At least you're sensible..."

Yusuke’s brows, which had just begun to relax, knitted together once more.

"Who's there?" he asked, his eyes darting around warily.

Suddenly, a familiar black-clad figure stepped slowly out from the mist not far to his front left.

Upon seeing who it was, Yusuke let out a long sigh of relief.

"What... oh, it's just you, Hiei," he said, his tone familiar and slightly complaining.

The short, black-haired, black-clad demon gave him a cold glance.

"You're here too."

Yusuke scratched his head. "Yeah, I realized I was here as soon as I woke up. I know I'm dreaming, but I can't break out of it... Do you think this is some kind of demon's trick?"

Hiei pondered for a moment and shook his head. "There are many demons capable of manipulating dreams, but with our current power levels..."

Could anyone truly trap two S-class entities with such overwhelming spirit energy at the same time? Apart from that one person, Hiei didn't think any demon could pull this off.

"That's true," Yusuke laughed. "I can't think of anyone who could trap both of us besides Kurama..."

The moment the name "Kurama" left his lips, the smile on Yusuke’s face froze.

Beside him, Hiei pressed his lips into a thin line. His already aloof, handsome face lost all traces of human warmth, turning as cold and indifferent as stone frozen for ten thousand years in the Snow Country.

The atmosphere turned icy in an instant. Neither Yusuke nor Hiei had the heart to continue the conversation.

Fortunately, at that moment, another figure stepped out from the mist, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yusuke? Hiei?"

The newcomer didn't seem to need his eyes to identify them. Even while still obscured in the distance within the fog, he had already called out their names.

"Yoko?!"

Yusuke recognized the voice immediately. Just then, Yoko's figure emerged from the mist and entered their line of sight. The three of them stood together, staring at one another.

"So you're here too, Yoko..." Yusuke rubbed the back of his head, speaking first with some discomfort.

Noticing the strange atmosphere, Yoko smiled understandingly and nodded. "Yes. Have you two been here long?"

Yusuke shook his head. "No, Hiei and I just arrived." He glanced at his friend, relieved to see his expression had returned to normal.

He really didn't learn his lesson. Even after everything they had been through, his thick-headed nature hadn't changed much. Although he had become more rational and thoughtful, he still occasionally slipped up. Like just now.

He knew that after nearly half a year, Kurama’s disappearance had become a taboo subject for him and Hiei, yet he had still blurted out that familiar name without thinking.

Yusuke didn't want to imagine the state of mind Shiori must be in now, especially since she had stopped calling after realizing she could no longer get any news about Kurama. He believed Hiei felt no better than he did. Kurama was an indispensable companion and a cherished friend; as long as there was no news of him, they would never feel at ease.

He believed Yoko felt the same. Yusuke cast a side-glance at the tall demon beside him and sighed silently.

Yoko nodded slowly after listening to Yusuke. "We arrived around the same time. This suggests someone intentionally gathered the three of us here. Though I don't know their purpose, it seems they have no malicious intent toward us."

Otherwise, they wouldn't be having a peaceful reunion; they would be separated and picked off one by one, taking advantage of the dream master's home-field advantage.

Yusuke and Hiei clearly agreed, which was why neither had resorted to extreme measures to escape.

However, being trapped in this bizarre white void wasn't a long-term solution. After a moment of silence, just as they were about to discuss further...

"Yusuke, Hiei, Yoko."

A familiar voice, full of warmth and laughter, resonated in their ears.

The three turned simultaneously to see, in the distance, the silver-haired fox demon stepping toward them through the clearing mist.

"...Kurama?!"

The three of them cried out in unison.

***

The excitement and joy of their long-awaited reunion kept the four of them talking for a long time. Kurama learned from his friends that nearly half a year had passed in their world since he was swallowed by the black hole. In turn, Yusuke, Hiei, and Yoko learned about his current situation.

Hearing that he had hope of returning to his original world—even if the timeline was uncertain—brought them all great comfort. Considering Kurama had traversed so many worlds, yet only half a year had passed in their own, they were confident they would be reunited soon.

"I wanted to send a message to you all before, but Ms. Yuko, with whom I am dealing, seemed to intentionally avoid the topic. I didn't want to push her, and others I met in my travels lacked the ability. That is why this was dragged out until now," Kurama said, looking sincerely at his three friends. "I’m sorry for making you worry."

