Author's Note:

I'm on a roll, and so are my updates! The situation has been cleared, and in story, everything's quiet again. All the while, from the first dream until now, Amato has been getting the same progressive images each night, and this is one of them! Enjoy!


Chapter 53: Burning II

The same, monstrous eye. It was grotesque, disgusting, it looked and felt unnatural. A wave of fear, horror and nausea. I wondered if it was my own, or that of the girl's whose eyes showed the images I saw. Perhaps it didn't matter, that the two of us were bonded in consciousness. The inside of that closet, though big and spacious, was stuffy and extremely hot from the flames engulfing everywhere outside. Lying on her back, the girl watched as the figure got closer and closer, step after step. She could've gone through any form of suffering, but the look of that eye was too much.

"Hah.. Hahah.. Ha.." Her breath came at strange speed, for it was all beyond her control. Gotta stay quiet! At the thought, her hands cupped her mouth once more, shutting herself up through force. When she saw the jewel her father entrusted to her glow and pulsed with energy and light, she quickly wrapped her fingers around the object before the monstrous figure outside could catch sight of it.

At the other side of the door, the man inched closer, his monstrous eye staring through the opening, lifeless. Did he actually noticed the girl? Or had he caught sight of the light coming from the stone? Ever since a few seconds before, the man had gone all quiet, and that scared the girl even more. Like an animal, she was trapped, pushed to a corner. She didn't know what to do. The state of her mind soon merged with mine, and the impact was so paralyzing, it was unlike anything I felt before. In all my life, I had never been so afraid. On instinct, my mind screamed out in desperation. I need to run, now!

Ba-dump.

The sound of heartbeat spiked as the man's fingers suddenly appeared, latching onto the door. Metal, the bloodied metal axe appeared in the girl's thoughts, she was afraid of that crazed man plunging that piece of metal through her, she didn't want to see her own skin and flesh torn and ripped off her bones. But, as fearful as she was, she refused to shut her eyes, because in the darkness, her fear would only get bigger. Her knees shaking as convulsions rumbled through her body, she was frustrated at all that's happened, how she had no idea what was really going on.

"Well then, maybe it's not such a waste coming up here after all..." The man was horrible, joking in the sea of death caused by him alone. Just as he was about to ripped the door to the closet off its hinges, another sound rang off first.

"Crash!" The crashing of objects, the breaking of glass. All the windows must've shattered. Instantly, the girl remembered the meter tall glass panes of the office which formed its windows, that one could look down onto the city through them. She remembered how she used to spend time with her parents, just gazing at the little people going on with their lives. To our surprise, both mine and the girl's, the man, with twin axes in his hands, immediately turned around, surprised at the sudden blasting of sound.

"Maybe setting the fire wasn't such a good idea, it seems the building's not going to hold up for much longer..." The man spoke to himself as he stood there watching, his back to the girl. Grabbing the opportunity, I was surprised to find my vision moving once more, the girl quietly pushing her way to the open elevator to escape, despite the sharp pain throbbing from her limbs, her muscles. The only thing in her eyes, was the doors of the elevator, wide open and still tainted with pools of blood.

B-dump.

Her will was astounding, she kept her focus even through fear and shock, pushed on by her adrenaline. When the walls of the elevator enclosed around her, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath, before turning her eyes back through the doors. There, I caught sight of an image that would've left my mind scarred. The murderer of her parents walked on, one step after another, slowly. His head slightly tilted to the side, he had a broken smile tearing across his face, and that monstrous eye, the lines running across it glowing in purple light. He was going to kill her! Even with the few meters between them, the girl sensed the danger, and scrambled to the side, before a long dagger flew past her eyes. Driven by another round of shock, I saw her hands slammed down on the button that would take her to the ground floor.

As the doors swiftly closed, the sight of the man disappeared, her back was pushed against the wall, as something wet flowed out of her eyes.

"Sniff... Sob... S-sniff." She cried, her tears came out slow. There was much grief. The sight of her parents just killed off right before her, cut up into pieces like that was too much, and she refused to believe what she saw with her own two eyes. Logic and desire clashed, one kept screaming out that her parents were dead, the other just wanted to stay and be at her parents' side. Amidst the salty tears was the metallic smell of blood, fresh blood. When her fingers reached up to touch her face, they became all bloody. The dagger had cut her skin as it flew past her, the stinging pain confirmed her thoughts.

