Chapter 20 - Dark Premonitions

“Again!”

With a deep breath, Akaja launched herself up into the air, leaving behind a trail of spectral feathers in her wake. Her petite form cast a shadow over Kuana, who stood his ground on the sandy beach. Another torrent of wind and feathers sent her flying towards the Goliath. Her boot collided with his chest, sending him stumbling back a few steps as she leapt off of him. However, before she could break free from his reach, the Goliath grabbed her leg, and sent her crashing to the ground.

Akaja sent forward a powerful gust of wind in an attempt to break free, but Kuana stood firm, and pinned her to the sand.

“Point is mine,” Kuana said, grinning.

“Good work, big guy…” Akaja said as the two of them stood back up. “Yuki! What’s the score?” She glanced over at her friend, who was too busy giving her new boyfriend puppy-dog eyes to answer. “YUKIKOOOOO~!”

Andros nudged her and pointed over to Akaja.

“Oh!” Yukiko blushed, her head tilting to the side. “Who won that bout?”

“Me.” Kuana said, giving an exaggerated pose as he flexed his muscles.

“Oh, then that’s 4 to 2 in favor of Kuana…” Yukiko reached into a large basket and pulled out a rice cake wrapped in banana leaves, and tossed one towards Kuana. “You’re slipping up, Kaja!”

Andros glanced up from his notes. “I believe you’re relying on your new powers as a crutch,” He said, idly tapping his quill against his notebook. “You’re trying to fight Kuana head on, which is exactly what he wants. Overwhelming your foe with wind may work on those who don’t expect your power, but Kuana knows what to expect. Don’t be afraid to go back to your old tricks.”

“Oh, yeah?” Akaja murmured, crossing her arms. “And who asked for your opinion?”

“I just call it how I see it… and the entire point of coming out here was to train our combat ability as a team, right?” He shrugged. “I just thought you might want some pointers.”

Akaja sighed. “Fine… I guess you’re right. It might not seem like a big deal to you magic-y folk, but these powers are very, very fun.” She grinned. “I can almost sort of fly!”

“And if you keep practicing, you might be able to actually, really fly!” Yukiko exclaimed. “We should spar some time! I don’t get a lot of practice using my magic against other magi, and Andros here gets all uncomfortable when I suggest a bout between me and him…”

“I just don’t want you getting hurt,” He said, turning his gaze back down to his notes.

“Oh, please…” Yukiko pushed Andros playfully. “You don’t have to worry about that.” She grinned. “I would crush you!”

Andros chuckled. “And you’re so sure about that?”

“I am!” Yukiko teased, a sly smirk on her face. “You do love it when I get on top after all…”

Akaja cleared her throat. “Anyways… I would love to spar with you, Yuki. Just maybe after a break… this magic stuff really tires me out.” She sighed. “It gets easier the more you do it, right?”

“I’m sure it will!” Yukiko exclaimed. “Although, I don’t exactly get ‘tired’ like you do when I use my magic. My powers come from my bond with my familiar, and the deeper our bond, the stronger we become! It’s just that… well, Spring can get tired and I can sense that fatigue. Other summoners have multiple familiars to counteract this, but I haven’t exactly gotten to that point yet.”

“I see…” Akaja said with a frown. “And you Andros? Doesn’t it get tiring throwing those cards around?”

“I suppose?” Andros scratched his head. “How do I explain…. My magic has to be studied and written down. Incantations, somatic and otherwise, need to perform perfectly, and they’re quite complex. To remember every spell in my repertoire and then perform the incantations required to cast them would take too much time and mental energy. It’s simply unrealistic to perform effectively in the heat of battle that way.”

“And the cards?” Akaja asked.

“I imbue pieces of my memory within each card,” He continued. “Think of it like mental fortitude. However, to ensure the magic sticks to them, it requires an arcane bonding agent, or magic ink. I take mine from the moon and the stars. I take the magical properties from the moon and stars and convert them into ink to create my cards.”

