Chapter 177 - A Dream? Or A Nightmare?

[Music Recommendation: "Somnus" by Yoko Shimomura (instrumental only - FFXV OST) - available in Youtube or Spotify] ~ Please listen to it in loop while you read this part to experience the true atmosphere of this scene~

Plop!

A single drop of blood …

Plop!

Long ice spears thrusted on someone's body …

In the stomach …

In the shoulders …

And in the heart ... 

Plop!

The single drop of blood continued pouring and gushing out of the man's body whose face was covered in darkness. Only his musculine body, with knees on the ground could be seen, and his surroundings burning in fire. He wore a fitted black turtleneck and dark pants that turned damp due to the massive amount of blood flowing from his body.

He wasn't alone … many other men laid dead on the floor near him, also covered in blood.

"Haaaahh …," the man breathed heavily as if it was his last.

And indeed it was, for his body suddenly gave in and dropped on the floor.

Now, his face was no longer shrouded by the shadows, revealing his silky straight brown hair and a pair of lifeless, but beautiful jade green eyes.

"Hahh!" Illumináire gasped as she sprung up from bed. Her lips and whole body trembled, and from her eyes fell rivers of tears. She kept her mouth open, trying to catch her breath but the nightmare was too much for her to bear.

A moment later, Clavis went inside the tent where his sister was sleeping. There were four beds inside it and he was about to go to his bed when he noticed Illumináire trembling.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Clavis quickly went to his sister's aid.

"I …," Illumináire gulped, "T-that man … her lover … he will die!"

"Huh? Man? Lover? … who do you mean?" Clavis was puzzled.

Illumináire breathed heavily, trying to calm herself.

"On that night … when we conquered Earth and captured many pure maidens, I was with Nefastus and we're the one who brought Rania to the Floating Kingdom".

"Yes, I heard about that".

"Rania … she - she had a lover, with brown hair and green eyes. He tried to protect her till the last moment and when we were about to go, Nefastus tried to kill him with an ice spear".

"Ugh, that woman is truly wicked," Clavis grunted.

"But! It seems he survived! I just saw him in my dream! B-but …," her voice quickly shifted from a cheerful one to a miserable tone.

"What is it?"

"He's going to die …," Illumináire said in a soft murmur. "I saw him kneeling on the ground, covered with blood. There were many ice spears thrusted in his body and then he collapsed on the floor, lifeless. There were other people with him, also lying lifeless on the ground".

Clavis' eyes widened. There was no need for Illumináire to say any further. Clavis was smart enough to guess that … whoever Rania's lover was, knowing that she was kidnapped by unknown people, there would be only one thing for him to do - to rescue her. He could understand why. If the same thing happened to Selena, he would probably do the same. Unfortunately, according to his sister's dream, it seemed that … that rescue mission would be the end of his life. Understanding this, Clavis sighed deeply.

"That's …," Clavis mumbled, unable to continue the next words. His face could only wretch in sympathy of what's to come. He also wondered how the pure maiden, Rania, would feel once she learned of the sad truth. "Unfortunately, there's not much we could do for him".

But Illumináire thought otherwise. She quickly got up from bed and went outside the tent, leaving her brother behind. The outside of the tent was a barren land, with many people walking to and from the other tents set up around the area. The whole Sortis family were scattered, healing people with dark spots on their skins and anyone showing symptoms of the spiritual corruption. 

Yes, the Sortis family was now in Gaia. After days of travel via multiple teleportation points, they finally arrived and set up different camp sites around the whole planet, dividing themselves to cater to as much Magi as possible that had been affected by the corruption. Many people lined up on each tent to be healed by holy power. Their father was with them, along with more than half of the household. Only Selena, Mitis, and other priests and priestesses were left in the Floating Kingdom.

Illumináire walked far from the campsite, towards a large but lifeless tree. She wanted to be alone, with no disturbance, so she set up a black-out barrier around her. Closing her eyes, she began to release holy energy. Her body glowed light blue as she held her hands together.

"What was his name?" Illumináire asked herself. Then, she recalled a devastated Rania, murmuring his name as she knelt on the floor, staring miserably at her lover's body lying on the floor filled with his own blood.

