6. Frivolous dreams
The abrupt brightness was so intense Yuuri covered his eyes, sucking in his breath in surprise. Little by little he spread his palms and looked through his fingers, letting his pupils adjust. Suddenly liquid colors seemed to emerge and drip all round him, a four walls room forming itself before his eyes. Bewildered, he stared as walls dribbled into existence, crystalline water blurring and mixing, vertical silent currents surrounding him, confining him away from the endless whiteness outside. Four aqueous walls that danced between blue, green and teal closed in, the softest of light beams caressing it in a slow meeting of elements. Finally looking up, Yuuri could see the finishing of a fluctuating watery roof.
He knew he was hyperventilating, but could not hear his own breathing. Everything was shrouded in the most overwhelming quietness. He gulped, and didn't hear a thing.
He turned around, taking a step closer to the wall. He felt a splash on his feet and looked down to see an unfathomable depth under his shoes. Vertigo took a grip of him and feeling light-headed, closed his eyes and dizzily hugged himself, desperately trying not to think on why he seemed to be walking on water, over a bottomless abyss.
A second went by, or an hour.
"Yuuri?"
He jumped where he was standing, shocked. Yuuri knew that voice and the relief and dread of hearing it got him on a chokehold. He looked around and could distinguish a silhouette through the wall to his right -it was the blurry figure of someone standing outside his liquid cell. He turned, decidedly not looking down, and warily took a couple of steps towards that shadow. He reached out tentatively, placing his ring-less hand on the wet surface, and it felt so different to anything else he had touched, he knew he didn't have words to describe it. For a moment his hand was enclosed by invisible currents, moving under his open palm and through his fingers like liquid gas. There was power in there, familiar power, his own power…
He frowned in confusion, but before he could think on it the figure outside his molten refuge reached out and placed his hand against Yuuri's. Time stopped, and the balance was lost. They weren't touching, the liquid wall was in place between them, but they were connected. And Yuuri was left breathless.
"Wolfram…"
Yuuri leaned heavily against the wall, his whole body flat on it, closing his eyes and reading Wolfram. Communication without words was impossible and yet…
Yet he was immensely relieved to hear his voice and Wolfram knew it, he felt the same, and they reached for each other at the same time.
Please come back.
I can't.
I need you.
I need you too.
I am sorry.
Forgive me.
Come back.
I miss you.
I-
"Shibuya?" asked Murata's voice, a hand shaking his shoulder.
Yuuri gasped awake and reached out blindly, holding on tightly to the nearest body, and pushed himself up quickly. He was left face to face with a wide-eyed Murata.
"Wha-what?"
Yuuri stood like that for a second, glassy eyed and flustered.
Murata took a deep breath, licked his lips absentmindedly and taking Yuuri's wrist on his own hands undid the grasp of his fingers, gently pushing him back down on the bed.
"Murata…?" Yuuri looked around befuddled. They were in an elegant but minimalistic bedroom with lilac curtains. Yuuri noticed he was laying down on a single bed, the sound of air conditioning a relaxing humming in the background. There was a vanity mirror, and a night table with a jar of water with some ice cubes floating lazily in it. Murata went to sit at the foot of the bed.
"We are at Bob's safe house" he informed.
"When did we get here?" asked Yuuri, still confused.
"A few hours ago. You… fell asleep. We had someone carry you here".
"We?" asked Yuuri. He sat on the bed again, rubbing his eyes furiously. He could feel the sting of tears in his eyes, an ardent knot in his throat. That had not been a dream, neither a vision. What had just happened?
"Bob just arrived, and I came to wake you up. He's downstairs with Shori, and they're waiting for us".
Yuuri looked up at that, and nodded.
"Let's go then" When he stood up he felt somewhat dizzy but Murata was right there to catch his arm and help him. That had been strange, and he didn't remember falling asleep… though honestly he didn't remember much after leaving his parent's house.
Yuuri pulled his arm off Murata gently when he steadied himself, and walked out the room. As they walked along a corridor without windows Yuuri's mind was a maelstrom. He looked at his hand, the sensation of immersion into that swirl of raw power alive, making his skin itch. Absentmindedly, he reached out with his other hand and fiddled with the ring, making it whirl on his finger. And Wolfram… Yuuri caught his breath, closing his lips tightly; by the time they were going downstairs, he was taking two steps at the time.
They reached the drawing room, and to the left there was a tall wooden arc that opened into a spacious lounge. Inside the amber light came from a high, delicate-looking chandelier. Shori was there already, sitting in one of the big wood chairs. Bob was there too, dressed smartly in a dark blue suit with gray tie, he was leaning against a desk, with a frown between his eyes. They stopped talking as Yuuri and Murata walked in.
"Yuuri!" Shori looked up, worry clear in his eyes, but stood still when he saw Yuuri's face. For a moment he looked thunder stuck. "You look awful…"
Yuuri chuckled without humor "Hi brother…" then looked at Bob, and straightened up his shoulders, his voice losing any hint of joke, "Hello, I am sorry for all the trouble we have put you through Bob. Please accept my sincere apologies".
