A Distant Reverie

Chapter 82

What just happened?

Marine was mid-swing when an effervescent light suddenly engulfed her body. At first, she thought it was mana from the ancient core running out of control. Once she spun around, however, she was no longer in the room with Kobo.

Where the hell am I?

Her head turned on a swivel, trying to get her bearings. Panic surged to her throat. Kobo. She couldn't see her anywhere. Nor could she hear her heart-wrenching screams. She needed to get back to her side. She was supposed to protect her.

She promised.

But her surroundings didn't make sense.

She found herself in a field of crimson spider lilies. The red flowers glowed, bobbing up and down in a tranquil waltz in a place where there was no breeze. A single tree stood to her left covered in purple wisterias. The somber yet sterile scene in front of her didn't make sense. She was supposed to be fighting Duke Calon's soldiers. Blood still stained her armor. Her clothes were still wet from the relentless rain. Her body still throbbed from the injuries she sustained throughout the fight. Her heart raged to her ears.

I'm still alive. I'm not dead. This isn't the afterlife.

Over the horizon, a massive clocktower towered to the skies, standing in front of the pale visage of the moon. The celestial body casted its ominous glare on the ground. Its size and proximity seemed much too close to the surface.

Marine narrowed her eyes. A sinister dread crawled up her spine. This uncanny feeling. The bizarreness of this strange space. All of it was vaguely familiar. She had been here before.

"Still getting your bearings?"

The cold, callous voice echoed directly in her head. Marine turned on instinct. Over the hill to her right was a large translucent screen. The silhouette of a human-looking figure was casted upon the surface. A side profile. They were sitting down, legs crossed, leaning backwards with nonchalance.

"...L-Lady Ouro?" she muttered in disbelief.

Marine's head trembled. The despicable entity? Then that means—

"The one and only. Could there be any other?"

—I'm no longer in that world.

Kobo's screaming visage flashed in her head.

"Bring me back! Bring me back this instant! I have to get back to Her Highness!" she pleaded.

"I'm afraid not. You've already fulfilled your role. There's no longer a reason for you to remain in that world. Any further interference is unnecessary."

"Shut the fuck up! Who gave you the right to decide that on a whim!" Marine screamed.

She dug her heels into the ground and took off. She ran, charging at the translucent screen. The back of her mind screamed that this was irrational and futile, but she ignored it. She didn't care. She had to do something about this indignation in her chest. She refused to simply accept this conclusion.

"You never learn, do you?"

She heard a snap.

Suddenly, her limbs were frozen. Marine looked to the side. Chains emerged from the earth and airspace around her, shackling her body, keeping her locked in place.

"Do I need to remind you what happened last time?"

The chains squeezed tighter, burning into her skin. Marine recalled the agony of her limbs slowly being tore apart. Her entire body dismembered to a mere torso before being unnaturally stitched back together with the foreign powers dwelling from this entity. She trembled at the memory. The experience had been deeply traumatizing.