Wiping his mouth, Atom looked around with bloodshot eyes. His head pounded like he had been struck with a sledgehammer many times. His stomach churned from the lingering foreign higher energy left in his body. Something that normally did not happen unless he was forcefully assimilated and ejected from the artifact. He had been aware of the fault in the script's logic but never fixed it. The odds of something like this happening had been astronomically small. Clearly, that bastard Murphy followed him everywhere.
He glared at the artifact with undisguised malice. When he had free time, he would rip that POS to shreds.
Tess popped out of the thing while he was glaring at the suit. Her expression was dizzied. It looked like she had at least faired better than him. Catching his expression, his heart sank, and Murphy struck him again. Assumptions were made as hostile intent flowed through the bond toward him. Today just wasn't his day. Going from breakfast back home to fighting mantles knows what and straight to the dog house.
"You think this is my fault? How dare you blame me for this!" Tess's voice exploded in his mind.
"I, uhm… huh?" Atom was extremely confused.
Atom was a little shocked by the livid expression on her face. Before Atom could explain anything, she disappeared on the spot and blocked her side of the bond.
What just happened?
He floated there in space with his thoughts and mind discombobulated. He could only shake his head in resignation. He had not said a thing, and yet this happened. Given how upset she seemed, he imagined he would have to hunt her down later, or she would not speak to him for a month.
Sighing in deep regret, Atom snagged the recliner, the bow, and the suit and stored them in his inventory. He would need to make a trip back to facility forty-two and put them back in stasis. Actually, wasn't he going to get the kiddos some weapons? He could multi-task and drop the bow and suit off at the weapons vault. He could decide whether to smash it to pieces or fix it later once he cooled off.
The headache, nausea, and rage over how everything went down were affecting his emotions at the current moment. He couldn't be too hasty, given that some of his artifacts, like the suit, couldn't be replicated. While he understood how the suit worked perfectly, he also knew that the only reason it worked was due to the unique state he had been in after breaking through to the Divine realm.
Almost everyone went mad for a time when one stepped into the Divine realm. Getting a peak behind the curtains of existence was too much for basically everyone, but those who had weak foundations rarely recovered. Everyone who survived went mad, but with that madness came an opportunity. What you could make of that opportunity was dependent on your preparations beforehand. Atom had, of course, prepared well, but he had still been quite insane for a long time.
His memories and thoughts over that period of time were clear. But the reasoning behind his actions was challenging to digest. What he had been able to do was beyond his understanding after the fugue state passed. It was just a taste of what was possible if only you climbed higher. But the price to continue was something other than what he was willing to pay, at least not at the moment.
Shaking his head, he looked around. The voice of the infantile plane finally stopped pressuring him. It seemed content with the outcome as it hummed in appreciation while Doritha and the other figures present purged the region of the lingering chaotic void energies.
Atom recognized a few individuals as they sat on the Council of Mantles. He refrained from speaking with them as they did not know who he was without his suit on, and he needed to maintain anonymity at the moment, given his mission.
Doritha and Zosia finished up their part and made their way over to where Atom was. He put on an amiable smile even though it strained him deeply. This whole situation was absolutely Dory's fault, but he was not stupid enough to say it aloud.
"Smart," Doritha commented casually.
Atom's mind froze briefly.
Did she just read my mind?
Fear bloomed inside him, and his chest tightened.
"Can you—," he tried asking but was immediately cut off.
"Nope," she replied.
Didn't she just answer a little too fast?
"She did," Zosia seemingly replied to his internal thoughts.
Atom's smile slipped, and his face slowly crept into one of horror. His face paled even more than it already was, and his mind went into chaos.
The two women burst into fits of giggles which only made things worse.
Doritha waved her hand at Atom in a placating gesture. "Relax Atom, you're just easy to read."
The hand clenched around his heart seemed to ease up at those words, and he couldn't stop a sigh of relief drifting out across their mental link. The women, of course, laughed again at his expense, but that was still much more preferable to the alternative.
Zosia glanced at Atom momentarily, then the Fushi woman turned to Doritha and asked shamelessly, "Dory, you must give this one to me. He would make a great addition. Tell me, how much do you want for him?"
Doritha looked at Atom with a thoughtful expression and seemed to be considering the question seriously.
"Depends on what you are offering?" Dory said casually.
