Chapter 4 – O demise (1)

"Why… did I do something wrong?" I ask, tearing up, and shuddering with pain.

Hands, in front of me, hold no sword, eyes, unknown, hold no emotions. I feel something having stabbed me, but perhaps because of my teary eyes, I can't see it.

I gasp awake, with slight pain, which vanishes. And tears running down my face.

"You alright?" Pratham, on the next bed, asks, and sits up to look towards me. "Nightmare?"

"Yeah… the dream-core monster… makes me sick to the core," I sigh, wiping my foreign tears. "Why are you awake?"

"Mine also is a monster… the supposed god of the dreams. I entered his realm, to help Witch… and he seems to not like it. So he gives me nightmares."

"God of the dreams?"

"Yeah… well, somehow that's a thing."

"I mean, I have a monster right here," I show my hand. "Related to dreams for whatever reason."

"Right, that part… so the being is… still there? It affects you?"

"Yeah… rare dreams. And I used to use it to protect myself, back in that… cell. But it barely does anything. Basically acts like some devil haunting me."

"And… you are cool with that?"

"It's scary but… the god of dreams, or some other God will protect me, right?" I smile.

"Morpheus technically is just a dragon, not a god," I hear Rustizen's voice, he was sleeping below.

"Not getting sleep on the ground? I told you that you should just take one bed," I say.

"We both could adjust here," Pratham says.

"Here too," Psyand says, from the third bed. "I'm tiny, Mr. Rusk."

"Psyand, you are awake too?"

"Well, you both are being noisy… and no Psyand, it's… kind of inappropriate."

"I just can't sleep… I'm sad that mom isn't here. And I feel I should be… sadder."

"She'll be fine Psyand. Her and Lost-Bird don't lose their cool in front of stronger beings, or their senses."

"You guys seem pretty close," I say.

"We met like… ten days ago, I think," Rustizen says.

"Oh then, me and you aren't that stranger to you guys," Pratham says.

"Was that mockery?" Rustizen asks.

"No… I just-"

"Seemed like it," Psyand says.

"I'm not… looking to fight… again."

"I may not get a gun again, so you may win," Psyand says.

"You threatened him with a gun?" Rustizen asks.

"No she shot me."

"But there was like a blast," I say.

"You three are joking right?"

"No," we three say, in three different tones.

Everybody gets silent, and I relax my eyes again, trying to sleep.

"What kind of a dream did you get?" Psyand asks. "The nightmare…"

"You don't have to say if it's… you know," Rustizen says.

"It's just… random things. Dream-core. Mixture of things you know," I say. "Dreams… they don't come real."

"I dreamed that my mom made chithrana (lemon rice) once. And she had," Pratham says.

"You are being sarcastic again… or basically scaring her now," Rustizen sighs.

"Well, it is just the dream-core monster trying to… own me," I say. "It actually shows me… sometimes things I could do… if I let it. Tries to make me do things."

Everyone gets silent again.

"Not like I killed someone or something… I resist," I say. "I won't hurt any of you. I don't trust it, don't worry."

Yep, wrong choice of words.

"We'll handle it," Psyand says. "I won't get afraid of him next time."

"You… flatter me," I sigh, with an embarrassed scoff.

"You helped Witch," Rustizen says. "She was hurt pretty bad for a while, and was barely holding on with the help of Wrap. You helped Thunder too."

"I tried."

"Even if anyone with such power could do it… you chose to do it," Pratham says. "That day… you sure stopped something big which… not many understand. Not even me. So good job akka(sister)."

"Can I… meet my sister tomorrow?" I ask. "I have a sister."

"Yeah… she told us about you," Rustizen says.

"What… she knows it was me?"

"Well, we told her," Psyand says.

I jerk up from my bed, and squint towards her.

"Excuse me?"

"Omu!" my sister says, in excitement of seeing me, and comes to hug me. "I thought you died."

"Yeah well… I had to support my oppas for their comebacks though… so here I am."

The others had stayed back… while I talk to my sister in secret. It sure has been a while, with everything happening.

***

"I'll just… rest my eyes for a while," I say to Psyand and Rusk, which Psyand had suggested me to call him.

"Didn't get enough sleep?" Rusk asks.

Without saying anything, I simply close my eyes, while sitting in the backseat of the van, and concentrate. The kid could see if I project out, but, only if it was projected where she was.

Taking a deep breath, I move… dimensionally, projecting myself elsewhere.

"How's O?" I instantly get asked.

"Perhaps, are you a dolphin?" I ask, while holding my breath, without moving my mouth. "You sound like one."

"You have talked to a dolphin before?"

"Now I am," I grin.

