Chapter 75: Nia's Nightmares

The DEM Underground Lab.

In a cell, which was so dark that no daylight could be seen, only a few small light bulbs were on. The light was gathered by the lampshade, and was forcefully focused on the prisoner in the center.

It was a gray-haired woman who looked to be in her late teenage years. Her clothes had been completely stripped for the purpose of applying more torture instruments on her naked body.

She no longer remembered how long it had been since she was captured, let alone how long she would be tortured. All she knew was that her torture would continue.

Her eyes were blindfolded, and she could only hear the sound of the movement of the mechanical arms next to her ears, which was the most terrifying thing. She knew that she was bound to be tortured, but she had no idea what would happen or which part of her body would suffer next. In the haze of the unknown, fear was infinitely magnified.

"The experimental subject, Nia Honjo, is in perfect condition, and the electric shock will begin now."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !"

Huge electric current passed through her slender body, stimulating every inch of her skin and nerves. Her heart was beating wildly without restriction, and the sudden increase in blood pressure made her internal organs overwhelmed, and blood kept pouring into her lungs, spurting out of her mouth and nose in time with her breathing. And her skin slowly began to smell like it was burning.

"No, kill me, please, just kill me!"

Nia's heart was already in despair, and she was just pleading for death. Her shrieks were so excruciating and painful to hear that the glass was on the verge of cracking.

"Kill me, kill me..."

She struggled desperately, but even she knew at this moment that the alloy iron ring restraining her was something she could never destroy, not to mention that even if she broke away from the restraint, she would not be able to escape from the heavily guarded DEM base.

And the torture of those demons to her was not over yet.

"Proceed to the second item, cut open the abdomen of the experimental subject and break the ribs!"

"No! Ah!" "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

Nia's wailing reached its peak.

"Nia? Nia!"

In a daze, Nia seemed to hear a familiar voice. At that moment, a glimmer of hope arose in her heart.

"Boy? Ah- Shido! ~"

Nia suddenly woke up and jumped from the bed. The sweat she had shed left an outline on the bed sheets.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Shido rubbed Nia's forehead and brought his face closer to hers. He had heard her sleep-talking when he knocked on her door earlier, prompting him to open the door and sit beside her out of concern.

"Shido... Shido!" Nia looked at her lover beside her and suddenly hugged him. Just the fact that she was calling him by name was evidence enough that she was traumatized, so he immediately hugged her back.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm here, I'm not going anywhere, I'm here, I'm always here." Shido gently patted her back, soothing her as if she were a little girl.

Gradually, Nia stopped trembling, but Shido continued to comfort her until she fell asleep again. Then he laid her down, got up, and fetched two bath towels - one to wipe the sweat off Nia's body and the other to pad the wet spot where she had been lying. Lying on wet sheets might be uncomfortable.

After attending to her, Shido put Nia back in bed and tucked her in. Perhaps the comfort had some effect, as Nia fell asleep quickly this time. While she slept, she still clutched the corner of Shido's pajamas with one hand.

However, Shido couldn't sleep, simply staring at her slightly furrowed sleeping face. Although she refused to disclose her nightmare, Shido could infer from her sleep-talk.

No matter how much you try to restore something that has been distorted, it will always leave traces of distortion.

The experiences that Nia had must have left deep scars on her soul. Though she tried to bury them, they resurfaced recently.

"I have to find a way to help her tomorrow." Shido made up his mind. Every time he saw her drooping eyelids, he couldn't help but feel sad.

...

Early morning, in Shido's room.

"Now that you mention it, Nia has had trouble sleeping recently..." Kotori, summoned by Shido for help, crossed her legs on the chair and twirled the lollipop stick in her hand while pondering Shido's words. "How did I overlook this…?"

"No, we were too focused on the Ren case," Shido shook his head. "I totally neglected Nia's wellbeing…"

"You don't have to blame yourself for that, Shido-san." Kurumi interjected, laying one finger on her lips. "In fact, you can kill two birds with one stone~"

"Wait…" As if understanding something, Shido's eyes widened with shock. "Are you implying that Ren has something to do with Nia's nightmares?"

Shido quickly stood up, but then he sat back down and calmed himself down.

"Speaking of which, Ren has her angel [Rasiel] in this world…"

Thinking about this made him have a chill in his heart. What the hell happened between the two of them that led to such a result?

"I thought Nia was thick-skinned, but even she has a fragile side…" Marina folded her arms and looked away, her lips trembling uneasily.

"It's because I didn't take good care of her..." Shido thought of Nia's appearance and felt a little guilty. "That's why she's having those nightmares…"

At this time, Shido had gathered Kurumi, Kotori, and Marina in his room, sharing his discovery of Nia's recent nightmares. He didn't want to involve the other girls in this issue.

He invited Kurumi because she was the first to notice, Kotori because she monitored the happiness aptitude of the Spirits, and Marina because she could conduct VR training sessions, possibly creating a simulation to help.

"No, on the contrary, you took care of her too well." Marina stopped his self-pity. "Humans are emotional creatures. When they experience extreme happiness or pain, their instincts recall memories related to the opposite to maintain emotional stability. Just like some new mothers who experience postpartum depression after intense happiness."

