DING DONG

DING DONG the bell echoed, or at least the fake mimicking its sounds because there was no actual bell on her apartment's front door. However, the longer the bell sound echoed, the more Hannah’s stomach began squelching with panic, or butterflies, as it was said.

As such, Hannah unconsciously switched her sight between the front door and her lying mother on the floor. And the more she did, the more of those butterflies manifested. Thankfully, having gone through her Awakening, those stomach butterflies had not much effect aside from telling her of her problem, and when the problem was apparent, the solution was not far behind. Hence, Hannah put her D-Card on the table before standing up from the couch to sort of rush for the front door, and its peephole, to see just who it was that sought them out.

Better said, her mother, since there was no way anyone had ever sought Hannah out.

Therefore, when Hannah stood on her toes to actually manage to peep through the peepholes, that case repeated itself because she witnessed no neighbor, but three men in black suits and white ties plus one woman.

Wait!… That's not a woman. Hannah quickly corrected herself in her mind, because the womanly face wore men's clothes in the form of a dark red short-sleeved shirt. What was below that, though, Hannah could not see. Either way, there was something else that made the man with a woman's face stand out, and that distracted her enough to allow one of the men in a black suit and white tie to knock on her front door.

“Nobody is answering!” The man who had knocked voiced out before looking at the man with the female face.

Rolling his eyes once, the man with the female face sniffed once before rebutting the theory. “Young Miss Blackwood! I know you're there, open the door.”

Still, not answering anything, Hannah simply stared at the four men in front of her front door.

“You know… If you don't, I will be forced to have these men force their way inside.” Lee Ping called out once again. “I am sure you don't want this to become a mess. Right?”

Sensing her silence being an escalator, Hannah responded to the man with the female face.

“Who are you and what do you want?” Hannah said, instantly causing the four men to stare at the front door.

“Told you she was there.” Lee Ping said to his coworkers before formulating his answer. “My name is Lee Ping, as for these three gentlemen, they don't matter right now so there is no need for their names.”

Not hearing the full answer, Hannah inquired once more “You still have not told me what you want?”

“Your mother and I work for the same person, namely my Aunt.” Lee Ping responded. “I am here on her behalf to check up on your mother.”

“Check up?” Hannah murmured for a moment with suspicion before raising her voice and speaking up for her… sleeping mother. “What for? Is there some kind of problem?”

“Could be.” Lee Ping said. “My Aunt was very specific about coming and seeing her.” That said, he nodded. “She also told me to not leave until I have seen her with my own eyes. Now would you be a good child and open the door.”

“NO!” Hannah instantly called out with the same energy as the man. “Mum told me to not open the door to strangers.”

“I am not a stranger.” Lee Ping scowled at the door and the girl behind it. “I told you, I am Lee Ping, your mother's coworker. Although… Technically, I am above her.” After a head shake, he continued his speech. “Regardless, I am not a stranger. So open the door.”

“NO!” Still determined to deny them the entry, Hannah stood her ground. “Your name doesn't matter. Working with my mother or not, you are still a stranger to me, so… I won't be opening the door for you.”

The moment Hannah firmly voiced out her intentions, she saw the pretty face on a man’s body twitch its left eyebrow. There was even a tiny snarl on his lips, but Hannah was not that familiar with the facial expressions of strangers, so she might have not read it correctly.

“Girl… If you don't open the door, I will have the door broken down.”

Hearing the threat, Hannah stepped away from the door and rushed for the landline, before quickly grabbing its handle and placing it on her left ear.

“Wait… Don't call anybody.” Ceasing instantly, Hannah felt another wave of butterflies manifest in her stomach. “Look… Even if you called for help, the local LawSec won't be able to rush to help you because they are a bit busy running around like headless chickens, dowsing all the sudden wildfires popping up in the city. Besides… There is no need to escalate this. I am only here to check up on your mother. There is nothing untoward happening. I swear.”

Still feeling the butterflies, Hannah glanced at her lying mother for a second.

Then, when that was done, she put the phone handle down before walking back to the front door. “What for?”

“Many things.” Lee Ping answered, with a nonchalant attitude. “Mainly her health.”

