Ideal World Endgame

[idolpro]

Who: Beautiful dreamers
Where: The Game Tower
When: Day 271, morning

[When you wake, the folding chairs and divans from before have all been cleared away. You're lying asleep on the floor, healed of all injury.]

[You remember the events of the worlds you've visited as though visions seen in a dream -- though for those of you torn from your perfect existence, there is an ache inside you which will not fade for some days... the pain of something precious that has been lost.]

[Out beyond the windows of the tower, the sky is no longer a perfect blue; the vegetation is no longer as lush and inviting.]

[The view is of Tokyo-F, exactly as it's always been.]

[Near the far wall, there is an open book on a pedestal. The pages are empty. It is titled GUEST BOOK, and a pen waits nearby.]

GUEST BOOK | SOUVENIRS | WINNERS

Comments

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[Puts a hand on his shoulder]

Lucifel.

[maidenheaven]

[ jumping to the sound of his voice ]

—I'm not actually fired, am I!?

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Wha--- No!

I'm the one has to take vacation for three days.

[ J E R K ]

[maidenheaven]

—

[ pauses ]

. . .

Oh!

That did happen!

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Yes. That did happen.

Why are you so upset? Avenger came and kicked the crap out of you? I thought you were into that.

[maidenheaven]

. . .

It was . . .

A nice dream.

[ with some consideration, brow knitting together ]

I had many other dreams, as well.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

. . .

[Opens mouth.

Closes it]

I see.

[maidenheaven]

. . . I don't usually—no, rather. . .

It's been a long time, since I've had a pleasant dream.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Maybe you can try to make that the new normal.

[maidenheaven]

I can't exactly control my own dreams.

. . . I suppose I could speak to a member of BARiTONES.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

I suggest Yvette if you're going that route.

But now that you mention it---

[Picking up a blue ruler card and absently passing it between his fingers]

What's the ratio of dream to dreamless nights?

[maidenheaven]

Zero to zero.

[ letting that settle for a moment before: ]

I don't sleep if I can help it.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Well I can certainly see why you wouldn't want to chance a bad dream. But even you have to admit that avoiding the risk means also avoiding the reward.

[maidenheaven]

. . .

Mmm, well, I would at least like to avoid feeling so drained after a game like this again—so it would be good to have pleasant dreams for a while.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Make sure your rival or your wife is with you when you do. That's been the best medicine I've seen.

[maidenheaven]

[ ah—so this is speaking from experience, then ]

. . . I'll ask them.

Are you feeling well?

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

[This is definitely speaking from experience]

Of course. Most painless soul manipulation I've ever experienced.

You really outdid yourself.

[maidenheaven]

I'll take your words with gratitude—if there was any pain to it, there would be no point.

[ shifts, fairly calm now that he's more thinking on the logistics of his world ]

. . . Now, the hope is that the Holy Grail is able to provide that amount of magical energy in the first place.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

If not, then its power has been highly exaggerated. And that solves most of your other problems, doesn't it?

[maidenheaven]

My other problems?

Ah—well, I'm certain it could do everything I want it to do in Japan, for the most part, but that wouldn't be the whole world.

[ rubbing at his chin, thoughtful ]

But then, there are other "Grails" around the world, so I think it wouldn't be impossible. . .

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

... Other grails?

[Wait. What?

He thought there was just the one]

[maidenheaven]

None as big as the Greater Grail of Fuyuki—well, they're called "Grails" for having the seven Servant system installed onto them, but they're otherwise simply great stores of magical energy. That is what the Holy Grail is, ultimately, after all.

They aren't nearly capable enough to perform the miracles that the Greater Grail of Fuyuki can—some aren't even capable of fully completing the seven Servant system—but at least in terms of energy sources, they could be repurposed for my own plans.