Three Spheres

Chapter 79 - Axe

...Drowning in a sea of ​​smoke and fire, Amadeo advances through the rubble of a falling building. "It's your fault", he hears a voice say. The walls start to collapse and new explosions send shrapnel flying in all directions. "It's your fault", it repeats, hundreds of times, incessantly. He coughs, as if his own lungs are filled with flames. He hears cries and screams. All painfully familiar. In the distance, he sees a window, showing the highest moon. "It's your fault", the voice repeats as he moves toward freedom. "It's your fault", the voice says by his ear, along with a feverish shiver. His legs become heavy and he grabs something. A hand. Carbonized. "It's your fault", the voice seems to echo inside his mind, as if preparing for the next explosion. He runs, desperate and stretches his arms as far as he can to...

_ Amadeo! Wake up!

A sudden jolt pulls the Paragon out of the trance. Still numb with the dream, he looks around, encountering Johan, once again with that worried expression.

_ ...fault... no... me... the Guardian Angel... I... don't...

Amadeo stutters and finally releases Johan's wrist that he pressed so hard. The man sighs, relieved, when the other closes his eyes once more to fall asleep. Marjolin says:

_ Emília was right, huh. He really does have "sleep-talking crises".

As soon as the sun comes up, the redhead queen decides it's time to start the day. Without modesty or pity, she invades the room in which her pupils are staying, already with her huge axe in hand. Amadeo greets her, already in uniform, ready to go. Johan, on the other hand, grunts and hides under the pillows. Emília pulls him by the legs and yells:

_ I NEED you to come with me, bastard!!

As she drags him by the collar, Yomi appears at the door. Looking at Amadeo, she says:

_ I want to introduce you to the last member of our Unit. Come.

Without questioning, Amadeo obeys, curious.

Yomi takes him through a set of underground tunnels that leave the fort to penetrate the depths of the mountain. The walls are made of ice and metal, damp and dark. The frightening mood is completed by the subtle moans that echo through the corridors. On the way, Yomi explains:

_ There are Fabulares of all types. Some look and act like other animals, others are magical entities, spirits and ghosts. A few are just completely cursed beings.

With these words, she stops in front of an iron door, from which the sinister cry emanates. Opening it slowly, she introduces:

_ This is our Joi.

The creature Amadeo faces appears to have emerged from a nightmare: A twisted skeleton, more than 20 or 30 meters high, surrounded by a halo of purple darkness. The entity makes the sad and scary sound. Amadeo knows that this is a Gashadokuro, a dark entity native from Flavi, famous for devastating and destroying purposelessly. He feels his legs tremble.

_ Is that... Is "he" rational?

_ No. We call him Joi, 'cause it's cute, but he has no affection for us. We only use it at night, in emergencies. Sayuri's the one who controls it.

A cold drop of sweat runs down the back of Amadeo's neck when he realizes that, perhaps, the most powerful individual in that place was actually that 60cm otter. "She's a user of psionic abilities, such as telekinesis and telepathy, I think. Ugh, I have a hard time with things that need a lot of concentration", he wonders, as he walks around Joi with Yomi. "Also the mind control and reading stuff is super problematic for ethics, privacy and such. It's dangerous", he concludes.