PHASE 81 - A FREE TASTE OF PRESAGE

“”

Rikkun muttered and a cybernetic glove enveloped his right hand. He clenched it close and open, making the blue circuit on his gauntlet glow every time he moves a finger. Suddenly, I felt divine prana engulfing the said hand.

“”

“Are you ready?” Erylle said as she pressed her face forward at me.

I’m currently standing at the center of the Blazing Heart Legion Headquarters' backyard, trying to focus my mind and subconscious towards this specific goal. Erylle said that she has a lead, and I am the key to all of her plans. She thought that using and mixing the God Fragments of the god who always dream and the god of time would be able to project a daydream that is similar to Rikkun’s .

However, it will be hard to control. That is why Erylle and Jecchan are here. Jecchan will use her to command me to see the events of the future in a controlled manner while Erylle’s Guardian Ability: would control and read the frequencies of my heart, mind, and soul.

I nodded with a determined gaze to the Legionmaster of the Blazing Heart. With my confirmation, Erylle passed the nodding gesture to Rikkun and Jecchan.

“With the power of my , I command you, Tiara Hikari, to enter into a dream-like state and locate the shadow.”

Rikkun’s hand patted on my head to inject the divine powers of Chronos and Cthulhu to my subconscious, and Erylle touched the center of my chest. Erylle hummed a melody that made me relax and put me into a seemingly eternal slumber.

>>

The sky is dark. I find myself in the center of an empty street where only flickering streetlamps exists. The clouds in the skies hovered slowly that soon revealed the crimson moon which gave light to this very surrounding.

There are abandoned houses and buildings nearby. There is this small clocktower building that keeps on ticking. It’s 2:59 AM, and nothing else can be heard except for my very own footsteps as I wandered in his surroundings.

“H-Hello?” I asked, but only the lonely breeze of air answered me.

I continued to walk around to find any leads. This unfamiliar place is too vague, and my vision on my peripherals are too blurry. It is obvious that I’m in a dream-like state, but I have this gut feeling that I should be escaping this place.

“...Aaaaaaaaahhhhh…”

It was a familiar distant song. That voice, I know it! It might be soothing to hear, but I am certain that this is the one the shadow always cried.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The shout is getting closer. I looked at my left, and then to my right, but nobody is there. Cold sweat ran through my neck as I realize it’s just behind me!

“Waaah!” Without any second thought, I started to run. I didn’t look back. Don’t look back, Tiara! Don’t look back! I need to focus on running, or else it will get me!

Among all those dreams I had with this shadow, this is the most terrifying. Normally, I should be viewing the shadow in a third-person view, but now it is aware of my existence! This time, it is I who is the target!

I finally managed to get to a short bridge when I accidentally stepped on my own foot. Clumsily as I was, I was put to the ground and my whole face was smacked on the floor!

“Kyah!”

It was a painful cry, but I don’t have time to become a crybaby in a simple injury. I need to run away as fast as possible or it might kill me!

However, it was too late.

When I looked upwards, I saw the shadow on its most terrifying form. It is no longer assuming the form of a human, but a demon made with millions of worm-like dark tentacles. The tentacles formed six arms, four feet, and ten dark angel wings. It has the crimson glare of an eternal nightmare and its face…

Its face bears mine.

>>

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!”

I cried out loud. The chills, the terror, and the eternal damnation I just experienced dried out my sanity. I held my head and curled like a scared armadillo begging for help.

“No! No! Help me!”

“Hey! Hey! Calm down, Tiara! Calm down!” Rikkun immediately jumped unto me and hugged me tightly. His hand rubbed the back of my head which tried to ease my nerves. “I’m here, Tiara. Don’t be scared.”

I soon realized that I was back in reality, and I’m no longer dreaming. Seeing the blue skies, feeling the sweet breeze, and touching the smooth Bermuda grass on the ground, I am now certain that I’m no longer in that nightmare.

“Tiara, try to inhale and exhale,” Rikkun whispered to my ear.

I did what he said. I tried to absorb as much air as possible and tried to exhaust everything in my lungs. I made ten repetitions of it until I’m a little bit calmed down. My hands are no longer shaking.

That… That was just a free taste of , right? I can’t imagine seeing those grim things in the future again! Rikkun must be so tough for having the power to see the future all the time!

At the background were Jecchan and Erylle. Jecchan crossed her arm while she waits for Erylle to stand up. Erylle is currently holding her right hand which seemed to have strained a little.

“Hahaha!” Erylle laughed. “That was a sure fuel for nightmares. I’ll be sure to have Yohan as my sleeping pillow tonight~”

“So, what did you find?” Jecchan said.

“I only saw blurry hints, but I think I can make something of it,” Erylle said. “Considering the suburban place, small clocktower, and the short bridge nearby, it should be at the West Street of Heightsburg City.”

West Street is a suburban place that is a kilometer away from the Kozukata Shrine. I think I’ve been there before, but we seldomly go to that place because there’s nothing there. It’s like a mini-ghost town where there are white-lady sightings.

“When will that shadow appear?” Jecchan asked.

“Tonight… or more appropriately, tomorrow. At exactly, 3:00 AM. Be sure to notify the Aether Crusade members. I’ll also call the Blazing Heart members for this joint operation.”

“I don’t think we will need many people. I will just send the finest people on my arsenal, together with Alaric and Tiara of course.” Jecchan forced a smile. “Glad to have you in this work, Legionmaster Erylle Fontaine.”

“Yep yep~” Erylle smiled. “Let’s do our best~”

<>

Jecchan assembled the Gate Guardians who will be participating in the joint operation. The line up of the Aether Crusade was Jeannette Amiella Fontaine von Noctis, Alaric Eisenhower, Tiara Hikari, Helena Efilion, and Drex Brynheim. On the other side, the lineup of the Blazing Heart Legion is Erylle Fontaine, Heushac Efilion, Mianette Springfield, and Yohan Romanov.

The Aether Crusade members slept in the afternoon and then woke up at midnight to prepare for the assault. We had the ol’ reliable Kozukata Shrine as our temporary sleeping place which also became the base of our operations.

At two o’clock in the evening, we received the go signal from Erylle. We Aether Crusade members went to the place of our assault and meet up with the Blazing Heart Members. With nine Gate Guardians fighting the shadow, we are somewhat confident that we will win against it.

When the clock tower ticked three AM, the shadow appeared.