Bob, the current Maou on Earth, an elder man with black hair that had started going gray at the sides nodded.
"You are welcome to stay as long as you want and need, you know that" said Bob, his voice was deep and calming. He crossed his arms over his chest, deep in thought. "But I know you do not want that".
Yuuri shook his head.
"A kingdom can only go so far as its king takes it" said Yuuri. "I need to go back".
Bob nodded, did not smile, but his demeanor changed.
"We have been doing some experiments" said Shori. "Bob and I tried going to Shin Makoku, and we were pushed back. It is closed for us as well, and do you understand what that means? There's a force strong enough to cut path for all of us".
Yuuri felt himself go pale, but forced his face to remain impassive.
"We shall not despair" said Bob with his calm, authoritative voice. "I got my men on this, Rodríguez among them. We shall have news on that end soon enough".
"How soon?" asked Yuuri, anxious.
"As soon as we can" answered Bob calmly.
Yuuri looked around, and saw himself surrounded by calming, understanding faces. And he hated it. He looked down at his shoes, feeling angry serpents in his gut, lashing around desperate to go home, or chew off the heads of those standing on his way. Shori, Murata, Bob… they didn't see what he saw, they didn't hear what he heard, they weren't feeling what he felt.
He crossed his arms, half hugging himself, digging his fingers into his own arms. He just knew he needed to go home, time was vital and he had wasted so much already!
10… 9… 8…
Murata took a step closer, putting his hand on Yuuri's shoulder casually. Instantly Yuuri felt his anger being pushed down. He let out a wavering sigh.
"Thank you" he whispered to Murata.
He did feel grateful, but also frustrated. He could feel the control over his emotions becoming thinner every time Murata had to intervene, creating a resistance and addiction at the same time with his newfound anchor ability. He smiled at Murata all the same, and sat down next to Shori.
"If we do not have any satisfactory answer or theory by tomorrow night, we shall try again." said Bob. "The four of us. Together we have a… significant amount of power, I am sure whatever block has been created does not represent any real threat against our combined maryoku".
"We should try that now!" said Yuuri fiercely.
"We need to make sure there are no other options available" answered Bob.
"But why? What's important is to go there" answered Yuuri, resting his hands on his knees and leaning to the front, just like Shori.
"We can not risk that amount of power on a single travel. We will not just pass through, we will fight our way through. We need to make sure the portal does not collapse".
"And why can't we make sure of that now?" asked Yuuri hotly, and when Murata tried to put a hand over his shoulder, he moved back. A subtle but clear enough 'not now'.
Bob stood up from the desk, calmly taking a few steps closer and stoop down to his eye level.
"Would you be able to live with the knowledge that your recklessness was the reason the fragile portal between our dimensions collapsed? And what for? Childish, romantic neediness?"
Yuuri gasped.
"I am not…"
"Thinking." finished Bob, straightening up and pulling his jacket down, casually. "Till tomorrow night, Yuuri".
By the time the door closed behind Bob, Yuuri was shaking with rage.
How dare you
.
.
The soaked figure of a man ran up the stairs for the door of the one-room hut. Rain was pouring heavy, and the man's footsteps splashed noisily at his wake. He banged the door twice, and a young man in blue uniform opened the door for him, letting him in. The newcomer took off his jacket.
"It's a maelstrom outside. Put this near the fire, if I am lucky it will get dry" said Wolfram, his blond hair dripping wet and plastered to his temple. Roy, his second in command, nodded and took Wolfram's jacket near the mouth of the little smokestack.
They were in Bielefeld territory now, staying in an old one-room hut on the way. Wolfram knew it was sometimes used by hunters during spring and summer.
It was the night of the second day since Wolfram and Günter had parted in different directions, and now that Wolfram was so close, something short of a hurricane had descended on them. There was no way they would risk going any further, as the local streams have turned into full force rivers, and the danger of being sweep away by the currents that cut across the roads was too big. They had already had to sacrifice a horse that had slid off on the mud and broken a leg.
Wolfram sighed. With all this rain, it would be virtually impossible to find any clue about his mother's whereabouts, and having to sacrifice one of their horses was a gloom omen.
He took a chair near the fire, and looked into it while stretching his legs. Outside the soldiers were all in tents. The hut was designed for four people, with two beds that could be turned into doubles, but Wolfram had other seven soldiers with him tonight -it had seem egotistical to keep the place to himself.
Sitting on the chair, Wolfram threw his head back, closing his eyes. Even though he had had to keep his mind sharp and focused during the day, and the manual work had been exhausting, last night's dream was still fresh and clear on his mind. It had been so strange…
He had gone to sleep feeling tired and sore, laying down his head on his pillow, he had breathed in… And breathed out only to find himself into an emerging fire ball. The transition from physical plane to that strange dreamland had been smooth, and felt so natural. He had looked around, feeling warm and secure as the fire licking the air around him, lifting taller and taller, taking the form of a sphere. His heart was content, satisfied, and it was clear that this was where his spirit belonged. Suddenly and through the flames, Wolfram could see a familiar silhouette that he recognized with longing clarity. Yuuri. And they had talked, somehow.
