Chapter 300: The Tomb of Oracleus [3]
"Hiak!"
Josephine screamed at the top of her lungs, her hands shooting forward to grasp the arms that were reaching out for her. It was dark, and she couldn't see, but the strength behind the grip made it hard for her to breathe as her legs flailed wildly in a desperate struggle.
"Huek... Huek!"
In that brief moment, a sudden wave of fear overwhelmed her as her breathing grew increasingly labored, each gasp more desperate than the last.
"H-huelp!"
She tried to call for help, hoping for her voice to reach Kiera, but nothing.
Her surroundings were silent.
Could it be that Kiera had also...?
The thought made Josephine freeze, her expression draining of color. Panic surged through her as she flailed her legs wildly, clenching her teeth and applying all the strength she could muster to the arms squeezing her.
Though she wasn't the strongest in her year, she was among the very top, and she poured every ounce of that strength into freeing herself from the relentless grip.
After the initial shock, Josephine was able to calm down and think properly.
"Khk!"
She was a [Body] type user. Recalling the training she had undergone with her father, Josephine's eyes sharpened as her torso twisted and she raised her legs in the air, reaching for the head of the culprit behind her choking.
Josephine was planning to choke him back with her legs.
Swoosh!
Her movements were blindingly fast, the wind whistling as she twisted through the air. With her agile and flexible body, she reached the position where the head should be in mere seconds. Just as she prepared to lock it in with her legs, she was stunned to see her legs hit... Nothing.
"Uh?"
Stunned, Josephine's body twisted.
With her head looking down and on all fours, her eyes opened wide.
A horrifying realization dawned on her.
"This can't be...'
The one who was strangling her... It didn't exist. Upon coming to this realization, her eyes flared open.
"Haa... Haa... Haa..."
With heavy breaths, Josephine stared at the familiar black ceiling.
Her entire back was drenched in sweat. Turning around, she quickly pulled out a small orb, activating it to cast light and reveal her surroundings.
"That..."
Josephine covered her mouth.
....Everything was normal. Kiera was peacefully sleeping in her sleeping bag, and aside from a bit of mess, nothing seemed out of place.
"A nightmare?"
Josephine rubbed her forehead.
Biting her lips she reached for a water bottle and took a small sip.
"....It felt so real."
Her heart was still beating extremely quickly, and the images of her nightmare continued to replay in her mind. Everything felt so vivid. Almost as if she had actually experienced the strangling.
Not only that, but the discomfort in her neck was still there.
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Rubbing her neck, Josephine swallowed quietly.
'Crazy.'
Brushing her hair back, she leaned over to check on Kiera. Even with the light on, Kiera seemed to be sleeping soundly, her breathing steady and rhythmic.
Josephine sighed in relief when she saw that, afraid that she had disturbed her sleep.
'Who knows what this crazy bitch would do if I woke her up.'
Perhaps she'd be the one strangling her.
Josephine laughed to herself only for her laugh to freeze as she noticed something on Kiera's neck.
Swallowing quietly, Josephine reached forward to get a better look. She did distinctively remember it being red just as she had come, but it was different now. The color...
It was purple.
||
In the silence, Josephine reached forward and slowly pulled back the sleeping bag. Her expression twisted into one of horror as she discovered the reason for the purple color on
Kiera's neck.
Josephine felt her heart stop beating for a brief moment as her breath left her body.
Before she could utter a word, Kiera's eyes snapped open, her hand shooting out to clutch Josephine's forearm with a vice-like grip.
With bloodshot eyes, Kiera looked at Josephine.
"What is it?"
Her voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable, and it wasn't just the tone that was different. Her entire presence seemed different as if she had become a completely different person.
And that very fact chilled Josephine's heart.
Putting more pressure over Josephin's arm, Kiera's voice grew hoarse.
"....Why did you wake me up?"
***
"Ukh...!"
By the time Leon regained consciousness, he found himself lying on something soft. A faint rustling sound reached his ears as a gentle warmth embraced his entire body prompting his eyelids to open.
What greeted his eyes was a familiar-looking sky and sun. It was a stark contrast to the gloomy white sun and dark sky of the Mirror Dimension.
"Where am I?"
Sitting up, Leon looked around in surprise. He found himself in a lush grassland, the wind rustling softly through the tall grass. The refreshing scent of pine trees lingered in the air,
creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere.
It felt like paradise.
Leon didn't feel like getting up. He wanted to remain seated where he was and enjoy the
scenery before him.
But he knew he had to leave.
This place...
It wasn't real.
'It must be some sort of illusion within the tomb.'
Trata! Trata! Trata! Trata! Trata!
"?"
A sudden rhythmic thumping jolted Leon out of his thoughts, accompanied by a powerful gust of wind that rushed toward him.
His eyes widened in shock as he looked up to see a massive object flying through the air. It was unlike anything he had ever seen-crafted from metal, with three long, sharp blades jutting out, spinning at incredible speeds. His expression shifted from confusion to awe as he stared at the strange machine that flew in the air.
'What sort of...?'
He tried to reach out for it but was startled to see that his entire body was illusionary as if he
was merely part of the drifting wind of the surrounding.
"Uh?"
But his shock didn't die down.
Squinting his eyes, he was both surprised and shocked to see several people appear within the
strange machine.
They looked like humans, and yet... he had never heard of humans ever being capable of using
such machines.
He followed the strange machine with his eyes as it crossed past him.
Leon traced its path with his eyes and then saw it: massive buildings towering toward the sky,
their imposing structures piercing through the clouds.
"Ahh."
Leon felt his breath leave his body.
'.... How is this possible?'
The buildings were unlike anything Leon had ever seen before. Their architecture was
otherworldly, and their height seemed to stretch beyond comprehension. The sheer
magnitude of their presence felt intimidating.
