Lin's Nightmare:
My name is Cross, also known as "The Blue Reclaimer", and member of Team Elma. One thing I value above all else is my teammates. Particularily, my team leader, Elma, who is also a Reclaimer like me, but she has a slightly dark tan skin color, whereas mine's a curious skin color. In other words, my skin color is blue. Elma's also the one who understands me the most, even going as far as being the only person who knows my reasons for joining the Reclaimers.
And then there's 13-year-old Lin Lee Koo, an Outfitter who recently invented the Skell Flight Module some time ago with help from me. The invention of the Skell Flight Module actually helped save my life before. Lin and I see each other as surrogate sisters. Lin's also formed a close bond with a Nopon named Tatsu, whom we accidentally rescued from the Ganglion a while ago.
I had a tough mission with some BLADE soldiers. But it all went well in the end. We were tasked with raiding a Ganglion fortress to rescue a missing BLADE team. All the missing members were rescued alive. The mission took place in Oblivia. When we returned in the middle of the night, we were aptly rewarded by a man named Walter, who trains BLADE troops.
"Welp, it's the middle of the night, and I should be getting some sleep. No doubt Elma and Lin have gone asleep while waiting for me." I muttered after I got my reward. And I knew where to go to: BLADE Barracks.
"Before you go, Ms. Cross? We'd like to thank you for your involvement. If it weren't for your experience in working as a part of Elma's team, our mission would've been a failure." one of the BLADE soldiers said.
"Anytime, mates. I've merely done my part." I replied rather modestly as I waved them good-bye.
I made sure to make my Skell disappear, since what would the point be in leaving them outside and the BLADEs inside? I sent it to the Skell Garage in the BLADE Barracks simply by tapping my watch. Once I knew my Skell, which I named "Blue Cross" was in the Skell Garage, I decided to directly enter the Barracks itself.
As I entered, I looked to my left side, sighing, and then saying "I'm home. Now it's time for me to..." But then, I felt something bump into my chest at such high speed, knocking myself down near the door.
"Ow! My chest..." I moaned in pain.
"Ooh... My face..." said another person, whom I looked at and was surprised to see at this time of night.
"Lin? What were you doing at this time of night?" I asked in confusion.
"Oh, hi, Cross." Lin solemnly said.
"Are you alright, Lin? You're not your usual cheerful self." I asked.
"Are you sure you want to know, Cross? If I told you, you might be... scared."
"Wait... You... had a nightmare?"
Lin nodded in response. "Yep. A scary one at that."
"Oh... Why don't you tell me what it is? I'm here for you, Lin." I said as I helped her up.
"Okay, then. I'll say that it takes place during that time when you were kidnapped by that xenophobic criminal, Alex."
"Him?"
"Mm-hmm. But here's what happens..."
I'll let Lin take over writing since she can describe her own nightmare better than I could. Lin?
Thanks, Cross. This is Lin Lee Koo, writing this part. Since I know how to describe my nightmare better, I'll reveal what happened.
It took place during the time where Cross was kidnapped by Alex and his xenophobic followers. Elma was searching in Alex's base while I was protecting her, searching for our kidnapped teammate.
When Elma looked at the room in question where we found Cross in real life, she was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is she?" I asked impatiently.
"She's got to be around here somewhere..." Elma replied.
But then, we've heard muffled screaming nearby. It sounded like the person was screaming "help me". Then, I turned towards my right, and saw one of the guards, carrying Cross, who has this look of morbid fear on her face, and was bound and gagged, just as I had seen her earlier from Alex's threatening message. As well, her clothes were torn.
"Cross!" I yelled, before following.
"Lin, wait! Wait for me!" Elma ordered, but I ignored her, choosing to prioritise stopping the guard and saving Cross.
When I finally caught up to the guard, two more came by to distract me while the guard who was carrying Cross along was escaping via a helicopter.
Although I effortlessly took down the guards using my shield, the helicopter was taking off. And I had this sinking feeling as to where it was going. Having witnessed Cross's near death experience from her first encounter with these anemone-like monsters called "Filiavents", I knew for a fact that this left Cross scared badly. That particular Filiavent was called Trueno, the Cataclysm, and it lives in Cauldros's White Phosphor Lake.
