Velvet watched as the woman placed her hand against the strange glass. The ball of masses stretching like some bizarre smile fungus towards it from its core. The woman continued whispering to the thing, muttering meaningless babble as it responded. Sometimes it leaned towards the sound of her voice, other times tilting back.
The doors on the far side opened with two other hooded members coming in. A tall one and a shorter one. Their faces shrouded by the crease as they too spook. Words in a dead language that blew over Velvet's head.
Shrieking white light bloomed around and the former therion shielded her eyes. When it disappeared, she found herself over a hill. Trees of an unknown time rustled in the chilled wind. Leaves picked up and blew about. A silver city laid just over, shining like a lighthouse over the docks.
From the sky, a falling star descended. A blank comet that fell from the heaven's before colliding with the ground. Dirt exploded upwards and formed mountains and rivers. Even from her perched distance away, gales blew blast, crunching tree trunks and stripping them of leaves. Emerging from the epicenter, Velvet rubbed her eyes. She could not believe what she saw.
Eight dragon heads with bodies lined like armor and scales. Like wild vines or fungal stocks, it shot to the skies, shrieking, and roaring. Before her eyes, Velvet saw its body spread. Almost like the physical world anchored to the land in shades of blue and white. She realized what this being was and what it was. The birth of Innominat and its start into this world.
Looking up, Velvet saw the faint outlines of the three robed figures watching down. Were they laughing? Smiling? Moping? She couldn't say.
Winds rapidly passed by. The city eroded, but the silver sheen remained. Men and women rose up, wielding weapons as the heads of Innominat ravaged the lands. Dragons grew and fought. A young man with sword raised his blade against them. At his side, a woman in flames holding her hand high as a pyre of light pierced the sky. Light exploded in a sphere and the world was…
Velvet turned, seeing another landscape. The sea spreading to the horizon and beyond. A cliffside she wasn't familiar with as two figures came running up to its top. A young man, looking out with his hands shielding his eyes, and an older woman using a hiking stick to carry up.
"Laphi, you've gotta take a break." The woman said, rubbing her eyes. "And all this salt is getting in my eyes."
It's one of our dreams… So close to the real world. As Velvet watched, the clouds gathered. Winds picked up immediately as thunder rolled. Light scorched the skies.
The other pair ran as Velvet stayed behind. Drizzling rain followed, but it passed right through her. As she looked upwards, the thunderclouds came to a head. Two heads.
One, her younger brother. The other, one of Innominat's many dragon heads.
How will this dream go this time? The Suppression Dragon grumbled, thunder striking nearby their dream-selves.
It will go as long as it will. Laphicet replied, raising his hand. The clouds seemed to halt, turning the clouds away.
Trying to play God in this sandbox will serve you no good.
Violently, the earth crackled. Seas smashed into the island as waves of water swarmed about.
Velvet watched these two beings fight over control. Akin to children fighting over a toy, careless to the rest of the environment below. Screams echoed about the island as it sank into the ocean below.
As the world ended, the two continued to fight. Boundless voids filled the skies and ground until it was just the three of them. The former therion tried to intervene, rushing to taking control, but fazed through them.
Still a dream? Like I'm watching all of this happen?
The young boys looked around, fingers accusing one another. "This is all your fault!" They shrieked at one another.
The dragon head grew, larger and larger. One sharpened tooth was as thick as Laphicet's arm. "The more you run away from these, the stronger I will become. You cannot repel my return!" It boasted.
Her brother ran and Velvet chased right behind. Her bandaged arm erupted into a daemonic claw as she hopped into the air. A swipe cleaved a dragon head in two as the world changed again. She tumbled and tumbled across grass and fall leaves. Branches and twigs snagged into her hair as she looked around.
"Oh, now I'm a part of the dream..?" She grumbled, spitting a leaf from her mouth.
The former therion looks around. This was nothing like the world she knew. Ever rolling hills with patches of glowing white snow. A slight chill brushed her cheek. Trees that grew taller and taller than the ones back home. Pulling a twig from her hair, that too felt different. Heavier despite its similar shape.
Back on her feet, she noticed there was a path there. A combination of various bricks mixed with dirt, this was meant for things larger than a carriage or a few people. Yet, there was something in the air. Fresh peppers and onions. The faint sounds of meat sizzling in a pan. Following her nose, Velvet came across a small sideways to the path.
A type of metal carriage laid on the side. Some Normin leaned against its frame, fanning themselves. While they noticed Velvet's appearance, they didn't seem to care too much, and went about cooling themselves. The smell grew stronger with the light sizzle of meat. Just around the corner, she peeked her eyes. Two people, both women surrounding a small griddle with a metal candle underneath. Closer, she crept until one of the women turned and smiled. Light reddish pink hair poked from her cap. The smile that could warm a soft spark. It was Nico, in some rather strange clothes.