Zosia perked up and spoke in a serious tone, "Dory. I would be willing to give you three, no wait, I would give four planes over to the Council if you let me have him for a hundred years."
Zosia smiled mischievously and gazed at Atom in a manner that had him sweating bullets instantly. He subconsciously took a few steps back. How had it come to this? Was Dory about to sell him to the Fushi? Who was this woman, and why did he feel he had just become livestock?
Doritha looked a Zosia in appreciation of the offer, "Four planes for a hundred years." Dory hummed in thought.
"A Hundred years really isn't that long." Dory mused aloud.
"Ladies surely you can't be serio—,"
Zosia cut him off and nodded excitedly, "A hundred years is nothing. Nothing I tell you. He will even thank you afterwards. I'm positive."
He looked around in panic as he thought about ways to escape. Atom was not confident he could flee from Dory, but if the admittedly mighty Fushi was helping her. Well, Atom was sure he was about to be bagged and tagged. That wouldn't stop him from going down swinging.
His already muddled mind spun off into chaotic desperate scenarios, with a few leading to him tearing a hole in the void again and taking his chances right then and there.
Before he could make a move out of sheer desperation, Dory burst into laughter again. "I'll have to turn down the offer despite how tempting it is."
Zosia's face frowned in disappointment.
Gods, she was serious. I have got to get away from these two women before I lose my already fraying sanity.
Atom gave a half-hearted chuckle, attempting and failing to hide the brief, panic-stricken horror plastered all over his face.
Doritha turned to Zosia, "Gather everyone up and go assist the other breaches. This one went much more smoothly despite the excitement towards the end."
Turning her attention back to Atom, she said, "I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that you contributed greatly to our efficiency and success at this breach."
Everyone nodded their heads and gave him smiles in affirmation of her words.
Zosia spoke up, "Alright everyone. You know the drill. Looks like Plane 1282 needs us the most so lets move out." She turned to Doritha and asked, "I assume you will catch up?"
Doritha gave a nod.
Zosia looked at Atom before clicking her tongue in disappointment before she shifted away.
"Gods," Atom breathed out as he shuddered. That woman had been a perfect vision of desire to the point of any man's fantasy. But he was confident he would have nightmares about her for many months to come.
Once they were alone, Doritha gave him a sheepish smile, "She's not so bad. Zosia is just very devoted to her people. You will get used to it."
Atom eyed her skeptically. He would avoid that woman at all costs and never be alone with her. Period. Else he might find himself being the first mantle being multi-planner sex trafficked.
"You did well for your first time. I'll be by to debrief you at some point and fill you in on your new role as part of the Breach team. We can talk about your progress with your mission then." She looked down at her wrist unit before continuing, "Well you have responsibilities soon if I'm not mistaken so go on head and head back to Nexus. The night is still young."
She shifted away, leaving Atom standing there.
He couldn't help but think that every single freaking time he spoke to Dory, his life became increasingly complicated.
Did he offend her? When?
Shedding mental tears, he could only return to campus with a heart full of unresolved frustration. Then he remembered that Master Brent had asked him to take over Physical Conditioning, and a sinister smile split his face.
He shifted back to Nexus campus and made his way to the training field. The lights of the empty field had yet to come on, which suited Atom's mood just fine. Darkness would be good for the soul sometimes.
Atom was not in charge of the Physical Conditioning class, Brent was, but he was aware of what today's purpose was supposed to be. The schedule was quite dull, though. A beautiful idea had hit Atom, and he sent a detailed message to Master Brent to see his thoughts on the changes.
A few moments later, Master Brent returned a message with a long string of 'hahaha's' and many yes's as he wholeheartedly agreed.
He moved to the gathering area and posted up like a statue, his hands behind his back like a lofty expert gazing at the world devoid of emotion.
A malicious smile briefly appeared on his face, then disappeared. With half-lidded bloodshot eyes, he waited for the fledgling potentials to show up. A little training never hurt anyone.
"Pain is only weakness leaving the body, right?" Atom chuckled darkly as he waited for his entertainment to arrive.
~~~~
Three individuals stood inside the common space of a dorm room. A tall, olive-skinned young man of 190 cm with thick black hair that hung down to his shoulders stood beside two beauties. One was the same height as the man and looked eerily similar, while a slitty shorter female of around 180 cm stood beside her. She had pale white skin that seemed to have only ever seen moonlight.
