DYSCHRONOMETRIA

CHAPTER 8 - Enigma

"Oh Lianna! Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!" Collins panted and ducked. He was searching for her, and now she suddenly appears. Lianna squiggled her head to her surroundings. The same pale room with a dismamtled machine. Then the memory struck her head,"The socket. . .!" she gasped and dashed towards the machine, leaving poor Collins behind.

She inspected its side, "No, no it's still covered! I need to remove this immediately!" Lianna didn't care about the other parts needing to be removed, she ignored it and focused on the spot where the socket was located.

"Lianna I think you should ca--"

Collins was cut off by a loud thud and metal clanking as it detached from the machine. The other scientists and workers gathered upon the doorway to know where the sound was coming from. Some had disappointed faces, some were curved to disgust, bewilderment, and worry.

Lianna destroyed the machine. At least, that was what they thought.

She saw the socket, just there. Dr. Vishnu appeared beside Lianna, face full of confusion, worry and bewilderment. "Is there something that troubles you so much that you destroyed this-- this machine?" he gestured, Lianna stared at the socket. She didn't answer him. The man looked between the young woman and machine, he then realizes what she was staring at. "And what could be the purpose of this part? A hole?" he scrunched his face in inspection. "It's complicated. Something one cannot explain easily." and it was true. They didn't know what was going on her. Instinctively, she touched the socket, feeling its surface and analyzing it, she then pulls out her watch. The people around her had their eyes opened wide. Collins had sweats of bullets, his heart was pounding for an unknown reason and he doesn't like it. Lianna inched the watch closer to the socket, until a click was heard. Lianna's hands were shaking. She feared something might happen.

. . . . . . . .

Lianna scanned her surroundings, Collins copied her. Nothing.

The room was then filled with groans of disappointment from the workers and scientists, "Don't do any drama here, woman! If it's nothing important, don't make any noise! Man, you are troublesome!"

Lianna ignored their mere words, it was nothing important anyway. But still, Lianna was alert to her surroundings. "Good thing nothing happened eh?" Dr. Vishnu stated, "If it did, it may cause casualties," he turned and walked away. Lianna's gaze was far. She blinked and turned to face the machine, the watch was still on the socket.

Lianna leaned her arms on the machine, disgruntled at the fact that nothing, literally nothing happened. She was bracing for yet another memory to come, but no. It didn't. Collins looked at her sympathetically. He stepped towards her, "Hey, it's okay. Failures happen." he patted her shoulder to relieve her stress. "I hate this." she clenched her fist in response. Collins simply stayed silent.

"Let's call this a day." Lianna sighed and straightened up.

______________________________________

Lianna bathed after she ate dinner. Brushed her teeth, shut the lights off then went to bed. She expected herself to be awake all night thinking about earlier. Surprisingly, she was fast asleep. That was unusual of her, even if she was tired, there was something that always made her stay up late. She went into a deep slumber, suddenly she woke up. Seeing a familiar sighting, she sighed, she wanted to speak, to say what it wants to her now. But she can't mouth a single word. She also noticed--she was frozen on spot--just after that sigh. It was like she was in a fixed position. Suddenly waves and threads of clocks and symbols enveloped her, but not enough to cover the lilac clouds of dust she sees. It was controlling her to stop as she tries to resist.

It was too powerful.

She can't handle this much pressure.

She can hear her heart pounding so loud, she felt like her ears are going to explode. So she shut her eyes as she expected something will rupture in her.

. . .

She waited. Nothing happened. She was both grateful and disappointed at the same time.

She slowly opened her eyes. The warm rays of sunshine forced her to move her arm over her eyes to shade them. After seconds of blinking, she inspected her surroundings. She smelled the environment. Damp, did it rain here? Possibly. And the sun now shines. She scanned for any oddities, blank. It was just a plain fields soaked by the previous rain. She looked below and saw a large silhouette sitting still behind her. She looked up and saw a large fortress. Large defense walls, huge metal gates. What was behind those? Lianna still can't speak. She doesn't have a pen and paper either, goodluck trying to remember these details. She walked towards the gates, she was flabbergasted as it opened on her way. She stopped on her tracks and checked if there was someone operating it. . . No one. No watch towers on the walls, no guards watching over the gates or even patrolling! Wait no, there are guards, they walked past Lianna nonchalantly.

As if she wasn't there.

She shoved away these thoughts and continued to walk through the place. As she wandered, she summarized based on its architecture and the clothes lf the people, it was a kingdom. The problem is, she can't hear a single word from the people. She doesn't really know anything.

Her feet brought her subconsciously to a large palace with a flag of clock proudly displayed and moved by the wind. She didn't know as to why her feet brought her, let alone the fact that she got there without knowing!

She then hears a crowd cheering from afar--finally she can hear something after the long time of unbearable silence! Except that she still can't speak though--She followed where the sound was coming from, a parade? She can't be quite sure, she did hear the crowd but now? It's all muted again for some reason. She set this aside and focused on the parade, a woman of fiery red hair and sexy clothes appeared, two of them actually. One with loose hair and one tied. They were accompanied by several others behind them. The ones that really stand up from them all were the two women of red eyes and were extremely adorned with sharp accessories and dark colors; one had short hair and wear shorts, she had long nails too and her right eye is hidden, she had a belt with spikes under it, like a centipede, they also look like they were moving? Lianna wasn't sure. The other had long dark hair, a dress decorated with unsettling thin rods of gold slightly curved inward and was as if moving on its own, much like a spider's leg. They both projected intimidating auras. Others include a man of open jacket wearing a demon mask, a ghostly woman who was so pale that she shouldn't be moving, or even alive, by now. Tho she had dark obsidian hair, contrasting her white robe, giving her ghastly vibes.

She didn't pay much attention to the others, she turned around just to see a figure towering her ; it was The Witch. Lianna looked intimidated at first, but when she looked at her more she noticed that she was different than who the watch had shown her. The watch showed a warm and friendly woman, while this one was that same woman, except looking more younger, intimidating and angry. Lianna was confused. She looked at the people around her, they were also frightened of her. But the woman wasn't bothered by this.

". . . It's her. . . We shouldn't get too close to her, she might kill us."
"Don't look at her in the eyes. Don't look at her in the eyes!"
Lianna heard the people whisper.

"What is it Witch? You must be in trouble, just like how the people say so." the woman of Red spoke.

The Witch simply turned with a cold expression and sharp and angry eyes looking at her. There was something, a feud possibly. Lianna doesn't know what's going on. It was terribly confusing.

"BURN IN HELL."