Chapter 8: Bad Dreams

White.

It felt so surreal as if the whole world had been painted in it shade. Everything appeared still as if time itself had stopped.

Eri walked stuttering through the streets of such a white world. Her legs moved unconsciously. Her pupils drifted side by side. Yet she had no idea where she was heading to. It was an aimless journey devoid of any emotions or motives.

And yet in the path that was devoid of any purpose suddenly a familiar figure came in sight.

"Noya...," she whispered the name of the silhouette she was most familiar with.

Naturally she was drawn to it.

In a world where where nothing was familiar and everything was so surreal all she felt was fright. But when coming across to someone she knew how could she not be relieved.

But the more she approached it, the more she felt that something was amiss.

"Noya, i-is that you?"

She raised her brows but there was no reply.

Reaching out her hands she lightly tapped on it shoulder.

"Noya?"

This time the man turned around to her call.

'Why is he hiding his face?' that was the first thought came to Eri's mind.

Noya's face was covered with what seemed to be a silvery mirror he was holding onto? She raised her brows wanting to ask the question troubling her and so much more.

It was just not one question. There were a plethora that had been plaguing her mind.

How is he?

Is he really going to move out?

Is he perhaps still depressed?

And was there any way she could help out?

She had an inking to some of the answers but she still wanted to hear it from his own mouth. After all, if he wasn't being honest... if he wasn't willing to share his troubles she won't be able to help him anyway. She couldn't just invade on his privacy even though she wanted to.

After all, even though they had been friends for so long and there was a time when there was almost no barriers between them but that was all in the past.

Now that they had grown up, Eri didn't want to come off as annoying or as a pushover even though she did indeed wanted to help him somehow.

'Rika also said the same. I shouldn't be pushing things if he doesn't want it.'

Rika was definitely showing her consideration in her own way. After all, no matter what kind of person Noya was, he must have his own pride as a man too. It would be rude of them to trample on that pride just because they had powers and he wasn't lucky enough to have one.

While Eri was lost in her own thoughts she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

Looking up she glanced her own face in the mirror.

For a moment she felt like she had forgotten to breathe.

Her own visage in the mirror was the most horrific sight she had ever seen. There was a large green swelling on her head. Her eyes weren't even there leaving nothing but empty sockets. The skin over her jaws was missing exposing her fangs bare. And large amount of blood was pouring down from a pore on her head.

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

She screamed with all of her might as she took several steps back. She was badly spooked out and she could only reflexively touch her face to find if it was some kind of prank.

But as soon as her hands drew closer. She realize...

Purple. It was deep purple. It was as if her flesh had turned rotten after being fed with poison.

"AAAHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

She screamed again but this time her voice was loud and clear.

The sound of footsteps came rushing in as some one banged open and barged inside her room.

"Eri! Eri! Are you okay?"

Eri looked around reminiscing a familiar voice as her eyes widened.

She was back in her room safe and sound. The blanket was still warped around her feet and she was still in her pajamas.

She brought her arms close. Was everything alright? She was scared but she had to see.

*Sigh*

She let out a breath of relief as she touched her face too. Everything was back to normal.

"Eri!"

Jolted back to reality she turned around as she met her mother with a smile.

"Yes, mom. It was just a bad dream. Very bad."

After assuring her mother that everything was right, her mother finally went back downstairs.

But as soon as she left, Eri lost her composure as she shriveled up in her bed locking her hands around her legs. Even curling up into a ball was of no help.

Cold sweat poured down her forehead.

She was cold and shivers were still running down her spine.

"What was that? It was so scary...," she muttered under her breath as she curled up even more.

Probably just a bad dream.

***

"Calm down, Eri. It was just a bad dream. Haa"

As Eri was taking deep breaths Eri was lost in her own soliloquy which no one was interested in. For the atmosphere inside of her might be grim but that around her was quite joyous. After all it was the last few days of their high school. It were the days meant for the students to enjoy.

The 'Coming of Age' ceremony was already over. Everyone was now aware of thier powers and their possible career options. And while few might have been there as unlucky as Noya most had some kind of mana capacity and some form of ability anyway so their situation wasn't as dire.

"Yo, Eri. Doing good?"

Rika who noticed Eri's troubled state even in such a joyous atmosphere approached her somewhat worried but never showing it on her face.

"Yeah," Eri replied with a sleezy smile.

"Oh Shit! How could I forget? Noya didn't come today after all. You must be really missing him."

"No that's not it. Jeez. Do you have to always tease me like this?"

Eri mouth inflated to a pout.

"Ah embarrassed I see. He He. You must be seeing him even in your dreams. Ha Ha."

"N-No, that's not it-t."

But Eri couldn't really confidently deny it. Last night she did see him in a dream albeit not in a way she would like to remember. As memories of such a dream was refreshed in her mind. Her whole body shuddered at the mere thought and her hair stood up in fear.

"Eri?" Rika tilted her head.

Her friend's shuddering was unnoticed by her. Her efforts at cheering her up had come to a failure it seemed.

"Looks like something really bad must have happened..."

Rika couldn't even begin to fathom what could have brought the cheerful Eri to such a state.

"N-No, its nothing."

Eri's eyes drifted to the seat where Noya was supposed to be seated. But it seemed that he had really not come today.

Was he really planning to move out? Eri couldn't help but ask herself.

"Eri you had ran after him that day on our way back. Did he do something bad to you?" Rika asked unable to hide her worrywart side anymore.

"No, t-that's not it. And you know that. He is not that kind of guy."

How could Eri blame Noya for anything. It was just an unrealistic dream she had that had nothing to do with him. It just so happened that she saw his silhouette in that dream and nothing else. Noya couldn't be possibly be held accountable for something like that especially considering that he didn't even have any mana begin with.

"Noya... I think he is planning to shift somewhere else... somewhere safe. Though he didn't say anything directly."

"Oh, that's news to me..."

For some reason Rika began to stare at Eri with a melancholic look that spoke of pity.

"What?"

"Hmm, I will be honest with you this once. I have always teased you in regards to how close you are with him. But I honestly never thought that both of you had anything more than friendship going on. I must have been blind and made assumptions. To think that you would be so shaken at the news of him moving out... you must really like him."

"No, that's not it. Stupid! I just had a bad dream, that's all."

Eri's face had flushed to a hue of red as she retorted with all of her might. But Rika had no response to her reaction. She might have been a bit curious but she didn't pry much into Eri's personal matters.

But she did mutter something as her hands rested on her cheeks.

"Well, you never know what might happen. Both of you have been certainly close for many years, you know? You might be more dependent on him emotionally than you think. And even I feel bad that we won't be able to meet him again. Though considering how little mana he had there was never a chance in the first place for us to laugh together again."

*Sigh*