After a couple of weeks passed, Madarajin came to visit his daughter. He discovered Satoru visit her frequently since she awoke. He realized they were getting close to each other and Este didn’t treat Satoru like he was special. They treat each other as equals, to the point in what they even ended training together.

  This day Este and her father were sitting on the exterior hall of the house chatting while looking at a ke in the distance and drinking some tea.

  “Hey you two! Have been a while since I met you, Madarajin.” Satoru arrived at Este’s home, greeting her and Madarajin.

  Both looked at him. While he started walking around the garden in front of them.

  “It’s a long time for you, Gojo, but not for me.” Madarajin said without hiding his discontent to see him.

  “We’re talking about uncle Baku… he has gone missing since the week you and I first met Satoru.” Este said.

  “Baku, like the mythical creature that devours nightmares?” Satoru asked.

  “He can take the shape of a beast, but he isn’t such a thing. He’s Madarajin’s twin brother.”

  “How could he go missing if he’s basically a god? Did he get a girlfriend or some other creature to py around with? I don’t understand.” Said Satoru pyfully.

  “The week of his disappearance, he was visiting the awake world for a reason that we don’t acknowledge.” Madarajin said.

  “There is also the fact that I have no recollection of that January 12, but that isn’t all. I discovered there are missing pieces of my memories from that week, too.”

  “Hey Satoru, you didn’t see anything strange that night, did you?” Madarajin asked.

  “Strange… let me think.”

  “I don’t think there was anything stranger than meeting Este that night.”

  “Well, I guess I should take my leave for today and start investigating about Baku.”

  “Why are you leaving so soon, Madarajin, if you have all the time in the world?” Satoru asked, intending to provoke him.

  “I have more important things to do than just see you both fighting human style.”

  “Hey Madarajin, before you leave, I want to ask you. Can Satoru come here in his physical body?” Este asked.

  She really didn’t want to ask this, but she wanted to show Satoru once again that she wanted to get a solution to their bonding problem.

  Now, all of them were standing in the garden while Madarajin spoke.

  “I don’t see the need for him to come here in his physical body… but he can put the effort himself to come here with his whole being.”

  “You mean there isn’t a restriction for him to come here in that way?” Este asked.

  “No, the only restriction that I have for him to come in his physical body is temporally annulling his six eyes and his technique.”

  “I can’t have someone threatening the life of my only daughter, after all.” Said Madarajin.

  “Hey old man!”

  “You don’t even know me as Este knows me, and you said something mean like that, while I’m here at Este’s mercy.” Satoru’s childish side went out for a moment.

  “Satoru, you’re talking like a little boy seeking mom’s protection.”

  “Now I understand why some people think you’re a jerk.” Este already knew Satoru was like this from time to time. So, she didn’t miss the opportunity to speak out of her mind a little.

  “Anyway, I must go now. Please let me know if you remember something about Baku.” He said this while directing his attention to just Este. Then, he disappeared like a breeze of fresh air.

  Satoru and Este when to the valley close to Este’s house for some training that day.

  During his fourth visit, Este told Satoru she could physically fight at the same level as him, but she cked the muscle and resistance to do this. Thus, Satoru took the job of training her in his disbelief of that being possible.

  Almost three weeks passed since she took Satoru’s memories, and he already saw that she wasn’t joking. She didn’t have cursed energy, but she was in what Satoru called her “innate domain,” meaning the dream realm. She could make things he can’t there, and it didn’t annoy Satoru. It excited him.

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  Satoru and Este went up hiking to Bird mountain days ter after Madarajin visit. This mountain had taller trees that the other mountains. Their massive trunks grew tight and shaped like multiple braids, enchained and twisted greener than moss. At the top of these trees, they saw multiple birds, some red, others blue, orange, yellow, purple, white, bck and some others with polychromatic colors.

  The chant of the birds run through the mountain and birds like crows were purple. They could talk, but they kept their conversations for the night. Satoru and Este hiked through a path that she made when she created the mountain. She didn’t want to disturb vegetation growing and animals’ migration from mountain to mountain.

