Chapter 9: Dream and Nightmare

     Reika heard someone's voice that spoke next to her. She immediately looked around and noticed that it was Soru.

     Soru...?

     "What are you doing here?" Reika asked in confusion.

     "I was-"

     Soru paused when Reika suddenly groaned in pain. Reika closed her eyes, trying to suppress the pain that she felt in her head.

     "Guhh...."

     Soru drew closer in order to assess her situation.

     "Are you okay?"

     Reika felt that the numbness in her head had begun to subside and slowly opened her eyes.

     "Yes, I am fine—"

     Reika froze for a moment upon seeing his face. His empty eyes stared at her without saying a word, which creeped her out a bit.

     "Hey...!"

     Reika softly shoved him and immediately stood up, surprised that Soru was too close to her face.

     Too close..!

     "Ahem! Would you stop staring at me like that? Seeing your face is creeping me out..."

     Soru also stood up slowly, brushing off the dust and dirt on his uniform with his hand.

     "What's wrong with my face, though?" Soru asked, baffled by her remarks.

     Reika stared at him once more. She saw that his expression didn't show any slight changes.

     Somehow, that face pisses me off quite a bit...

     Reika sighed.

     "Forget about it."

     While Reika was busy tidying her uniform, a gentle wind blew past her. Reika closed one of her eyes and fixed her hair that was blown away from her ear. 

      As the wind calmed down, Reika felt something warm surging through her chest. 

     Hm?

     She was surprised that even though she could feel the sensation becoming denser, she didn't feel any discomfort at all. It was like a gentle heat gathering at the center of her body.

     This feeling... I felt it every time my mother embraced me when I was young...

     Without her noticing, her eyes began to glow slowly. Soru noticed the change in Reika's eyes, which was now glowing in bright purple.

     "Reika, your eyes..."

     Reika looked at him upon hearing her name.

     "What-"

     Reika didn't finish her sentence when she noticed something changed in her surroundings. The area, which was seemingly empty with only trees around, changed in an instant.

     Several glowing orbs can be seen floating around the area. They are scattered, with various sizes and colors.

     What are these things..? They weren't here just a moment ago!

     Reika approached one of the orbs and observed it carefully. It was emanating a bluish glow and had a different size compared to the rest of its kind.

     Reika opened both of her palms and slowly scooped out the bluish orb.

     "Soru... Are you seeing these things right now?"

     Soru saw that Reika was holding something in the air. But all he could see was her empty hand, and nothing was there at all.

     "What are you talking about?"

     Even though Reika heard his response, she didn't pay any attention to it and continued observing these unusual phenomena.

     Reika released the bluish orb that she was holding. The orb floated gracefully as it flew away from her.

     She looked around and saw something magical happening in the trees around her. She saw a green glow coursing its way below the roots, along the rigid trunk of the tree, and all the way up to the branches, reaching the leaves of the tree.

     How strange...

     Seeing all of it, Reika was stunned and left speechless. She uncovered a hidden world beyond her normal perception. In her eyes, what she saw was like a marvelous painting—an unending dream that filled her mind with tranquility.

     While mesmerized by the view, Reika noticed the thin fog that engulfed the entire area. It was so thin that she barely recognized its existence.

     She noticed that the fog was moving in a strange direction. Upon careful observation, she realized that the fog was moving in the same direction: It was moving towards her.

     This fog... Is it me, or are they drawing closer towards my body...?

     Baffled by the behavior of the fog, her attention was diverted when she noticed something in her chest. Unlike before, she could clearly see what was actually happening inside her body now.

     A huge clump of white mass condensed in her chest. Small orbs can be seen integrating at the center of the white mass at a slower pace.

     Upon seeing the white mass, Reika sensed a familiarity between the dense mass on her chest and the thin fog that surrounds her.

     Judging by the strange behavior shown by the fog and its interaction with my body, it seems that my body was absorbing this fog, forming a dense, white mass at the center of my body...

     Reika noticed something unusual and began to wonder.

     Wait... Why am I seeing all of this in the first place?

     Reika paused for a second. Slowly, Reika raised her hand in the air.

     "Chains of Imprisonment"

     A purple chain emerged out of thin air when Reika uttered the word. It flew straight to a tree.

     Reika saw the chain as it wrapped around the bark of the tree. She was left speechless upon seeing it.

     Did it just... came out of nowhere?

     Reika rubbed her eyes and saw that the chain was still there.

     It means the strange orb wasn't bluffing after all!?

     Soru saw the chains that emerged from Reika's hand. Reika, who was still in shock, slowly turned around and saw Soru staring at her.

     "D-Did you see that just now...?"

     Without uttering a single word, Soru nods in agreement.

     I knew it! That white mass inside my body was the catalyst to activate the ability! And because my body absorbed that fog, the passive of my sub-ability, "Subjective Control," activated on its own!

