"Peek? I would never peek! What kind of person does she think I am? A pervert?" Dama thought to himself as he lay in his bed, resting his head on his hand, wondering if it was just Tsubasa being cheeky or not.

Even though he knew it was a joke at the end of the day, the sheer mention of him doing such a perverted thing nonetheless had him a bit vexed.

However, in a rather ironic twist, his thoughts were soon interrupted when images of girls his age rose in his mind almost subconsciously. Dama's eyes widened in shock, and he quickly turned to the other side, his face flushed even more.

"A…Am I really a pervert?" He whispered to himself, stunned by his own intrusive thoughts.

He buried his face in the pillow, trying to will the embarrassment away. After a few minutes of contemplation, he sighed, his cheeks still warm.

Minutes passed, and as silence settled over the main room of the cabin, broken only by the occasional woosh of the fireplace and faint noises from the bathroom, Dama realized how lonely it felt without Mumu or Nini by his side.

He had never been separated from both of them at the same time, and now, left alone with his thoughts, the emptiness felt strange, despite knowing Mumu was a mere room away.

His mind drifted to Nini, who he had left in Enohay Village with Mari Koul. "Does she hate me for leaving her for this long?" He at first mused to himself, but then imagined her playing with Mari, likely having the time of her life, and a small smile tugged at his lips.

Dama then looked straight up at his cabin's roof, noting to himself how 'unreal' the current silence felt. "To think this silence and loneliness would be a constant if Mumu or Nini weren't around…" He murmured.

Turning towards his desk, specifically at a pictured frame on the furthest corner, he continued. "To think this cabin was, at one point, filled with the cheer of a family of four: Mom, Dad, Jula, Me… I miss you all. I really do… But at least I have Mumu, Nini—and now even Giona."

Dama took a moment to think about what he just said, chuckling with a faint smile. "Heh, I guess that brings the household number back to four, doesn't it?"

Half expecting an answer, Dama was only met by soft silence, the rhythmic tick from the wall mounted clock Koul had gifted him right after that night echoing throughout the room.

Chuckling to himself, the boy's thoughts drifted back to his two stuffed animal companions. "Still, I can't imagine where I'd be without those two. Ever since that night I lost you all, they were there—they became alive." He said before squinting in contemplation. "Yet, I still don't know how."

Feeling the grip of drowsiness starting to lull him to sleep, Dama finally murmured, "Thank you…for everything…"

Though the targets for his words were numerous, none were heard—to Dama's knowledge, anyways.

He always knew what gave Mumu and Nini life, it was told to him many times by Tsubasa, all due to his Soulful Technique. But how and why were still questions yet unanswered—mysteries even his granny couldn't solve.

If he couldn't go to his granny for answers, who would be the next best person to ask?

All of a sudden, Dama would hear a singular drop of water plop into a huge body of water. The pristine sound echoed multiple times, layering upon itself and jolting Dama awake.

The place Dama found himself was all too familiar now—the very same clear and pristine lake he found himself on after praying to Helia.

"W-Why…?" Dama stammered out, standing up from his sleeping position whilst looking around. "It's this place again? A-At least I know there's no danger here…but still, what is going on?"

He began walking. With each step, he created a symmetrical ripple upon the lake's surface. With each glance, he searched for either the duplicate Mumu and Nini, or the enigmatic orb of light from last time—both of which were mysteriously absent this time, confusing Dama to no end.

Minutes passed before Dama eventually stopped in his tracks, the lake seemingly confirmed to have no end.

He looked up into the beautiful blue sky, a magnificent rainbow overhead. It was a symbol of absolute purity, yet also a symbol of the fact Dama had gotten nowhere, despite walking for a while.

Dama closed his eyes, realizing his head felt empty. It was strange to him, as if the more time he spent here, the more he felt at peace, as if he belonged here.

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However, a part of him was skeptical about the entire thing, and as he focused, his brow furrowing, that small piece of him started to push out something.

"All you have to do is ask."

It was Tsubasa's voice, specifically what she had said to Dama earlier as an answer on how to understand his Soulful Technique.

What perplexed Dama however was the fact that even though he felt the sensation of Tsubasa's words play out in his head, he actually heard them echoing all around him, as if his granny was right there with him, uttering those same words.

"All I have to do…is ask…?" Dama murmured to himself, his mind feeling as if it was waking up from a deep slumber it didn't even know it was in.

Dama sat down criss-cross, resting his head on his fist as he stared blankly out into the endless lake.

