บท 56: Chapter 56: [Spoiler]
It was a peaceful scene.
The sky was an expanse of sapphire blue, dotted with feathery white clouds as the radiant rays of the sun shone brightly in the azure blue sky.
There were many people in the park. Some were strolling with their lovers, while others hung out together as friends.
Some were in threes - the parents at the side while the child was in the middle, pulling both of their hands.
Yet for some strange reason, everything was blurry. All the faces were blurred out, as if there was a frosted glass in between them.
There was an area. An area which seemed...different.
An area that contrasts the vibrant colours of green, blue, pink and brown.
An area which seemed...dark and gloomy, black and white and grey.
An area where time seemed to pass by much slower compared to others.
A young child, about six or seven could be seen wandering about in the park's play area which consisted of a huge playground, two swings, and an area full of sand.
Beside him were twelve people, but none of them could be recognisable. They were, at best, shadows with human shape. Their faces could not be seen, they had equal heights, and their gender could not be discerned.
It was as if there were twelve clones instead of twelve people, but the child could tell that they were twelve different people.
How? He did not know how, but he can tell that it was twelve different people, though he couldn't see their faces or gender.
The thirteen people (including the child) were having fun together in the playground. Seven people played with the child, while the other five took out what seemed to be a picnic mat and laid it out on the grassy field. A broom suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and with a 'poof!', a huge variety of food suddenly appeared after the smoke dissipated.
As strange as it may sound, none of them found the scene weird or out of place. It was as though food suddenly appearing out of nowhere was normal, a common occurrence.
Although none of them had emotions that could be seen, he could feel that everyone was having fun.
Shido stood at the side of these twelve shadows and wondered,"Who are these people?"
He did not know.
He could not remember.
But did this even belong to him?
Shido didn't continue to ponder about these questions and continued watching the scenery. Everywhere was full of vibrant colours. Everywhere except where the thirteen shadows were, anyways.
It was as though the thirteen shadows and the other people didn't exist together, separated by a boundary.
A boundary more abstract than physical objects like tape.
A boundary more abstract than space.
A boundary more abstract than time.
A separate dimension? A separate timeline? A separate reality?
Shido could not tell. For all he knew, the 'boundary' he saw might not even exist in the first place. And it could all just be part of his imagination.
*****************
Suddenly the scene changed.
Now, instead of a park in the middle of the day where the sun was directly above them, they were somewhere more deserted.
A mountain top view, a scene which captured the entire beauty of a city.
"What city...is this?"
Shido tried flying, but he couldn't. He was stuck to the same position, and could only move on the ground. He looked towards the railings, and moved towards it. Looking down, he saw the entire city, and it was surrounded by what seems to be mountains or hills.
"A city surrounded by mountains? No...those 'mountains' don't look natural. Man-made?"
But the entire area of the city was undeniably huge. He could see that it took up at least twenty thousand kilometres square, fully occupied by all sorts of buildings, amusement parks, and parks. Although it was the evening, he could still see people walking about on the streets.
He turned around, and, not unexpectedly, he saw the same thirteen shadows present. Twelve of them were the same, but the last one had a figure of a child about six to seven.
Once again, they were playing with each other while walking in a certain direction. Or more specifically, the child between two shadows was playing with the others while some of them hung back and walked behind them, chatting with each other.
Suddenly, they stopped and leaned against the railing.
"It seems that they have decided to stay here for awhile?"
The thirteen shadows stopped and decided to stare at the city.
They seem to be...chatting? At least that was what it seemed like to Shido who was beside them.
And like before, only the area they were in was completely black, grey and white. The colour of the setting sun was bright orange in colour, and it contrasted really well against the darkness of the city.
Yet again, a broom appeared out of nowhere.
"What is he going to conjure now?" Shido observed carefully at the shadows. Somehow, after looking at it for the second time now, he found the shape of the broom familiar.
"Where have I seen it before? Was it at the grandma's shop for the needy? Or was it at the janitor's storeroom at UA?" Just as he was wondering where he saw the broom before, something happened.
But contrary to his expectations, nothing appeared out of nowhere. Instead, two of the 'larger' shadows shrunk down to the height of the 'child' shadow.
Now, there were three 'child' shadows and ten 'adult' shadows.
This made Shido even more confused. Before this happened, he was sure it was a child accompanied by twelve other adults.
But now? They could all be children, or all be adults. So which were they?
*****************
However, before he could continue his contemplation, the scene in front of him changed again. Now, not only was the area around them dull in colour, the entire scene in front of his eyes consisted of only three colours, white, black and grey.
"This is a...house?"
Shido looked around and saw a staircase leading to the second floor. The thirteen shadows were each doing their own thing; four of them were talking to each other, five of them were crowded over one shadow, while the three 'child' shadows were in front of a television which was showing a blurred out television programme.
Seeing that none of the thirteen shadows were doing anything special, he proceeded up the stairs and when he reached the top, he found nothing special. It was a simple and ordinary house, the type that could be found everywhere. There were three doors leading to three bedrooms, and a toilet in the hallway.
