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82.14% Threads : Where fate entwines / Chapter 23: Dreamwalking

章 23: Dreamwalking

Josh had his hands on Timothy's temples, his eyes shut, his face covered in sweat, and his sleeves folded. Opening his eyes, Josh seemed confused, but it wasn't for long as a small hand reached for his. "You can't find him?" Mahome'i asked. Josh nodded before raising his head to look at her. "I tried, but his consciousness is not in his body. Are you sure you destroyed the seed of drought?" Josh asked. Mahome'i quietly nodded, seemingly trying to think of an explanation for this case.

As they were both lost in thought, Timothy stirred, and they both caught the small movement. Josh observed Timothy expectantly, and when he saw him open his eyes slowly, he released a breath of relief. "Welcome back, Moirai." Josh spoke with a small smile, but then the smile turned into a frown. Timothy, who had just opened his eyes, seemed lost.

"Moirai, can you hear me?" Josh asked after noticing Timothy's absent gaze. Timothy nodded slowly, but his eyes were still fixed on the unfamiliar ceiling. Mahome'i observed quietly from the side, her eyes reflecting the fear she silently had - fear of Timothy rejecting her goodwill.

After a few breaths, Timothy tried sitting up on the bed. Josh quickly moved to help him sit, and after he was done, he observed Timothy. Timothy took in the strange surroundings, his eyes flickering with a strong intensity. Josh noticed this but didn't want to disturb the boy in his fragile state, so he quietly observed and made a few mental notes, waiting for Timothy to snap out of it and start talking.

Timothy's mouth opened as if he had words he wished to relay, but it closed back again, the words seemingly lost in his mouth. "Take a deep breath, then talk," Josh advised. Timothy closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and asked, "What do you know of guardian beasts?" Josh's eyes widened, caught off guard by Timothy's question, but he quickly replaced the expression with one of deep contemplation.

After a short pause, Josh spoke up, "Your question caught me off guard, Moirai, but I will do my best to answer you." He looked straight into Timothy's eyes, which were fixed on him with an expectant gaze. "Guardian beasts, or as we call them, spirit guides, are beings made out of the essence of what we call the 'Source'. They are created for the sole purpose of guiding specific individuals. They are very strong and have a very commanding spiritual presence like no other, because the planet they stem from is the gateway between the mortal planes and the spiritual planes."

Josh paused, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "The four superior races of spiritual guides are Dragons, Basilisks, Griffins, and-" Timothy interjected, his voice calm, "and Dire wolves." Josh nodded in shock, "Yes, and Dire wolves. These are the four most powerful races of spiritual guides. They are made to guide specific individuals, but there are also rituals that are used to summon them and forcefully bind a mortal to them. However, those rituals usually require a sacrifice, and the person bound to the guide needs a tremendous amount of Arcanum to feed it. Otherwise, the guide will feed on their life essence."

Timothy listened intently, his eyes never leaving Josh's face. After Josh finished speaking, Timothy asked, "I see. So, now tell me about the true Veilstones." Josh shook his head, his expression serious. "Some things are better not spoken aloud. Walls have ears." Timothy understood the hint and nodded, deciding to let it go.

However, he asked another question, his eyes filled with a sense of desperation. "But tell me, Josh, have you ever had a dream where you found yourself in another world, inhabiting the body of another creature, and living the creature's life? I know this sounds crazy, but please answer me." Josh nodded, his expression understanding. "I know what you speak of, but I have never experienced it myself. The art you're talking about is Dreamwalking, or as they call it in the organization, spirit wandering."

Josh's eyes narrowed slightly. "I suspect you have experienced Dreamwalking?" Timothy nodded slowly, his expression confused. "Yes, but tell me, why is it a forbidden art?" Josh's face turned grave. "Dreamwalking is a very dangerous art that is hard to master. If you fail in traversing that dream, then that means you will either die or be lost wandering around for the rest of eternity. And if any of the two occurs, then your body will be the gate where other terrifying beings, ancient horrors, will enter our world and wreak havoc."

Josh's expression turned grave. "So, I'm really glad that you are safe and sound. You don't want to know how worried I was." Timothy rolled his eyes at the last part of Josh's sentence.

Josh asked, his voice filled with suspicion, "Now, tell me, Moirai, where did you learn the art of Dreamwalking?" Timothy shook his head, "I don't know, it just happened. I was scared; everything seemed so real, and...and...I don't know what to do." Timothy's words were laced with fear and tiredness.

Josh observed him for a bit, then nodded, "Do not worry, you are safe now." Mahome'i, who had been sitting quietly behind Josh, suddenly moved, her small hand raised up. "Hey," she spoke with a strange nervousness.