When I saw that look of morbid fear in Cross's eyes, I knew the guard was going to take Cross to Lake Ciel, home of another Filiavent, called Laurencio, the Fog Bow.
The first thing I did when I saw the helicopter escape was summon my Skell, with Tatsu still inside it, and pursue immediately.
By the time I finally caught up to the helicopter, it had already arrived in Lake Ciel, during a Crimson Aurora. I immediately knew what the guard was going to do; drop Cross's helpless body onto Laurencio, the Fog Bow, then watch its tentacles grab her, and then drop her into its gaping maw.
I had to put a stop to it, no matter what. I grabbed a floating rock, then flung it at the helicopter, which deflected towards Laurencio, then watch as it directs its attention towards the helicopter.
However, it worked too well for its own good, for the guard had to send Cross towards its maw. Once it was angled to where he wants to send Cross to, he threw her helpless body to it.
I had my Skell's flight sent to full power, hoping to use my Skell's arm to rescue Cross from her two enemies: the xenophobic guard, and the Filiavent down below.
But just as Cross was in my reach, something suddenly shot my Skell down. I landed on the shallow water lake on my own, with an unconcious Tatsu landing next to me.
And then? I saw that I was far too late to do anything. Laurencio had grabbed Cross's bound and gagged body with its tentacles. And because Cross's clothes were torn, she lost her high resistance to electricity. I could hear her muffled screams of excruciating pain. I felt like I was going to burst into tears when I knew what was going to happen next.
And surely, enough, I was right. It flung Cross in the air, and she was letting out a muffled scream of fear, almost as though she were falling into a bottomless pit, until she fell into Laurencio's maw, and was swallowed whole in one gulp.
A few seconds after that happened, I was just so emotionally impacted, that it looks like the entire planet, and everything before me was literally melting. My own surrogate sister, who is one of the few things that mean the most to me, alongside Skells and Tatsu, was gone forever, that my mind was terribly impacted, that it made everything around me look like it was literally melting; the helicopter, the Filiavent itself, the entire landscape of Sylvalum, the wreckage of my Skell... heck, even Tatsu's unconcious body was melting right before my very eyes, even though I wasn't looking at him. And I was trying to shout out the word "No!" as big and dramatically as possible, but nothing came out of my voice.
And that was where my nightmare ended. I'll hand the storytelling back to Cross.
Thank you, Lin. Back to reality...
"And that was what happened in the nightmare." Lin said with tears.
"Don't cry, Lin. Yes, that is such a horrible nightmare. But think of it as something that will never happen at all." I said in a comforting tone.
"Hmm?" Lin asked as she looked up at me.
"It was your involvement in the rescue mission that played a big part of it being a success. The fact that you were willing to back Elma up was what ultimately saved my life. Not to mention, that xenophobe, Alex, is dead. Again, all thanks to the fact that you were willing to back me up. So please, don't let that nightmare haunt you. I'm alive and well." I said with a smile, which made Lin smile in return.
And the two of us hugged as a result.
"Hey, Cross?" Lin asked.
"Yes?" I asked in response.
"Would it be okay if... I slept with you in your bed?" she replied nervously.
"Of course. ...Hey, I noticed the roles will be reversed this time." I noted.
"Yeah. Normally, you're the one to get nightmares, and I'm the one who suggests you sleep on my bed with me. But this time, it's the opposite."
"But even so, no matter what happens, we'll always be here for each other. I bet Elma's glad we get along this well."
"Right. As friends and surrogate sisters forever, Cross?"
"As friends and surrogate sisters forever, Lin."
Some time later, Lin and I are sleeping on my bed. This rare occurance was noted by Elma, who just came out of the bathroom.
"Heh. Even though the roles are reversed, their bond is still the same. I couldn't have asked for better teammates." Elma whispered with a smile.
This is where our story ends. Right, Lin?
Right, Cross.