“Sounds complicated…”

“It is,” Andros said, sighing. “It takes years of study and discipline to even ink your first card. And not to mention the other disciplines… some inscribe spells into tomes and scrolls. The Goliaths have perfected a technique which allows the inscription of magical tattoos. These other methods are unique in their own way, but the general idea is the same.”

“And then there’s me,” Akaja said, grinning. “And all I have to do is… think. Then it happens! I also have this crow that shows up sometimes and gives me advice.”

“You can summon familiars, too?” Yukiko asked.

“I think they’re different,” Akaja frowned in thought. “She’s come out a few times while I was sparring, but nobody seemed to notice her. Kazuki has one of those things, too… but it’s some kind of sea serpent.”

Andros hummed in thought. “It could be that a part of your cognition has grown an ego, and we can’t see it, because… well… it’s literally in your head.” He carefully removed the orb from his bag and set it down next to him. There appeared to be some sort of swirling vortex spinning inside of it, like a miniature typhoon. “The thing used to have at least some reaction to whomever was carrying it. It seemed to respond to strong emotions, but of late… when its separated from you, it appear to go dormant.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Akaja reached her hand out. “May I?”

“Of course.”

She set her hand on the orb, and suddenly a vision flashed before her eyes. What she saw was the city split into numerous fragments, all hovering in an eternal void. She saw the ocean slowly draining away, its waters falling into the endless abyss. The sky was a deep ghastly green, covered in ashen clouds that seemed to be made up of thousands of ethereal masks, constantly changing and shifting, forming into new faces both familiar and foreign.

The thin silhouette of stars managed to shine through the thick ashen overcast, just barely visible. At the center of the city, a floating island which Akaja recognized as Iwo Park slowly came into view. The sacred Spirit Blossoms were dead, split open by a massive obsidian tower that shot into the sky. A piece of Iwo Park then split off, floating away from the city, and far into the void, stopping just before it left Akaja’s vision. The new island then began to glow, shining a radiant silver light before being consumed by fog.

She saw Morrigan extend her wings, and fly across the distant horizon towards her, followed by a trail of silver light that cut through the ashen overcast above. Then, as the raven got ever closer, a massive wolf, fur the color of the endless void, shot through the sky, and devoured the bird whole.

Then, in a flash, Akaja suddenly shot back into reality. She found herself laying on the warm sand, staring up at her worried companions.

“Akaja!” Yukiko pulled her friend into a worried embrace. “Oh, thank goodness you’re alright!”

“What happened?” Akaja asked.

“Your face went blank,” Kuana said plainly. “Then you fell.”

“How long was I out?”

“Just a minute,” Kuana answered.

“And one minute too long!” Yukiko said, setting her palm on Akaja’s forehead to check for a fever. “Are you alright? What happened?”

“I had a vision…” Akaja explained. “I saw the city, and it was broken…” She explained everything, and every little detail. From the mask-like clouds, to the strange green sky, and even the wolf that caught her off guard at the end.

Andros, meanwhile, wrote notes throughout the whole re-telling. “This is just a hunch, but you may have just caught a glimpse of the cognitive realm. The shattered state of the city could be a representative of the collective conscious…”

“Meaning?” Akaja asked.

“The city is in shambles, and Kazuki appears to want to keep it that way for now. People are anxious… things seem to be changing for the worse. People feel like the city is starting to fall apart, so in the cognitive realm, it is… if you don’t mind… perhaps you could try returning in the future? I’d love to hear a firsthand account of-“

Yukiko punched him in the shoulder. “Andros! She fainted! And you yourself said the cognitive realm is dangerous!”

“No, Yuki…” Akaja sat up. “It’s fine. I’m willing to go back… just not today.”

“Thank you,” Andros said, smiling. “Before you collapsed, I had intended to give the orb to you. I believe it’s attuned to you now, connected to you in some sort of metaphysical way. I can’t exactly do much with it without you, so it would make sense for you to keep it.”

Akaja took the orb and giggled. “Thanks… I did steal it fair and square after all.”