I felt her grief, the wave of emotions, as if I was there, perhaps inside her mind, taking in all that affected her. There were so many things pulling her down, trying to convince her to just close her eyes and stop all she was doing. I felt my body burning, crying out for water. My arms and legs begged for rest, the pain gnawing and chewing on her muscles. My mind was exhausted. The sights and smell around me was unbearable.

But she refused. Her eyes landing on the dagger, her tiny hand gripped its hilt. Just how old is she? From what I saw, she could be no older than five years old. Even lifting the dagger was quite a challenge for her, the weight pressing down on her hands as she picked it up, but she held it close. I was just impressed by her tenacity.

"Doom!" Suddenly, a rumble could be felt from where she sat. Followed by another.

"Krank!" The harsh sound of metal snapping burst forth, before a massive weight pulled down the elevator. The girl was wrecked with confusion, but I knew what happened. The man must have cut the wires, and gravity was pulling us down. Clinging to the side of the wall, I felt her light of hope slowly dying out as her tears kept flowing forth. Before the crash hit me, my vision had gone dark. It was too much, the chaos and her emotions, and the girl fainted.

But the images did not end there.

First, the warmth of the jewel radiated to the surroundings, touching my skin and comforting me like a gentle caress. Then, my touch landed on stone and sand, rubble hitting my arms, elbows and knees, scraping the skin. That was when I realized the girl must have already been moving, even as her sight was still filled with darkness. I couldn't count on my sense of smell to tell me anything, as each breath only got a horrid blend of dust and blood surging up to my brain. If anything, it was hindering the girl as she forced herself to survive.

When her eyes opened, she was already out of the elevator, which had crashed itself on the ground floor. Limping, each hold on the giant pieces of rubble that had fallen around her sent waves of pain through my touch, while her right hand kept her grip on the dagger. When something wet flowed from her forehead and into her eyes, she just raised her arm to wipe it away, ignoring the red liquid that stained her skin and clothes.

"Ugh... Uh.." Slowly, she made her way out of the building, trying her best not to throw up from the bodies that littered the lobby. The scene beyond the walls had completely changed. The fires raged on, but the feeling of life had been snuffed out from the streets. With every few steps through the burned paths, my vision was turned back, almost frantically, as the girl kept checking out whether the man with the axe had followed her. As each glance only met with an empty street and silence, I could feel paranoia rising within her. Somehow, she knew the man would be more than capable of hunting her down.

"Hah... Puff... Hah..." It was painful to hear the girl's voice, the challenge she had to go through. With each step, her vision blurred, her focus wavering as she moved. The fire around her, burning down the buildings, the very place she grew up in, crackles as each ember was formed, as the flames fight to maintain themselves, before ultimately snuffing out. The screams of the populace was long gone, and all she was hearing was the burning of the fire. In the heat, I could feel a strange sense of yearning. When they were there, the screams were unbearable, but now that they're gone, the girl wanted to hear them again badly.

Because even as they suffered, hearing their voices would mean she was not alone in the city, that she could be there to help them, or they could help her. Wandering through the streets, I was hit by an immense feel of vulnerability because of how alone the girl felt. It was a feeling the girl hated the most, even when compared to her pain and her fear.

Before I knew it, her eyes opened up to an open field, dull, green grass as far as her eyes could see. To her back, as she turned, I saw a huge blaze of orange, the fireball burning that was her city, the place she grew up in. I felt her muscles ached, crying out even as she rested, after stopping her movement for a second, staring at what was her home.

"Chink. Chink. Chink." In the distance, the sound of metal chains and accessories hitting against each other could be heard, instantly striking fear into my own heart. The vision cleared, and I saw through the girl's eyes the same man from the building before, his short, ash blond hair left in a buzz-cut. The bloodstained axe still in his hands, he paced towards the girl with the same crazed smile, the excitement even affecting his breathing, causing it to become irregular. The very sight sent shivers down the girl's spine.

"Ugh... Hih..." The sound of struggle came out of the girl's voice, ash she scrambled on all fours, desperate to get away, only to have her body bail on her, her arms and legs locked by pain and exhaustion. Actually, her efforts for the past hour or so was way beyond what a child could do, so maybe her body had reached her limits. A bright light stood between her and the monster, humming forth from the jewel hanging from her neck.