"I am going insane…" murmured Wolfram to himself, biting his lip and distinguishing a well-known ache in his chest.
Suddenly the door was pushed open, the wind outside throwing it all the way back with a strong thud! Rain started getting in, causing the two soldiers closer the door to groan in distress.
Taken by surprise, Wolfram turned at the sudden tumult, watching as a man in a long, black and drenching coat came in quickly, closely followed by one of his sentries. They closed the door swiftly behind them, a sudden quietness covering the room.
"I apologize for intruding sir, but we found this man who-"
"He knows who I am" said the newcomer, pulling down his coat and running towards Wolfram, wrapping his arms around him.
"Sven what are you doing here?" you little crazy man? was not said but very well implied.
"I am so sorry…" said Sven into Wolfram's ear very quietly.
Wolfram gulped, and sharply aware of the eyes of his soldiers around them, hugged Sven back.
It had been somewhat awkward to put order after that, but in the end Wolfram and Sven got two chairs near the fire, while the rest of the soldiers tried (with more or less success) to pretend they were not hearing on them. Partially facing each other, Wolfram and Sven had a sense of false privacy that would have to work for now.
"I am so sorry about your mother Wolfram" said Sven again, quietly.
Wolfram nodded, still bewildered.
"Why are you here? I thought you were with my uncle".
"I was with Lord Waltorana, yes… but Wolf, we knew you were on your way to us and there was this storm coming. The roads are not what they used to be, so I offered to come and get you" said Sven Volker, a slender and pale young man.
"How did you get here?" asked Wolfram, puzzled.
"With Shinou's blessing. The roads on my way here were already half flooded, so by now it must be impossible to cross. The streams got so much force I almost lost my horse earlier. And I would have never found you in this stormy night, but your sentries got hold of me -I have never been so happy to get caught!" answered Sven in a single breath, running his fingers through his dirty blond hair.
Wolfram nodded, still half in shock. Sven Volker was a lesser noble, in age with Wolfram, whose father had died during the last war fighting alongside Waltorana. Since then, Waltorana had taken Sven as his protégé. Even before that, Sven was a common visitor to the Bielefeld state, and he was one of the few people Wolfram considered real friends. He was also the one who had helped Wolfram find the perfect ring for Yuuri.
"Sven your concern is touching, but taking this risk was stupid. We don't know who attacked mother and rushing alone this way was… thoughtless".
Sven nodded, looking down.
"I had to… because I have a message from Lord Waltorana, something he didn't dare write on a letter".
"He sent me a private letter" said Wolfram hesitantly.
"I know, but this… he would not dare put this into paper, in case it got intercepted. Is urgent, Wolf, we need to talk in private".
Wolfram felt a knot at the base of his stomach, and making a brisk movement of his head, signaled the door. Leading the way, Wolfram took his damp jacket again and putting it over his head, went outside closely followed by a fully cloaked Sven.
Without looking back, Wolfram kept walking away from the hut, the wind rushing against their faces, pulling on their coats. Their stride was slippery, and their feet kept sinking with every step on the soft mud. Soon they reached the relative shelter of an enormous oak, and only then and away from any possible hearing, Wolfram turned around to face him.
Shivering, Sven hugged himself against the wind and rain.
"Lady Cecile did not mean to go on a free-love holiday when she was taken"
"What do you mean?" asked Wolfram, flabbergasted.
"She… she was on her way to Big Cimarron. This is hard to say, but she meant to stir an attack against Shin Makoku, somehow she meant to dissolve the Ten Noble Fam-"
Wolfram pulled his fist back then throw it full force against Sven's chin. There was a crack and Sven shrieked, falling flat on the mud.
"Never!" shouted Wolfram, pinning him down fiercely. "You will never say that again!"
"Wo-Wolfram" spat Sven, with mud on his mouth.
"Heard me?! You won't repeat those filthy lies!" demanded Wolfram, taking Sven's shirt collar and smashing his head down again on the mud.
Sven gasped with difficulty.
"We have proof!" he cried out.
"No you don't. My mother would never betray us" hissed Wolfram dangerously, "You will shut up now or I will break your teeth!"
Wolfram took a couple of breaths, standing up, he left a bewildered Sven on the floor.
"I will look for my mother, and you will come along so I keep an eye on you"
Sven nodded, rubbing his cheek, not daring to talk again.
"As soon as we reach Bielefeld castle, I will talk with my uncle and clear this up. Till then, you will not speak another treacherous word" Wolfram looked at Sven coldly, "and I thought you were family Volker"
Sven looked down, and shaking his head, followed Wolfram back to the little hut.