In the dimly lit room, Olga Marie lay on her side beside Shiomi. The soft sound of steady breathing filled the quiet space.
Everyone else was asleep.
Except her.
She had no idea how long she'd been lying there, tossing and turning. All she knew was that although she was utterly exhausted, her eyes refused to close. Sleep simply wouldn't come.
After a while, Olga Marie carefully lifted her hand and traced the lines of muscle across Shiomi's chest and shoulders. The last time she had massaged her teacher—at Morgan's invitation—there had been fabric between them. Now, touching him directly, she realized his body wasn't rigid like stone at all. Beneath her fingertips, his skin held a supple, living resilience that was difficult to put into words.
Memories of the past few days surfaced now and then in her mind. Each time, they felt like a beautiful dream she couldn't wake from.
Her feet were planted firmly on the ground, yet it was as if she were walking on clouds—unsteady, light, but never falling. She was wrapped in a warmth she couldn't, and didn't want to, escape.
She parted her lips, Freeze Frameed for a moment, then closed them again, barely moving. Suddenly, Olga Marie remembered something important she hadn't told her teacher.
Given their relationship now… should she say "I like you"? Or go straight to "I love you"?
Or maybe both—like and love?
The thrill of first love swelled in her chest. She pushed herself up slightly and looked at Shiomi's sleeping face. In the darkness, it was faintly illuminated by the standby light of the bedside device.
She thought about stealing a kiss, then going back to sleep without disturbing anyone.
Just as she leaned down, about to press her lips to his, she suddenly sensed something was off.
Or rather, Shiomi's expression looked unsettled—like he was caught in some dream.
She already knew that her teacher's spirit was bound to the Goddess Tiamat, allowing them to meet in dreams at any time.
Was Tiamat telling him something? Warning him?
Curiosity stilled her. She hesitated, unsure whether to continue, when Shiomi's eyes slowly opened.
It startled her.
"...Teacher?" she whispered softly.
"...Teacher?" she murmured again, barely louder than a breath.
"You weren't asleep yet, Marie?" Shiomi asked, surprise in his voice.
"I just woke up. I was about to go back to sleep." Olga Marie surrendered to her fatigue and lay back down.
"Hmm. You must be tired. Get some rest," Shiomi said quietly.
She hummed in agreement and closed her eyes, trying to drift off. But the expression she had glimpsed in the dim light lingered in her thoughts. Without opening her eyes, she edged closer and asked gently,
"Teacher… did you have a nightmare?"
"Not a nightmare," Shiomi replied without hesitation. "Just a strange dream."
"What did you dream about?"
Shiomi lifted the hand resting at her side and pressed his fingertips lightly to his temples.
"Nothing much. I was walking through the countryside… and then a bear with wings suddenly rushed into my arms."
"That's an odd dream," Olga Marie murmured.
"Odd isn't quite the word," Shiomi said, a trace of confusion in his voice. "It felt more like some kind of omen. Or a hint. Something bound to happen after becoming a god."
"Maybe you're right," Olga Marie agreed instinctively.
Dreams themselves weren't unusual. But her teacher was no longer an ordinary human, nor a mundane Magus. His dreams likely carried meaning.
The thought deepened her concern.
Yet perhaps because she hadn't managed to do what she'd intended, her mind felt strangely unburdened. Sleepiness washed over her quickly. Cradled in her teacher's arms, soothed by the gentle rhythm of his hand patting her shoulder, Olga Marie soon drifted off.
When she opened her eyes again, the room was already bright.
Everyone was taking turns using Shiomi's bathroom to wash up, then rummaging through the pile of clothes scattered across the floor to find their own and get dressed.
Shiomi, meanwhile, was discussing the dreams they had experienced during the night.
"Dreamed of a bear with wings?" Skadi looked puzzled. "In the Norse world, I can't think of any symbol that would explain something like that."
"Maybe it was just a strange dream," Artoria said. "I assumed that after becoming a god, one would stop dreaming. But Tenkei can still dream. That really is unusual."
Morgan shifted her gaze slightly, her expression turning thoughtful. "A flying bear in a dream… I feel like I've come across something similar before."
"That should be it. A very famous Chinese legend," Touko said. "It's called 'The Flying Bear Enters the Dream.' It tells of King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty in ancient China. He dreamed of a flying bear, and following the omen from that dream, he searched far and wide until he finally found Taigong Wang."
"No wonder…" Morgan nodded, the memory surfacing.
She had read about the transition between the Shang and Zhou dynasties in the Chaldea library. There really was such an account.
"I'll give you a point for that," she said with a teasing smile.
Touko shrugged, fully aware Morgan was joking.
Right now, what mattered was Shiomi's dream.
"But I also dreamed of the Flying Bear." Shiomi sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his shoulder with a helpless look. "In the middle of an apocalypse like this, is there really any need to go searching for a worthy sage?"
It was just an offhand complaint.
Still, Touko's reminder made him start taking the dream more seriously.
He had originally planned to head to the Chinese Lostbelt. Now he had dreamed of an omen tied to a Chinese Heroic Spirit.
Could it mean a Servant was already waiting for him there?
And that Servant might very well be the renowned Taigong Wang?
"How much do you all know about Taigong Wang?" Seeing Shiomi sorting through his thoughts, Touko didn't rush him. She tied her hair back with a rubber band as she spoke. "And I mean from a Magecraft perspective."
"What do you mean?" Skadi asked, not quite following.
"In Proper Human History, the Magecraft world—especially the Clock Tower—follows the Magecraft system established by the King of Magecraft. But that's not the only system. There's Atlas's alchemy, the Age of Gods Magecraft preserved by the Wandering Sea, and the Rune foundation I've barely managed to revive. Magecraft systems aren't unified."
Touko continued calmly, "Beyond that, there's Middle Eastern sorcery and Chinese Magecraft."
"I wouldn't know," Skadi said, shaking her head.
The Norse world she came from had always been isolated, and it had already reached its end. Naturally, she knew little about the outside world.
"Same here," Scáthach said.
Artoria and Morgan both shook their heads in turn, equally unfamiliar.
Touko wasn't surprised.
"As expected. The Chinese Magecraft system has always been highly independent. Even the Clock Tower knows very little about it. They've only had limited contact with a handful of Chinese Magi. Even now, they remain among the most mysterious of practitioners."