When the man with the unnatural eye caught sight of the light, his smile only grew wider and even more crooked. As the girl got distracted, the man casually throws his swing, the metal axe cutting through the air as soon as he got close. Frantic, the girl forced her arms to move, and with adrenaline, she swung the dagger two handed, to intercept the wing. Her very actions willed by instincts alone.

"Kashink!" The impact left the sound ringing in my ears, as it managed to keep the blade away from the girl. However, the dagger was knocked right out of her hands by the sheer strength of the man. A sense of numbness could be felt from the hands, with feeling slowly draining away from her fingertips.

"Talk about sneaky, the man sure knows how to screw with me, even after death!" His feral voice screaming out into the cloudless night-sky, the man brings his palm to his forehead, laughing at himself. Frozen and forced to watch, the girl couldn't even scream in fear, her voiced robbed from her, the throat refusing to work. All she felt was pain with every try. Suddenly, his arms reached out, pulling the girl up with ease, his fingers crushing down on her neck as he brought her to his face, his eyes all but pinned on the jewel's light.

"My time's almost up, but I will get the item I came for!" The man roared out, his monstrous, unnatural eye glowing purple, light coursing through the veins, as he got more and more agitated for some reason, like a child eager for his present, with a touch of insanity. His fingers still clenched on the grip of his axe, I caught sight of his arm readying the bloody weapon itself, the frightening sight shocking the girl's entire body into movement. But, struggling did nothing in the situation, as her efforts couldn't even budge the man's fingers digging into her flesh.

"Now let me see the red of your blood!" The man gave out a sudden, maniacal declaration, slowly bringing up his axe as if he was enjoying the struggle of his prey right before his eyes.

"No!" It seemed forever since I last heard it, but the girl's voice came churning out, the tone hitting me as somewhat familiar. Throwing her arms to fear and instinct, her small palms reached out to cover the man's face, before something unbelievable happened. From the pulsing jewel, another light churned forth, erupting from the girl's palms.

"Phiew, zing!" The sound was something completely stranger to me, and the girl as well. It shot out to the surroundings, unlike anything I've heard before.

"Kaboom!" A split second later, heat and fire was pressing close to the girl's face as an explosion struck the man's face, right at where her hands were left. On reflex, the girl was thrown a meter back, propelled by a tiny bit of the man's strength. Taken aback by the sudden change in situation, the man staggered backwards a few steps as his face and the side of his body caught fire. What was strange was that no sound came from the murderous figure, no voice, no scream, he took the blast head on with little reaction.

"This is not possible!" The man screamed out like an animal deprived of its hunt, the flames slowly dying out, revealing his slightly charred skin and the purple eye throbbing out of irritation. Before he could close in and attack again, the girl threw her arms in an arc, and just like that, three rings of fire started burning around her, flickering with life of its own, a venerable shield. With the flames roaring around her, seemingly protective, she fell to her knees as the adrenaline faded, the sight showing me the flames, as the girl watched in hopes of the man with the axe giving up on his intentions, whatever it may have been.

"Hragh! You think a little fire's gonna stop me?" His hellish scream only scared the girl even more, as the man forced his steps through the flames, his frightening visage ignoring the burns he was suffering. With her heart gripped by fear and disbelief, by the time movement returned to the girl, the man have had his palm carrying her up by her forehead, pulling her off the ground once more.

I watched as the axe was swung toward me, the sense of mortality so real, so heavy within the girl.

"Let go of me!" With another yell of defiance, she brought her fists together. The pulsing source of power from the jewel seemed to resonate within her, and another light, this time bigger than before, encircled the whole of her body.

"Phiew, shing!" The similar sound accumulated in a second, as if one could hear the energy being drawn in, gathered.

"Kaboom!" The concentrated power is released, the explosions knocking the guy back, throwing him like a rag doll. The orange of the flames burned on in a hypnotizing way, probing at the girl's exhausted mind. Fire had enveloped the whole of the man's body, so much that the flames burning the city looked pale in comparison to the fire chewing at his flesh. Beyond tired, I watched as the girl's vision fell to the side, all while still drawn to the flicker of the flames.

Suddenly, the shadow from the flames started to move, before the man stepped out once more, growling and snarling. The fire surrounding his body quickly died off, revealing his skin and flesh slightly burned, but otherwise still no worse for wear. What the heck is he? How is it possible for him to still be alive and kicking? Before he charged towards the girl again, another strange thing happened.