"That's right," Kurumi agreed. "You should be proud. It shows you're a capable man."

"Really? I wish she didn't have to seek balance like this." Shido's emotions remained unsettled. Nia's suffering was like a thorn in his heart. "It's too cruel for her."

During the years of knowing Nia, Shido learned about her experiences. Even as a bystander, Shido felt fear. He couldn't imagine how desperate Nia must have felt. None of them dared to share those terrible experiences with the other girls, especially not Rio. It was up to Shido, Kurumi, Marina, and Kotori to find a solution.

"Please help me." Shido looked at the girls with a serious expression. "I want Nia to be completely free from this nightmare."

"I knew you would say that," Marina looked at Shido, a smile forming at the corner of her mouth. "And I have just the thing to help~"

Hearing her promising words, Shido's eyes lit up with hope.

"But first, let's take care of everyone's breakfast~"

…

"Itadakimasu!"

At 8:00, everyone gathered at a large table ready for breakfast.

Since the entire harem of Spirits was present, Rinne assigned a room for each of them to sleep in. At 7, she woke everyone up to wash up. The restrooms weren't crowded since the floating household was spacious enough for everyone.

In the meantime, Rinne and Mayuri prepared breakfast, ensuring everyone would be fed before their combat training sessions later.

"Are you still going to school today, Shido?" Mayuri, dressed in casual attire, asked with a dazed expression.

"Absolutely not!" Shido shook his head. "And you?"

"What's the point of going there if you weren't there?" Mayuri rolled her eyes playfully. "But I'll call them out of courtesy."

Everyone laughed. They had enough on their plate without adding school troubles to it.

"Shido, it's my turn today." Tohka unexpectedly raised her head excitedly to Shido. "Where are we going for our date?"

Initially smiling at Tohka's enthusiasm, Shido's expression dimmed suddenly, as if remembering something. He approached her, stopping just a foot away.

"Shido?" Tohka asked, her face uneasy.

"I'm sorry, Tohka," Shido gently patted her head, "I have urgent matters to attend to. Can we postpone our date?"

"Umu… I understand, Shido." Tohka's excitement faded, but she forced a smile. "Go ahead, I'll support you!"

"Thank you, Tohka!" Shido kissed her cheek gratefully, causing her to blush. She was content with his gesture, though she wished for more.

…

After breakfast.

Marina led Shido and Nia to the lower floor of the floating household, where Rinne had recently set up a laboratory room with security measures.

As it turned out, Rinne still shared with everyone the fact that Nia's been having terrible nightmares. Therefore, Shido would need to take her elsewhere and solve the concerning issue. While most of the Spirits understood and agreed to it, a few of them were slightly dissatisfied.

With nothing better to do, they asked Rinne to send them back to the original world so that they could go to school or work there.

The only ones remaining in the household were: Kurumi, Tohka, Rinne, and Mayuri.

"There are two solutions for Nia's nightmares: First, implant a Realizer device into Nia's head to conceal her memories of that time," Marina explained as they walked.

"Wait, isn't that similar to what Westcott did to me?" Nia interjected. "I can't agree to that."

"Why so anxious? We've considered the drawbacks, which is why we have a second plan." Marina opened the laboratory door, gesturing for the two to follow.

In the center of the laboratory was a holographic projection of a human brain, with certain areas highlighted. A screen beside it seemed to record information about consciousness.

Marina handed Shido a tablet from the nearby test bench, showing him the image inside. "Does this look familiar?"

"What is this?" Shido asked, intrigued.

"The second plan involves implanting a one-time display device into you, allowing you to connect with Nia's mind and enter her dreams."

"!?"

"This time, both you and Nia are hosts, and the dream is constructed from both your thoughts."

"Why go through all this trouble?"

"Nia's situation is delicate," Marina explained. "Her consciousness is fragile and can't handle much stress. Blindly entering could collapse her consciousness. You need to untangle her emotions while maintaining your own stability, ensuring her dream remains intact."

"Only you can do it." Marina looked at him seriously. "You've saved her before, and I believe you're the only one she trusts to save her again."

Shido lowered his head, pondered for a moment, and replied, "I understand. Leave it to me."

…

In a mysterious realm.

There was a beautiful girl whose beauty extended beyond human standards, her long white hair floating in the dark-purple mist, but a portion of it was tied back into a ponytail with a red ribbon.

When she opened her eyes, it was a beautiful color of purple that was full of energy and curiosity.

She stretched her arms and legs in a cozy way, her curvy figure wrapped in a certain school uniform, which consisted of a white, short-sleeved top, together with a blue skirt, and a pair of long, black stockings that reached up to half of her thigh.

"It's been a long time since I last saw them." She opened her lips, and sweet sounds escaped her mouth. "I wonder how they are doing now."

As if remembering something, she smiled and giggled a bit to herself.

"I shall go see them now. I don't get breaks like this often~"

…

A/N:

Some folks have already figured this out, so I won't say much.