It was difficult to tell what was going through their minds as their faces did not shed any light on their internal emotions. The trio did not move for a time as their gazes seemed lost in the distance staring at things only they could comprehend.
It went on like this for some time. Eventually, they seemed to snap out of their dazed-like state. They turned to look at each other. Their eyes trembled to see actual people again. They weren't sure how long it had been, but they knew that whatever they had just gone through was not 'normal.'
Anything they had experienced in that place was even on the radar or normal.
They had all changed in little ways. A physical maturity of some type had been reached, and they had all filled out athletically. It wasn't a drastic change, but that was to be expected. They had been preparing to enter Nexus Academy most of their life, so they had already been in excellent physical shape.
They had all, even though they were at some type of peak of what they could achieve before stepping into that… space. They had been wrong. Oh, how they had been so very, very wrong. There had been something in them that they never knew existed. A self-imposed limit they never understood they had. A barrier that couldn't be reached by normal means. It had been shattered, no, blasted into oblivion. And with that barrier's destruction came a broadening of their horizons on precisely what a human's true potential actually was. A mortal's potential, at least.
The shorter, more petite girl broke the silence first. Her tiny voice cracked, "I-I… I hate him," her voice trembling.
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"I think I understand why she attacked him once he showed up." The young man spoke,
His twin added, "It's honestly all I can think about."
They all nodded vehemently.
There was no doubt in their mind that they hated that man. They were also not stupid either. What they had just been given was unmeasurable. A gift they never knew they needed, but it still felt like the trio had been violated in a way they could never again come back from. There had been an explanation inside the space, and they had been given a choice again, but in the end, they had all agreed to push forward. How could they not? They all had trained fiercely to get to this academy, to be in this room, or at least they thought they had trained hard. They now knew that they had only been goofing off. That said, it was also clear to them that it was only possible to replicate that type of training given that place's uniqueness.
The man looked at his wrist unit and stared in disbelief. The girls followed suit. They all saw the time was an hour till the fifth bell. The date was only the next day.
A look of confusion came over them all. They glanced at each other, but no one seemed to have answers. It had been so long, too long if any logic could be applied to the situation, yet mere hours had passed here. The dilation of time effects was slowly changing in their minds. It was as if something was gently easing the memories of their time inside that place toward acceptance while preventing the mental trauma from overwhelming them.
The intense feelings of anger towards their 'master' did not go away, which at least let them know that they were not being harmfully altered mentally. This had also been explained, but it had been so long that they barely remembered.
A soft grown could be heard by the door, and they instantly fell into a battle stance as their eyes lasered in on a black burlap sack right inside their dorm's main entryway. It was a lumpy moving thing, and by the continued sounds of grunts of pain, it could only be assumed to be a person.
The trio approached the sack cautiously before a familiar voice started to curse.
"Oy, Oy! mantles shit, is that my vom- euhck," the voice started to gag, and the sack trembled violently.
The petite girl rushed to the sack and started to untie the opening, "Layla is that you?"
"Huh!? Tia? Yes its me, please little gods get me out of this thing." Layla pleaded.
Tia finished untying the knot, and Layla burst out of the sack like a wet cat. She groaned again as she stood up. She was clearly injured. There was quite a bit of blood and vomit all over her.
Tia stepped close to her, but Layla held up a hand to stop her from coming near.
"Don't come any closer. I don't want to get any of this on you. Even I want to vomit from my smell." Layla said with a soft laugh that made her hold her ribs in pain.
Oliver stepped forward with a look of anger on his face. "What happened Layla?"
A complex look fell over Layla's face before she chuckled darkly, "I might have gotten a little angry after you—, after you guys were tricked by my Master. He's a real—"
"Bastard!" They all said at once.
They all fell silent at those words looking at each other. A unity of thought had been achieved by those words. A tacit understanding passed between them all.
"So it happened to you as well?" Tia inquired with a thoughtful expression.
Layla just nodded her head. "I didn't really get a choice. Well, that's not entirely true but at the same time I didn't. It doesn't matter. I—,"
Layla's voice broke, and she looked away in shame before her face gathered some courage, and she bowed to them.