Yusuke waved his hand dismissively. "Don't talk about that. If it weren't for saving me, you wouldn't have ended up in this situation."

Hiei nodded. "As long as you are safe." He remained as cool and laconic as ever, but his concern for Kurama was evident. Yoko smiled gently, agreeing with the others.

Kurama smiled back. "Then, Yusuke, please pass a message to my mother for me. Tell her I will be home soon."

The three looked at him in surprise. Kurama winked playfully. "Did I forget to tell you? I have made some progress and have a theory, though... it still needs to be verified."

He paused as if listening to something, and his expression dimmed slightly. "It seems... time is up."

With those words, Yusuke, Hiei, and Yoko fell silent.

"Hey! It's not like we'll never see each other again!" After a few seconds, Yusuke clapped a heavy hand on Kurama’s shoulder. "You’ll be back soon, right?"

The fox demon looked at him in silence for a moment, then his eyes curved into a smile. "Of course," he replied warmly.

They locked eyes, and then their fists collided, a silent seal on a promise.

"I will... definitely be back soon!" the fox demon said softly, his voice filled with certainty.

***

Waking slowly from the dream, Kurama ignored Hypnos’s hesitant expression and nodded slightly to Hades, who was keeping watch. He then silently turned to leave with Mokona and the snow rabbits, leaving the space to the King of the Underworld and the God of Sleep.

Watching his retreating figure disappear, Hypnos frowned and turned to his sovereign with a solemn expression. "Lord Hades, that was..."

A dream transmission across dimensions? Even though Hypnos was the God of Sleep and master of dreams, he could not bridge time and space to allow people from different realities to meet. Yet, he had just done it! This clearly exceeded the God of Sleep's understanding.

The King of the Underworld did not answer immediately. He stood there, watching Hypnos with an inscrutable gaze until the God of Sleep began to regret his rash question, fearing he had touched upon a secret he shouldn't have.

"Hypnos," Hades finally spoke. "Do you wish to... see the true nature of the world?"

The God of Sleep looked up, only to find his sovereign as calm and detached as ever, as if he had said nothing of consequence. The God of Sleep suddenly felt a profound sense of unease.

***

After leaving the chamber, Kurama did not go far. He led Mokona and the rabbits through the back of the palace, across a long, open-air corridor, to a beautiful, meticulously tended garden.

As the rabbits went off to play, the fox demon smiled at the white creature in his arms, gently stroking its soft belly.

"Is Mokona worried again? Don't worry, I'm fine."

The white creature pouted. "Kurama didn't take me..."

The fox demon rubbed his cheek against it apologetically. "Even with Hades watching, there's no guarantee the dream Hypnos constructed wouldn't have issues. How could I let Mokona enter a dream that might collapse at any moment?"

The white creature glared at him. "So you could go in yourself?"

The fox demon sighed and raised his hands, letting the little creature float in the air. "But my friends have been waiting for so long. Even if it was dangerous, I wanted to see them and explain my situation so they could be at ease. Mokona understands me, right?"

The little creature puffed out its cheeks and glared for a moment before finally surrendering to the fox demon’s gentle, helpless smile.

"I'll forgive you this time," it said, raising its chin pretentiously. "If you leave me behind again, I won't talk to you for a whole day!"

"…Pfft…"

The fox demon nearly lost his composure at how irresistibly cute the little threat was, using all his willpower to keep from reacting in a way that would make the creature blush with anger.

"Good, I'll take Mokona with me from now on, okay?" He reached out and gently rubbed the creature’s head, his eyes full of indulgence.

Mokona nuzzled his palm. "That's better."

It smiled and turned around, then its eyes widened...

"Okay, let's contact Yuko now!"

A second later, two beams of light shot from Mokona’s eyes, projecting a familiar, massive screen in mid-air.

As the screen formed, the black-haired witch on the other side sat up straight, looking at Kurama as if she had expected it. "Just in time."

She curled her lips in a subtle smile. "Someone... has been waiting for you here."

Before she finished speaking, the screen shifted, revealing a tall, slender figure...

"The Count?!" Kurama’s eyes widened in shock.