This is the third arc! If you didn't read the first one, you can't understand anything!
Hi everyone!
I'm italian and I'm translating my story in english because some not-italian people ask me to do it, so please forgive me for this poor and basic english!
I accept any advice because I really want to improve my english and I know there are many mistakes, SORRY!
Thank you for reading ~
Target 1 - The Dream
The air is almost heavy, it is full of dust and smokes, there're many of them in the surrounding area.
She rubs her eyes , annoyed by the gray atmosphere, trying to focus on the entire area.
She starts to run along a paved corridor, next to almost destroyed walls and debris, they surround the long way she is pursuing.
Who knows where she will arrive and what she will find at the end of the hall.
The gray clouds seem to wrap the already gloomy sky, the smell of old stuff tickles her nose. Plaster and debris are scattered on the way, along with cracks and huge craters.
The wind is strong, she is now on top of a building and the landscape is almost heartbreaking.
That building is falling apart but the others are in the best condition, although even abandoned to their fate.
Where are its inhabitants? Why is this place so gloomy and desolate ?
Some motionless cars decorate the landscape, it doesn't seems they are there for a long time .
Many questions swirling in her head, and the young girl is sad.
"Am I alone? Where are everybody?"
The wind continues to move her long scarlet hair, she can hardly keep them in order.
She slides down, jumping on ledges that accompanies her to the ground.
A long path appears next to her, sprinkled by a strange dark cloud. She runs through it quickly, running as before, trying to discover what lies at the end of that street.
One step after another, and all that surrounds her begins to break down, it sinks as if the earth itself wants to swallow everything.
She stops a few meters away, a dark figure is sitting on top of a ruined dome.
The young man has dark short hair, a reddish torn T-shirt , black pants and he is barefoot. He seems to be the sole survivor of a disaster, a young man who has lost everything.
From his body he releases the same black cloud that accompanied her in that way, it expands like a dying will flame, which spreads in the air its attribute .
The redhead backs away, frightened, looking at that man. Only then she notices two figures sleeping, stretched out at the base of the dome.
She completely ignores the young man lying on one side and she looks at the woman beside him.
She has long brown hair and wearing a white dress.
She knows that dress and knows that woman.
She tries to reach her. She calls her name, but the voice doesn't come out.
She isn't even getting close to her, she continues to run at the same point.
The man before rises suddenly, turning to her.
She puts her hands to her face, shielding her eyes and protecting herself from his strange and disturbing eyes. She have not been able to see his eyes well, it seems she fears them .
She continues to scream the name of her friend, while the soil begins to crumble beneath her.
A hand grabs her immediately, preventing her from sinking into the void.
When she looks up, she finds herself in front of the fragile figure of a purple haired child.
He has a worried look.
- Run! -
Her hands are shaking with terror, she is worried as he was.
"Help me!" She tries to scream, but her voice doesn't come out .
"Please, don't let me fall!"
But the little boy leaves her hand, she falls through a warm white light that seems to cancel immediately the despair and terror.
She jumps up from the bed, sitting up and wiping the sweat from her forehead .
- Arashi ? Wake up! It's almost nine am! - A sweet female voice echoes through the door, she keeps knocking insistently on the wood of the door.
The redhead shakes her head, trying to recover from the dream.
Arashi: Yes .. Yes, Hana, I'm awake …
She gets out of bed, looks in the mirror, breathes the crisp morning air and turns to the window, seeing a gray sky.
She slowly descends the stairs leading to the dining room, approaching her friend who is already eating breakfast.
Haname: Did you see that thunder? It seems that a storm will come.
Then notices Arashi's dark look.
Haname: ... what's wrong?
Arashi: Nothing, only a nightmare.
Haname: You went to bed late yesterday. You're not supposed to stay up late.
Arashi: I have to study, in a few months it will be spring and there are final tests. I'm not going to fail them.
Haname: ~ Mhhh. You'll join Engineering, uh? But there is still a long time.
Arashi: Between school and work I prefer to study when I have a bit of free time.
She walks to the entrance and Haname reaches her a few seconds later, grabbing her coat and looking at her friend, ready to exit.
Haname: There is no need to run, Arina said that this morning she is much better.
Arashi: I know, but it's better if we don't walk under the rain.
The thunder keeps being annoying, the wind is strong and the two already have put their hair under their caps.
