Nelia’s mind raced with many questions. Not even one day of rest, she struggled to keep her thoughts straight as she ran into the forest. The squad's armor clanged against one another as they raced beside each other.
“Here should be fine!” Nelia dragged her foot down into the ground, making everyone skid to a halt behind her. She looked at the watch she brought with her, 4:20. “The storm could arrive any minute now or in the next thirty minutes. Spread out and equip the scanner to your weapon. Don’t let any of them pass you, is that clear?”
“A-aye…” the squad mutters with no salute. Sensing the reluctance in front of her, Nelia clutched her spear even harder, “Stop doubting me and do it already,” her command came out like a growl. The squad scattered slowly, leaving one person standing in the middle.
He hummed to himself, tapping his feet like a drum.
“Valerio.”
Valerio looked over with his wide, green eyes, “Huh? What was that?” Silence crept between them as the sound of clanking metal faded away. Nelia spread out her arms and shrugged, “What’re you doing?”
His eyes got even wider. “Oh, I was just getting ready to go further,” He said matter-of-factly and pointed past her.
Nelia shook her head in confusion, “I thought I–I thought I clearly said not to go past this line. The Aberrō could get past you.” Valerio considered this for a moment with his back against a tree.
“Well, I think–”
“You should think and know better,” She remarked.
“...And why’s that?” He straightened himself and grinned.
“We have experience, that’s why! You should know what happens when someone strays from the plan.”
“Should I?” Valerio snickered and grabbed his sword and shield off the ground.
“You’re impossible…” Her brows furrowed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Well, what’s wrong with bringing the fight to them, huh!? It’d be faster that way!” He shrugged and started to walk past her but was quickly intercepted by her spear. Valerio put his hands up and exhaled nervously.
“That’s not the point,” Her voice deepened to a growl, “We’re here to protect Aeternum…and that’s it.” She slowly retracted her spear, only inches from striking Valerio. Looking him in the eye, she tapped his chest plate with the tip of her spear “Now step back.”
“Sheesh, lady. And just who made you the leader?” Valerio raised his brow as he backed up.
“I’m not going to entertain you, Valerio.”
“Didn’t say you had to–”
Nelia let out a groan and turned around, “God, just pay attention. I’ve decided I’m keeping an eye on you.”
20 minutes passed and the radar was still clear. Valerio sat on the ground and started to doze off. Nelia stood from a distance, occasionally glancing at her radar.
“There’s still another 10 minutes, so get up,” She looked back at him.
Valerio yawned and stretched his arms, “What made you think there’d be a storm anyway? It’s not like anyone knows before it happens.” He rubbed his eye as he looked down at the radar.
“Oh," Valerio straightened up and looked at his radar, "Oh! Haha!” He jumped up with brand-new energy and equipped his sword and shield. “They actually came! Shoulda never doubted you!”
Nelia looked down at her radar. Eight of them in front of us. “Hit the alarm, Valerio!” She pocketed the radar and got ready to confront the Aberrō. Multiple other alarms began to ring from afar. Shit, I hope they can handle it.
As she clutched her spear, a pitch-black blob jumped out of the bushes and morphed into a tiger with a rose for a head. “It’s an Novis! Valerio!” She prepared her spear as it descended, its claws glistening.
“Woah!” He yelped as he slid in front of her with his shield. The phial inside clicked, causing the shield to project its width with red energy. The tiger landed on it, and its claws latched into the energy shield. Its cryptic, dark rose head began unfurling, revealing a glowing core from the depths of the petals.
“Now!” Valerio yelled as the red energy began to spark, shocking the tiger in place.
With sweat running down her forehead, she pulled back her spear and then drove it forward. A phial inside clicked and the spearhead began spinning rapidly. Nelia pushed the spear past the energy shield and directly through the tiger’s rose head. White blood erupted from the flower and the tiger sprawled on the grass.
“Still seven more…” Nelia panted, “Take the left! They shouldn’t be difficult!” Valerio dashed to the shadows in the bushes to the left, leaving Nelia’s side. A giant black owl came from the sky and dived at her. She stabbed it in the chest, letting the drilling spear tear through its body before letting it drop to the ground. Then a wrinkled deer with root-like antlers emerged from the trees, digging its antlers into the ground. Nelia felt the ground rumble beneath her.
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Ranged attacks?
She stepped back a second before a sharpened root antler erupted from the ground in front of her. Before it could retreat, she grabbed the antler, her suit amplifying her strength. With her other hand, she threw the spinning spear at the deer and pierced its head. She let go of the antler and walked to pick up her spear.
“Valerio! You okay!?” she shouted out to him. No response came for a while, just the sound of gouging flesh and splattering blood. Then Valerio came into view, covered in white blood with his sword even more coated. He looked distracted, his eyes were darting and his mouth was slightly agape.
“You had me for a moment,” Nelia pulled the spear from the deer’s head. She looked down at her radar, “That’s all of them. It looks like Carto had to deal with quite a lot, but his vitals are fine.”
The Aberrō alarm waned into silence and everyone converged.
“Good work everyone,” Nelia grinned, “It looks like the Aberrō here are very diverse. Should it be necessary, we should prepare for different types of Aberrō. Got it?”
“Aye, ma’am!” The squadron saluted and marched back out of the forest.
Carto, the boy with the rifle, was noticeably covered in white blood, as well as red blood. “Carto,” Nelia inspected him as she walked by, “were you injured?”