"That orb of light with the tail, where is it? Something's off—no, special—about it, but what is it?" Dama said to himself before gritting his teeth. "Come on, think Dama, think! The answer you're looking for it's so…it's so…"

"Close…" a voice that was Dama's, yet didn't come out of his own mouth, finished his sentence.

Dama jerked up and looked around, trying to spot the origin of the voice, only to see nothing but the endless lake.

Feeling the urge to freak out, Dama took a deep breath to stagnate himself. "Freaking out isn't going to get me anywhere. Now about that orb…" he mused before his eyes widened. "Wait a second, that symbol Giona drew, it looked just like the orb of light! DIdn't Granny Tsu call it the 'Soul Divination Council's Insignia' or something?"

Dama switched from resting his head on his fist to grasping his chin, feeling as if he was on to something. "Not only that, but Giona also just called it "Soul" back then too… It's a stretch, but what if that orb of light is my…" he stood up, "My Soul…!"

He then started walking again, but this time, with a purpose. "If I'm right by any chance, I'm afraid that still barely scratches the surface of my questions. For starters, what is this place?"

Nothing answered back—a response that was getting a bit too old to Dama, agitating him. "I'm doing what Granny Tsu told me to do—ask questions—but so far, that hasn't helped in the slightest…! What is this place!"

Again, expecting at least something, nothing came to be, causing Dama to stop in his tracks again. His face contorted with an emotion he almost never let overwhelm him—anger. "WHAT DOES THIS PLACE WANT FROM ME!?" He shouted in his mind, stomping the lake in frustration and creating a small splash.

But the words wasn't just contained to his head, the same words would explode into a ferocious echo.

Dama's anger would subside as he opened his eyes back up to a rather unnerving sight: the usual pristine blue lake, and even the sky above, was now a scarlet red.

It wasn't like a lake of blood, more like a lake of red jello, but the sudden change caused Dama to back up a bit whilst looking around again, confirming that the entire place had changed.

"What… What just happened? D-Did I do this," Dama said, his voice laced with fear, while continuing to look around, "because I was…angry?"

Testing his theory, Dama stood still as he tried to calm and collect himself. As he did, the lake and sky gradually returned to the original blue.

It was then when Dama began to piece everything together. "When I got angry, this place changed to red. Then, when I calmed back down, it changed back to blue. It's reacting to my emotions… Only when thy body, heart, mind and soul are joined, can thy prayers be heard… If the orb is my soul, my body is here, and my emotions come from my heart, then that means t-this place—!"

"It's my mind…!"

The same moment Dama uttered his hypothesis, a bright light unexpectedly shone from beside him, the object of origin just outside of his peripheral vision.

He winced in pain, but a moment later, his eyes widened. "I recognize that light!" He said as he whipped his head toward the source.

And indeed, there it was, floating just above the surface of the lake a few feet away—the enigmatic orb of light, tail wiggling about and all.

"There you are," Dama said, almost relieved as he walked to the orb, "you must be my soul… Wow, that sounded really weird when I say it out loud. Talk about one question answered, but ten take its place…"

The closer he got, the brighter the orb began to glow, just like last time. Dama could almost feel the orb telling him to come closer, entrancing him with its spiritual luminescence.

However, at one point, Dama felt his body beginning to become heavier. At first, it was only like he had on a satchel on his back filled with little trinkets. But when he was just a few steps away from the orb, his body felt as if it weighed almost twice as much.

Despite the difficulty, Dama eventually made it to the orb, squatting and panting as he looked up at it. "I-I made it… So what happens now? Where is, well, Not-Mumu and Not-Nini? What's my Soulful Technique?"

Waiting for an answer as he continued to pant, Dama would get no response in return. He sighed in defeat and closed his eyes in disappointment, letting his head droop to one side in exhaustion as he tried to muster the energy to ask more questions.

"Dama…?" A voice then spoke out. Though, it wasn't just any voice, it was…

"Giona…?" Dama said as he opened his eyes, now face to face with a freshened up Giona. "Woah…" He uttered mystified.

After a brief moment, he reached up to feel Giona's face. "You must be Not-Giona… You feel so real."

"She does because she is, sleepyhead." Tsubasa's voice rang out, her and the real Mumu standing in Dama's peripheral vision.

Turning his head, not only did Dama realize he wasn't in his mind anymore, but that he was also laying down in his bed.

"H…Huh?"

-

Next: (Chapter 10.75) All In the Mind: Part 2

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