Timothy raised his head, his eyes locking onto a small girl with deep red eyes and pale white skin covered in Josh's coat. Beautiful strands of emerald hair cascaded down her back. "I know you," Timothy blurted out, surprising Josh.

The young girl smiled, "Yes, you do. I saved you." She answered with excitement in her tone. Looking at the young girl's smile, Timothy couldn't help but give her a smile of his own. "Thank you, Mahome'i?" Timothy's statement ended up coming out as a question when he realized he had just called out the girl's name with no memory of her introducing herself before.

Mahome'i's smile widened, "My pleasure, Mí'tûr." Timothy's eyes widened in shock, she had caught him by surprise.


next chapter

章 24: Sif'ur's dilemma

"I have seen, and now I shall go to alert the elders," F'ARLIM spoke with his eyes closed. "But when I return, we shall harvest them all. Trust in me, Bulahim." The café owner, who was now unconscious, could not answer him, but F'ARLIM still gazed up at him with a proud expression.

Turning to face the small door, his expression changed, revealing a cruel twist to his normal self. "Josh Belling, you still roam about in search of your destiny? Is that child what you have been looking for? Oh well, it does not matter, because soon I will put an end to all of your little organization that has been gatekeeping people like me from acquiring the Truth. I'm coming, and I'm coming for you all."

With that sentence, the same inscriptions from before covered the door in a crucifix manner and surged with red light, filling the room, then he was gone. The only person left in the kitchen was the unconscious café owner. A storm was brewing in Sif'ur, and no one else knew what was coming to this lovely city.

A few days had passed since Sara and Voren had crossed paths, and they had been meeting up at the cathedral every day since their initial meeting. But right now, they were walking leisurely around Sif'ur.

"So, you mean to tell me that you are not a Konqueror?" Sara questioned Voren as they walked. "But how, and how come you possess so much Arcanum?"

Voren chuckled at Sara's question, pointing to the park. "Let's go over there, and I will try explaining it to the best of my ability." Sara nodded, and they quietly walked to the park, sitting on one of the unoccupied benches. Voren began to explain:

"I am what we call in the West a body cultivator. I had trained my body to the peak of what a mortal can do, but that was not enough. Growing up, I used to love a folk song about certain strong men called the Iron Borne. The song spoke about what these Iron Borne men could do, and I also wanted to achieve that. But after countless seasons of relentless training, I discovered that it is not possible for a human body to acquire vast strength that surpasses peak human ability. So, I began searching for other ways to acquire strength, and that's when I met, or rather was found by, an old man who claimed to be a champion of the Deity Revi.

"The old man said he would take me in as a successor only after I bested him in combat. Being young and hot-headed, I immediately agreed, and sadly, the old man beat me without much effort. But surprisingly, he still took me in and trained me and educated me for twenty seasons full. And during those twenty seasons, the old man would rarely demonstrate his godly prowess, making me train even harder in hopes of attaining that strength.

"The night just before we could cross over to the new year, the old man took me to the Forgotten Mountain of Tah, and there, on top of the mountain, was an altar. The old man first prayed, and then he started performing a ritual. He drew blood from his hand and poured it on me, then he started enchanting. And from there on, I blacked out. I can't tell you what happened, but all I know is I woke up different. My whole physiology was altered, and the old man was nowhere to be seen. That's the story of how I was made into an undying bastard."

Sara's eyes stared at Voren in amazement. She had more questions but withheld herself from asking more and decided to sit in silence. Voren remained quiet for a while before sighing. "Ahh, that's better. You know, you are person number ten thousand four hundred and eighty-six that I have told this story to, but you are the first one to not look at me like I'm a madman. Thank you, Sara."

Voren stood up and gave a slight bow. Sara blushed, not knowing how to react, and simply nodded.

"Right now that we have that out of the way, let us delve into serious matters. Sara, I believe your city has been slow-turned into a cauldron that purifies the essence of children, and I have already determined the location of where it happens." Voren reported, as if he was talking about a casual topic. Sara's eyes widened, especially at the part where he mentioned children's essence. Her father had also suspected the same issue, but he had no proof of his suspicions or a lead. But now, Voren also suspected the same, and he said he had a lead on the case. She knew to take the man before her very seriously, so she straightened up and asked in a calm voice, "Where isit?"

Voren remained quiet for a bit, and it was starting to worry Sara because she thought the location might be somewhere she knew or was attached to, and her fears were correct. "The quaint café you love so much," Voren said, his eyes serious.


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