“Health?” The notion instantly made Hannah feel that her mother was not fine at all, yet she clearly remembered the sensations her Insight had fed her. “Mother is fine.”

“I see… And where is she? Why are you debating this with me instead of your mother?” Lee Ping reasoned out. “I mean. If she is fine and all that, then that is a no-brainer. After all, then there is no need for our current little happenstance. Right?”

“Mother is busy.” Hannah replied somewhat weakly.

“With what?”

“Sleeping!”

“Oh… There is no doubt about that” Lee Ping remarked before sighing once, and loudly at that. “Listen, girl… Let us stop beating around the bush and just be straight here. Your mother is not fine at all.”

Not liking where the conversation was going, Hannah stood her ground. “Yes, she is.”

“No, she is not…” Lee Ping adamantly voiced out. “Aunty would not have sent me if she was fine. Open the door, so I can examine her directly.”

“Examine?” Hannah repeated suspiciously. “Examine how?”

“Oh… So your mother is not fine, after all?” Lee Ping said, a bit mockingly before answering indirectly. “Common girl. I know you just woke up, but even without any training, you should be able to see the real me. That should be enough to tell you.”

“Oh… By the way, that was a nice little show you did there.” Lee Ping added. “By now, half the city will be wondering who their little tormentor is. Therefore, congrats on getting instant fame.”

----------------------------------------

Totally clueless about what the man with the female face meant, Hannah responded. “What show?”

“Show? Ah… Right, you might be clueless about it.” Lee Ping said with a face displaying his realization. “If you leave the building, you will see the biggest aftereffect. Either way, let us get back on the right topic.”

“Can I enter or do you not want to make sure your mother is well and fine?”

Not answering right away, Hannah did one last glance at her lying mother.

“You won't cause any trouble? Like stealing stuff?” Hannah asked for confirmation. Although, in the back of her head, she remained aware that there was almost nothing to steal anyway.

“No!”

Still stuck for an answer, Hannah quickly flexed her Insight as the last solution. However, what she gained back was very little, but even that little was enough to tell her that she should be fine.

“Alright.” With that said, Hannah unlocked the door from the inside.

That done, she opened it up to finally take in the full view of the female face on a male’s body. Plus the black ears stuck on top of the man’s head sporting lots of inner white ear hair. As if noticing her stare, the ears in question flickered once to signal that they were in fact real and not a prop item he wore just for the hell of it.

Done indulging the curiosity of the little girl before him, Lee Ping ignored her to settle his black eyes on the lying woman he knew as Madam Blackwood of the Rose Peach Bordello.

Quickly walking up to her and kneeling beside her, he touched her forehead before using his Power to examine her to the best of his ability. Naturally, there was not much he would be able to tell because of the Veil on Hailey. Luckily, he was not looking in that direction either. On the contrary, a Shell reflected a lot about the state of the Soul it housed. In this case, Lee Ping looked for the signs of Trauma Displacement, a phenomena where the Shell reflected the occurring Trauma within the Soul. Naturally, it was never permanent, as Gaia’s Shells held remarkable recovery prowess, even without being occupied. Though, in that case, the Shells simply lay there until they either ceased functioning on their own or something or someone occupied them.

As such, if one could study the Trauma displaced onto the Shell, one could infer some basic information about the Soul in question. It was by studying that very information that Lee Ping discovered something, and that something told him of Hailey’s status. Namely, that she was still there within the Shell, she just retreated so deep within it that almost nothing would be able to bring her forth.

No, this was one of those situations that could not be forced from the outside.

“Ok… Your mother is still there, but she won't be waking up any time soon.” Lee Ping explained to the baby Dreamwalker. “Probably… Aunty could probably tell you more. However, I… am but an Apprentice, so there is my limit.”

“Lier… Mom is fine.” Hannah instantly uttered out. “I can feel it.”

“What you sense is her Shell.” Lee Ping responded. “You're too new to know otherwise.” Shaking his head, he continued his. “As Aunty ordered, I am going to have to take your mother’s Shell with me.”

“No…” Hannah cried out and instantly panicked after hearing the case. Quickly she pushed at the kneeling Lee Ping, but the man with a woman's face and animal ears seemed to be stuck in place. No matter how much effort she made, the man would not budge. “I… No… Mom… Mom is fine.”

