Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 253: Arc 4, Act II, - 98: Nightmares

Sand, dust; swirling and swirling like a dance, like a flame beginning to get too close. Blacks and greys, was it even fair to call it sand? Or was it more appropriate to call it ash?

Ashes were said to remain after destruction after all... "Sister," a young girl was about to cry, in the corner of a building, tucked away like scared little rats.

The building shook and rumbled, the aftermath of a rhythm that was already played. The walls cracked, various furniture and items across the abode, broken; much of it looted.

Out the windows of the brick building, even out the broken down door, sunlight did not peer through, though it was day. A loud distant cough echoed every other second.

"It’ll be okay, it’s okay," an older girl—a sibling—had her arms wrapped around her younger sister. Around eight years old, protecting a girl no older than five.

Long dark hair barely kept and parted down the middle. Deep brown eyes, face in ash and soot. The same hued eyes as the sister she embraced.

"Uff, eugh," Arabella began coughing, turning away from her sister.

"Bella!"

Arabella put her hand out and pushed her sister away from facing her. "I’m—COUGH!—okay," she held her own throat to stop the fit. It always felt like blood was about to be spat out, but it never did...

"It’s getting worse!" the little sister forced herself into her view.

"Sister, it will be fine," her voice cracked. Arabella glanced back down to her sister, covered in an odd aura of light pinks... But nothing was amiss, right?

Arabella shook her head, "The people, with magic will put all the ash down. You heard what the people around town said," she panted.

"Sister..."

Arabella tilted her head and furrowed her brows.

"You can’t stop what’s about to happen and you never will. I’m dead because of your incompetence," the younger sister’s pupils had disappeared, only the whites remaining of her eyes.

"What!?" Arabella recoiled her head and coughed more.

"Wallow in your despair, grieve and never move on, you’re done, you’ll never protect anyone-"

"Stop it!" tears began running down the dirt and ash down her cheeks.

"Look what we’ve got here, there some stuff left. This your home kids?" a tanned man in white robes had a long dagger that dripped with sanguine fluid, two more men behind him equipped equally.

"Told you this bird kept coming back here, stealing from the rations and merchants," he held a large desert hawk upside-down by its talons.

Crimson went down its feathers of brown and white patterns; it’s body twitched just a smidgen, some small fruits were squished inside its beak. Arabella’s eyes widened, reaching for the dagger she had hidden beside her...

_

"You’ll lose her too," brilliant blue eyes opened, hearing her own voice in a pinkish void. Hotaru’s ears twitched, a pain; like something was sticking a hundred knives into her brain.

Figures formed out of light pink energy, one much shorter than the other. They were beaming wide, glancing into each other’s gazes like nothing else could bother them.

The taller figure, "Jotou?" picked the smaller figure up and spun her around in a small circle, much to the dismay of the shorter figure, "Fumeko?" Hotaru squinted more.

Before long, the two had embraced, Fumeko wrapping her legs around Jotou’s waist as to not fall whilst the blonde held the other’s back steady.

The redhead’s brows furrowed and tail began to spike. "Hey!" her ears bristled, but the figures barely batted an eye to her shout. "JOTOU! MEKO! STOP!"

Her fists clenched and she tried to move, to dash, but her legs were stuck in a void; her head, fixated on the scene as the two figures smiled into their kiss.

Her teeth gritted, arms unable to flail much. The clear face of Hotaru scrunched and scrunched, whimpering it not to be true, trying her best not to sob. Without another sound, the image faded away.

The dulcet tones and breathy voice let out a sweet weep, "This," she looked around, an empty pink void. "This isn’t real."

"But it might be, could it not?" her own voice replied in from the void.

"Dread," around her hands formed claws of water. "I thought I recognized this style. Get out of my head!" she swiped at nothing.

"Pretty bold aren’t you? That was your first kill," the voice hummed back. "Is that now a solution for your problems?"

"Don’t twist this, I’m not falling for your tricks!"

"Is it really a trick if it’s your worries?" Another image formed of Jotou, Fumeko and Asobi, happily walking down some street and another figure next to them; blank, but in the shape of a wolf-girl.

"They’ll be just fine without you."

"I expect them to."