He chose one door randomly and entered it. Pictures of shadows were littered about on his table, while a single bed laid right beside it. The blanket wasn't made properly, and the pillow wasn't in it's correct position at the top of the bed.
Shido stretched out his hand in an attempt to move the pillow, but his hand slipped right through it.
"I can't touch anything huh?"
Shido already knew about it but he still hoped that he could touch things. It seemed that the only things he could touch was the ground/floor and the railings.
"Sigh, but still...what is this?"
Shido had no idea why he was here. Neither had he had any idea what he was supposed to do here.
What was he supposed to notice? The fact that he can't touch anything except for the ground and railings? That he was supposed to watch over the thirteen people doing their things?
It wasn't the first time he saw this...'vision'. Or more accurately, a piece of 'memory' about someone totally random. He could only assume that the 'main character' in this place was the thirteen people since they were the odd things that were present in this...place.
Seeing that he had no other choice, he went back down the stairs and now saw the thirteen shadows sitting together around the long, rectangular-shaped table, eating in harmony.
"I'm jealous..."
Before he even realised it, the thoughts of enviousness and jealousy had occupied his mind.
"I'm jealous? Of what?"
He looked at them and observed again.
"Of course...I'm jealous of...
...family."
*****************
"...do...up..."
"Ugh..." Groaning, Shido opened his eyes and closed them immediately when he found rays of sunlight directly entering his eyes.
"Shido! Wake up now!"
"Eri? What time is it?"
"8am. If you don't wake up soon, even if you can teleport, you're going to be late for work."
"Yeah yeah. I'm up already." Shido replied as he slowly got up from his bed.
"Shido?"
"Yeah?"
"Why are you crying?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Shido rubbed his eyes and found that they were wet. He traced the wet path and found his tears dripping down his cheeks,"Oh, never mind. It's nothing."
"It's that dream again, right?"
Shido paused for a minute before continuing to put on his clothes as silence reigned in the room.
"Did you...figure out who they are?" Eri asked cautiously as she watched Shido put on his attire.
"No."
A short and simple answer was the reply.
"I see..."
Uncomfortable with the awkward silence, Shido decided to initiate a conversation,"Anyway, are you heading to the dojo again?"
"Yes! The instructor asked me to coach the younger kids today."
"Sigh, why do you enjoy fighting so much?" Shido was a bit worried for the girl since she enjoyed fighting a lot more than other children her age. She doesn't play around with others, nor does she go out with her friends, apart from Shido of course.
"Hey! Don't misunderstand me. I don't 'enjoy' fighting a lot. I just find martial arts necessary for my safety. Besides, didn't you say it before? Something about keeping myself safe from villains and those people who want me for that..."Eri trembled slightly before continuing,"...experiment."
"Anyways, I'm confident that I can fight back against them if they ever come for me again." Eri said with a smile while flexing her tiny arms.
"Yes yes, you're the strongest. Don't be overconfident though. Run if you need to, alright?" Shido stared into Eri's eyes and spoke seriously.
"Alright! And goodbye!"
He replied and ruffled her hair,"Goodbye and stay safe."
"Moo...don't mess up my hair!" Eri pouted and complained as she tried readjusting her hair.
"Haha!" Shido laughed at her actions as he took a slice of bread from the table. Summoning his broom, he transformed Eri to hide her horn before teleporting away.
*****************
In school, a broom suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the resting room for teachers.
"Shido, you're almost late for the event!" Hound Dog barked at the appearing silhouette of a child.
"Sorry sorry! I saw a black cat and took a detour." Shido scratched his head and replied cheekily.
"Saying 'sorry' once is enough! Besides, you teleported here, how do you take a detour?! If you want to tell a lie, tell a more believable lie, will you?" Hound Dog snorted.
"Then would you believe me if I tell you..." Shido looked around at his surroundings before leaning in.
"Tell me what?" Hound Dog leaned in as well to hear Shido's excuse.
"...that I almost overslept?"
"..."
"..."
The two stared at each other for a while before Hound Dog spoke while rubbing his temples,"Talking with you makes my head hurt. I'm never talking to you again."
"That's what you said the last time, the time before that and all the times before that. And look where you are right now, still conversing with me."
The other teachers who were present just looked and laughed at the duo arguing. Or more accurately speaking, an adult who was trying to out-argue a child but was failing miserably.
"Grrr...." Hound Dog could not find any way to win against the cheeky kid, and growled unconsciously. Just as he was about to continue his argument against Shido, the door opened, and a mouse entered the room.
"Alright, that's enough. Today is the UA Sports Festival, and there is a chance that villains might invade us today like the day at USJ. So, let's all keep our eyes wide open, all right?"
"Yes!"
"And more importantly, let's all enjoy this event!"
And so, the most highly anticipated event of the year, the UA Sports Festival begins!
*****************
Title: Dream
Alternate Title: Memory
A/N: Sometimes it's better to keep your thoughts to yourself. It just seems like yesterday that I have written this chapter, but it actually had been written more than a month ago...
And oops, I posted the chapter in wrong order!! So go back to the previous chapter to read it before reading this lol...
If you want to support me or/and want 14+ chapters in advance, link:
https://www.patr eon.com/spirits_everywhere
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