They advance at a brisk pace towards the Sawada residence, a villa situated to the further west, in the same neighborhood where Arashi lives with Haname.
They stop at a crossroad, a dark-haired guy is going to take their own direction.
Arashi: 'Morning Shinji.
Haname: Are you going to visit Nozo too?
Shinji: Mh, we have to hurry, a downpour is coming.
Haname: Yes, we watched it in the television. It isn't unusual, we are still in winter.
Shinji: It's not onlythat ... storms always bring bad news. I'm worried about Nozomi.
Arashi stops and turns to the brown haired mist with a serious expression.
Arashi: Nozo is ok, she has only a little fever.
Even Haname seems worried, so the illusionist smiles.
Shinji: Don't worry, I didn't mean that.
He moves quietly, ignoring the two friends with his eyes lost in thought.
The three cross the threshold of the house, Kaito and Luca are in living room playing videogames.
"Those two will never change." Arashi sighs, climbing the stairs and going quietly into Nozomi's room.
The brunette is asleep, a wet cloth is on her forehead and blankets are a little wet.
The brown hair is falling over her shoulders, in the last period it became longer.
She sits next to her, watching her regular breathing.
Arina: This morning the fever was down.
The tutor enters the room with some sheets, places them neatly in a drawer.
Arashi: Will she feel better tomorrow? It is good if she doesn't skip class.
Arina: I think so ... In any case it's your fault, you wanted to swim in the cold river. What possessed you to do that?
Arashi: Well, the New Year's Eve midnight swim is a well known tradition. It is an experience that should have been done.
Arina: You guys are crazy.
Arina raises her eyes to heaven, leaving the room.
The brunette turns in bed, moaning.
"It's my fault. I proposed it. " the redhead paints a smile, watching the sleeping beauty with a fever "... but this year is the last, this summer we'll be 18 and, if all goes well, we will attend the university."
"It is no longer time to do pranks."
A light rips the sky, illuminating the room.
A roar, then the pouring rain, rocked by the wind. It's only ten in the morning, but it seems already night.
Kaito: Hey, you can't do that skill!
Luca: Why? Who has decided that it isn't ok?
Kaito: My alpaca, of course.
Luca: Oh, right.
Haname is sitting next to a small wooden table, watching the two playing while munching some cookies.
Shinji looks at them on the sidelines, occasionally turns his gaze to the balcony.
The redhead looks at her friends with great discomfort inside her.
A thought continues to haunt her since that morning and decides to talk to the mist.
Arashi: Could you see the future?
Shinji turns to her, giving her a puzzled look in response.
Shinji: ... Why are you asking me that now?
Arashi: I would like to know something about our future. What can you see?
She notices the look of the dark haired boy, he is very pale and moves slowly, taking tarot cards and placing them on the floor in front of him.
Arashi follows Shinji's movements with a lump in her throat, almost as if she is scared by something. Her concerns aren't enough, the strange behavior of him makes her more anxious.
Will he see a clear future or some misfortune? What ominous words will come out from his lips?
Too many questions are swirling in her head and the nightmare continues to haunt her.
How long is she dreaming of that corridor? A week, maybe.
For the first time she has come to an end, she has met a man, she has seen Nozomi lying on the ground and a child with weird eyes.
Something has changed, and Shinji observes his cards shaking.
Shinji: I knew it ... Still nothing ... I'm sorry.
Arashi: What? What will happen? Speak!
Her screams forces Haname to turn to them, as well as Kaito and Luca, who have paused the game.
Shinji looks at the other fellow, then he observes the cards placed on the floor, before putting them in his deck.
Shinji: I can't ... nothing. There is nothing. I still can't see anything. ... It's like this for some days ...
Arashi: ... Are you saying you can't see anything? Your clairvoyance doesn't work anymore?
Shinji: No... I don't see anything ... because there is nothing in our future.
A few moments of silence.
Arashi is totally bleached and her heart begins to beat rapidly. No one seems to want to talk, the words spoken by the mist still echo in their minds.
They won't have a future? What does it mean?
The door of the room is rapidly opened by a worried Arina, who breaks the tension that has been created .
Arina: Undicesima is gone! She ran away from the window!
She seems incredulous and confused as everyone present.
The wind continues to blow undaunted, soon a tornado will come in Namimori.
The rain beats with arrogance on her shoulders and the cold teases her skin.
As soon as she regains consciousness, she looks a tiny figure in front of her, who is watching her.