“You still look pale,” Kuana said plainly. “Let’s get you some lunch! There’s nothing like a good meal after fainting.”

“Do you faint often, Kuana?” Akaja asked.

“No, but I bet a meal will still help.”

Akaja stood back up and gathered herself. With a sigh, she joined the rest of the Seekers on their trek back to the city. However, before they found their way back to the road, they were greeted by an exasperated and short-breathed Tendo, his stark white hair ruffled and soaked in sweat.

“There’s a… an emergency! Xue…”

“What about her?” Andros asked.

Akaja groaned. “She escaped, didn’t she? I told you we should’ve-“

“No!” Tendo took a moment to catch his breath. “She’s dead! Murdered! One of the acolytes found her body in an alley down the street from the temple!”

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Andros pushed through the crowd surrounding the entrance of Sunflower Temple, his fellow Seekers following close behind. “Where is she?”

“We brought her body to her room,” Tendo said. “There-“

He paid him no attention, instead immediately making his way towards her room. The door was already half opened, and when he entered the room, he saw a young acolyte tending to the body.

“Andros?” The acolyte stood up and gave him a polite bow. “I apologize, but the body isn’t-“

He nudged the acolyte aside, falling onto his knees next to the bed once he saw Xue’s lifeless corpse. She lay peacefully on the soft bed, cherry blossoms set over her closed eyes. The acolytes had changed her out of her regular clothes into a simple white robe. He didn’t notice any obvious wounds, though the short sleeves of her robes displayed the numerous bruises inflicted upon her by the Admiral.

Andros was speechless. He wanted to scream, to leave the temple, find whoever did this, and inflict unimaginable pain upon them. He took her hands and noticed a number of sharp scars along her wrists and forearms. Did she… no… she couldn’t have…” He cupped her hands in his, bringing them up to his forehead.

“Who did this?” He murmured through gritted teeth. “How could this happen?”

“I… I don’t know…” Tendo said softly.

He felt Yukiko’s arms wrap around him. The Tiefling nuzzled up against him from behind. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t need to. She knew about his history with Xue, yet she was still there to comfort him… his head was warped with dozens of emotions, and he felt… exhausted. He closed his eyes and began to weep.

“We should leave them alone,” Tendo said softly. “Let’s give them some privacy.”

Once they were alone, his tears flows, now unabated. Since Tendo had found him on that beach all those years ago, he had faced all of his problems with a collected mind, his thoughts always working towards a solution. If there were a problem, he had to solve it. Where was the good in simply complaining? Thinking emotionally led to poor decisions, yet in this very moment, he was paralyzed. Stunned by fear, overwhelmed with anger, drowned in grief. What could he do? What plan of action would solve this tragedy? Though the two of them were no longer intimate, part of him still cared deeply for her. Both she and Tendo were his first friends in the city. They helped him rebuild his life after he lost everything. They helped give him identity and purpose. In this moment, he became truly aware of how vulnerable he was. If he lost Tendo, or… even Yukiko…

What could he do? What would he do?

“I’m sorry…” He murmured, turning to Yukiko. “This behavior is… unbecoming…”

“Don’t apologize,” Yukiko said in a soft whisper. “It’s clear she meant a lot to you.”

“You really don’t mind?” Andros asked. “Even if… we were-“

“I don’t…” Yukiko wiped away some of the tears on his cheek. “If she managed to break through to you like this, then… well, she must have been a good to you. Even I don’t like to say it, I think she still cared for you in her own way. If our encounter back at the castle were any indication. But Andros… I will never blame you for grieving the loss of a friend.”

Andros smiled weakly. “Thank you, Yuki…” He let out a long sigh. “Maybe if I was more open to her situation… or convinced her to join the Seekers… perhaps she would still be alive.”

“Maybe…” Yukiko tightened her embrace around him. “But you can’t blame yourself. We don’t even know how she died yet… you should get some rest, love. Compose your thoughts… I’ll be with you for as long as you need me.”

“You’re right…” Andros said, slowly pushing himself off the floor. “Thank you… you’re my treasure, Yuki…”