Prologue pt 4: The Final Part
Ax frowned at the man who stood in his living room. A nameless, intimidating man with a black coat that was constantly on his shoulders. He was also Ax's parent's boss.
"Now, Ax," Ax's mother, Mrs. Rojas, smiled at him. "You're in charge. Keep an eye on Wen and keep yourselves safe. We'll be back some time tomorrow afternoon," she pulled Ax toward her and hugged him.
Ax put on a smile for his mom, a small grin that said he could handle it. Internally though, he was unnerved about this particular mission. The black-coat boss had never actually gone on a mission with his minions. What was different about this time?
The man smirked at Ax and a chill descended Ax's back. The man clapped a hand on a shoulder of each of Ax's parents. "Well, we best be off. I'm sure the boy can take care of himself around here."
Ax slid his expression into blankness, not letting the man see how much the words shook him. If anything happened to his parents on this mission, Ax would blame himself.
The boss man had given Ax an assignment a few weeks prior. He was to use his semblance to keep Wenara from unlocking her full potential. If not, there would be consequences.
Ax had refused, but now he was second guessing himself.
He was right to.
Coli rubbed her hands up and down her arms. It was cold in the metal ship that was escorting Coli and her team to the outer limits of Vale. Their final official mission before they got their Huntress licenses.
Coli looked around at her team, taking in their faces and emotions. This would be their last mission together. For some of them, it would be the last mission of their lives.
Coli shivered. Cold or fear? She couldn't tell. She had to keep her team safe, even at the risk of her own life. Coli brushed the pendant she constantly kept around her neck with the tips of her fingers. She hoped her siblings would understand her choice.
"I'm sorry."
Ax stared at the black clad man. The bomb he just dropped shot through Ax's heart. Mom, dad.
Wenara tightened her fists, her hands trembling with barely controlled rage. "Mommy and daddy wouldn't let some Grimm take them down! You killed them!" she screeched him. She lunged across the room, reaching for the man.
The man reached for a sword that was concealed under his coat, preparing to strike her down. Ax grabbed Wenara by the collar of her shirt and yanked her back to his side.
The man moved his hand away from the sheath. "You'd better keep her under control, boy."
Ax partially blocked Wenara with his body. "She's a kid. She doesn't know what she's talking about. Don't worry," Ax bit out. "I'll have a conversation with her."
The man nodded curtly. "I'll see you soon," he said quietly, only for Ax to hear.
Ax watched him go. His stomach churned and the world seemed to darken. Leave us alone, demon man.
Coli moved carefully through the wrecked village, walking as soft as she could. Her team followed after her, all of their weapons drawn. "What path are we on, girls?" Coli whispered to her teammates. "Can anybody tell yet? I'd like to be prepared."
Two of the girls shook their heads, but Tara, one of Coli's closest friends frowned as if she recognized something. "I think it might be the-"
A loud crash interrupted her. The girls leaped to attention, following Coli's quick pace down to the sound. A house was on fire, and Coli could see a figure standing in the middle of it. A wall was missing on one side, so Coli and her team peered around to see inside.
A man in a long black coat held another person off the ground by their neck, blood running down their fingers. The man tossed the person against a wall, throwing them away like some piece of trash.
Tara squeaked, and then slapped a hand over her mouth.
The man slowly turned toward them. Coli's gut twisted. This path. Shit. "Evening ladies," the man called, wiping blood off of his hands. "Fancy meeting the four of you here. Is there some sort of party happening?" he bowed deeply. "I'm sorry, but I must have missed that."
One of Coli's teammates, Turquoise, scowled. "Prepare to die, Dream-Master!" she leapt across the damaged home, using her Aura to propel herself.
"Don't!" Coli's other teammate, Nivikia yelled. "Go against the pa-"
She was cut off by the Dream-Master slamming his sword through Turquoise. The sound that echoed made Coli's stomach churn. "One down, two to go," the Dream-Master murmured. He spun on his heel, slicing his blade through the air where Nivikia had just been standing. Coli held tight to her friend's arm. Without knowing her, you wouldn't be able to realize just how fast she could move.
"This ends here," she snarled at him.
The Dream-Master laughed. "I'd like to see any of you even graze me!"
"Cocky bastard!" Nivikia yelled, yanking herself away from Coli. She pulled her handgun out of its holster and fired rapidly at the Dream-Master. "Murderer!"
The Dream-Master blocked each of the bullets with ease. "Pathetic. You all are this world's future huntresses? I fear for the world."
Nivikia flung herself into the air, trying to come down hard with her foot at one of the Dream-Master's weak spots. He smirked and swung his blade up, slicing strait through Nivikia's ankle. Her howl of extreme pain filled the room.
The Dream-Master flung his blade, stabbing through Nivikia's chest, pinning her to the ground like a butterfly on a board. He turned towards Tara, who had frozen where she stood.
Coli used her semblance to fling herself in front of Tara. "No! Take me instead! I won't stand by and watch while you kill all my friends!"
"C-Coli, don't…" Tara trembled, moving her hand towards Coli.
