Chapter 557 Nightmare

A world full of darkness.

All around there is only destruction and chaos.

A trail of dead bodies, mangled flesh, fresh blood, and an air of unending despondency. This could be hell.

"N-no..." A voice leaks out into this abyss.

It is of a young man.

He has dark hair, and his bangs cover his pure black eyes as he kneels. There is a woman on his lap, and he emptily stares at her while repeating his earlier words.

"No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.No. No. No. No. No. No. NO. NO! NO!! NOOO!!!"

The crimson-haired woman is dyed in blood, left for dead.

The black-haired man seems to have fallen into despair completely.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... I—"

A hulking figure moves in the distance. It is the very epitome of chaos, and it brings the world to ruin.

The being ignores the man, and the man ignores it as well.

While one grievously mourns, the other relishes in the destruction it has wrought.

"It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault!!!"

Repeating those words so much that one might think he is insane, this man keeps making this statement.

His heart churns, and he feels an unexplainable loss. Everything and everyone he loves... they don't exist anymore.

However—

"You're a sight for sore eyes, Neron."

"It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my—"

The black-haired man stops his mantra and looks forward. His head is raised and his shoulders slump.

There is another being standing right in front of him.

The being looks human, but the grieving soul knows that his true self is far from it.

"You..."

"Don't look at me that way. Isn't this a result of our efforts?"

"This... this isn't what I wanted! You lied to me! You... I thought we were friends!"

"Hahaha, well... I guess that's one way of putting it."

"You bastard! You and Ciel tricked me! You... why...?!'"

"It was unavoidable. I don't really care either way, but apparently, she's the one who wanted this outcome."

"W-why...?"

"Well, the work is done. Sooner or later, I'll get what I want. It's a shame, though. This world is doomed..."

"N-no..."

"Yes. The Nether is here, after all. It's only a matter of time."

The man called Neron can only shudder and wither away as he feels even more despair.

He curses himself, regretting everything he has ever done.

But, it's just as the other being says.

Everything will end.

The world. Existence. Himself.

"I..."

Neron raises his head and his jet black eyes slowly show a glimmer of light.

"... I won't allow it!"

Suddenly, the entire area is enveloped in white light, and the shock is enough to send ripples of distortions flying around every corner of the world.

Enough to finally...

"Uargh!"

... Wake up the dreamer.

*******************

Neron's body was covered in cold sweat, but that was only for a moment.

His body reset, and he felt perfectly normal afterward.

Still, his mind couldn't help but focus on the nightmare he just had.

"That dream... what the hell?"

Truthfully, Neron had been having certain memory flashes and sudden thoughts, but this was the first time he had dreamt so vividly about it.

"What happened?"

Neron couldn't make sense of the matter.

It had been a while since he felt this way—so confused and lost.

Now sitting up on his wide bed, he looked beside him and spotted Serah sleeping peacefully.

While she was overactive during the day, the woman was quite a deep sleeper.

Neron liked how she looked so cute and peaceful as she slept. He made to caress her cheek, smiling to himself.

However—

'I'm... so sorry.'

—Another flash of memories stopped him.

In his head, Serah was killed, and while they shared their final moments together, it was too painful.

"Keuk!" Neron clutched his heart in pain, looking at his lover with conflicted eyes.

"What exactly happened? Are these memories of the past... or the future?"

At this point, he had to imagine if this was an effect of the Hermit Arcana, or perhaps a new aspect of the power he needed to explore.

'They're getting more vivid... especially after Jared spoke about Merlin and—'

Neron recollected the words the boy said—about Ciel... and the Nether.

'Do I know them?'

Neron was worried. In the advent that the flashes he was seeing in his memories were real, then that meant chaos.

'I should tell Jared...' Neron thought to himself.

However, after thinking it through, the man decided not to.

'He has a lot on his plate, and unverified information like mine will simply put him on more edge.'

Deciding to reveal the matter once the time was ripe and he had more to go on, Neron sighed to himself and looked at Serah one more time.

"I don't know if all those memories are real, but..." He caressed the cheeks of his lover and smiled lovingly at her.

"... I will never let anything happen to you."

He didn't know about the 'Neron' that existed in his dreams and memory flashes, but the black-haired man resolutely decided never to lose his own Serah.

'I've been having memory flashes since I was a kid, haven't I? It's just been more of intuitions and guidance... never has it been so intense.'

Neron went back to bed, hugging Serah close to him.

The latter moaned slightly, whispering Neron's name as they both fell asleep in each other's embrace.

With a satisfied smile of comfort and love, Neron returned to paradise.

***************

[A/N]

Well, this sets the pace for quite a conflicting and interesting set of events.

Also, I'm so jealous of this dude.