  They arrived at a point with a little cabin, a picnic table, and a restroom. Este brought food to have a picnic at the end of their hike up. They sat at the table and took all the food out. There were sandwiches, some miso soup, rice, tempura vegetables, fish and shrimp tempura. For the sweets mochi, macarons and blueberry cheesecake.

  “Did you prepare all this food for us?” Satoru asked while pouring some soup into a couple of bowls.

  “Maru and Sharu helped me. We just cook enough food for five people.”

  “No wonder everything looks delicious, and the portion of each dish is just right.”

  “Well, let’s dig in now.” Este said with her pte full of food, ready to eat.

  “Este… now that we’re alone, I want to ask you a couple of things, if you don’t mind.”

  Both starting eating, and then Este spoke.

  “Spit it out. It’s most than fair that you want to know more about me. After all, I know virtually everything about you.”

  “I know it’s not my pce to ask, but are you on bad terms with your father?”

  Este’s face went all pin, showing a mild irritation.

  “Let me expin to you something, so that you understand my situation.”

  “As you already know, I have all my mom’s memories since I was born. It was inevitable for that to happen.”

  “Ok, can you eborate more for me because I’m not following you?” Said Satoru, while spooning his soup.

  Este finished eating her tempura and then took a deep breath and exhale.

  “The way I saw my father when I was a little girl wasn’t normal…”

  “Because of my mom’s memories, I felt like…like… my father abused me…”

  “Oh… I got it now; you don’t have to tell me anything else if you don’t want.”

  I never imagine how rough she had it, having her mom’s memories. She should feel disgusting being close to her father. This was Satoru’s thought after hearing Este.

  “I felt these mixed feelings towards my father between hate and love… I couldn’t say what feelings or views were mine, and what were from my mom.”

  Both were silent for some time, just eating and drinking barley tea.

  “I also want to know who are Maru and Sharu. They look like people, but I don’t feel they really are people.” Satoru asked with the whole intention of changing the direction of the conversation.

  “They are some of Madarajin’s creations given to me. You can think of them as guardians.”

  “They can do and be many things you can imagine, and I guess that answer to your question.”

  Satoru’s behavior most of the time intrigued Este. To her, he acted out of character according to his memories. She realized he did that while he was with her, not in the company of other people. He had a lousy personality and kept everyone at bay from him. Everyone believed and prized him as the strongest sorcerer of the modern age, and nothing more, nothing less.

  Besides, Este felt a different loneliness, one that was more directed to don’t get involved with anyone whatsoever. That way, nobody could touch her and became the inconvenience Satoru once represented to her. Now, she felt instead like she had a friend for the first time in her life.

  Then, a doubt assaulted Este’s mind. How much of Satoru’s feelings and emotions towards her were really his own? Could she trust he was not there out of pity for her or just because they needed to break their forced bond as soon as possible?

  She resisted thinking of him as a friend after all, because from her perspective, after their bond was broken; he would return to his life as usual. She would be left behind as someone he once met, and that was all. She felt a deep fear that she let escape while thinking about it.

  “What is it, Este?” Satoru asked while Este was in front of him with an expressionless face.

  Oh crap! I forgot to turn off my feelings while I was lost in thought. What should I do? Think, think quickly, what should I say? I don’t want to lie, even if I do. I think he will notice I’m lying. What to do? What to do? What to do? Este added to her fear, her panic.

  “Este, snap out of it. Answer me, what is it? Why you suddenly feel this intense fear?”

  “Are you afraid of me all the sudden?” Satoru continued asking while she didn’t know what to say.

  Few minutes passed and she could bring herself to speak.

  “It’s not that I’m afraid of you…” She made a pause trying to organize her ideas.

  “That fear is towards myself because I can’t say how much of my feelings handle your behaviors towards me.”

  “Este… don’t think like that. I’m here because I want to be here.”

  “When I come here, it’s only because I want…”

  “You, your feelings, aren’t maniputing me as you think.”

  “Have a little faith in yourself…”

  “To be honest, I don’t even care about finding a way of breaking any bond that exists between you and me.”

  Este’s expressionless face turned into a surprised face.

  “Are you for real, Satoru?” She asked, now even smiling.