“Sorry, young one.” Lee Ping voiced out apologetically. “But this is non-negotiable. As your mother is a valuable employee, Rose Peach will be taking full custody from this point on. Since you can do nothing about it, much less care for your mother’s Shell in your current circumstances, it is for the best, or would you not want the best healthcare for your mother?”

“I… I…”

“One more thing.” Lee Ping said. “Since your mother is currently in a coma-like state, and you have woken up properly, Aunty has instructed me to take you to her.”

“I… Why?” Hannah managed to utter out, to center herself with the sudden shift in her life as if just Awakening/Hatching was not enough.

“I don't know the details, but I do know it's related to your Progenitor.” Lee Ping explained as he stared at the shaken expression on the young girl's face, well… her Shell. Done delivering the news, he looked up to the three bodyguards he brought with him. Picking the closest one, he gave an order. “Greg… Take Madam Blackwood and carry her to the van. I am sure I don't have to tell you to be gentle with her?”

“No.”

Greg, the buff bodyguard, carefully stepped forth before quickly realizing that there was an apparent lack of space for him to pick up the unconscious woman. So he stepped aside and pushed away the small table hindering his task before gently placing his hands below the knees and shoulders to pick up the hostess he knew as Madam Blackwood.

Hannah would have loved nothing more than to step forward and deny these people's plans, but she sensed it being futile. Instead, she followed right after the man known as Greg. However, she did not get far when the man with a female face and animal ears called out to her.

“Aren't you forgetting something?” Lee Ping called out before pointing at the moved table in question since on it he found three unique items. One of them was extremely familiar while the second one he had also seen before, although it was a rare thing to witness firsthand. The third one, however, a pink ball with black and white clouds was completely alien to him. Nevertheless, even without knowing anything about the pink ball, he knew it was Hannah’s Tool since there was a familiar scent around it. “Take them as well. You will need them.”

“O… Ok.” Hannah replied, somewhat heartbroken at what was happening.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Still, she quickly walked up to the table where her Dreamon Ball, the Envelope she still could not open despite having already Awakened and her D-Card rested. Yet, just as she was about to pick them up, Hannah recognized that her current attire had no pockets.

At the same time, she finally registered that she would be leaving her apartment. As such, she urgently went to the bedroom and changed herself. Though, since she had not much to wear for occasions like the current one, she simply chose her school sailor uniform since it had a few pockets for her D-Card and the Envelope, plus the skirt hid a rather deep pocket where her Dreamon Ball could fit.

Once she had everything, Hannah rushed after her mother.

Naturally, only after locking the apartment.

----------------------------------------

Traversing down the stairs and out of the front entrance of her residential building, Hannah instantly discovered the black van, the man called Lee Ping mentioned. Mostly because she could see three men in black suits and white ties waiting in front of the van’s large side door.

Through the large door, Hannah saw Lee Ping seated in one of the frontal back seats while her sleeping mother occupied one row of the back seats.

Walking right up to the black van in question, she heard the man with the female face and animal ears address her.

“Come. Sit here.” Lee Ping said before pointing at the seat beside him.

Hannah, not seeing any other choice, did just that. When she did, the man in the black suits occupied the other free seats, and moments later, the van was rumbling its engine and carrying them to some destination. A destination that no doubt held the name Rose Peach Bordello because that was where her mother worked.

As the Bordello was found within the Red Light District of Oaktown City, it would take them a while to reach it, and even longer if the traffic felt particularly nasty to its drivers to clog them into a traffic jam. Luckily, it was still not late afternoon when a majority of people returned home from work, so the traffic would not be too bad.

At least, it should not have been, Hannah realized as the van slowed down for the third time all without any traffic lights to tell them to do so. The slight mystery sparked Hannah to pry her eyes in search of the reason for their slow progress. At the same time, the slight mystery distracted Hannah from what was occurring with her and her mother, so it was a tiny godsent to the current her.

Nevertheless, looking through the slightly dimmed windows, all Hanna saw were more vehicles stuck with the same problem.

As such, Hannah observed the pedestrians walking on the sidewalks.