"I'm so sorry you guys. I… I didn't know he would do that to you." Her words were full of deep conviction.
The trio looked at her in surprise. They looked at each other before shaking their heads with rueful smiles.
Tia stepped forward and waved her hand to get Layla to stop bowing.
"Layla, please don't. We don't blame you for that. I don't know about the others but I was given multiple chances to leave. I won't blame you for the choices I made."
Oliver came behind Tia, supporting her, "Layla, I would never blame you for that. I know we don't all know each other very well yet, but just as our Tia says, I was given the opportunity to quit."
"Same," Oliviana said after her brother finished.
Layla looked up and seemed to find truth in their words before she relaxed.
Layla frowned at them, "You guys have changed. You look good. And Tia did you get taller?"
Tia looked at herself before shrugging, "Maybe? No clue, to be honest. Being inside that place was weird…." Tia's fist tightened as a look of rage fell over her face.
"That place was hell," Oliviana said, filling in the silence, and they all couldn't agree more.
"I just want to… to hold him down and just beat his legs until they don't work anymore," Tia said with burning anger that didn't surprise them.
Oliver smiled and looked at them all, "I think we may have all just become best friends."
The girls looked at him skeptically at first, but then as their gazes strayed to each other, they felt the connection. A bond that had been tenuous at best formed while fighting together the day before was now solidifying into something more tangible. A fledgling support they felt they could depend upon in the future. Only time could tell if it would last.
By the look in everyone's eyes, they all seemed to understand that there were very few people they could trust during their time at Nexus. The journey of ascension was, in many ways, a personal one. Excluding their time spent in that place, which was rapidly becoming distant in their minds, they were still very young. Surviving till graduation was the goal, and that would require trusted friends at their backs.
~~~~~~
The awkward silence in the room was palpable as Layla stood there looking at the trio of new friends she had just made. Their looks of concern tinged with anger had her feeling oddly warm inside. Had she found her people? It was a tricky question. One that she would have to figure out as the days came.
The fact that they did not blame her for Atom's misdeeds spoke volumes about their character. Layla didn't know if she would have been the same. She had been so angry about the situation. She was utterly convinced they would hate her guts for what he had done, yet she was met with kindness and understanding.
Layla still couldn't understand where the bursts of anger came from. It was unnatural, at least for her. She knew something was wrong with her mentality. Tess had spoken to her about traumatic experiences, sometimes being insidious. Even though she may feel fine at the moment, especially after partaking in Dory's special tea, she would eventually need to address what happened in the streets of Golar.
The image of a fine red mist flashed through her head, causing her inner peace to tremble. Layla closed her eyes and took a slow deep breath. A sharp pain jolted through her rib cage, ruining what she was trying to achieve. She didn't think her ribs were broken, but they were most certainly bruised. Those bastards had definitely kicked the shit out of her.
Oliver said, "You should probably go to the Hall of Healing before we have to report to physical conditioning."
Layla opened her eyes and nodded, and turned to do just that. As she was about to reach the button to open the door, Tia said something that made her freeze.
"I would advice you shower first."
"Yeah, you smell like hot, rancid garbage and vomit, its honestly impressive that you aren't gagging." Oliviana chimed in her direct support.
Layla frowned. That felt a little harsh.
Oliviana nodded as she gestured to Layla, "Seriously, you look like hammered shit. You are covered in blood and your hair has yesterday's food in it. I don't even know what that black stuff is that you seemed to have sweated out but it's pretty foul."
Damn, she had a point. Her nose must have gotten used to the foul smell. She had no clue what the black sticky stuff was, but she was sure it had something to do with her experiences in the tower. Layla would have to speak to Tess or Argo at some point.
"Ah, right well I'm going to go, uhm shower." Layla said sheepishly.
"Thanks Livy."
"No problem," giving Layla two thumbs up.
Layla gave an embarrassed smile and walked toward her room. Upon entering, she found two boxes in the middle of her floor that had yet to be there. A little note sat on top of the larger one.
Picking up the note, Layla read the contents.
—
Dear Layla,
Sorry, I meant to leave this with you earlier, but I wasn't sure what room you would pick. I picked up some essentials you would need since you didn't take anything with you. This should hold you over for now, but I'll pop in this evening, and we can grab anything you need. On another note, I know you may feel isolated now, but I want you to know that you are not alone. Atom has stated that we shouldn't interfere with the younger generation or some such nonsense. He's an idiot. Be careful and try not to antagonize your fellow students. You have substantial backing, but it can't be publicly acknowledged. That will leave you vulnerable. Last night's little adventure should prove that this place has its own dangers.