Coli pressed her lips together. She and the Dream-Master had a silent standoff for several seconds. He shrugged, and then grinned manically. "Killing you will be a pleasure, girl," he thrust his sword through Coli's abdomen. "Don't you just love Aura piercing poison?" he smirked at her. He yanked his sword out and watched in psychotic glee as she collapsed in a bloody heap.
Tara remained frozen, staring at the bodies of her teammates that littered the ground. The Dream-Master stepped over Coli's body and moved to stand directly in front of Tara. "You have other friends and family, don't you?" Tara didn't answer, the shock of how much blood there was all over freezing her tongue. "Of course you do," he reached into the pocket of his long coat and pulled out a silver ring. "If you want them to survive, you'll wear this," he lifted up her palm and dropped the ring. Tara stared at it. It was cold and heavy. A weight she didn't know how to bear. She slipped on the ring.
Dizziness overtook her and the room began to contract. Tara fell down onto her knees, trying to hold onto consciousnesses. The Dream-Master smirked at her. "Your first mission, tell little Jai Olos that she'll be next." Tara heard the words right before slamming into unconsciousness.
The Grimm slashed its claws through her mother. The scream felt like it was going to make Wenara's ears bleed. Wenara couldn't do anything but watch as the Grimm turned to her father, frozen in shock. He didn't make any effort to get away as the Grimm came after him. The man in the black coat reached a hand out to Mr. Rojas, trying to pull him away. He couldn't get there in time.
Wenara shot awake, her pulse pounding in her ears. That wasn't what happened. That's what he said happened. He killed them. Not the Grimm. Her parents wouldn't just let themselves die to Grimm when they still had Ax and Wenara to raise.
Wenara clenched the bracelet she wore around her wrist. Her best friend, Dustin, had given it to her. It had become a piece of comfort to her. It wasn't working right now. Her breath quickened and her heart began to pound out a metal song.
The pain in her chest grew by the second, the wave of tears hiding behind her eyes. She had to get rid of the wrong memory. It was eating her alive.
Wenara tightened her fingers around Dustin's bracelet and she pushed her emotions into it as hard as she could.
She rose of her bed at an alarming speed, sand and other small objects in her room flying about like in a tornado. The walls shook around her. Wenara's head pounded louder. What was going on? Was this her semblance? With one final push, the memory of the dream flew into the bracelet. How had she done that?
Whatever had been keeping her up in the air released her and she was dropped onto her bed. As soon as she hit, the walls collapsed outward.
Ax was there in an instant. "Wen! What the hell?" His eyes widened at the state of her room. He ran over to her and grasped her wrists. "Wen! What happened in here?"
Ax's finger brushed the bracelet and the memory of the dream crashed into Wenara's mind, giving her the worst head ache she had ever experienced. The edges of her vision began to darken. Pound. Pound. Pound.
"Wen!" Ax's voice was getting softer. Was this what dying felt like? Then there was dark.
It couldn't be true. Coli was the strongest person Jai had ever met. She couldn't have been killed on her mission! What about her Huntress license? She had been so excited for it!
Was this why she made Jai make an impossible promise? Right before she left, she had called Jai and begged her to promise that she would become the greatest Huntress Remnant had ever seen. Jai didn't know how to answer. That wasn't something you were capable of at fourteen years old.
Jai watched numbly as Beacon's headmaster spoke softly to her parents. It was real. Coli was dead. Coli was dead. Coli was dead.
Jai couldn't take it anymore. She broke away from her parents, and sprinted off down the road. Her feet slapped against the pavement, taking her wherever they wanted to go. It was like they had a mind of their own. She soon ran through an apartment, climbing the stairs as fast as she could. She stopped in front of one of the doors. She panted, staring at the door. This was the home of Micheal Townsend, Coli's boyfriend.
Jai leaned her head against the door. Why was she here? Was there any point? Would Micheal even be able to help her fulfill the promise to her sister?
Making her decision, Jai knocked on the door. She waited a couple minutes. Were they not home? Suddenly, Micheal opened the door, looking like he hadn't slept in a week. He raised his eyebrows in minor surprise at seeing Jai outside his door. He opened his arms and Jai flew into him.
The two of them stood like that a long time. "I made a promise to Coli," Micheal murmured, his voice sounding dry and pained. "I plan to keep it, Jai."
Jai breathed in Micheal's smell. "Me too," she said softly. "I promised to be the strongest Huntress I could. H-how do I do that w-without her?"
Micheal trembled slightly. "Olos children always keep their promises somehow. Don't give up."
Jai squeezed Micheal tighter. Don't give up, huh? Just like Coli would say; keep fighting. Can I do that?
Jai shut her eyes. "I can try my absolute hardest, can't I? That's all she would expect of me," Jai pulled away from Michael and stared him in his eyes. "I'll be the strongest Huntress or Huntsman Remnant has ever seen. Just you watch."
A/ N: Okay! The prologue is finally over! Took a little more than a month. Le sigh. Anyway, I'll be staring on the present scenes in next week's edition of The Chronicles of the DreamMaster. Jai, Wenara, Ivex and Lior are the main main characters, but like I did in this chapter, you'll be seeing the perspective of others as well.
If you like this so far, I'd love to hear your feedback! Critiques, comments, questions, anything! I'll be trying hard to get these chapters out sometime every Friday. Thanks for reading! /Kronos\\