Awakening

When Finn woke up again, it seemed like hours had passed. He had no idea what time it currently was, since he couldn't see.

In a way, he was thankful to Zelestria. Not just for saving his life, but because every time she pulled him into the reality rift, he was able to see properly again. It was almost like a distant dream… a fantasy he could escape to to unravel when the reality of being blind becomes too harsh to cope with.

Of course, he would never tell Zelestria that, being the man of few words he was. He didn't use to be like this — but after yesterday's incident, all that changed.

Funny how a mere few minutes was enough to change someone forever.

Finn sat up on his bed and touched his chest. Strangely, it didn't hurt anymore after just a few hours of rest, despite the fatal wound he received yesterday. He figured this may have something to do with the Ghost blood in his body.

"You're awake," a voice suddenly said in his head.

"... Zelestria?"

"Mhm. Mind talking for a bit?"

"Uh... sure. That reminds me, I have a question for you too," Finn said thoughtfully. "I tried asking it last time, but you kicked me out before I could. The true nature of Ghosts… what are they?"

"You'll find the answer to that soon enough. The people you are staying with right now will fill you in on everything Ghost-related — but they call them Phantoms, so don't be confused about that. They know about this matter better than I do anyway, since I'm not omnipotent like some of my friends," Zelestria chuckled self-depreciatingly. "Anyway… my turn now, right?"

Finn nodded. "Go ahead."

"Well… it's about my existence and powers," she said with a soft sigh. "I think you know this already, but don't tell anyone about me."

"… I'm fine with that. But… why?"

"Just like how you used to not know about Ghosts, everyone else in this world does not know about me. Think about what would happen if word of my existence got out: an entity able to save someone from certain death and monitor the entire reality plane — or rather, world — simultaneously."

"People would start looking for you..."

"Exactly. There is enough chaos in this world as it is; making any more would only be troublesome for you."

Finn nodded in understanding. "I see. Is that all?"

"Mhm. I'll be watching you, so don't go back on your word~"

"I don't break promises."

'Most of the time, anyway,' Finn thought in his head.

Zelestria laughed in response. "By the way... I can read what you're thinking too."

*****

Their conversation ended shortly after, having established an agreement.

Finn got out of his bed, still wrapped in bandages. However, he was able to move perfectly fine. Moving in the right direction, however, was a different story.

"Ah-" He stumbled straight into the wall as he walked forward, bumping his head against the cold wood. Even though he had been careful and moved really slowly, using his hands to feel in front of him, he still somehow crashed into something.

Being blind was truly… a disaster.

Luckily, the noise alerted someone in the house, so they quickly came upstairs to check what was going on. There, they found Finn trying to feel around him 360 degrees, still covered in bandages.

"Pfft…!" the boy couldn't help but stifle his laughter.

Finn, hearing this, slowly turned his head in the direction of the voice. He didn't speak, but the action was threatening enough that the boy frantically explained himself.

"A-Ahem, sorry, I couldn't help it. I guess being blind means you're unable to see, eh? Must suck a lot."

"No shit," Finn muttered under his breath as the boy stepped forward and turned around so that his back was to Finn.

"Here. Grab my shoulders."

In all honesty, Finn didn't want the help of someone who had been laughing at him just moments earlier, but he realized the boy did not hold any bad intentions. Besides, if he didn't accept his help here, there was no telling how long it would take him and how many injuries he would suffer before finally finding the right path.

"My clothes… where are they?" Finn asked quietly as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulders.

"Your old ones? Burnt. Those things got Phantom blood spilled over them — not a very good idea to wear them again."

"So what do I wear?"

"Uh… for now, just like this is fine. There aren't any girls here anyway. Well, there is one, but she's always locked up in her own room, so…"

"… I see. But there's one more problem — in the future, who will help me? As you can tell… I'm completely blind. Whether it's fighting or simply getting around, just relying on my other four senses will be useless."

"Hm…" The boy fell into thought, then made up his mind after several seconds. "Oh, I know! I'll lead you to Archon. He's our boss, and also the guy who invited you to join us in the first place. Obviously, he's got a plan in mind!"

Saying this, he dashed out of the room, dragging Finn behind him. Luckily, Finn was already fully recovered thanks to Zelestria, otherwise he may have died there from the sudden movement.

*****

After nearly tripping over on what seemed to be a descending staircase, Finn and the boy who led him arrived at their destination, where Archon and a few others were. Finn was told to just sit down by the boy, so he did.

"Uh… recovered already?" Archon raised an eyebrow and asked, slightly skeptical.

[Subject AC3 analysis complete. Status: Pristine.]

"You sure, Reaper?" The boy leading Finn scratched his head. "He's only been resting for a couple of hours. There's no chance in hell he's already fully healed, after those injuries he got."

[Initializing confirmation procedure. Results: True.]

A deep yet young male voice scoffed. "He managed to survive your sprint down the stairs, Octane. I believe that is more than enough proof he has recovered."

"Huh, that's a good point," the boy — Octane — rubbed his chin, showing no sign of apologizing to Finn. "Well, whatever. Our buddy here was wondering what you're planning to do about his blindness, Archon. Tell us about your plan!"

"Plan? What plan?" Archon asked, confused.

The room immediately fell silent.

"W-Wha-? H-Haha, c'mon now, boss, don't joke with me like that!" Octane laughed awkwardly. "You definitely have a plan, right? RIGHT?!"

"No, I'm being serious. I haven't the slightest clue what you are talking about."

"…"

"…?"

"S-So, wait, let me get this straight," Octane cleared his throat at last after an awkward period of just staring at each other. "You invited this guy into the organization, without even figuring out what to do about his blindness beforehand?! He's going to be useless!"

Finn wanted to say 'I'm right here, you know,' but refrained from doing so.

"Relax, Octane," Archon sighed, furrowing his brows and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I don't have an exact plan that is guaranteed to work, but I do have some ideas."

Octane cackled and clapped his hands "Hah! I knew you could do it, boss! So, so? What kind of ideas?"

"Hm…" Archon fell into thought, then turned to Finn. "Hey, kid. Your only problem is not being able to see, correct? You can use your arms and legs just fine?"

Finn was blind, but he could tell the man was speaking to him without needing to be able to see.

"Yes," he replied with a nod. "Though that doesn't really matter, does it? What good is a powerful punch without knowing where to throw it?"

"Oh...? But what if you did know where to throw it?"

"What...?"

Archon smirked like an old rascal as an idea formulated in his mind.