“Uh, it’s just a scratch. It’s just–” Carto looked down at his weapon and mumbled, “this thing has a horrible augment. It’s a pain.”
Nelia nodded her head slowly, “How many Aberrō were there?”
“Around ten, I think. Do you have bandages?” He clutched his side.
Idiot. You forgot to bring a med kit, she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Let’s hurry then, yeah?”
As the squadron emerged from the forest, their sight blinded by the sun’s beams, Cassius could be heard chewing loudly on something.
“You made it,” he chuckled while they rubbed their eyes, “I thought you died with how many you, uh…”
Nelia finally looked at the pile of black corpses in front of the barracks, with Cassius standing beside it.
“...let pass you.”
Nelia noticed the rest of the team react, but couldn’t hear them through the gritting of her teeth behind closed lips. Her eyes met Cassius’, a lost look, distant in his eyes. There must be twenty of them. I was certain we killed all of them, so what could’ve gone wrong?
“I don’t know who let this many past the forest, but…don’t do that again. They’ll give me–I mean us less food. M’kay?” Cassius blew a bubble and threw a thumbs-up without a response, “M’kay…”
With that, he turned to leave and waved them off, “You can take care of that right?”
Valerio walked up beside Nelia, who was still staring at the bodies, “You must be thinkin’ what he used to kill ‘em. You and me both.”
Her eyes rolled over to look at him, “No, just you.” She walked away and followed Cassius into the barracks.
“Huh? Where you goin’? We got cleaning to do–”
“Bandages,” She said blankly without turning.
As the rest of the squad groaned while scavenging the supply closet, Valerio tapped his feet, “So uptight for no reason…I don’t get girls.”
***
When it came time for dinner, Cassius slowly reached for the refrigerator handle. As he pulled, the magnet pulled against him. He startled to wrestle with it, pulling it back slowly. Then it just popped open. His hand grabbed a soda from the sea of them flooding the fridge. He turned from the refrigerator, his vision blurred. Everything was bright, he felt zoomed out. He stopped to think.
He couldn’t think. He felt as if he could see the back of his head.
The dim colors around him moved slowly, dancing around each other. Something was dripping down his lip.
His hand brushed against it, leaving a faint line of blurred red along the blurred white skin. Bit my lip. Am I still doing it?
One of the dancing colors stopped in front of him. What is that? Something’s touching my jaw. What is that? A tissue? It’s…soft, I think.
Cassius’ legs started moving, the color moved aside, and then he felt another touch. Something, a hand maybe, brushed against his shoulder as he sat down in a chair.
Oh, this feeling is familiar. What am I eating actually…
“Cassius?”
He sharply inhaled and the blur became clear, flashing light.
“Cassius?” The voice was so loud, jarring. He jumped out of his seat and gasped for air.
“Cassius!” He felt a soft grip on both of his hands. His lungs finally caught a full breath.
“Calm down, breathe.” Another voice whispered. “Settle down, look at me.”
The colors became more vibrant, he squinted his eyes to focus on the person in front of him. “Who—Where am…”
A girl with dark hair was above him. Nelia stood next to her. “Do you remember anything, Cassius?” The girl asked. Her voice was still loud.
Cassius shakily covered his ears and looked away. He spoke slowly to keep his voice from cracking, “I…don’t know.”
“What was the last thing you remember doing?”
“I was…” For some reason, he felt there were two answers, and he didn’t know which to pick, “maybe–I was outside, chewing…gum.” He felt a wave of humiliation wash over him.
“...You’re not sure,” The girl looked away for a moment, “I’ve seen this before. It’s not too rare.”
“What is it?” Nelia asked, looking down at Cassius again.
Cassius felt energy return to his body. His legs, which he didn’t even realize were numb felt his blood again.
“It’s possible he’s been experiencing a form of dissociation. You told me he was like this for a couple of hours?”
“Ever since we came back from the forest. He hasn’t responded to any of us like he wasn’t even there.”
“Yeah, that’s dissociation,” The girl affirmed pensively, “We just need to help him reconnect.” She turned to him again and crouched down, getting eye-to-eye with Cassius. “Don’t worry, it’s the same day. You haven’t been out for long. It’s 10 o’clock right now. Everyone else is sleeping. How do you feel?”
Cassius stared into her eyes, slowly lowering his hands from his ears. His mouth twisted as if fighting for words, “I think…” He felt as if he just emerged from a sea of foggy water. That water drowning his mind was slowly leaking out. He felt himself fully return to his body.
His mouth closed and he took another deep breath as he looked at the ceiling, “I want to be alone now.”
The girl looked back at Nelia, and she nodded. With a rub on the shoulder, they left him.
Cassius’ baggy eyes scanned the room. I’m in the living room. It’s nighttime. The date is August 22nd, 1259.
Cassius looked down at his chest pocket and fished out a folded paper. Unfolding it slowly, the rough paper rubbed against his thumb. A small painting of a ghost orchid. Cassius’ eyes focused on it, and he caressed the layers of dry paint. He felt another sensation return to him–warmth. The orchid rubbed against his cheek in a hug as he continued to feel. Darkness began surrounding his eyes, still focused on the painting. It closed in on the ghost orchid. Cassius tried fighting back the darkness, but he was beaten.
His eyes closed—dry, blood-stained lips resting against the leafless flower.