"About your wish... I'm sorry, but this is the best I could do."

"... ah..."

"I can't bring him back."

I've always hated dreams.

I said that, but the reality is I know when my hatred towards it start. It's just that I couldn't remember my opinion towards it before that time, so I've always said that I've always hated dreams.

When I was kidnapped, when I was being replicated, the monster put me to sleep most of the time. Because of that I saw countless of dreams.

The me back then hadn't associate them with nightmares, mind you.

Not yet anyway.

"Tear, Tear! Please! Stop... Someone- Jade! Do something!"

It's of that time this time.

I saw her, Tear, being restrained by Anise and Guy. Jade was just standing there on the background, his face unreadable. The oldest man on the group merely shrugged and smiled at Guy, as if asking what could a frail old man like him possibly do to fix the situation.

Judging from Guy's indignant face, I suppose he thought the same too.

"Let me-LET ME GO!"

Tear was crying. On her hands were her throwing knives, her staff already been taken away by Anise. The twin-tailed girl gasped in horror at the sight.

"Damn it, Tear! Snap out of it!"

I blacked out after that, so I'm not sure what happened next.

Looking the fact that I'm still alive and not missing a limb nor an organ must mean that they managed to calm her down somehow.

"I'm sorry. It's... I was... I have no excuse. It's unacceptable for me to lash out at you like that."

She apologized as soon as I'm in my right mind.

Not that I'm never in my right mind.

I mean when I'm off the painkillers and Lorelei's possession thing wore off. I heard Jade had a hand on the latter. Never asked how he did it. Guy said it involved a whole day researching Daath library, another whole day visiting the Sephiroth Trees (only possible due to the Albiore) to harvest some whatnots, and few hours prossessing said whatnots (Anise cheerfully added that he laughed creepily all the while).

After few days, he told me that said concoction also works for hangovers, as tested on one happy drunk emperor.

Anyway, I said to Tear that there's nothing to forgive.

After all, I understand her. I know why she lost her mind and tried to kill me.

"It's an accident. I get it."

She's just like me.

I just knew it. She dreamed the day he'd return most of the time. All the time, maybe. Maybe, just like how I saw myself getting back and putting the whole kidnapping, replication mumbojumbo behind, she saw herself getting him back.

Maybe she imagined the whole romance thing to come true too, with kisses and happily ever after crap on the side.

Only to find me in his place. Well, Lorelei to be exact, claiming that he couldn't bring the dreck back.

For good hope bringing dreams to turn into nightmares in an instant, I know how it feels.

I ran away.

She did not.

She beat the crap of the nightmare, impressively.

And so, there it is.

It just so happen that said nightmare was me.

So there's nothing to forgive. I get it. I understand completely.

I was surprised she didn't try again after that. I wouldn't stop her if she did. But there's nothing like that. She just bowed, said that she'd apologize to Mother too, before turning around and leaving.

She never came back.

"So let me get this straight. You're saying your inn is haunted?"

Anise asked incredulously as she motioned the pizza chef to get the trembling innkeeper a cup of hot tea. Or maybe something stronger might be in order. But Anise wasn't sure the man wasn't drunk to begin with, so tea it is.

"Mister, I'm not sure you should be saying that to potential customers," Florian wisely said with a smile. Some people nodded unconsciously, agreeing with him.

"Well, well... I'm sure there's a logical explanation for it."

"... I... I sure hope so..."

"So, who did you see? Are you sure it's not a replica?"

The man shook his head.

"It's... it's a bowl... it was floating!"

There was silence after that.

"A floating... bowl?"

Natalia asked uncertainly. Anise was sure that if she wasn't so disraught about Luke and his sudden escapade, she'd be more excited about it. The man nodded frantically.

"It's indeed... harder to explain, huh? Are you sure you saw it? And... Uhm, sorry but I have to ask this, are you sure you were sober?"

"I was!"

"It's true. This guy here hasn't touched any alcohol since like, ten years ago," the pizza chef added helpfully.

The group looked at each other uncertainly. Anise sighed.

"Look, Mister, it's not that we don't want to help, but we're really busy now. Can you keep your sanity intact until we're done? Although I don't promise anything. I mean, we're not exactly ghostbuster here."

A voice at the back of her mind supplied helpfully that maybe Jade could help. If he could exorcise Lorelei from Luke, there's no reason he couldn't help with the innkeeper's problem. She made a mental note to ask for his help later.

The innkeeper nodded uncertainly.

"Okay. That's good. The better we finish our business the better then. So. Is Luke in his room? We're looking for him."

"Ah... yeah... I hope he's okay."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's just that... the bowl... it was floating to his room. And... and he did warn me to ignore anything that happens... so he might know about the ghost?"

They left Florian downstairs to get more information from the still trembling innkeeper, while the rest rushed upstairs after that.

"Please be alright, please be alright..."

Natalia chanted as she ran. No more than a whisper, really, but Anise could hear her.

"Come on, Natalia. There's no way ghosts exist."

"Tell that to Lorelei."

Guy said with a snort.

"He's a Sentience, not a ghost."

"Same difference, they possess people. And you're forgetting Sword Dancer."

Anise couldn't help but to agree. That was an excelent point.

"Are you feeling better now?"

Noticing that I've stirred, the replica asked. He was kneeling on the floor, seemingly about to change the cloth on my forehead.

"... Yeah."

And I wasn't lying. At least it's not as nauseating as before to have my eyes opened.

He sighed in apparent relief, smile still adorning his face.

"Great. That's great... Because I have a bad news."

I could see his worry more clearly now that he said it.

"What's worse than you being here?"

The replica laughed humorlessly and closed his eyes, as if preparing for something.

And then the door got kicked opened.

Almost the whole gang was there. Natalia, Guy, Anise (she's the one who kicked the door open again, I'm sure), and even Tear. Natalia gasped before running towards me and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"... Thank Yulia... thank Yulia you're alright..."

I was too shocked to respond.

The others stood dumbfounded by the door.

"Uh... I'll just, in my bed. Trying to be quiet, and everything."

The replica said as he stood up and started walking towards the bed across to mine. He smiled widely, as if trying to prove a point. I didn't have time to respond to him, not that I should with the others there, because Natalia let go of me and frowned as she cupped my face with her hands.

"Luke. I hope you have a good explanation for this."