"Argh! No! Give me a few more seconds!" He seemed to be struck with pain, bringing his hands to his head and bending down, struggling to fight off something affecting his body. Could it be the burns? No, as he does, a mist of shadow started flowing out from every part of his body, and his skin started melting, flying into the dark flames piece by piece. Forcibly, he was being torn apart by whatever that shadowy flame was. Strange, to me, they look so familiar as well. Driven to madness, the man roared out into the night, before ignoring all else and bursting into a feral race towards the girl.

"Uragh!" Like a demon, he screamed with anger, the suffering he was feeling embedded into his tone. His armor clanking with each step, he pulled back his arm as whole parts of his body started fading from reality. The smoke and flames getting bigger, he threw his frantic swing at the girl, his eyes with the look of a predator. Before the weapon could slice into her neck, it vanished, along with the man who hunted her throughout the night.

"Hah... Hah... Hah..." Soon, even the flames surrounding the girl disappeared, as if they were no longer needed, so they took their leave. The only sound breaking into the silence was the girl's breathing, as she laid on the ground, barely able to keep herself conscious.

"It seems it was the right decision to stop myself from stepping in back there." Another voice shook the girl right back up, and in turn, her vision cleared. When she turned, a baby in a black suit came into sight, with a giant, yellow pacifier hanging around his neck and a big, black fedora over his head. Slowly, he made his way towards me, or us. Wind started howling again the night, the chill getting to my skin after everything calmed.

"With death so near, your true potential was drawn out... A mage, intriguing." He continued, speaking in a manner unsuited for a baby, should a baby be able to speak at all.

The girl had little strength left, and just watched on as the baby rambled. I could feel no threat from the Arcobaleno, and I assumed the girl felt the same. For whatever reasons, she was just glad there was someone with her, after all that's happened. The light from the jewel, which seemed to have caught the baby's attention as well, have faded. Now, it looked nothing more than a pretty stone.

"Ciaossu. My name's Reborn, and I've decided to be your hit-man home-tutor."


When I blinked my eyes, I found myself back in my hotel room, the same as last night and the night before. The dreams changed ever since we came to Japan, as if coming here unlocked the next sequence of memories I was seeing every night. Looking out into the night sky, the gray clouds covering the moon, I couldn't shake off the feeling of familiarity I was getting from the dreams. It had become a sort of daily routine, as my body no longer sweat bullets each night, as I awoke from what could be compared to as nightmares.

"Could it really be...?" I asked to myself, as the thought of someone popped into my head as soon as I wondered who the girl from my dreams were. The similarities are there, but those are but common features, a whole lot of people could fit them. With each night, I became more and more concerned for the girl. I want to know who is she, what happened to her. I want to help.

"Argh! Darn it!" Scratching my head furiously, my body fell back into bed as I realized I had absolutely no clue that could lead me to her. As I laid in between the sheets, the clock struck two, showing its long hand on twelve and the short hand on two. The only clue I have is perhaps how she looked like, as well as that jewel around her neck. What else can I draw from what I saw...

"That's right! The Arcobaleno! His name is... Reborn! Maybe Aria can tell me where that baby is!" My voice nearly burst out into a scream into the night as I got all excited by my own idea.

"Tomorrow's the New Year's Festival, huh? Ha ha, this all feels like Deja Vu!" Strangely commenting to myself, I nonetheless remembered the night before New Years back in Italy, when the dreams first started. The situation right now is strangely similar. Hinata invited us to the Festival, or at least, that's what Kiera told me. I was too drunk to understand Hinata myself back then. Somehow, Kiera seemed really eager to go. The fact that I got myself kidnapped because of something as stupid as not checking the drink before I gulped it down was still something I couldn't accept, and I caused Sergio such injuries...

"Sigh... I wonder if Sera and the others are doing okay back home?" Well, now that I think about it, bringing the three strongest members of the Zanna Famiglia with me actually left the mansion quite vulnerable. Still, we have been having peaceful days ever since the reclamation completed, so maybe I'm just being overly cautious. All right, time to sleep, I can't afford to be tired tomorrow! With the thoughts kept popping up one after another, I had to push them away in order to fall back to sleep.


Another dream shows itself! Any idea who's the girl Amato's eyes see through in his dreams? Who is the man with the unnatural eye? Well now, near the end, my mind was starting to lack ideas, so I hope this chapter's not too boring! With many things to come, keep your eyes out for my updates! And I want to read your thoughts in your reviews as well!