Chapter 44: The Lie

Third Person's POV

Armann, gravely injured, teleports to an open space not far from the forest where they were ambushed. Due to his condition, he cannot teleport far from that. He fell to the ground while Astra helped him.

"Mr. Armann," Astra says softly, filled with concern.

She looks around for help, but sees only trees. Armann is dying in her arms.

Though it's clear to Astra that she can't carry Armann, she still tries to support him and move him to a safer place.

While busy, Astra hears rustling from the bushes. She freezes and looks towards the noise, alert to what might happen.

She fears that the reapers have followed them.

Just when she's losing hope, a figure appears before them.

"Mr. Overseer," Astra says with relief.

"You are not safe here," the Overseer says, grabbing them both and disappearing into thin air.

Moments later, the reapers appear in the area like ghosts but find no one. All they see are bloodstains on the ground and footprints.

"We are not done yet," one of the reapers remarked, his eyes filled with determination.

Astra and the Overseer appear at the headquarters. The healers immediately attend to Armann, giving him first aid.

Astra is also given something to calm her down and is led to a room next to Armann's, where he is being treated.

"What happened?" Elderly Mundorus asks, watching over Armann who's lying on his bed.

"The scythe's impact was too much for his mortal body. It drained nearly all of his spiritual energy. For now, he is out of immediate danger, but his spirit will wander into the unknown for a few days until he meets his soul again and regains his strength," the Overseer explains.

Elderly Mundorus looks worriedly at Elderly Phias, who is standing beside him.

"What is our next step?" he asks. "We cannot ignore the actions of these reapers! They are becoming more aggressive as time goes on," he adds.

"It's difficult to discern what the reapers are planning, so we cannot afford to be complacent. We must hasten our own plans," Elderly Phias replies.

Breaking his composure, Elderly Phias heads to the door to leave. Elderly Mundorus follows him, but Elderly Resias stands still, deep in thought, staring at Armann.

Because of this situation, the Elders decide to keep Astra under their protection. Astra, having no other option and wanting to stay close to Armann, agrees to stay.

Every night, Astra feels like someone is standing beside her. This presence is always sneaky, entering her room only after she falls asleep.

One night, Astra wakes up and glimpses a man in a black overcoat holding a book, standing by her bedside, before she drifts back to sleep.

The figure in the black overcoat does nothing but stand beside Astra, so she lets it be.

The Elders also give Astra books about dreams and other topics she might find entertaining. Astra often reads these in Armann's room, feeling safe just by his presence.

While reading one of the books given to her, Astra learns a lot about their kind. She discovers that there are others like them with different abilities: Amabil can turn dreams into reality and be able to share dreams, Darsha like Michel can see the past and future and continue their dreams, and Peniel that can see visions from God or what is known as The Upper Hand.

Astra pauses her reading and looks at the still unconscious Armann lying in front of her.

'It's been over a week, and he still hasn't woken up,' Astra thinks to herself.

Reflecting on what happened the day of incident, Astra realizes she can't go on like this forever. She understands that Armann won't always be there to protect her.

Determined to change, she decides to find a way to use her Aisling abilities effectively.

Astra takes the cellphone given to her by the Overseer last time. They said she can use it when she goes out. They had told Astra that she could attend school if she wanted, but she needed to be picked up and dropped off.

Astra doesn't mind and agrees to this arrangement.

She goes online and browses through her social media.

While scrolling, Astra remembers the boy she had messaged before.

She quickly searches for him and opens the message, hoping for a reply. To her disappointment, there is still no response.

"What should I do now?" Astra wonders to herself.

As she sits and thinks about how to use her abilities, she realizes the books given to her have limited information about Aislings like her.

"Should I ask the Overseer for help?" Astra thinks, but she has a feeling she shouldn't tell anyone about this.

Hesitating, Astra looks at her phone and finally makes a decision.

Astra sends another message to someone named B. Copper, hoping this time for a reply.

"I should gather more information. The more, the better," Astra tells herself.

This way, she thinks, she can quickly learn more about her abilities by talking to two people (B.Copper and the Overseer).

Astra stays in Armann's room for a few hours before heading out and going to the first floor.

At first, Astra used to get lost in the building's corridors, but now she has memorized the paths.

Astra heads to the Overseer's office and looks for him.

"Mr. Overseer?" Astra calls, knocking on the door.

—Knock, knock, knock— Astra knocks three times.

"Come in," says a voice from inside the room.

Astra enters and sees the Overseer sitting at his desk, busy with work.

"Oh, it's you, Astra. How can I help you?" the Overseer greets her. He puts down the pen he is holding and gestures for Astra to sit. "Have a seat," he says.

Astra takes a seat, feeling a bit nervous but determined to get the information she needs.

Astra sits down, and suddenly, two teacups and a steaming teapot appear on the table.

Astra is slightly amazed by this, but the Overseer doesn't seem to notice.

"Are you busy? I just have a question," Astra begins.

"Go ahead, ask your question. What is it?" the Overseer says as he pours tea into their cups.

"Hmm," Astra hesitates before starting. "Can you tell me more about the Aislings? I haven't found much information about them in the books you gave me," she continues.

The Overseer takes a sip of his tea, thinking for a moment. He was not surprise that Astra was asking already but he was prepared.

"Ah, that? You won't really find anything about your kind in those books or anywhere else because nothing is written about your kind," the Overseer responds, taking a sip from his cup. He sets it down and continues speaking.

"As you know, an Aisling is the first form before it becomes a Dark Aisling. Aislings have the ability to see visions that go beyond what other dreamers can see. The Amabil can see people's past and future, but they cannot see events that might happen in the future. The same goes for the Peniel. If the heavens wish to show them a prophecy, they might see it, but not always. They only get warnings from the heavens but cannot see the true events."

"So, does that mean Aislings can see the future of the world?" Astra asks, analyzing what she concludes.

"Correct. You can predict what will happen in the future," the Overseer confirms.

"If that's the case, shouldn't we be able to prevent disasters like earthquakes, pandemics, and wars because we have Aislings?" Astra asks curiously again.

"It's possible!" the Overseer says. "If they were still alive," he adds, which makes Astra frown.

"What do you mean?" Astra asks.

"Being an Aisling comes with consequences. The moment you use your ability for evil, you immediately disappear. You won't last long in this world because you will disappear immediately," said the Overseer

"Disappear? How does that even happen?" Astra asks again.

The Overseer sighs before answering.

"Every hundred years, one Aisling is born. Each Aisling that is born ends up using their ability for evil, so they didn't last long in this world. This is also why there is no information about them written in the books," the Overseer explains.

There is caution in all of the Overseer's answers. The way he speaks shows that he is careful with his words, as if he is hiding something.

"I see! So, how can I use my ability correctly?" Astra asks curiously.

"No one knows. Only you can answer that question," the Overseer replies.

After that conversation, Astra returns to her room, feeling more confused than ever. The Overseer's words replay in her mind, turning them into a puzzle she can't solve.

All day long, she ponders his mysterious statements, trying to make sense of what he told her. The uncertainty lingers, and she finds it hard to focus on anything else, as the weight of her new knowledge presses on her thoughts.

~ To be Continued ~