"Oh, so you’re expecting them to abandon you? Leave you?"

"They won’t abandon me. If I’m no longer with them, it means only one other thing. And I would only hope they’d find happiness. I’ll say it again, get out of my head," she growled.

"One other thing?" Jotou’s voice echoed around her.

The redhead swivelled her head, "Jotou?"

"You’re too overprotective. You’re too controlling. Your fear of abandonment will be the end of us, how can you not realize that?"

Her ears folded over her head, "You’re not Jotou, go away!"

"Firefly, I haven’t even said those special words to you yet. Maybe I’m rethinking it, hm?"

Hotaru pouted, a stern stare to the void, "I love her. Now go away illusion. Her actions speak more than three measly words."

"Then why haven’t I said it yet?"

"LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" she screamed.

"What a horrible daughter," her father’s voice rang around; a figure of him formed right in front of her. "You feel vindicated; free from me, don’t you? Tell me how you really feel."

"I’m allowed to love you and hate you, get out of here!" she repeated again and again, the watery claws turning into a crimson hue.

"It’s just a burden, get rid of it."

Hotaru opened her eyes, to an illusory figure she could barely recognize... Crimson hair around her shoulders, some of it tied into a bun behind the head; no wolf-like ears, rather human ones with a pale complexion.

"... Mom?"

"Had to dig pretty deep to find that bad memory," Dread’s voice rang.

"Don’t you dare..." All her emotions bubbled, her breathing erratic. "Happy memories, happy memories," she forced herself to imagine that one night in their old home, with Jotou.

All the fun she had with Asobi and Fumeko alike, her work in the palace, the night of the gala-

"You like to get angry, don’t you? It feels so easy, so instinctual. Throw away logic, throw away reasoning or anything else. Just give in," Hotaru’s voice echoed around her.

"Shut up, shut UP!" the crimson coloured claws swiped around the image, slashing through it. It dissipated into smoke.

"You won’t be able to save them," figures of Jotou, Fumeko and Asobi appeared, being surrounded by armed soldiers; the three were bleeding and panting. Hotaru widened her eyes and rushed forth with her claws...

_

"Ignored, no one cares. Who remembers any child in the middle anyhow?" Feyan’s voice rang around himself, stuck in foetal position in a pinkish void.

"Is that why you ran? Into the army and the hands of a princess, never to be heard from by your family again? They would not care, none of the responsibilities were yours to begin with.

But it was not the same when they asked of you. Do you truly believe even now, that they only paid you any attention after you became a royal advisor?

So stubbornly loyal like a dog. Of course they did. How could they gloss over such an achievement in the family? Your magic prowess was nothing to brag about in the family-"

"Feyan!" Feyan’s eyes opened to the shout. Daiyu’s voice ringing louder. Feyan looked around, crawling back up onto his feet, still in a pinkish void. "Snap out of it damnit! We need you!"

The princess’s voice... He felt calmer, bits of their misadventures permeating his mind. He smiled; playing with his siblings as a child, seeing his brother again.

Feyan could feel his actual body once more, the pinkish void disappearing. His light violet eyes opened; what stood above him was a Trailonian soldier holding and shaking his shoulder.

His eyes waxed shook completely open, shadows took over his fingers and formed claws. "Huh!" Feyan swiped.

"Hey!" Daiyu recoiled back from the claw.

Feyan blinked a few times, his vision clearing; it was not a soldier he swiped at, it was, "Daiyu?" his heart sank. Did he nearly injure the princess?

"Watch it!" Daiyu scowled. "Finally you’re up, what did she do to you?" Daiyu leaned back down.

Feyan crawled onto his feet, his surroundings blurry in a soft pinkish light. Around him were dozens of soldiers lying dead; some seared through the body, some with dagger marks, some bashed in and some paralyzed.

A few bats, a few metal components like pipes from field showers were strewn about the fallen bodies. Jotou huffed, blood across some of her hair and face—not hers.

The blonde could feel light bruises, but nothing too severe. A shadow blinked back into view, her dagger still out, "I got some of them, but they’re retreating."

"To recover I bet," Jotou replied.

Asobi held her knees and winced her eyes, the invisibility faded from Feyan and the rest. "There were only, ten or something left, right?" her eyes began to wane.