"Oh, hello traveler. How are you doing?" The other woman tended to the fire.
She's definitely Niko. But she doesn't recognize me? Velvet coughed. "I'm fine. Just a bit lost."
"Hehe, it's not too far from Glasgu. Do you want a ride?"
"Could you?"
"Hey Velvet, do you think we can carry another?" She asked her companion.
The woman turned to her. Familiar black hair turned into a side braid. Warmer eyes nearly matching her own. While in rougher clothes, it was something she would've worn with this style of world. "Alright, but she's sitting in the back." Her own voice called out.
"I... Thank you."
"But first, some lunch." Niko held some wrap out. "Go on. Eat up. You look like you need it."
As Velvet took it and bite in, she wondered how she didn't say that how much she looked alike. Not even the small puddles reflected anything different. Was this a part of this dream world? No one person can look alike?
Finishing their meal, the other two got back up. Packing the device into a small case, they pushed it into the back of the horse-less carriage. The other Velvet took the front, saddled by a framework wheel before them. Niko at her side. Sitting in, Velvet watched the two kick something. A roar rumble of fire crackled inside an engine. It was like a tea-pot whistle and drumbeat as the carriage took off.
Jolted into the back of the seat, Velvet couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. This machine churned and clanked. The wheels didn't look the most stable. Even worse was the very frame-like look of this thing. Yet, it didn't fall apart.
"You ok there?" Niko looked around. "Seems scared stiff."
"J-just not completely used to… these things."
The carriage sank for a second and bounced. "Velvet! Watch for holes."
"I'm trying. They need to fix these highways."
"Don't go blaming that, just spot the holes before then!" She giggled, finally turning back. "So were you heading off to somewhere… Never got your name Miss?"
"Bella. Bella Raven." She closed her eyes. The type of name did I just give?!
"A cute name. Don't you think Velvet?"
The other woman didn't say anything, focusing on the road ahead.
Trees and rocks passed by with speeds unattainable by horses. Sunlight and beams passed on by, highlighting the landscape. Despite all the familiarity of Eastgand, this place was nothing like it.
From the tops of the trees, she saw grey puffs of smoke. Several soot clouds rising and rising. The forest cleared out to a new world. A village laid before them with rolling hills. Houses made of stones and bricks, a far cry from the various houses back in Aball or other villages. The dream Velvet rid the carriage to a stop besides a house. Normin already pulled themselves out of the front compartment and took a break on the frame.
"Looks like this is our stop. If you're interested, we've got some business with a woman here." Niko hopped herself out of the car. The other Velvet got out, heading to the side of the building. A small bowl left below a spigot, she turned a small gear and water gushed into the bowl. Taking that, she pushed it below the Normin as they happily hopped off and into the water, cooling themselves faster.
"If I may ask, what to you two do?" Velvet asked.
They smiled back. "We run a bakery!"
Her lips parted. The dreams that she carried in her heart poked at it again. A smile grew on her face. Out of the carriage, she nodded. "I'd love to try one of your breads."
"You can always purchase one. Just 300 gald!"
The former therion shook her head. "Sorry. Left most of my gald back home."
"Come by if you can. Tell your friends." The other Velvet chuckled. "We're always looking for new customers."
Before she could turn and venture into the new town, she watched the other two walked into the house. Just before the doors closed, Niko pulled her hair into a quick ponytail and split down the middle. Familiar sky-blue flower hair ties came from her pocket as she put them up into pigtails.
"Right, let's get to it!" She said.
Velvet stood there stunned as the door shut in front of her.
Fingers drummed on her shoulder, flustered, and annoyed. A visual slap to the face and her feelings. Was it always like this or was it because she jumped back into this dream world? Frustration however, did not block her senses; something passed outside her eyesight. A shadow of a boy running into an alley. Velvet turned, walking slowly over.
Leaned against the walls of a building, she poked her head around the corner. Another shadow moved around the corner. In pursuit, her boots tapping the stones underneath. Steam flourished from every pipe, covered in soot and water. Velvet hacked, brushing it aside in her pursuit.
Around another corner and see saw the shadow standing at the end of the alley. A dragon's maw stood behind him, calling to her.
"Velvet, why did you come back?" A young boy asked.
Pulling from the village, a white void surrounded them once more.
"I want to know. Why am I back? Who sent me? And why you aren't with me?"
"Going right for the point huh?" The face resembled Laphi's. "We pushed you out because… Innominat was waking up again."
She barred her teeth. "I thought I sealed Innominat. That was the plan!"
"It was a temporary stop gap. But… we've stopped it. Maotelus's identification trigger has been set to 'one' and he's the new Empyrean accepted."
"W-what?" None of these words made a lick of sense."Identification trigger? What are you saying?!"