"Zeid …," Illuminaire called out.

Not even a moment passed, Illumináire could be seen standing barefoot on an empty white space with nothing but a shallow pool of crystal clear water on her feet. She wore a light blue serpentina gown with a skirt made of soft, flowing transparent cloth, making it appear like the waters below.

Illumináire held out her hand in thin air and suddenly, Zeid appeared before her! His eyes was closed and he wore an untied sleeping robe, revealing a glimpse of his naked upper body, and soft sleeping pants.

"Zeid," Illumináire called him out again. 

"Ugh …," Zeid grunted as he slowly opened his eyes. "Huh? Where am I? I just finished talking with Nedge and went on to bed to get some sleep and then …," he tried to recall what happened. His eyes shot open upon noticing the girl in front of him. His calm, sleepy face immediately turned wretched when he saw her.

Feeling the animosity of Zeid's glare, Illumináire lowered her eyes.

"Heh! Is this a dream? Wait - no, it's a nightmare!" Zeid scoffed in an obviously angered and resentful voice. "Of all the dreams I would have … it would be with the fuc**ng Magi who took Rania away from me! Seriously! I would rather dream of getting killed than to see your face!"

Zeid couldn't contain himself and approached Illumináire. In his anger, he forcefully grabbed her small shoulders, digging his nails, though short, unto her skin. Since Illumináire was shorter than him by 5 inches, and Zeid being a flat 6'0 in height, he bent down, closing the gap between their faces. He wanted her to see more of his anger even if it was just a dream. His eyes burned with rage.

Illumináire gasped in pain. Indeed it was a dream she created with her holy powers in order to communicate with a person that was very far away from her and knew nothing of where he was. It was a special skill only the Oracle could do - manifesting herself into someone's dream. Even though it was a dream, her spirit still traveled and she could feel the pain that Zeid was inflicting on her. But she could understand his resentment … so she simply endured the pain.

"It's all because of you!" Zeid shouted to her face. "Bring her back! Bring her back to me!" His face fumed and his breathing turned heavy.

"Y-you can … hate me all you want," Illumináire replied, her voice so soft and gentle, soothing to the ears. "But … please listen to what I'm about to say".

"Huh! And why should I?" Zeid scoffed. "I will only listen if you bring her back".

Illumináire lifted her head and met his angered gaze. With tears in its corners, her beautiful light blue eyes pleaded to him.

Seeing her like this, with eyes that seemed to carry a huge burden in it, Zeid was taken aback. It was not the face of an enemy he was expecting.

"Zeid," she whispered his name softly. "Please, don't come. Don't try to rescue her, for it would cause your own life".

"!!! Y-you ... how did you -," Zeid was bewildered.

"Rania … she will be fine. The Supreme is with her and He will protect her until she fulfills her calling. But as for you, there is nothing to be gained, yet much to lose. So please, spare your life and wait on the Supreme".

Alas, Illumináire couldn't contain her emotions anymore and began to sob.

Zeid loosened his grip on her shoulders, revealing red marks on her rosy skin. There were a lot of things he wanted to say to her. She was an enemy … but then, she's suddenly warning him and telling him to save his life. He couldn't understand why she was doing this and what's with the sudden change. And why should he even believe her? 

But one thing was clear to him ...

"No," he replied firmly. "I've waited long enough. I WILL save her! And I don't care if it costs my life!"

Illumináire's shoulder dropped upon hearing his resolve, though her eyes continued to look straight at him, pleadingly. There was not much she could do against such deep resolute. They weren't even close to begin with for her to give him warnings and advice. And most of all, she was an enemy for him. No matter how much she wanted to save him, she could only do so much … In the end, it would still depend on his own choice.

"If you won't listen … then …," Illumináire whispered to herself. Then she floated her body until her head was a little higher than Zeid.

Zeid was lost in thought when he suddenly felt something warm and soft on his forehead. He looked up and saw that it was Illumináire, kissing his forehead! His eyes widened in surprise. He felt 'something' entering his body … something he couldn't explain what it was.

"Be safe," were the last words that the doll-like girl told him.

"Hah!!!" Zeid gasped and jolted up on his bed. 

The dream ended …

But the soft and warm sensation on his forehead remained.