     "Chains of Imprisonment!!"

     Several purple chains emerged from her body, wrapping the surrounding trees.

     Let's try the strength that these chains can exert...

     "Hup!"

     The chain began to tug at the trees violently. The trees began to shake, and several crackles from the trees could be heard in the background.

     CRACK!!

     Out of the five chains that she used, only three completely uprooted the trees. The remaining two only formed a dent in each of the barks.

     Upon seeing the result, Reika felt satisfaction. A smile slowly appeared on her face, and she breathed deeply in happiness.

     Reika noticed that Soru approached her. She turned around in excitement and ran towards him.

     "Did you see that? I have powers now!"

     Soru stared at her. He can see the joy she feels just by looking at her.

     "You won't believe what happened when you were gone. You see, I met someone who told me that in exchange for the power, I will—"

     Soru listened quietly as Reika kept talking. His expression didn't change in the slightest, but he eagerly waited for her to finish.

     "- I thought it was just a bluff. But after using it here, I realized that it was true all along, and the thick fog was just the missing ingredient in order to activate my ability!"

     Reika noticed that she was talking nonstop and began to feel anxious about it.

     Oh shoot, I'm blabbering my mouth without noticing it!

     Reika glanced at Soru, who was staring at her with his seemingly cold but blank gaze.

     Seeing that Soru didn't mind her actions, Reika sighed in relief.

     Luckily, I was talking at the embodiment of a "wall"...

     Reika subconsciously disabled her ability to see the metaphysical world. Her eyes began to dim out, and everything was back to normal. She couldn't see the strange fog or the glowing orbs anymore.

     Reika noticed the night sky and raised her head. Without the special vision, she could see the stars scattering above the sky, along with the moons.

     While observing the spectacular view, a thought flashed through her mind.

     "You know, we're lucky that we were born in the era of peace..."

     "Living in comfort in our shelters, away from the cold of the winter and heat of the sun. Spending our time with our friends and loved ones without any worries that someone might do harm to them. Walking freely without living in constant fear, knowing that someone will reach their hands out in times of need."

     Soru heard Reika speak her thoughts. He listened in silence as he watched the stars twinkle in the night sky.

     "Now that I am here in this unknown land, I finally witnessed what reality was beyond the peace I knew of."

     "Seeing those eyes of those who witnessed the death of their loved ones, I realized how weak we humans are. Their eyes reflect how death could be dreadful, and the result would be devastating to those who've experienced it... "

     Reika clenched her fist tightly.

     "Now that I was given the possibility to change fate, I realized what I could do with it. As a human who witnessed and lived in the era of peace, I decided to protect those I loved the most!"

     "Watching them as they live in comfort, without any fear of impending danger that might befall upon them. Seeing those children smile as they play at the meadows, is what I desire. In that way, they can experience the peace and freedom they truly want..."

     A silence between them followed her long speech. All they could hear was the sound of the breeze passing through them and the critters making their noises under the leaves and rocks.

     "Phew! That's a long speech I've got there! Hearing myself say that stuff sounds cringey!"

     Reika chuckled with a slight shyness in her laugh.

     Although I said all of it without thinking twice, I'm sure that it is what my heart truly desires. I have no assurance that I can protect them all, but it is better to try than do nothing at all...

     Reika sighed and turned around.

     "Allrighttt! Let's find our way back to the village! They might be worried now..."

     Reika searched around, trying to remember the path she took before.

     "Where did I take the path before I got here..."

     A gentle breeze passed behind her neck. All of a sudden, Reika trembled and paused for a moment.

     This feeling...!

     Reika immediately turned her head around and looked above her. She only saw the sky filled with stars.

     What was that? Just a moment ago, I felt that someone was watching me...

     Soru noticed that Reika froze in silence. He noticed that she was staring at the sky.

     Reika closed her eyes for a moment. She knew that something was wrong.

     Her eyes glowed upon opening it in immediate action. She used the passive of her sub-ability "Subjective Control", which enables her to see the metaphysical world.

     Reika trembled and slowly walked back upon seeing the thing that made her shiver in fear.

     Possessing a monstrous size, it flew above her using its two mighty wings, which covered almost her entire vision. Its entire body was translucent, enveloping it in a faint glow. On its chest, she saw a white mass gathering at the center. 

     That figure... I'm sure I saw it somewhere before...

     The monster opened its mouth wide. Reika fell silent, and all of a sudden, the monster unleashed a loud roar.

     ROARRRRRRR!!!!

     Reika felt immense pain coursing through her entire body. She immediately dropped to her knees.

     That roar... That roar doesn't affect my hearing, but it directly attacks my soul!

     Seeing the monster once more, Reika finally realized its true identity.

