Bara no Scarlet
Chapter 41
Nightmare
She was standing in a room that she didn't recognize. For some reason, she was wearing her Rose Bride gown and there was terror in her heart, terror in the air. She was terrified, and she had no idea why. Confused and trembling, she turned around and around, looking about the room.
The floor was hard and white, a soft rose-colored Ohtori Rose painted on it, stretching almost from one end to the other. She eventually recognized it as the Dueling Platform. But what was she doing on the Dueling Platform? There wasn't a duel scheduled. And why was she so frightened?
There was a whisper, a low and almost metallic whisper just below where she could hear. Focusing her attention on the voices, she could make out the single word that was repeated over and over. "Witch."
Witch? What witch?
She turned, looking for a witch, or anything that vaguely resembled a pointy hat, but found nothing.
She watched as swords circled around the platform, saw a shadow spilling out and away from her. It was a strange shadow, the dress silhouetted, but nothing else. No arms, no shoulders... not even a head.
She moved, testing the shadow. It moved as she did, but she didn't see any evidence of herself in the dress.
Her stomach felt queasy.
A sound behind her gave her cause to turn, and she spun around, hands going to her throat as she saw a figure suspended in the air some distance away. It looked like Anshii... but she'd never seen eyes as soulless as those. As she watched, a sword struck her, piercing through to protrude from the other side. And yet, there was no indication that the impact was felt.
To the side, she saw someone spilled on the floor, a girl with pink hair wearing a black long-sleeved jacket. Every time a sword struck the suspended figure, the one on the ground writhed.
Ayomi felt her stomach flip. What was this... nightmare? Why was Anshii hanging in the air to be stabbed by swords, and why was the woman on the ground writhing in pain?
Darkness collapsed all around her. She fell, landing hard somewhere that felt cramped and closed in. She reached out, and her hand ran into something cold and unyielding. She pushed; it didn't move. Little by little she worked out that she was lying in a box. A box... she reached up with both arms and pushed.
A crack formed off to the side, and she pushed again, heartened by the dim light. She she'd made enough room to climb out, she did.
She was standing in a church.
She'd just climbed out of a coffin.
Her stomach lurched again.
A hand touched her arm and she turned to see Akio standing there. His white shirt was open down the front, his hair loose and flowing. He had a smile on his face that made her skin crawl, and when he reached for her, she backed into the coffin. She didn't want him to touch her. There was something about his touch... something about him. He was... evil.
She broke around him, bursting into a run across the nave of the church. She didn't know where she was going, but she darted around the chancel, through the door and into the hallway that she'd walked before.
She ran past the stained glass murals, terror in her throat, and burst through the door at the end.
A dimly lit red-carpeted room greeted her, with a wide staircase at the side.
Two little girls clung to each other in the darkness, the darker one wearing a shapeless red dress, the other wearing a black jumper over a white shirt.
She paused to catch her breath, and realized that she was still wearing the cumbersome Rose Bride gown. Unable to understand, she approached the little girls, shrieking in fear when she bounced off of a barrier that she hadn't seen.
The girls didn't look at her, and she moved towards the barrier again, gasping at a pain in her right side. She put her left hand to the area, feeling a warm dampness and pulling her hand away to see blood. The red crept across the white bodice of her gown, and she sank to her knees amidst the crinoline and satin.
She stared at her fingers, sick to her stomach, the pain rising against her awareness. There was a metallic sound, and she looked up to see Akio standing there with a bloodied sword in his hands.
She sat up, gasping for breath, hand clutching her side. Yes, it was damp, but it was only perspiration. Throwing off the bedcovers, she darted for the bathroom and threw up.
Only a nightmare.
Only a nightmare.
But... why had it felt so real...?
She was standing in a room that she didn't recognize. For some reason, she was wearing her Rose Bride gown and there was terror in her heart, terror in the air. She was terrified, and she had no idea why. Confused and trembling, she turned around and around, looking about the room.
The floor was hard and white, a soft rose-colored Ohtori Rose painted on it, stretching almost from one end to the other. She eventually recognized it as the Dueling Platform. But what was she doing on the Dueling Platform? There wasn't a duel scheduled. And why was she so frightened?
There was a whisper, a low and almost metallic whisper just below where she could hear. Focusing her attention on the voices, she could make out the single word that was repeated over and over. "Witch."
Witch? What witch?
She turned, looking for a witch, or anything that vaguely resembled a pointy hat, but found nothing.
She watched as swords circled around the platform, saw a shadow spilling out and away from her. It was a strange shadow, the dress silhouetted, but nothing else. No arms, no shoulders... not even a head.
She moved, testing the shadow. It moved as she did, but she didn't see any evidence of herself in the dress.
Her stomach felt queasy.
A sound behind her gave her cause to turn, and she spun around, hands going to her throat as she saw a figure suspended in the air some distance away. It looked like Anshii... but she'd never seen eyes as soulless as those. As she watched, a sword struck her, piercing through to protrude from the other side. And yet, there was no indication that the impact was felt.
To the side, she saw someone spilled on the floor, a girl with pink hair wearing a black long-sleeved jacket. Every time a sword struck the suspended figure, the one on the ground writhed.
Ayomi felt her stomach flip. What was this... nightmare? Why was Anshii hanging in the air to be stabbed by swords, and why was the woman on the ground writhing in pain?
Darkness collapsed all around her. She fell, landing hard somewhere that felt cramped and closed in. She reached out, and her hand ran into something cold and unyielding. She pushed; it didn't move. Little by little she worked out that she was lying in a box. A box... she reached up with both arms and pushed.
A crack formed off to the side, and she pushed again, heartened by the dim light. She she'd made enough room to climb out, she did.
She was standing in a church.
She'd just climbed out of a coffin.
Her stomach lurched again.
A hand touched her arm and she turned to see Akio standing there. His white shirt was open down the front, his hair loose and flowing. He had a smile on his face that made her skin crawl, and when he reached for her, she backed into the coffin. She didn't want him to touch her. There was something about his touch... something about him. He was... evil.
She broke around him, bursting into a run across the nave of the church. She didn't know where she was going, but she darted around the chancel, through the door and into the hallway that she'd walked before.
She ran past the stained glass murals, terror in her throat, and burst through the door at the end.
A dimly lit red-carpeted room greeted her, with a wide staircase at the side.
Two little girls clung to each other in the darkness, the darker one wearing a shapeless red dress, the other wearing a black jumper over a white shirt.
She paused to catch her breath, and realized that she was still wearing the cumbersome Rose Bride gown. Unable to understand, she approached the little girls, shrieking in fear when she bounced off of a barrier that she hadn't seen.
The girls didn't look at her, and she moved towards the barrier again, gasping at a pain in her right side. She put her left hand to the area, feeling a warm dampness and pulling her hand away to see blood. The red crept across the white bodice of her gown, and she sank to her knees amidst the crinoline and satin.
She stared at her fingers, sick to her stomach, the pain rising against her awareness. There was a metallic sound, and she looked up to see Akio standing there with a bloodied sword in his hands.
She sat up, gasping for breath, hand clutching her side. Yes, it was damp, but it was only perspiration. Throwing off the bedcovers, she darted for the bathroom and threw up.
Only a nightmare.
Only a nightmare.
But... why had it felt so real...?