Chapter 23: Fabia

Inside this dream world I found myself sitting on wooden swing alone. Quickly I looked around for the brunette and found him out in the field of grass behind me chasing around a baby looking version of Drago. I smiled at how cute his tiny self was. Know that I knew where he was I looked at the landscape around us.

The swing I was on was near the edge of a huge brilliant blue lake and behind me a small field that turning into rolling hills. The sky above was a dark night sky, but the ground was lit up like it was daytime. I noticed a few falling stars would occur for a moment and then my gaze fell back to the lake. The waters lapped gently against the shore and the cascade of waves further down could be heard as a ambient lullaby. I felt at ease, but then my heart began to race and I noticed the other side of the lake, far in the distance a hooded figure stood watching.

I got up from the swing and suddenly the lake turned black and I heard Dan gasp. I whipped around to see him back away from the dream Drago and the Dragonoid had a growth spurt to what his normal size was. Before I could say anything from behind me in the lake something huge burst forth and locked claws with Drago.

It was the lobster like creature from Dan's previous vision. I was about to grab Aronaut off my shoulder when I realized he wasn't with me. A shrill cackle erupted from behind me and before I could move I was blasted forward onto my stomach and then as I was standing up something was looped around my neck and I tugged onto my back. The shrill cackle erupted again and I got to look at my attacker. It was the black armored being again only now up close I could actually make out a gender. Judging from the chainmail dress and thick chest plate it had to be a woman.

"Who are you?" I managed to say as the being bent down closer.

She reached down, but thankfully wasn't able to actually lay a claw on me as she was abruptly shoved away. Then I was pulled to my feet finding that my rescuer was Dan.

"Stay away from her!" He growled out a warning as the black armored female stood up and Dan forced me to back away as well as placing himself between us.

A hiss was his reply and a loud crack rang out close to us. I saw the movements of a whip as it retracted into a small cylinder device in her hand.

"You don't scare me." Dan said glaring at her making her aggravated enough to snarl and try and whip him several more time.

He managed to dodge a few cracks of her whip, but a few cuts appeared on him and then suddenly he had ahold of it. Sneering he tugged at it trying to pull it out of her grip, but then she clicked a button and Dan was hit with a jolt of electricity making him groan and then when she held the button it made him scream in agony.

"STOP IT!" I cried out helplessly and then he appeared next to her.

Even though I could not see his real face, I knew under all that armor a villainous smile had crept upon his face as he relished in the fact that his presences gave me fear. Fear so strong, I couldn't move now, but only watch as they began to torture Dan right in front of me. They had him on the ground writhing in pain as he was jolt with electricity from the whip. Magmel moved to loom over him and began his monologue and then the demand, the same demand all the other times I had seen this evil cretin. Power was all he wanted and it was the sacred power of Code Eve. Dan and Drago would never give it to him and thus he was in that moment refusing to never give it up. I had to do something, if not then Dan was going to die even if it was a dream, the number one rule about dreams is when you die in one, you die for real. With that thought I was finally able to gather the strength to scream out.

"STOP!" I cried out and went to his side disentangling the electric whip, but as I did so it was switched on zapping me.

I lost control and fell atop Dan trying to hold back my cries of pain as I felt like I was on fire and then super cold at the same time. A sharp pain behind every muscle ache that occurred in that moment, I was in tears now as I bit my lip to suppress my anguish.

"You'll live longer if you stop meddling." Magmel warned me as he reached down with one hand and dragged me away from his prey by my hair and I couldn't hold back anymore.

"Please, stop it." I sobbed as Magmel started to return to Dan, but paused at my hoarse voice.

"Why should I?" He rumbled and then a boom in the distance caught all our attentions.

Drago had managed blow away the lobster beast and was stomping towards us glaring at Magmel and the woman warrior with him. In their distraction, Dan managed somehow to get to his feet and was letting out a yell as he charged, fists ready, but everything when white before he was able to throw a punch.

I woke to a loud thud and immediately I shot up into a sitting position and saw that Dan had fallen out of bed. I quickly crawled over to his side and leaned over the edge warily.

"Are you alright?" I asked as he sat up panting heavily and even shaking a little.

He gripped his head for a moment before stroking back his hair and then looking to me.

'I gotta say something, anything, but just can't worry her.' I heard almost as if he was speaking and I didn't realize it until I replied that I had heard his thought without touching him.

"How'd you know that?" He asked me with much shock evident.

I was silent for a long minute as it all dawned on me.

"Uh, Dan, well you see," I began nervously, "I-well you already know I can dive into your mind just by touching you well there's something else about Neathians that have this power. I was told this only once and had forgotten about it only until now. When those with that power start to bond with another like how we've been bonding, we start to become one, it's not like we'll merge into one entity, but how it was described to me is like…..First we'll just be able to hear each other thoughts and I think later on we'll be able to feel the same emotion as the other one does. I think is all that happens, but that's why I can hear your thoughts without touching you now."

"Well that explains….alot." Dan said scratching his head.

'Sorry.' I thought wondering if he could hear mine, but he made no reply thought wise nor verbally.

"Let me test it. I can hear your thoughts, but can you hear mine?" I asked, "I'm going to think about an object and I want you to respond mentally if you can hear my thoughts."

He nodded his head and I thought about the food on Earth, the banana split ice cream, is what I thought about, but like before he made no notion and shook his head.

'I guess it's one way.' He thought with a slight pout on his face.

I giggled, "Don't worry in all due time."

He smiled and climbed up on the bed and gave me a kiss.

'Guess I'll have to be careful with my thoughts then.' He mused as I returned the kiss.

"Careful." Aronaut murmured and I knew he was meaning Dan.

I was about to say something when Dan gasped and I too saw what he was seeing. It was like we were orbiting Earth and then this black moon appeared and the Earth's skies began to darken before the vision ended. Despite Dan being unable to hear my thoughts currently he and I both agreed silently that we needed to get to Earth and that the planet was in trouble.

Chapter End

Sorry for the shortness of the chapter.