She sneezes.
She remembers having a fever, she was in her bed a little earlier.
She looks up again and looks around, noticing a staircase, trees, some buildings. She is able to identify the place where she is, she often crosses that road.
Unfortunately she can't understand why she's there, along with a soaked child as she is and dipped in the cold winter, in the rain and at the mercy of the storm.
Nozomi: You ... What are you doing here? What were we doing?
- Pon ... ? - He says, tilting his head to one side.
Maybe he doesn't understand the language, or maybe he's afraid.
- Cold ... - He says, clutching his arms. - Cold ... - repeats, almost with tears in his eyes.
Nozomi: Is your mom around here? Where is your home?
That child must be five or six years old. Yet it seems that he can't speak very well.
The brunette bends down and picks him up, he isn't very heavy. She starts running, panting and exhausted because of her state and also because she's only wearing a pajamas in the middle of the pouring rain.
If the fever goes up, she could pass out and the child will be alone again.
She can't take that risk, so she decides to return home and to entrust him to Arina, in order to take him to the nearest police station.
Luckily that place isn't far from her home and, after five minutes, she arrives at the house. The door is opened with violence by a very worried Arashi, who was going to look for her friend with concern.
Arina is located next to her, along with all the others.
Nozomi meets the eyes of her storm, her expression suddenly changes and turns in an expression of sheer terror.
She is looking at the child as if she's seen a ghost.
The brunette shakes her head, it isn't the right time to dwell on certain details.
She takes a deep breath and talk.
Nozomi: Don't ask. I don't know either.
She approaches the group, gives the child to Arina and clings to Arashi who drags her inside, holding on her shoulders to keep her from falling. The fever seems that has risen quite a bit and luckily she was able to return in time.
Haname wraps her with a blanket and Arina, after closing the door, looks for a towel to keep warm the little guest.
Arashi: Nozomi ... what ...
She can't speak, her gaze moves quickly between her friend and the baby.
Nozomi: It's so weird, but I don't understand anything. I found myself on the street, in front of this child, I have no idea how I got there either. Someone needs to take him to the police station.
Arashi: But w-why did you bring him here?
Nozomi: He was alone, soaked, the tornado was coming and I could faint because of the fever. What could I do, then?
She gives the blanket to Haname, thanking her.
Nozomi: It is better to a nice hot bath. Please, take charge of the child, the mother will be worried.
She goes up the stairs to the second floor.
Arina: I'll go ask the police station.
She wears a coat.
Haname: Hey little one, what's your name?
- Pon ... ? - he replies, puzzled.
Haname: Your name! What is your name?
She tries to make herself understood using gestures and pointing at the little child.
- ... Pon ? - he repeats.
Kaito: Is he able to say only "pon"? Then let's call him PonPon!
Luca: He isn't a pet!
Luca pats the head of the sun.
After making sure that the baby is well wrapped and protected against rain, Arina quickly goes out of the house.
When the door of the house closes, the group remains perplexed and incredulous.
Arashi is still terrified and Haname seems to have noticed it for quite a while.
Haname: Ara ... are you ok? You're so pale ... Nozomi is back and she will be fine, right?
Kaito: Well, it's a problem if she starts to be a sleepwalker and suddenly disappears in the storm...
Kaito observes the two with a confused and worried look.
Arashi: It's not about that.
The redhead turns to her friend and glances at Shinji.
Arashi: ... Maybe I should tell you about the dream I had last night.
Haname: It has to do with what Shinji has said just now?
Arashi: ... It also has to do with the child in Nozomi's arms.
She seems very scared.
Arashi: He is the child that I've seen in my dream.
The dim candle light is enough to illuminate the decorated circle on the floor, leaving the shadows of the concerned figures, they are shaking their head in disbelief.
- Are you still unsure, after what you have seen with your own eyes ? - An old voice echoes in the room, but none of them dares to speak. - We need to avert the Crisis. It is our duty towards humanity and towards our Planet. -
Some sigh, some whisper and then, again, silence.
- Any other objections? - He asks, looking at the other figures and getting silent answers. - Well. I have already chosen who will carry out this mission. -
- Are you sure? They are children. - Another elder speaks.
- For centuries we carry on the tradition and for centuries the candidates are always kids, as I was at that time. - He says - If you have nothing else to add, let us abandon ourselves to the will of the gods and pray that everything goes well. -
With a breath, the faint light turns off.