"I pre-date any being with ease, Pratham. Now tell me."

"Well, I got defeated by a kid. Who could see me there. You told me that no one could…"

"Then you have similar powers," I get told, instantly.

"Yes, my guess too. She can project her arm… and even a bullet. Bullets don't hit me, but her's did."

"Aren't you getting breathless?"

I gasp awake, and then go back in, again.

"Swimmer and all. But time management is important," I get mocked.

"Well, we both are in the team now. And they have split."

"Please tell me that it is away from-"

"-we both are with the king of dragons."

It starts cursing in words I can't comprehend. But I recognise them to be curses.

"Haven't you talked with O?"

"Well, she believes that she and him are the same kind. She perhaps trusts him more so… the best I can do is tag along."

"We can't let-"

"-but why will he kill her? They all… seem like heroes."

Silence… as I feel my face heat up again, reaching my limit.

"You trust them too?" it asks.

I gasp awake.

"Are you okay?" Psyand asks.

"Yeah… I am," I ask, and look around. "How about- where is he?"

"Mr. Rusk? He just wanted to go out simply."

"O-oh, I want to go out too… simply," I say, pressing my hand towards the door handle.

As I step out of the van, I see Rusk open the front door. He looks at me with no visible emotions.

"You going somewhere?" he asks.

"Just wanted to make sure that the dream-core thing isn't messing O's meetup."

"The gem-glove keeps it at bay. Don't worry," Rusk says, heading inside, without a worry.

"You seem to know everything about her powers," I say, after entering the van again.

"Not everything. Still getting to know her."

"Right…" I say.

"Why do you… say it that way?"

"In what way?"

"I don't know… a mocking way."

"N-no. That... well, that is just how I… say."

"Oh I see."

"It's okay. You are getting to know me too, so it happens."

"I did not ap-" before Rusk finishes saying, O knocks on the door.

I stretch leftward and grabbing the door handle, open the door.

"That was quicker than expected," Rusk says.

"Yeah well, I could just use my twin telepathy if I need to talk more," O chuckles.

"Wow… you can do that?" Psyand asks, with a lot of excitement.

O pauses to look at Psyand, with pursed lips. "Yes, of course," she finally decides to say, while laughing lightly.

"I know there is no such a thing. You take me for a kid, Ms. O," Psyand says, after switching to an angry face, in an instant.

"Ah, no… i-"

"You don't have to make me happy. It's fine. I know Ma will be alright," Psyand says, with a normal expression. "Executive won't harm her… he needs her."

Everybody gets silent and look towards Psyand, with confusion. What did he need from… Psyand's mother, besides Psyand?

***

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," I say to Psyand's mother. "They need you for what?"

We were finally able to talk after all of that. Because there was no one here, who knew we knew each other. She was just a professor, and me: one of her students.

"Feather…" Psyand's mother says, while keeping a lookout, that no one is overhearing us, in her specialized Professor cabin. "I helped them make him."

"No, that was clear already but… how?"

"Our family… except Psyand, all my predecessors and me. There-there is a being called the crystal-cave: who grants dragons a gem."

"I'm aware," I say, and Psyand's mother nods.

"The dragons… are still dragons. They have such an energy which the crystal-cave just helps them connect and use it, when they prove themselves worthy of it. It… it all is a grand… it is to stop the Rahambose."

She waits for me to say something, but I let her talk.

"We cannot… physically have control… without a gem. We can't transform, or use it, even when some still are able to do it. So… that is how we made Feather."

"Feather is… your blood?"

"Basically… we… we built him. We processed the blood. I had very less knowledge on the science, but the dragon part… yes. Psyand... Psyand would… they put her through such harsh training to gain control over Witch that, she-"

"Witch?" I ask. "She ran away… so you-they… they wanted Psyand but, you made them Feather."

"The scientists… they told me that I can run away, they'll remove the tracker in me, if I help them. But guess they betrayed… or maybe because with Feather away, and even Psyand…"

"They want you to make another?"

"It is not possible. Or… I just can't let them, do it, you know? I have… I have fucked up so bad until now," she says, with tears in her eyes. "Look what happened to you too. You poor thing are here because of me."

I just sigh. "I escaped once with Feather… let's do the same with his mother," I weakly smile. "Yeah, I just…"

"Yeah, I understand," Psyand's mother says. "But I'm not his… mother you know."

"Yeah I know, that was just-just a bad joke."

Here I thought that she came here because of me but… both of the humans Scelestha had made a team with were equally dirty on their hands… but who was better, the fucked up creator or the fucked up creation? And who survives?

I weakly smile at Psyand's mom.

She… was a tough choice, unlike Lost-Bird.