  “I’m for real, real… I don’t give a damn about that or those bonds, or even about you knowing everything about me.”

  “That’s also the reason I haven’t put pressure on you to research for a way to break those bonds.”

  “Satoru, I can’t understand how you can be always so calm about our situation.” Este said this still in her disbelief about what he just said.

  “It’s called confidence. Plus, I really love to be here…”

  “Each time I come here I feel free from everything. It’s kind of rexing, like a true vacation.”

  Este didn’t expect to hear those words coming from someone like Satoru. Not in a million years. She felt happy again, and she trusted he was being honest with her. She thought that he really came and went as he pleases in the dream realm. Thus, it made sense he felt that way.

  Both packed the food they didn’t eat, and after a while they hiked down the mountain. They continued talking while heading back to Este’s home.

  Once at Este’s home, Satoru left for the awake world. Just before leaving. He said something to Este.

  “I gotta go now… huh… Remember, you can tell me anything. Don’t lie to me and don’t assume that you know what I think or feel.” Satoru then left to the awake world.

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  A couple of days ter, Madarajin and Este met at Madarajin’s dream pace. Different to Este’s pce, Madarajin’s pace was in what looked like the sky between the clouds. More than a dozen of waterfalls that manifested the normal perpetual movement surrendered it but emitted no sound. Permanently fixed was the sky between the day and the night. Nobody knew if there was a sunrise or a sunset.

  The views from Madarajin’s pace also included the sighting of several gaxies in space, which were compressed in a spheric form. This seemed as if the pace was trapped in a sphere isoted from everything else. Just in appearance, it was this way because nothing could entrap Madarajin’s in his own realm.

  On a terrace, Este sat to speak with his father. She was always anxious at his pace. She disliked the pce, as she thought of it as a pretentious and sumptuous space created just to have his visits from time to time.

  “Why did you invoke my presence here instead of visiting my home?” Este asked.

  “Is not that obvious? Gojo could come visit you at any time.”

  “I don’t want him to be involved in our family matters.”

  “Is that so?... please tell me what is it? I’m dying to know what’s the big secret.”

  “It’s about Baku. I’m seriously thinking he’s gone, and by this, I mean he’s dead.” Madarajin left see a sad face as he spoke. It was a first to Este.

  “Really? How do you know he’s dead?”

  “I keep invoking him, but he doesn’t answer. He had never been like that.”

  “Have you looked for him in the awake world?”

  “No… you know I keep busy here. Now that he’s not here to take care of the nightmares, my job is busier than ever.”

  “That’s the reason I wanted to talk to you…” Madarajin stood up and walked towards the edge of the terrace in front of Este.

  “I need you to go back to the awake world and look for him.”

  “How do you think I’m going to do that? It’s like looking for a needle in a hashtag.” Este frowned.

  “Can you let me finish talking?”

  “I will give you these gsses that will help you see traces of dreams into the awake world and make people see your eyes as normal human eyes.”

  “Madarajin, I really don’t want to return to the awake world.” Este said.

  She didn’t want to go because she didn’t want to experience something like what had happened the st time she was there.

  “I know, but I have no one else to ask for something this important.”

  “I’m sorry… I’m not going back there.”

  Este thought for a few minutes about how to solve this without leaving the dream realm.

  “I can help you find someone here who could act on my behalf… just give me some time.” Este said.

  “Ok, you have two weeks to find someone. Otherwise, you’re going there.”

  Madarajin left the gsses for Este on the table.

  “Here, you can take those with you. Let me know whatever you decide.”

  He left the terrace and went inside his pace. Este just opened a gate and went home thinking about who was going to investigate Baku’s disappearance on her behalf.

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  Author’s Notes

  I came across the name Baku from the Chinese and Japanese folklore. It’s originally a holy beast that protects human dreams by eating nightmares. I made him to be Madarajin’s twin in my story and gave him a human appearance. However, he can shapeshift into whatever being he wants.

  In the folklore Baku is a beast shaped by animal parts from different animals. Between these animals are bear, elephant, rhinoceros, ox and tiger. It’s also a symbol of protection and good luck.

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