<3 Tess
—
A heaviness that had been weighing on her lifted as she read the letter. Tess had been right. She had felt entirely alone. Entering an empty dorm room emphasized that she was alone with basically nothing. But Tess was right. She wasn't alone. Tess was here, and they were for sure friends. Now she had Oliver, Oliviana, and Tia. Her tendency to drift towards the more negative side of things was a problem she needed to work on. It was clearly blinding her to what was actually around her.
Layla was in the most prestigious Ascendant Academy in all the known planes. Regardless of how she gained admission, that was not something to scoff at. She was here, and now it was up to her what she did with it. Something she had to keep reminding herself.
The last part of the letter made sense as well. Layla couldn't depend on them to fight her battles, especially one's that she herself had instigated. That had been a sizable blunder on her part. She would attempt to fix it somehow.
Scanning the letter again, she saw a little postscript at the bottom below Tess's name.
—
PS
The smaller box contains robes for your roommates. Atom said to ensure they put them on before leaving the dorm this morning.
—
Layla opened the box to find the same unstylish worn-out beggar-looking robes folded neatly in the box. She grimaced at the sight.
"What a prick," she muttered before closing up the box.
Shaking her head in pity, she couldn't help but secretly be pleased that her fellow friends would suffer like her. She giggled briefly, thinking about Oliver. Layla knew that he was going to lose his mind. He was clearly at the peak of whatever the latest style was with his painted nails and gaudy robes. She had to admit they did look good on him, but it wasn't something she would ever be interested in wearing herself.
Keeping it simple was her style. Her blue hair was loud enough for her to deal with.
She closed the little box and opened the larger one for herself. Grabbing some bathroom essentials, Layla shot over to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Feeling a thousand times better, she dried off and put her robes back on. Tying her hair into an upside-down top not, she left the room.
Looking in the mirror, she was still shocked to see the face staring back at her. It was the same, but at the same time, it was foreign. If you were to compare how she looked before the slice, her previous appearance was that of a skinny, almost malnourished teenage girl. She wasn't unhealthy, but she wasn't genuinely healthy either. Now with her face filled out and her skin practically glowing with health and vitality, Layla couldn't fully recognize herself.
"The change was pretty drastic and practically overnight." She mused aloud.
Layla figured she would get used to it eventually.
Giving her wrist unit a glance, she saw that she still had some time. Why was she still in the bathroom, though?
She was stalling.
Yesterday's events could have been better. Two big splashes in a single day. How would everyone react to her now? She didn't know, which made her stomach flip-flop just thinking about it.
Layla walked the box out to the trio, told them what Atom had stated, and gave them the box. When Oliver came out dressed in his new robes, Layla burst out in a fit of laughter.
~~~~
"I can't, I just… I can't," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Sorry, Oli, but those are the orders," Oliviana said with an ear-to-ear smile plastered on her face. She clearly loved her brother's discomfort.
Oliver looked on the brink of tears, "But my reputation…."
Oliviana walked up behind him and patted his shoulder consolingly, "I'm sure that it will be fine. It's not your fault. No one should hold it against you."
He turned to look at his twin and saw the sincerity on her face, and the tension in his expression eased.
"You, you are probably right." His voice gained a little more confidence as he turned back to the mirror. "It will be fine for now."
When Oliver looked away, Livy looked at the other two girls, and a big grin spread across her face. With every positive word Oliver verbally said to boost his confidence Oliviana denied them silently with a big grin.
Layla just shook her head at the twin's antics.
Tia didn't seem to mind robes, commenting, "At least we will all match. They look worn, but they aren't so bad."
Oliver looked at her with an offended expression, "Tia, do not make excuses for these, these rags."
"Sorry, Oli, I don't like them any more than you do, but they are abnormally comfortable and self-cleaning. At least it seems to always be clean. I'm honestly not sure how it does that." Layla stared down at the sun's faded black robes in bewilderment.
Shrugging at the mystery, she asked, "Does anyone know how to get to the Hall of Healing?"