That was when her Insight alerted her to something, and that very something made her stretch her Soul that tiny bit more to recognize its true form. When she had it, Hannah’s eyes switched from one pedestrian to another, and then another, and then more and more before the Truth actually sunk into her. But then, all of a sudden, one person appeared not clad with the Veil of Ignorance, and when she did, it was as if the women had sensed her gaze, thus causing her to stare back in Hannah’s direction.

When she did, their eyes connected through the black tint of the side windows as if no obstacle existed between them. At the same time, Hannah felt this vague sense that she was being examined, though not deeply. Of that, she was sure. Still, even without it being in-depth, the sensation made her body, her Shell, shiver in response, causing Hannah to instantly break eye contact.

As a result, while the prying sensation weakened, it still remained there for a few moments before ceasing altogether. In that moment of its cessation, Hannah sent one brief glance at the woman in question, only to see her visage vanish into the prong of people.

“You know? It's considered somewhat rude to Scry somebody like you just did.” Lee Ping commented on the side.

Being reminded of his presence, Hannah shifted her focus to the pretty face on a male body. “Scry?”

“Scrying… Prying… Divining… There are a bunch of names for what you just did.” Lee Ping briefly explained. “Whatever the name, at its root, Scrying is the flexing of the Soul through Insight in order to sense, discover, and pry information present within oneself and around oneself.

Luckily, you're so new to this that all you did was Scry for that woman's presence, as such she reciprocated the very same as my presence warned her of looking deeper. Not that she would have gotten much anyway since she was but a Novice like you, though much closer to Apprentice.

Mmm… I did not look closer, but she should have been above Level 15, I think.”

Listening to the brief explanation, Hannah suddenly understood why her current riding companion mentioned her being rude, as rudeness represented a rule of conduct, a conduct between Dreamwalkers and their powers. “What are the rules for that?”

“Nothing overly specific.” Lee Ping said. “If you are Scrying somebody, be prepared for the same to be done to you. However, since there are different levels to Scrying, it's best to not transgress beyond the surface level.

Basically, what you did and what was done to you.

If you do, it's considered very rude, thus, it can easily escalate into conflict.

On the other hand, sometimes it's inevitable for that to happen, especially if a higher-level individual Scries a lower-leveled individual. The problem is, that the higher the discrepancy between the rankings of two individuals, the harder it is to Scry or Conceal information from somebody, hence why higher-level individuals can Scry without alerting those below them that they were in fact examined on some scale.

Regardless, if my interpretation of your pink ball is correct, you are a Tool user. This means you will naturally develop your Insight to higher standards than usual, thereby also making your Insight very potent.

Meaning, your Scry and Conceal will be especially potent, among other things.”

“Speaking of Tools.” Lee Ping suddenly switched the topic “I've not seen one like yours before. What does it do? Oh, you don't have to tell me the specifics. Just tell me the obvious.”

The first thought was for Hannah to deny the inquiry, but after a little thought, Hannah acquiesced to the curiosity, though not without reciprocity. “It… It is a Capturing Tool. What about you? What kind of Shifter are you?”

“Haha…Sorry to disappoint you.” Lee Ping chuckled and said before continuing his little speech. ”But, I am not a Shifter. A distant Progenitor of mine, however, was, hence the obvious traits you see on my head.” In the same instance, Hannah saw the animal-like ears flicker, as if in amusement. “As for what kind? Well… My kind is described as Fox-Kin, instead of Fox Shifter like my Aunty who you are about to visit.”

“Now… Back to you… Capturing, you say? Mmm… Doubt it's that simple considering the show you presented. Regardless, I won't pry deeper.” Lee Ping voiced out but refused to point out that he would learn the girl's secret through his Aunt.

Hannah, on the other hand, simply nodded once before focusing on the second mention of something she had done without remembering doing at all. “Show?”

“Right… You still don't know about it.” Lee Ping reminded himself. “Try looking into the sky through the car window beside you.”

Not hearing the answer, yet intrigued to figure it out, Hannah did just that. Though, it took but one attempt to realize that her angle was incorrect, so she angled her head more to the right side before trying once again.

When she did, she was welcomed by two unbelievable sights.