     "There's no mistaking it... It is the same dragon that attacked the village... The Wildfire Dragon "Veylir"!"

      Seeing it with her own eyes, Reika was shocked upon seeing the Wildfire Dragon.

     Am I seeing things...? I'm sure that the dragon was already dead! How it was still-

     Reika remembered that she had activated her passive ability before. Thanks to that, she could see beyond the physical plane.

     Unless... That thing is not the physical body of the Wildfire Dragon, but perhaps it's a soul of it!

     Reika glanced at the dragon. The dragon's head was still fixated on her position.

     Now that its body was gone for good, it roamed aimlessly in the forest, filled with revenge and bloodlust..!

     The dragon watched her with a fierce gaze. Its eyes were filled with bloodlust and hatred, aiming them towards Reika.

     Ghk! I can feel its gaze filled with malicious intent. Maintaining eye contact with it was too hard for me to bear...

     Reika saw Soru in the distance, who doesn't have any idea of the impending danger they are currently facing.

     Damn it! Only I can see the dragon!

     Reika exhaled slowly.

     It looks like I have to deal with it myself...

     Reika observed the dragon carefully. The dragon seems vigilant about her actions, which is enough to buy her time while she thinks of a way to deal with the dragon.

     That's right! Since it can bind physical and spiritual objects, Chains of Imprisonment should be able to deal with the soul of the Wildfire Dragon!

     Reika lifted her right arm, aiming towards the dragon.

     I should wait for its response before taking any action...

     The dragon noticed Reika's stance and mistook it for a sign of attack. The dragon roared in response, preparing to directly charge towards her.

     Now!

     "Chains of Imprisonment!!"

     This time, several chains with a faint purple glow emerged from her chest. It flew to the dragon, immediately wrapping it to restrict its movement.

     Seeing that it was being tied up, the dragon shook its body and effortlessly broke free from the restriction made by the chains.

     Reika saw and was surprised by the dragon's move.

     Tsk! The chain isn't enough to pin it down!

In the distance, Soru saw Reika doing some weird movements. He didn't see the battle at all, and what he saw was Reika waving her hands back and forth.

     While Reika was struggling to deal with the dragon, she noticed that the dragon had opened its mouth wide again.

     That move... It's going to do it again!

     Without a chance to react, the dragon unleashed a loud roar again. The roar reached Reika in an instant, causing her soul to react violently.

     "GAHHK!"

     Reika fell to her knees as the roar directly affected her soul. She trembled in pain, trying to recover from the dragon's attack.

     "Ugh..."

     Soru noticed it and tried to come closer to her. Reika noticed it and immediately stopped him from coming.

     "Don't! I can handle this by myself..."

     Reika looked around.

     "I-I'm sure that Silas, Sylva, and others were looking for us right now. Instead of standing there doing nothing, l-look for their whereabouts and protect them. The forest is too dangerous for them to wander around..."

     Even though he saw Reika trembling, Soru chose to follow her order and nodded. He walked back to the depths of the forest to look for them.

     Seeing that Soru was gone, Reika looked back to check on the situation with the dragon. She saw that the dragon was slowly descending from the sky.

     After a couple of seconds, the dragon finally landed on the ground.

     An intense staredown happened between them. Without moving even a single inch, both of them remained silent. Only the breeze of the night wind and the noises of the critters can be heard.

     Reika placed both of her hands on the ground.

     I need thicker chains in order to pin it down efficiently...

     Reika closed her eyes slowly.

     Visualize it... 

     Several glowing purple chains emerged from the ground. But she used special chains to bind the dragon from its rampage.

     The chains permeated the ground, indicating that these chains could defy the laws of physical matter and act as metaphysical ones at her will. Similar to the first chain, these chains are still specialized to bind metaphysical entities.

     This should be enough to take it down!

      Reika noticed that the chains were thicker compared to the previous ones she used to bind the dragon. At this rate, the dragon would have to work much harder to break free from her restraint.

      Seeing that the dragon was desperate to free itself, Reika felt a slight relief and sighed. But her short break wouldn't last long.

     The dragon shook violently, much harder compared to the last time. Reika noticed it and began to take countermeasures.

     Oh no! 

     Reika tried to summon another chain, but she felt intense fatigue in her body. Her arms numbed out, and she lost focus on the chains that bound the dragon.

     Within a second, the first chain broke and disappeared into thin air, leaving only two chains to bind the dragon. Only the pair of its wings were left shackled by her chains.

     Reika noticed the white mass on her chest. She looked at it and realized that the white mass had grown smaller.

     The white mass inside my body... They're depleting at a faster rate every time I use those chains!

     Reika heard a clinking sound. She looked up and saw that the second chain had broken out.

     Dang it! If I summon another chain, I can't maintain the other one anymore, and it'll disappear!