When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by a very abstract worldâtypical of a dream world. Fenrir was standing next to me.
As usual, as soon as I became conscious, I transformed myself into my old selfâs physiqueâinto Reinst.
âFenrir, are we going to see Domiâs memory first before we talk to him?â I asked, as it was already usual for me to see their memories first and decide later how I should face them.
Contrary to my expectations, Fenrir shook his head. I tilted my head in wonder.
âNo, this person is very closed, his guard is tight. It will be hard to pry his memories. In case for Clyde and Nicole, theyâre not this closed off and especially open towards you,â Fenrir explained, âIn addition, you twoâs shared lives and memories arenât that much.â
I nodded.
I see.
It made sense.
Since our shared moments were so little, if I were to watch his memories, it would be more like a breach of privacy. Besides, during the time I was there with him, our interactions were a few and he barely remembered things, let alone had any feelings or thoughts towards me. He was four when I passed away.
âUwaa, I havenât prepared myself enough for thisâ¦,â I said, feeling a little bit nervous now. If I were to know, Iâd have prepared myself more mentally!
âYouâll never be prepared for this kind of things. Letâs just do it spontaneously.â
âA-alright⦠Shall we go now?â I asked.
âSure.â
Fenrir opened a portal to Domiâs dream world and then his figure disappeared into thin air. As usual, it wonât be good if Fenrir were to be seen, who knows they would be able to remember his existence in the dream and it might be associated with meâ¦
Fenrir returned to my Animosphere, and I could communicate with him through it.
The moment I stepped into the other side of the portal, I could see a figure of a tall man standing around the abstract world. And the moment I arrived, it was then that he became conscious of the surrounding. I definitely wouldnât want to speak with someone who was in a daze in the dream worldâ¦
As Domi gazed around the surrounding, he turned and his eyes met mine.
Domi looked stunned, but I didnât see a trace of confusion on his eyes.
âDo you recognize me?â I asked.
Domi nodded and said indifferently, âYou are my older sister who passed away when I was little, correct?â
I nodded.
Then, an awkward silent ensuedâ¦
Domi still looked calm and didnât even seem to be questioning this weird situation. If your relative who passed away long ago was suddenly standing in front of you, even if it was in a dream, youâd have a lot of questions, no?
Anyway, Domi reminded me of my old self a lot.
Perhaps he was even âbetterâ than my old self.
I was unable to bear with the silence, plus time was ticking.
âArenât you going to ask me something?â I asked.
âWhy? Isnât this just a dream?â Domi asked back.
[
Fenrirâs voice rang in my mind.
Yes, he didnât even ask me anything because he thought this was just a dream anyway⦠He didnât even think it would be my soul visiting in his dream⦠Very logical and rational.
Calm and well headed. As expected of the successor that Mother had been dreaming of.
I wonder if deep down, he yearned for things like I did?
He looked even more emotionless than me in the pastâ¦
âArenât you going to ask why I am here to see you?â I finally asked.
âWhy are you here to see me?â Domi didnât even bat an eye when he repeated my words without any change in his tone.
I was speechless as I blinked several times.
But well⦠Indeed, why should he care? I bet he barely even remembered meâ¦
I also donât know him well enough so I should be the one to relent, as I am the one wanting something from himâ¦
âAlright, this is indeed a dream but I am indeed your older sister. I am visiting now because itâs time for me to settle the matters of the world,â I said.
âBefore reincarnating? Or resting in the afterworld? Why now, after so long?â Unexpectedly, Domi asked back. He could have just nodded and stayed silent, but he asked. Whether it was because he cared or because he was curious, it was nice to get a response like this from him. It showed that he wasnât as uncaring as he seemed to be.
âOh, thereâs a huge change in the family that triggered my soul to awaken and do this kind of thing,â I lied without even batting an eye. Facing Domi and being in Reinstâs âmeat suitâ seemed to awaken my old ability, too.
The ceremony to officially acknowledge him as the head of the family, and then his upcoming marriage⦠They were quite big, right?
âI see,â Domi believed my reasoning.
Before I could feel relieved, Domi then asked, âBut what does it have to do with visiting me?â
âI just want to know how my little brother is doing. Youâre the only one with exactly the same blood and genes shared with me,â I answered.
âOh. Everything is good. There you have it, you can go and be rest assured.â
I felt like I had a headache in that instant.
I thickened my skin and pretended not to hear what he said as I asked another question, âHow do you remember me? What do you think of this older sister of yours?â
Thankfully, he didnât curse at me for doing this insensible thing.
And thankfully again, he actually answered me, âWeâre not close at all, arenât we? I donât really remember on my own. The most I remember is that I sometimes saw you when I was young and that was it.â
âYes, weâre indeed not close,â I admitted before asking, âAnd⦠After I passed away, is there anything related to me in your life?â
I paused a little bit because I was afraid Domi would lose his patience in answering me and coldly brushed me away. Unexpectedly though, he attended to me patiently.
âWell, after you were gone, I remember Mother telling me several times that she now only has me and that I canât go leaving here as well. Mother was protective and even stricter to me after that, and quoting her, itâs because she doesnât want to lose her only remaining child,â Domi explained.
He rarely spoke that much in general. But for me, the older sister he barely remembered, he was willing to explain that much. I felt relieved. Perhaps he did it out of consideration that I was still his sister.
Then Domi quickly added as if he just remembered something, âWhen I was really childish and whined, you were often used as an example so I could be more like you.â
This⦠was really surprising.
Before I could get over my surprise, Domi added, âDuring times like that, it was as if I was living in your shadow.â
âDo you resent me?â I asked.
Domi quickly shook his head and said, âWhat for? I donât really feel anything. I never know you and it could be exaggerated. Itâs always like that. Dead people tend to be glorified.â
I was astonished hearing his reasoning.
âIt is indeed very rational way to think about it. But itâs alright to follow your feelings and admit them at times, to show them, too,â I tried to give him some advice.
âFeelings can lead you astray. Showing your emotions can make others exploit your weakness. Therefore, we need to be logical and not get so worked up over feelings,â Domi stated as if it was a matter of fact.
Hearing that, I sighed. I knew those lines perfectly. I was ingrained with such mindset as well.
I wonder if Domi would follow in Father and Motherâs footsteps very closely? Both were cold and only cared about their gainsâabout their image. If so, I would be very concerned about his future⦠and his fiancée, Adelâs.
Could I get some things across to him during this short time, I wonder?
I am his older sister after all, and there werenât lots of things I managed to do for him. For his happiness.
I wouldnât want to see him repeating the same mistake as Mother and Father. Becoming a cold person who was unfeeling, then making his childrenâhis familyâbe unhappy.
I experienced that once and I wouldnât wish that on someone else.
Would he experience the warmth and happiness I experienced as Lyra if he really followed Mother and Father closely?