Yet, unluckily, being stuck inside a van and between two rather large buildings, much of the view was blocked. Still, it was enough for her to recognize a huge eye with three tentacles wedging the sky open. At the same time, besides the large creature in the sky, or below it in this case, there were also huge branches in the sky.

Branches with leaves that made Hannah feel as if just one of those leaves could and would engulf a mid-sized house easily.

“W… What is… No… What are THOSE?” Hannah cried out with a loud voice.

----------------------------------------

Those? Lee Ping repeated in his head since that particular word made him feel as if the little girl's attention shifted away from what it had been supposed to.

“What are you talking about?” Lee Ping replied with uncertainty because something new might have popped up in the sky since he last looked at it a quarter of an hour earlier. But then, when his sight pierced through the simple but metal roofing of the black van, he noticed nothing new. That was when it clicked with him. “Oh… You mean the Yggdrasil Branch! Ignore that since one exists in every major city. No... Focus on the huge creature and how it opened up a hole in the sky.”

Shaking away the brief stupefaction, Hannah recovered from her stupor to shift her gaze to the partial sight of the creature she could see. However, the more she looked at it, the more she was sure of what she was witnessing.

“What is it?” Hannah inquired with a deadpan expression. On top of that, even her voice delivered the very same emotion. “Is it a Nightmare? Wait… If I remember my father's instructions correctly. What kind of Hazard is that?”

“Strange… I expected a surprise, but it came from the stupid tree and not the true mystery.” Lee Ping pointed out his expectations. “Hmm… Perhaps, it's because I am used to the tree being there? Anyway, it's not a Hazard but a Tyrant according to my Aunt.”

“Regardless. Mind telling me why you are not that surprised at seeing it?” Lee Ping inquired of the little girl beside him. “Does it have something to do with your Grand Dream? I ask this as confirmation because the Silver Tyrant appeared right after your Grand Dream revealed its presence.”

“It did?” Hannah posited back before ignoring the sight and properly seating herself again.

“Indeed.” Lee Ping affirmed. “A Novice Grade Dream Instance can't contain a Grand Dream, hence its escape and reveal. I was lucky to be facing the direction of its reveal to witness its presence. However, it was the descent of the Silver Tyrant that elevated your Awakening to unforgettable, hence why I mentioned your instant rise to fame.”

“Why? Why me?” Hannah asked though she had a feeling she already knew the answer to this one.

“The reason is obvious, young one.” Lee Ping said. “While the actual Descent of the Silver Tyrant was not your fault in any way, as the Silver Tyrant is beyond even Summoners, your Grand Dream no doubt became the bonfire, the beacon, the lighthouse guiding its descent to this city. Makes no Logical sense to be anything else. Not since the Metropolises on this Layer should have been way more attractive than Oaktown City.”

Hearing the Logic, Hannah’s right hand swiftly went for the pocket in her skirt housing her Dreamon Ball, which in turn housed a being that should hold remarkable resemblance to an incomprehensible creature opening holes in the sky, only Hannah was unsure since she had yet to call it out of its Ball.

Nevertheless, the drawn image on the back of her D-Card pointed to that resemblance being true.

Done contemplating the connection, Hannah realized, after seeing the obvious, that she could no longer delay the inevitable. As such, her left hand went inside her skirt pocket to grab and take out her Dreamon Ball.

Lee Ping seated beside her observed the pink ball in question. However, just like before, he was a bit stumped on what kind of Tool it could be as capturing had many connotations. But then, in the next second, his nose smelled a change happening to the girl. A change that made the little girl no longer smell like a small little meek thing asking to be preyed upon, but a strong and dominant predator, if somewhat hollow, as if something crucial was missing.

Right after the change in attitude, Lee Ping heard a command echo from her throat, though somewhat shaky as if she was unsure of how to pronounce the last part.

“COME OUT… BE-HOL-D!!!”

In the same instance, a red jagged light burst from the pink ball before ceasing its movement only to agglomerate above the ball from which the light materialized. At the same time, since the agglomeration of the red jagged light was extremely fast, in one second a pink and somewhat purple ball thing manifested.

