The Trace of Nightmares

Neptune is once again dreaming. This time, it was the entire Capitol of Mistral. Homes were destroyed. puddles are poured by the rain. Mud is soaked within the soil. Neptune is walking around the city. "Back here again. What is this?" He questions himself. It seemed to him that it was some kind of prediction. Many have said that dreams can lead to an uncertain prediction that works better than a fortune teller. He never been to one since he'd never take any bribes. To his horror. He found his team laying down in the grounds of the market. He grasps his hands between his head in a shaken state. He then rushes over to them. First he checked is his leader, Sun Wukong. "Sun! Dude, wake up. What is happening around here?!" He tries to shake him awake. But he isn't responding. When he turns him to his front side and puts him in a sitting position. Sun's head limps down. Neptune checks his pulse, but it wasn't beating. His eyes widened in fear. Seeing him, including Scarlet, Sage, and Nolan being dead. "Oh, dudes, no..." He whimpers. Neptune then heads to his parents' house. To see if they are okay.

"Mom! Dad!" He calls. There was no response. So he bursts through the door. And ran to the kitchen, and then the living room. Only to find both Saturn and Lydia lying in the wrecked room. The walls are crushed by a tree and his parents are pressed underneath. "No...why?" He knelt in shock. Is this what the curse is all about? Is this the fate of all of Remnant if he doesn't prevent it from happening? He then ran to the beach house in Argus. It was the same apocalyptic state in his previous dreams. Where he and Weiss are separated by the flood. He sees her lying on the wet sand due to the flood. "Weiss, not you too."

He then rushes to her aid. And tried to perform CPR by pressing her chest multiple time to get her to cough out the water. Secondly, he does the mouth to mouth proceedings to revive her.

"Come on, Snow Angel. Breathe." He pleads. It was no avail for her. He placed his fingers on her neck for any pulses. But there was none. Her heart stopped. And her body was limp. He then held her into his arms and shakes her to awake her. But she isn't responding. It is a sign that she is beyond reviving. He froze in horror to see her dead in his eyes. And he thought it has something to do with his semblance. This is his fate. This is their fate. "No Weiss, please don't die on me. Please wake up. Oh please wake up. You can't die. Please. You don't deserve this. Neither does anyone else." Neptune held her lifeless form close to his chest in deep agony. He hasn't used his semblance in a while. And for that, his past have came back to his mind like a video he never wanted to watch.

"Weiss!" He gasped. He lifts up after another nightmare. He breathed heavily. Sweating as a result of those dreams. Weiss then awakens right next to him.

Startled by his shock. She looks at him with worry. She could tell he was having a nightmare again. This time it wasn't his brother he was calling out. It was her. She hold his hand.

"Bad dream again?" She asks. He then turns to her. Seeing her alive and well. Neptune the calmed down. It was just another illusion. Or so he thought. Is this dream a sign for the future to come?

None of that mattered to him. Neptune hugged her tightly as tears streamed into his eyes when they squint. "You're alive. I am so glad." Weiss is astonished by this, but she returns his embrace having her hand on his back.

"It's okay. It is only a dream. Right?" She asks. But he didn't seemed convinced. He doesn't know where to begin to cover it. "You're shaking. I just know it."

"I don't know, Weiss. What if this is more than a nightmare? What if this is Anima's fate? What if my semblance caused all of this?" Neptune inquires. Weiss doesn't understand what he meant. But she was catching onto something. Psychology says that dreams that repeated over and over again can mean something. It could mean a prediction of what will occur in the future. "Neptune, I don't know what you're talking about. But you need to tell me more of what was happening in your dream?" Weiss told him.

"I'm sorry." He said to her, and she blinks. "What do you mean? You didn't do anything wrong. It's not the end of the world. Whatever happened in that dream, stays a dream." She stated. But in reality, nightmares can be a bad sign that something is coming. Whether it becomes a reality or not. Neptune then breaks with a wet away from her while. While still holding onto her shoulders.

All Weiss can see is the second time he has ever cried. The nightmares inflicted him like a disease. They could still hear the eruption of waves coming from outside the house. "Now I know the message Jupiter was sending me. What I know about the curse. The whole purpose of my semblance." Neptune deduced. Was this going to be his doing? Will his Water Attraction be the cause of the apocalypse?

"Neptune, I am not good with this kind of conversation. But it won't help if you don't say something that is still bothering you." She advised. "But I won't push you to this either. But you might have to." She says to him caressing his cheeks with her hands. He couldn't bring himself to tell her. What if he did.

If he brought up the nightmare, would she be scared of him? Would she reject him? These words that he wanted to spill has been locked in his throat before he can speak. His own mind prevented him from doing so. So he takes the journal from the draw and showed it to her. But not letting her read the notes.

"What these visions are showing me. It's not just beddy-bye dreams. That journal might have something to do with the family curse." He explains. Of course, she is aware of the situation. But she won't run away. Nor will she abandoned him. And so, after he explains about the dream with her in it. She is shocked. But hoping it was only a dream. Everyone in Remnant lives in pain after the Fall of both Beacon and Haven academies.

