It was a heavy door, wood reinforced with iron, adorned with ornate carvings that seemed to depict some metaphorical mural.
Before Shu could get a clear look at what was depicted, Sirin strenuously pushed open the massive door and, along with Bella, hurried inside.
The vibrations from outside grew stronger and more rhythmic. A little thought was all it took to realize something enormous was approaching.
Whatever it was, it wasn't good news for Sirin.
Behind the door was an empty room, containing a high platform that resembled an altar.
Gold and jewels made the platform exceptionally brilliant; just a few oil lamps illuminated the space with a golden splendor.
And resting on that high platform was the very same giant die Sirin had thrown in the square earlier.
Seeing the die, Sirin finally let out a sigh of relief, her pace involuntarily slowing.
Bella, still carrying Shu, stood at the doorway, watching Sirin ascend the platform alone. Sirin placed the Key of Remembrance on one side of the platform, then picked up the giant die with both hands.
Closing her eyes, she whispered something to the die in her arms. Amidst vibrations now strong enough to make the entire room tremble, Sirin turned and threw the die down from the platform.
All eyes, including Shu's, were fixed on that die.
Everyone watched it tumble and fall through the air, just like in the square. Only this time, only three people witnessed its descent.
As long as the die lands, the Knight will appear... then save everyone, drive away all the nightmares...
The sound of the die landing was crisp and pleasant. It rolled and spun on the ground a few times. Sirin didn't even wait for it to completely stop before excitedly looking above her own head.
At this moment, everyone's profession should appear!
But one second passed... then two...
Sirin didn't see the familiar words appear above her head. She saw no profession appear at all.
Was she too anxious? Sirin chuckled softly and looked down from the platform.
But the die had already revealed its result. Sirin froze, her heart suddenly clenching.
Bella looked left, looked right, then looked above her own head. Finding nothing, she cast a puzzled gaze at Sirin.
"Lady Sirin... this..." Bella didn't know what to say, just stood there, bewildered, hoping Sirin could offer an explanation.
Sirin stood there dumbfounded. Then, gritting her teeth, she quickly ran down from the platform, bent over to pick up the die from the ground again, and threw it upwards with all her might once more.
The die traced a familiar path, rolling and spinning on the ground.
This time, Sirin's gaze never left the die, not even for an instant. Only after the die trembled on the ground and came to a complete stop did Sirin look towards Bella's head, her eyes filled with both忐忑 (apprehension/unease) and eager anticipation.
There was nothing there...
"No..." Sirin's expression crumpled. She stared blankly at the empty space above Bella's head, seeing Bella still just as Bella, not the [Evil Dragon] or any other new identity.
Even Shu on Bella's back hadn't received any identity... Sirin herself was the same... still all alone, still with nothing.
"Why... didn't it work?" Sirin murmured in disbelief, unconsciously taking half a step back, only to trip over herself and fall to the ground with a thud.
But even sitting on the floor, Sirin still stared with a hint of terror at the motionless die.
If the die couldn't bestow identities, then it meant no Knight would appear, no one would come to defeat the evil dragon, no one would stand up to face the Demon Lord...
The nightmare would completely destroy the sweet dream. When everyone woke up, they wouldn't see...
The sun...
Sirin's eyes, in that instant, seemed to lose their luster as she stared blankly ahead, letting Bella frantically call out to her.
She had pinned all her hopes on that soon-to-appear [Knight]. She had thought that as long as she threw the die, the Knight would surely come to protect his King...
But the die had failed. Sirin didn't know why it had failed. The magic that bestowed new identities on everyone had always existed... It had always worked before...
It had always...
---||---
["Grandpa John..." Little Sirin tugged at the exhausted, bald old man. The old man paused, removed his round-rimmed glasses, and gently knelt down.
"What is it, Sirin? Why aren't you sleeping? What do you need Grandpa John for?" the old man asked kindly, patting Sirin's head with a smile.
Little Sirin exaggeratedly made a large circle with her hands. "Well, Grandpa John and everyone else can make people wake up, but Sirin can't... Does Grandpa John know magic that Sirin doesn't? Can you teach Sirin?"
The little girl's innocent gaze made John lose himself for a moment. After a pause, John gave a wry smile. "Silly child, where would there be any magic? Even if there was, you wouldn't be able to learn it..."
"Really..." Sirin tilted her head in confusion, then closed her eyes and pondered for a second, arriving at an answer.
"Hmph, Grandpa John is being stingy! Sirin can definitely learn it!" Sirin thought John was tricking her.
*How could there be no magic in the world?*]
---||---
How could there be no magic in the world?
There really was no magic in the world...
Bestowing identities was the [King]'s prerogative, not the magic of the die, just as it was the Hero who defeated the Demon Lord, not the Holy Sword.
BOOM—!
It was unclear whether it was thunder splitting the sky or the evil dragon finally arriving above them. A tremendous roar and vibration ripped through the room, announcing its arrival.
The dark clouds had now completely enveloped the sky. Darkness swallowed this dreamscape.
Rubble and dust rained down from the basement ceiling, dislodged by the massive tremors. The oil lamps illuminating the room instantly extinguished. Even the Key of Remembrance, which had been glowing faintly on the high platform, lost its luster.
Bella, still carrying Shu, was shaken off her feet by the tremor, falling to the ground along with Shu.
"Lady Sirin!" But Bella didn't immediately scramble up after falling. Instead, she struggled to lunge towards Sirin.
Shu suddenly felt this scene was somewhat familiar. In Canghai (Sapphire) City, in the underground shelter, he had witnessed a similar scene.
And the next moment, exactly like that time in Canghai (Sapphire) City, the ceiling violently caved in, creating a large hole, revealing the dark, cloud-covered sky outside.