However, that was when the simple stopped because, the very next second, that same uneven and pink ball thing was instantly enforced with multiple forces, causing its immediate presence to be pushed in one direction and that direction was Hannah’s face.

SMACK

The smack tilted Hannah’s head back allowing the pink/purple and uneven ball to bounce off of her face and into the inner roof of the van, only to bounce once more right on top of her forehead before actually losing most of its recoil energy and dropping behind her, right beside her mother and the unconscious women Lee Ping had been order to retrieve by his Aunt.

“Aouch!” Lee Ping heard the girl cry out before quickly grabbing and feeling out her nose, only for said nose to begin itching as a result of the force it had been subjected to, thus, causing a sneezing reaction in return. “Aachuu!”

Holding back a snicker, Lee Ping ignored the girl for a second to focus on the pink ball thing, which he now defined definitely as not an actual ball, at all, because it had unfolded itself slightly, so the uneven parts actually became tentacular limbs, with two on the side and one at its top.

With the obvious out of the way, his black eyes took in the marks on its tentacular limbs and their origins. Nonetheless, the one mark that intrigued him the most was the large one below its… head tentacle.

Mmm… Actually… If not for the smoothness and color, it could be mistaken for a ponytail.

Shoving that idle fact aside, Lee Ping’s black settled on the silver mark. A slitted-diamond silver eye mark. No doubt about it, this thing is connected to the Silver Tyrant.

That said… It neither feels nor smells like a Nightmare.

With no immediate answer, Lee Ping focused back on the girl who had manifested it, although she was far too busy attending to her nose so as to deny experiencing another sneeze since her nose still tingled with such desire.

“Did you not forget something?” Lee Ping pointed out.

In the same instant, he saw her realization hit.

“Ah”

When she glanced his way, he pointed back with his thumb causing the girl to quickly stand up, placing her knees on her seat before searching for the one that had hit her, only when she found it just lying there beside her mother.

“YOU DARE!!!”

Then, as Hannah shouted out her grievances at her Summon daring to touch her mother, she noted that her pink Summon was not moving at all. As such, the instant of hatred quelled somewhat. What had remained behind urged Hannah to actually stand on the van’s seat before tilting over the seat to grab onto the head tentacle.

Once she had it in hand, Hannah pulled her Summon away from her mother and raised it right to her eye level. However, the more she stared at her Summon the more she understood that her Summon was unresponsive to her actions.

With the unresponsiveness, Hannah calmed down even further, thus allowing herself to examine her Summon further, all while comparing the finished product with her father’s Template.

As such, she easily noted the slitted-diamond silver eye mark.

Despite everything she was feeling, Hannah was struck with curiosity, so she pulled back and re-seated herself back on her seat. Of course, only after dusting it somewhat as her simple shoes had dirtied it.

Meanwhile, while that happened Hannah never let go of her Summon as it dangled from her hand, and the only reason she could do so was because her Summon had shrunk down from when it used to be a Nightmare.

Once seated again, Hannah released her grip on the upper tentacle only to use her legs as a pillow so she could use both of her hands as leverage to examine every inch of her Summon, or Behold as her father had named it.

It was not a really good name per se, as it remained very close to its old one, which was Beholder, but Hannah felt the name Behold to be extremely appropriate for her first Summon.

Either way, examining her Summon, Hannah noted its size to be somewhat larger than a regular-sized football. This made sense as it was remarkably close to what her father had envisioned for her. As a result, the slitted-diamond silver eye mark became the number one indicator that a mutation had occurred.

Then, after probing around the silver mark, Hanna realized that the eye mark represented an actual eyelid, specifically, it displayed the dimensions for the eye socket of the sole eye her Summon possessed.

Once Hannah understood that fact, careful use of force allowed her to softly grip two sides of the eyelid in order to wedge the eyelid open, and with it open, Hannah witnessed the blue eye she had seen on the back of her D-Card.

In the end, after noticing the unresponsive blue iris of her Summon’s sole eye, the external examination ceased there. Regardless of the thing she had or had not discovered, what was truly important to Hannah was what was on the inside and not the outside, and in this case, Hannah realized that her Summon seemed to be unconscious.

Could it be from the transmutation?

Displeased with her Summon, Hannah called out.

“Wake Up!!!”