Leon's head started to hurt.
He couldn't make heads or tails of the situation.
Looking around him, Leon pursed his lips and decided to run forward. It was in the same direction as where the strange machine went and where the buildings were.
He wanted to get a better idea of what was happening.
As such, he ran.
He ran and ran and ran.
Feeling the cool breeze of the wind, he continued to run, his eyes locking toward the strange
buildings that grew nearer and nearer.
At the same time, he thought about Julien.
Was he also seeing what he was seeing...? Such a strange place. Leon was sure he'd also be
shocked. Still, since he was being shown such a place, Leon was sure that it was closely related
to Oracleus.
"Hooo."
Leon continued to run for what felt like hours until eventually, he managed to reach a flat
road that contained strange symbols and lines.
Vrooom-!
But the most shocking part wasn't the strange lines but the bizarre machines moving across them. At speeds Leon found unbelievable, he watched as the metallic objects sped along the
road, heading straight toward the city.
"Ukh."
Leon felt his head throb.
Staring at the unfamiliar machines and settings, he felt lost.
Rubbing his head, he marched forward toward the imposing city of lights that seemed to
swallow him whole.
It was an overwhelming feeling.
It felt disorienting. Especially when he saw the way the people dressed, and the strange devices that they had in their hands. Everyone appeared to be glued to them. They used them while sitting, walking, and even when using strange machines.
Веер! Веер!
That wasn't all.
It was also extremely loud.
Be it from the people and the strange machines. Leon found the noise coming from all sides.
He thought that the noise coming from Bremmer was bad, but compared to this... It was
nothing.
||
Like that, Leon walked around aimlessly.
He had no idea where to go. He just quietly observed his surroundings and walked without an
objective. He wanted a way out of this world, but how could he go out?
As Leon racked his mind over the situation, his head throbbed again.
"Uekh...!"
It was a lot more painful than before forcing him to stop for a brief moment. Holding onto his
head, he felt his face grow red from the pain.
But...
"Uh?"
Accompanying the pain, there was something else.
He felt something.
Swoosh!
Leon turned his head to face a certain direction. Over there, he felt a presence. A familiar one.
It was quite far but he knew who it belonged to.
Julien.
He was somewhere over in that direction.
Leon didn't hesitate to move where he was. He couldn't make heads or tails of the situation,
but perhaps he'd know something that he didn't.
Even if he didn't, Leon didn't feel comfortable roaming this place by himself.
It was too loud and congested for him.
With such thoughts, his steps quickened and he zig-zagged through the strange city. He
walked past buildings with large displays, showing all sorts of different people holding onto
strange products and devices. That much wasn't different from Bremmer, but everything felt extremely convoluted.
He didn't know for how long he kept running.
Before he knew it, he found the buildings growing scarcer and the buildings become smaller.
There were still some, but they were a lot less than before. Greenery became more abundant, and the air felt fresher.
As Leon approached a distant gate, his chest grew lighter and his steps gradually slowed. The metal gates stood wide open, beckoning him forward, but something about the scene felt off.
His steps came to an abrupt halt as he tilted his head in confusion, uncertain of why he was
there.
'Graveyard? Why would Julien be there...?'
He had come all the way here in order to meet Julien, but why would he be at the graveyard?
Leon scratched his forehead before entering the gates.
Rustle~
He was met with a strange and peaceful silence upon entering the gates of the graveyard. It
was the complete opposite of the loud mess outside.
Lining up in front of him were white tombstones that stretched endlessly before his very eyes.
Leon took a quick glance at the first tombstone before him.
[John Middlestone]
[1990-2055]
"1990? 2055?"
The strange numbers felt confusing to him. Were this the dates?"
Leon felt his mouth grow dry as he turned his head in a certain direction. There, he finally
spotted a familiar figure. With his back facing him, he stood before a certain tombstone.
"Julien!"
Leon called out to him but received no response.
"Julien...!"
Leon tried again, but he was yet again met with silence.
Confused, Leon decided to go closer to him.
Perhaps he didn't hear him...
"Julien!"
But even as he drew nearer and nearer to him, Leon found it that Julien didn't answer him.
Frowning, Leon picked up his pace and arrived a few meters behind Julien.
"Julien..."
He called out again, but Julien remained firm, his gaze never leaving the tombstone that
stood before him.
It was then that Leon grew curious and looked at the tombstone.
Unlike the other tombstones, this one stood out. It was larger and more elaborate, adorned
with fresh flowers and a small portrait. Intrigued, Leon moved closer, squinting his eyes as he
leaned in to read the name engraved on the tombstone.
"Emmet..."
Reading the first part of the name, Leon felt his chest grow heavy, a strange sensation taking
over his body.
His heart raced, and the world around him began to close in, the air growing thick and oppressive as a sense of dread took hold.
Leon felt the very air get sucked out of his lungs as it felt as though he was being choked.
The darkness continued to close in from all sides, closing in on his vision. A strange tingling sensation coursed through Leon's body as if his very being was rejecting
the sight before him.
His breathing grew heavier, and his mouth went dry, the saliva vanishing as an overwhelming
sense of unease gripped him.
It was almost as if the entire world was trying to stop him from finishing the name.
In spite of all of this, Leon continued to stare at the tombstone.
Gradually, his lips opened, and he read the last part of the name.
"....Rowe."
Woom!
Darkness took hold of Leon's vision.
It was only brief, and by the time he recovered, he found himself standing before the same
tombstone.
But there was a difference.
The surroundings were different, and the tombstone stood by itself. Julien still looked at it
with a blank look, and new words appeared over it.
They glowed a purple hue.
Leon carefully read each word.
"Here lies the grave of Oracleus." "--The seer."