He paused, lifting a finger. Unable to find the words, he looked from side to side. "Ehe, there is a way to show you how this is all happening. Just follow me."
Her nostrils flared up. This felt like a trap. Besides wandering about that weird town and this endless void, Velvet scowled. She followed behind the boy as pillars and rows rose at their side. They managed the same ruins of Innominat's seal years ago.
"A cycle every 1000 years or so. Innominat has always been in command. But he's not completely infallible. When we were trapped, there was something I found. Something that could save us."
"But you're not here with me."
He stopped. "I said I'd follow afterwards, if I could. But not yet. Not while Innominat's potential to override the priority codes is possible. And then..." Laphicet turned around. "I asked you, 'Where would I even go?'"
Velvet stopped in place. A bizarre question to ask. Where would he go?
Where would he go? Aball might be gone, but the towns all about were still there. They could explore, they could do all the things they did in the dream but in real life! The small wheels in her head clicked. Fingers curling into a fist. She did not like the conclusion Laphicet was getting at.
"You can still come with me. Leave this. Just like I did."
"It only worked because I made it work." Laphicet closed his eyes, lowering his head. "Velvet, everybody in Aball is gone. All my friends. Family... dead from that Scarlet Night."
"And what about those people that traded with Taliesin?! Those people loved how-"
"They saw me as a kid. That's not the same as coming back. The day I chose to sacrifice myself to Innominat, I knew that I didn't have anything else."
"If you had the choice to do it all again, would you?" She dared.
Laphicet froze. Eyes going from one side to the other. Nothing but a solemn word. "Yes."
"You're still a selfish little brat." Velvet huffed. "But who I am to judge?"
"Unlike me, you made something after all of it. Me?" His lips curled up like a smile. There was something off. Horribly shattered, like a mirror's cracking bits falling apart. "I tossed it all away. I... I'm not even sure if I can make it up. But you? You have that choice."
"I'm not apologizing what I did. I know what I am. It's why I am alive." Even so, Velvet felt a wavering string pull in her chest.
"But you are back. In the company of old friends. And making new ones. What will you do?"
"And you can do the same!"
They stood in the blank void, eyes barely looking at each other. So much had been done in their struggles, their emotions, their drives in the world.
"Weird how one person can change the world, huh?" The young boy bitterly coughed. "You don't remember what we talked about do you? How more recent dreamworlds we had are blank."
Velvet closed her eyes. Deeply remembering the various adventures, but none of them were like that village. Or close. "I don't."
"Let's go to where this plan started."
Blood dripped into the world. A sky all too familiar with the buildings, pipes and clouds of the world they just left.
Another Scarlet Night…
-.-.-
Alex woke up to a pounding headache. The sun was too bright. Why did it have to be bright?! Stupid sun. She tugged herself underneath the bedding. Even this summer bedding didn't help. But there was something warm underneath it.
In fact, it seemed like she wasn't wearing clothes. Nothing at all!
The hell are my clothes?! She scurried around.
A moan peeped out.
She froze. Slowly, Alex felt around the bed. Soft and warm with odd bumps here and there. Like a warm rope. Not a pillow, but flesh. Scooting up, she felt something softer than the rest. She closed her eyes, pulling away. Not wishing to disturb her, the blonde slithered out of the blankets and into the sun, hissing at its brightness once more.
"Aww, not even leaving a note?"
The blonde winced, seeing Amelia propped up on the bed, barely using the sheets to cover herself up.
"Why are we naked?" Alex demanded.
"It was your idea. Said you slept with no clothes."
"You know that I don't! Why didn't you stop me?"
Amelia looked to the side. "… I thought it was hilarious."
"You…!" Her arms flailed like an octopus, a fish out of water before sinking back to her side in defeat. "Listen if I find a single mark on me –"
"So damn paranoid." Amelia shook her head. "We undressed and fell asleep. Nothing else."
That put her at ease. "So where's Lailah?"
"Sleeping in here too." She held her hand at her heart.
"Right."
While getting her clothes back on, she couldn't help but look at the brunette. She never took too much notice of the scars and marks on her body. Some of them looked less battle marks.
"Staring isn't making you any closer." Amelia wagged her finger.
Once everything was set, Amelia opened the door, letting her go first.
"Hey, after this thing at the Throne, do you think we could head to Londinium to just say hi?"
"Feeling a bit homesick? I don't blame you." She closed the door behind them. "Sure, why not? But before we do anything else, do you mind if I checked out a few things?"
"Like what?"
"There were a few jobs I wanted to make sure of. It won't take that much time I promise!"
The blonde fiddled with a lock of her hair. "Oh, alright. Just the two of us right?"
"I mean, if we count Lailah."
A sigh. "Three of us then."
Throughout life, we keep wandering. Eventually, we will find The Way
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