Divided how family is, the stronger the fall of the world would be. "That thing Tyler has mentioned to you about. It looks like there's more to the details. Maybe this journal is somewhat related to your family." Neptune cuts her off when he climbed out of bed and was about to drink. Or maybe to get some fresh air.

"Neptune?" She said.

"I'm just going to get some fresh air." He told her. But that was before he feels lightheaded by the nightmares. And fainted on the floor in front of her. It was black for a few minutes. He feels something cool on his forehead. He fluttered his eyes to see Weiss wiping his head with a small wet towel. He have been dehydrated due to the lack of hydration in with water for several years to come. Ceres have told him that if he doesn't take any liquid substances, he could get pale skin, and would look like a skeleton. But he manages to avoid it by eating fruits of some kind. One of the few items that has water properties. "Don't scare me like that again. I know you're still not used to water yet. But you need something to hydrate you no matter what. Otherwise you'll never feel any better." Weiss strictly advised.

"Sorry if I scared you like that. But did you see what I mean? This is what happens when I am close to someone I might eventually hurt. Tell me, Weiss. Do I look like the kind that would hurt anyone?" He asked. She shook her head. No way in a million years would she think of it. But the thought of his loved ones dead in those visions, and the fact that he remained the last man on Remnant standing. So he turned to the page where it has the section of The curse of the Vasiliases. The main reason why his semblances is rare. Why his name is Neptune. But he didn't want to think about the nightmares he has. But wants somebody to understand him other than Sun.

"No. I would never think that. Why would you ask me this. I know you're a good person." Weiss assures him. Neptune then has the courage to speak up about the visions. "The first vision I have was when Jupiter speaks to me. And he told me that something bad is coming. But he left off without any explanation. The second time I saw him was when he led to to the cave where we found the Spring Moon Stone. But when we got back here, it was a horrific nightmare. Everything, Mistral, our friends, families got killed in a flooding. And then I saw you. I couldn't do anything to protect you, or anybody. I wonder if this has something to do with my semblance. The way it almost killed Jupiter. Those tidal waves in Mantle, it was a sign of the curse."

"Don't talk like that. Whatever happened in that nightmare will not be your fault. Wherever your brother is, I am sure is still alive somewhere." They cannot be certain if Jupiter is alive or not. "You don't know, Weiss. You saw what happened back in Poseidon Island. All because of my cowardice. Looking back, it was giving me the same feeling when Jupiter threw me off the pier."

"Even so, it won't stop the fact that you have friends. You have family. It won't matter to me for who they're born to be." Weiss rubs her arms while she turned away for a little bit. "Cause before I came to Beacon, I was nothing but a snobby little Ice Queen. As everyone else would call me. But there is a side that they didn't know yet." Weiss then looks back at the terrible abuse she has endured at the hands of her own father. How he chose money over family. How he would forced her to say what he decides for her to say. He never sees the accomplishments she has made in Beacon. To her, her past is nothing but shackles in her own soul.

"It was an unhappy life in my home. When Jacques have been the most influential person in most of my childhood. I was blind when having high expectations from him. I never saw the real monster he was today. Until my 10th birthday. When you're planned for success, it was like invisible chains, they were so hard to break free. Cause before, I felt like I would be nothing without him. But after I escaped from Schnee Manor. This is the first time I was my own person." Weiss then proceeds to show him the letter he wrote to her when they went separate ways. Since her father didn't allow her to see him since the Fall of Beacon. But she went with him to not cause anyone trouble. She has second thoughts about running away before she returns to Atlas. But her mind was set otherwise. The letter has his name on the final print. It was dated back to when she was staying in Schnee Manor.

"You kept it this whole time. Why didn't you write me back?" He asks. After he sent the letter, Neptune hasn't received any replies form the mail.

"Cause then my father would find out and cut all the communications I had with anyone I knew." She explains. "I kept it as a momentum. So that I wouldn't forget." Now Neptune understands the fact that in the past two months after the fall. Anything is a chain that is impossible to break. And his aquaphobia is one of those chains he wanted to break from. If Weiss can break her chains, he'll do the same to his. He then drifted to sleep as she watches him relax.

All these nightmares just keep coming to him. So did mine. Thought Weiss.

Drey then narrowed his eyes. And finds himself in the Atlas Hospital. "Wait a second." He had a bandage wrapped on his forehead. The survivors of the tidal wave have been recovered after Carlos Vega was arrested. "Can somebody at least tell me what happened?" He asks, Winter then has been checking up for every last survivor in Carlos Vega's failed plans for domination in Atlas.

"You're lucky to have survived the flood. Are you by any chance related to Rick Argo?" Winter asked. While standing beside him.

"Yes, why?" He asked. Winter then pulled out the stolen scroll he possesses after his confrontation with Rick. He was already informed by the doctors that Rick was arrested after being washed by the wave. "You need to come with me for further testimony in relation to Vega's huntsmen trafficking." Winter informs. Drey, nevertheless, was willing to give her the details. Including the assassination attempts. Plus the fact that he was an agent for Carlos Vega. More likely for payment. "In that case. I'll tell you everything I knew about Rick's doing." Drey states.