"I’d say fifteen at least," Daiyu replied, giving Feyan a hand up. "Could’ve handled it if Jotou didn’t say otherwise."

"Your Stone Surge or my Thundering Strike is gonna do some serious damage in this confined damned tent; mainly to us psychopath!" she panted.

Feyan took the hand and the princess pulled. "What happened; or rather, what has been going on?" he held his head.

"They’ve been charging in, but they just retreated, I took out a few. You probably saw something Dread wanted you to see," Fumeko replied.

"Yes, I do apologize," Feyan narrowed his eyes. "Everything feels blurry, but it is all, slowly coming back," he wiped his hand down his face. "Like I cannot tell whether this is a dream or not- OW!"

Daiyu pinched his shoulder, "Answers that question," she shrugged. Jotou and Fumeko rushed over to Hotaru while Asobi sat down on the ground.

Daiyu crouched down to Arabella’s fallen figure. "Some help Feyan?" Daiyu placed her hands on Arabella’s shoulder and shook her, "Hey, Ara, wake up!"

"Just a moment," Feyan shook his head and steadied himself to his surroundings. Around them was still a pinkish dome. Why would he attack the princess and why did she appear as a Trailonian soldier...?

"Aru, Hotaru," Jotou held her head. "It’s just bad memories and nightmares, you can get out of it, you’re stronger than that."

"Wolfy, this isn’t the time for a nap!" Fumeko yelled in her ear again.

The brilliant blue pools she had for eyes opened and adjusted to the light... "Hey," Jotou sighed, "You made it," she smiled. Fumeko exhaled and relaxed her shoulders.

Hotaru squinted and then realized, "Who are you!? Where are they!? Where’re my friends!?" water trickled down her fingers into claws.

The blonde’s brows knitted, "What’re you talking about?"

"Hello?" Fumeko waved her hand.

"You know damn well what I’m talking about!"

Jotou felt sparks go down her hair and moved her head back! "SLASH!" "GAH!" but she could not recoil far enough lest she dropped the redhead on her head.

"JOTOU!" Fumeko gave a wide-eyed stare.

Jotou winced, claw marks going from her cheek across her nose. She forced herself to drop Hotaru as gently as she could before she took several steps back to hold her own face.

"THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" Fumeko exclaimed down to her.

Hotaru fluttered her lashes; there were Trailonian soldiers all around her. That’s all she saw, no sight of her friends. She glared to the soldier screaming above her, "YOU BASTARD!" Hotaru swiped. Fumeko stepped back into shadow and blinked away.

All she saw was the soldier fleeing away from her claws, another soldier appearing within the blurry light pinks of her vision. Hotaru got up onto her feet and glanced around.

"She’s gone mad!" Fumeko furrowed her brows.

"Huh?" Asobi peered and stood back up. "Hotaru, it’s us!"

The redhead heard no voice, merely some odd sound in her ear. Daiyu looked up as well as Feyan; Arabella was still unconscious. "Ah shit," Daiyu stood and held up her greatsword.

Right when she did, Arabella roused from her state. Everything seemed, blurry; the corners of her eyes could see wisps of pink every now and again.

Around her were men with daggers, soaked in blood and many bodies fallen. She could see her sister, angry and stood to one side; facing off against the assailants.

"Admiral, you are awake," Feyan noticed.

Arabella huffed and rolled away, taking her fallen sabre into her grip. What little dust and sand there was, followed her trail and pushed her up onto her feet as she readied her blade.

She pointed it to all of them, counting the targets in her head. One hand went over her eye and formed the ash into a crescent. "SWI- ShTsh!"

Daiyu pushed her blade in between the ash and Feyan, deflecting Arabella’s attack. "Princess, everyone, I think this has something to do with Dread!"

"What gave you that impression Arty!?" Fumeko exclaimed.

Jotou grasped the hilt of her sword, the blood at least dripping down slower now. Asobi gawked at everything, holding her wand tight.

"I meant that the Psyching Dread is making them see things! They think they are fighting enemies!" Feyan reiterated. The two squared off, one with a sabre and one with a pair of claws; facing the enemies around them...