2. Reverie

UC 800

Inside a certain domitory a young man awoken from his slumber. Tears welled up at the corner of his eyes as he recalled what just happened. The familiar smell and surroundings deepened his sadness. Even then he couldn't tell which one was real. His dream and reality intersected at that moment. Deep down he wished that it was all just a nightmare and today would be yet another day for him to do his best. But even deeper than that he knew that while it might not be the reality, it was certainly happened somewhere. It might be in the past or it might be in the future. But all he knew that he need to prevent it from happening and change it into another dream just as the name he was blessed with.

'Reverie' that was his name. A young pilot from the planet Idrilla who used to aspire greatness but ultimately stopped by his own talent, was now burdened with a vision. A vision where all he loved perished. Where the ultimate nightmare called 'Mother of Light' graced his home planet, inviting doom to come. Wreaking havoc upon the beauty of this land. Reverie vowed to never let that happened once again, and for that he needs power. An ultimate power that was able to deter all kinds of harm that would befallen his loved one. A power to protect and preserve everything he cared for.

***

A firefly was a creature that glows in the dark and warm summer night. It brought joy to the witness at the expense of itself. It symbolize the beauty of fleeting moments and cherished impermanence. Though beautiful it was quite tragic for Reverie who knew what kind of fate that would befallen one of his dearest friends.

This time unlike his usual self, Reverie didn't went straight to his dorm and spend the rest of his time daydreaming. Instead he approached one of the designated club building inside the academy. The old building looked dilapidated as it was built using the cheapest materials possible. As far as he know the academy didn't spare anything but an empty land for the club. While it might be sucks, it was still better than most. The rest of the clubs would only be given a room to do their activity while few of them might get a whole building, but that was limited to those with high values to the academy such as 'Battle Club', 'Science Club', and 'Mechanic Club' the three of them provided more competitiveness for the academy compared to the other.

The club he was visiting was located at the outskirt of the academy, hence it was ripe with vegetation all around. The metal fence surrounding the building was rusty, though not to the point of corrosion it was nonetheless intimidating enough for those who tried to climb the fence. Well too bad, this time it won't be stopping Reverie to met his dear friend. He fold his uniform upwards as he started scaling the fence. His hands didn't hesitate even when they were touching the rust. His past, no, his future experience has provided him with ample amount of courage to face even the filthiest of filth. He once was a scavenger for all that he knew, it was just another tuesday for him to rummage through the dumpster, searching for a piece of valuables either to be sold or to be recycled into something he needed. But that was a story for another time. This time he really wanted to meet his friend, Firefly. The only one that he cherished the most, the one who saved him again and again from the depths of despair.

And for that Reverie put his step on this patched ground raising his head only to see the club's banner, "Scavenging Club." A club that he was never been a part of but might as well called home. One of the few remains when the destruction finally came. From where he stood, Reverie could already heard some activities inside the building. He hesitated for a moment as his hand stopped before the door's handle.

What if his dream was just a dream?

Wouldn't it be weird if someone suddenly barged into a club building with no reason?

Wouldn't everyone called him crazy if he did it?

And...

Wouldn't Firefly hated him for it.

Reverie swallowed his saliva at this moment of indecisiveness. He never cared about how others viewed him. But Firefly was an exception, he didn't know why, but thinking about how Firefly would despised him was enough to send him into cold sweat. He knew that as for now, it was just him who knew Firefly and not the other way around. In this reality at least, both of them were just a strangers. Even their class was different, the only time they met was back then at the student orientation. Reverie doubted that she would remembered him.

Yet for some unknown reason he felt something tugged on his heartstrings. That reason somehow managed to bypass his judgement and prompted him to open the door before him.

And then there was.

A girl with a gray hair stood in the center of everyone. She seemed to be instructing the newcomer about how to use the salvager machinery and what kind of material they seek from each remains. Her pale magenta eyes glimmered everytime someone asked her a question and she answered each of them patiently. She then noticed the opened door and glanced at Reverie, she smiled at him. Reverie who glimpsed at her butterfly accessory on her head couldn't help himself but rushed towards her.

Tears was pouring from the corner of his eyes, as his dream once again intersected with realities. Which one was real didn't matter anymore for him. As far as he knew there was no difference at all. Everything was blur as he unconsciously grabbed her into his embrace. Everyone around were shocked with his blatant display of affection, more so for Firefly who knew nothing of why he was suddenly hugging her. Her face reddened. She tried to resist, but then relented once she noticed his sadness. She abandoned her embarassment as she put her hands on his shoulders. She wanted to say something but no words came out from her mouth other than,

"It's okay... Let's talk about it later alright?"