Oliver pointed to his wrist unit, "It should be in your map function on your unit."
Layla looked down and flicked over to the map function, but once she opened it, she frowned.
"It's completely blank, that's weird. It's never done this before."
Typically wherever she went, there would be a plethora of information and a detailed map of the area. It had never been just… blank.
"You should have received a data chit when your acceptance packet was delivered. Did you not get one?" Olive asked in confusion.
Layla shook her head. She had not received anything. Honestly, she had no clue how much this place even cost. Dory had asked her to come, and she had said yes, most likely due to the strange tea. She was curious if she would make the same decision now.
"I didn't, uhm, I didn't apply to Nexus." Layla said sheepishly.
"You didn't apply? Well how did you get in here?" Tia questioned.
"I was sort of invited slash maybe sort of pressured to attend. I can't be sure.”
The others all looked at each other with their eyebrows doing strange things that mostly looked like confusion to Layla.
"Wait, our Master is part of the faculty here. So he must have been the one who got you in." Oliver said while nodding his head. Coming to a conclusion that made sense in his mind, Layla decided to let him believe what he wanted for the moment.
There was no way they would believe the truth. Even she thought it was unrealistic. How would that even go? Personally, being invited to the Citadel of Mantles by one of the Council's top brass. Would anyone even believe that ridiculous garbage? She didn't, and it actually happened to her.
"How about we all just go together," Tia suggested, and everyone agreed.
Looking at Layla again, she said, "I have my data chit somewhere in my stuff. I'll let you sync with it tonight."
Layla gave her a smile of appreciation.
They exited the dorm, and Oliver guided everyone to the Hall of healing. None of them really said anything on the walk to the Hall. Each lost in their own thoughts. Layla remembered how it had been when she had left the slice, so she didn't try to force anything out of them. It didn't help that she had been through enough excitement in the last twelve hours that her thoughts also overwhelmed her.
Layla didn't remember the way to the Hall of Healing, nor did she understand exactly what was done to her. She was asked to lie on a fancy dark metallic table. After a few moments, warmth suffused her body, and everything felt better. Her addled mind felt sharp, and the ache that had existed everywhere was gone. She even felt more energized.
Thanking the Healer with a deep bow, she walked out of the room with a smile.
"Looks like everything went well," Oliver said with a smile.
Layla laughed, "I really need one of those stone tables in my room. It was actually pretty nice. Like, I feel amazing right now."
"I guess you have never been to a healer before. It's pretty great." Oliviana said with a grin.
Layla couldn't refute her statement at all. She had not been able to fully appreciate Argo's healing since things went straight to the crapper. She might try stopping by this place more often.
"Welp we have about thirty minutes till PC starts. We should probably go over and hang out until time to start." Oliver said.
Oliver retook the lead, guiding everyone to where they needed to be.
"What do you think PC will be like? I can't really imagine it being anything that challenging. Especially given what we have been through, you know." Tia said cautiously.
Layla had been wondering the same thing. If the trio's experience was anything like hers, and by the looks of their improved athleticism, it was. She couldn't foresee this being precisely difficult. Her endurance felt boundless at this point. She knew it wasn't, but she also knew that it would take something extreme to wear her down, and two hours of PC would undoubtedly not achieve that.
They arrive at the training field a few moments later. It was dark, but massive stadium lights shone on the neatly trimmed green blades. The dew on the grass glistened in the stadium lights. The freshly cut grass was a pleasant smell that Layla wasn't used to experiencing. Golar had grass and forests a plenty, but where she had grown up, it was mainly a low-rent slum of a city surrounded by a desert.
"It seems like we're the first group of people to arrive. Who's that standing out in the middle of the field?" Layla said aloud.
"No clue but I imagine it's probably the Master that's over PC. Let's head over and see what we are in for today." Oliviana said with a chuckle.
The field was not small. Given the number of potentials, it made sense. As the group got closer, they realized that the person was unnaturally still, as if they were a block of stone. His back was to them, and his white haori with the Nexus academy symbol lay still despite a cool morning breeze.
The hairs on the back of Layla's neck stood up, and she subconsciously positioned herself in the optimal position to fight or flee. That person looked very familiar, and then it hit her.
"Ah fu—," but she never finished as a familiar bastard of a man flickered and appeared right before the group.