Chapter 84: Vision

Chapter 84: Vision

August 8th, 2089

It is a beautiful summer day and the weather is pleasant, which is unusual for Tokyo at this time of the summer. Veronica and I have taken full advantage of that, currently sitting outside having a picnic at a local park for one of our regular dates. Were both lying beside each other on the blanket, gazing at the clouds as they float by. Normally, Veronica would be training Hikari, but Kira volunteered to spar with her today. Seems like her part-time job has reawakened her fighting spirit. Rin went along with them so she could watch. Theyll be back late since Hikari also has a photo shoot for her modeling job afterwards.

Terra, do you think well be able to fit in at school? Veronica asked me. With the 1st day of school less than a month away, Kira and Veronica have been getting both anxious and very excited. Thats understandable though since it is a completely foreign concept to them. Education in the other world was through parents, tutors and apprenticeships. It was just about always a one-on-one learning experience. I smiled lightly to reassure her as I responded Youll be fine. I have no doubts that you will not only fit in, but youll become some of the most popular people in school. She gave one of her dazzling smiles in response. Okay, since youre so confident I have no choice but to trust your judgement.

Veronica than paused for a moment before asking a new question Have you been making any headway on Hikaris situation? I sighed at the question before responding Not yet, but I have been looking into one of the legends here that could potentially solve that problem. Veronica and Kira are both aware of and in support of my desire to try and figure out a way to lengthen Hikaris lifespan. 100 years is simply not that long of a time, considering that both Veronica and Kira are likely to live up to about 1000 years and I could potentially live just as long if not longer due to my magic and augmentation.

What legend are you talking about? The Fountain of Youth. A fountain? How strange. Veronica listened attentively as I explained the myth behind it. It was said that if you drank or bathed in the waters of the Fountain of Youth your youth would be restored. There have been accounts of the Fountain of Youth ranging back thousands of years from all over the globe. It was not always a fountain, sometimes it was described as a spring or a river. However, the most prominent of the stories involves an explorer named Juan Ponce de Leon, who was said to have searched for the Fountain 600 years ago by the command of his King. He allegedly never found the fountain, although the details of his travels indicate several potential locations I can look at.

Each time I denied her with coldly spoken words, I would punish her by biting her ears hard. I could feel Veronicas body shiver excitedly even as she let loose a gasp of pain each time. She was so cute and submissive that it flipped a sadistic switch in me that I didnt even know I had, causing me to punish her more frequently just to see her reactions. This eclectic mix of tender loving and S&M was an amazing turn on, leading me to have my way with Veronica until she was satisfyingly exhausted of all her stamina.

After our enthusiastic romp in the sheets, I stared up at the ceiling with Veronica sleeping gently in my arms. The moonlight filtered through the curtains and I slowly closed my eyes as sleep started to claim me. But before I could slip into my dreams after a blissful day, one of my splitting migraines suddenly appeared. I gritted my teeth as I weathered the pain, refusing to make any noise of discomfort or to move and wake Veronica up. The splitting pain soon passed, allowing me to finally fall asleep.

Other than the nightmares that used to plague me in the past, I was not the type of person to dream. I am especially not the type of person to have as unusual a dream as the one I am currently having. Why am I standing in the middle of a meadow at night?

It was a very strange meadow, one that was seemingly endless and filled with flowers that were covered in part by eerie, unnatural mist. The flowers were many and varied, some of which I could recognize and others which I had never seen before. The nighttime stars were obscured, save for a single gap which allowed the full moon to shine down in all its glory. The lights of a city could barely be seen through the mist and darkness, situated somewhere within the boundless meadow of flowers. There was an artificial quiet, as if the vision was on mute, that broke suddenly as the sounds of metal clashing upon metal, the death cries of man and beast, and chants that activated magic resounded. Figures in the mist danced back and forth as the sounds of battle continued.

In just a few minutes, however, those sounds died out as one side achieved victory. A bat-like shriek echoed into the night, causing the mist to part and show me the battlefield. The flowers there were trampled into the ground, covered in blood and gore. The pungent smell of blood mixed with the sweet scents of the flowers to create a disconcerting perfume. The area was strewn with freshly made corpses, the features of which were obscured by their metal full face helmets. They all bore the same coat of arms: a two-headed brown serpent entwined with a red rose.

I focused my attention onto the victors, noting their crimson eyes that stood out against their pallor. Their pronounced canines were extremely conspicuous as they let out jubilant cries of triumph. A hoarse whisper entered my ears as I continued to observe Soon, the city of Verlush shall fall and then we shall feast. Another sharp pain stabbed into my brain, causing my eyes to close once more. When I opened them, I was greeted by the sight of my bedroom ceiling. A feeling of exhaustion surged through me, causing me to fall back asleep before I could even ponder about my strange dream.