The Chronicles of Sorataki: Lucid Wish

Chapter 25: Eyes wide shut

Natalie

Allisa fell limp in her arms, although her face was numb from the beating Natalie still felt as if she'd been slapped across the cheek. Again, a good person had lost their lives to protect her again, the worst part of it all was her last words. 'I'm sorry', as if being unable to fight Orba and almost getting killed was somehow her fault. She was too numb for tears now, Natalie just held Allisa tightly. She didn't care anymore. What was the point?

Orba was looking at them both, his lip twisted to one side.

"You cannot blame yourself for the folly of the foolhardy." He said. "Honestly, walking around and playing hero. Such a fool is beyond the salvation of even dreams."

He began slowly making his way towards Natalie and Allisa. Natalie eyeing him whilst hugging Allisa close as she resummoned her wings. Using her wings as shields she shrouded them both in their blackened embrace, all was covered save for their faces, her swelling eye looking at him in defiance. That gave Orba pause for a moment before he chuckled to himself. Natalie winced, despite recovering and laying out a defense she knew was futile to what Orba was capable of. In truth, there was no way out of this. She needed to escape but Natalie knew Orbe won't do so. And now that she had to hold Allisa in tow that became harder to do.

Orba pulled his sword out this time.

"I hoped that giving you eternal nightmares would help you be more amenable to my way of things later, but for the hero? No, better if her suffering ends here." Orba said, raising his sword pointing the tip at Allisa's back.

'Eternal nightmares?' it gave Natalie a spike of hope, maybe Allisa was still alive. But then what did that matter now?

This was it. He's going to kill her and then... Something took a hold of her shoulder. She looked down to Allisa's resting face only to see that her eyes were now open, her face alert and serious and...

"Your eyes," Natalie whispered.

Orba's sword tip aimed for a spot right in between her wings, cussing that he'd found an opening her wings and was now aiming right for it until Natalie was about to readjust their placement Allisa suddenly pushed Natalie away while getting up to meet the blow. Before Natalie could protest it was too late. The sound of blade parting bone sounded, Natalie watched in shock as Allisa stood there... with a petal of pure white feathers almost invisible in the vast white room falling around her. For the briefest of moments, a hue of energy shimmered off Allisa's skin and a thin tendril of storm cloud began circling its way around the crown of her head faster and faster until it stretched out to meet both ends and become a halo.

Orba's sword hit Allisa's white wing, being deflected in the process, Natalie was equally baffled. With Allisa's back to her, it only left her more uncertain whether she can trust her instincts.

"You..." Natalie breathed.

Allisa turned around to face her. Her blonde hair swaying. The halo-like cloud floating above her head followed every turn of her neck as if it was resting on her head, pure wings of white like a giant dove stood out proud between them. And her eyes, her brown eyes looked back at Natalie with a soothing but yet cheerful reassurance.

Not green like Allisa's eyes, but brown.

Natalie knew from then. Maybe Allisa was present in the flesh standing before her but she was not the one in control. Natalie knew, though an innate sense of connection. The new host of Allisa knew that Natalie knew because her smirk deepened and seems to hold a tinge of an apology. A tinge that said that she could still read her thoughts, and one that was also an apology for not answering her calls for help before now.