Chapter 32 : Reality

Yumé collapsed to the ground, his body trembling, unable to move. A thick stream of blood poured from his mouth, staining the dirt beneath him."Yumé!" Carla and Ikku shouted in unison, panic gripping their voices.Carla rushed to his side, her hands shaking as she tried to prop him up, but the blood wouldn't stop flowing. His chest was drenched in red, the wound refusing to close."Carla! How bad is it?!" Ikku called out, staying close to Kenny, who was still unconscious.Carla pressed her palm over the wound, desperate to stop the bleeding, but her voice betrayed her growing fear."He's losing too much blood… We have to get Master Zéno!"Ikku clenched his fists.Damn it… he cursed inwardly. Kenny is down, unconscious. And now Yumé might not make it…A mocking chuckle cut through the tension."This is what happens when kids try to play with the big boys," the enemy taunted, still standing tall, his confidence unwavering. "You're about to learn what reality—"He never finished his sentence.A blindingly fast punch slammed into the back of his head. The sheer force sent him crumpling to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, unconscious before he even hit the dirt.Ikku and Carla froze, their eyes widening in disbelief.No way.The person who had just knocked him out… was Yumé."Am I… dreaming?" Ikku murmured, completely baffled. "Yumé… is that really you?"Still standing, Yumé simply grinned, casually raising his hand in a V-sign."Yep."Carla, still kneeling, looked down at the body she had been holding her breath caught in her throat."Then… who is this?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Yumé's grin widened."Don't worry about him." He gestured lazily toward the body. "It's just a clone.""A CLONE?!" Ikku and Carla exclaimed at the same time.Before they could process it, the Yumé lying on the ground vanished in a flicker of golden light, leaving nothing but shimmering particles in the air.Ikku turned back to Yumé, eyes still full of disbelief."So… that's your Brand?"Yumé nodded proudly."Exactly! I can create copies of myself. But there's a catch, every time I make one, my power gets divided between us. Since I only made one this time, my strength was cut in half."Before Ikku or Carla could react further, another voice interrupted."Well done, kids."They all turned.Standing right beside Ikku as if he had been there the entire time was Zéno.Ikku nearly jumped."Wha—?! Master Zéno?! When did you even get here?!"Zéno ignored the question, crouching down to examine Kenny's condition."Kenny's injuries aren't too serious," he stated calmly. "Animagus have a much faster healing ability than the average person. I'll patch him up, and once that's done, we'll deal with this guy." He gestured toward the unconscious enemy. "I'm guessing he's the leader."Ikku's head was still spinning from the last few minutes."Wait, wait, wait !back up!" he exclaimed. "If you were here the whole time, why didn't you step in and help Kenny?!"Zéno finally met Ikku's gaze, his sharp eyes unreadable."A Nexus member must be capable of handling things on their own," he said, his voice firm but calm. "My job is to guide you during your first missions, to show you how things work. But whether you succeed or fail… is entirely up to you."He paused, letting his words sink in before giving out his next instructions."Yumé, pick up the leader. We're heading inside. Carla, Ikku, you stay out here and keep watch. We don't know if more of them are on the way."Ikku groaned, making a face."Couldn't you be a little more forgiving?" he muttered under his breath.Carla and Yumé burst into laughter, the tension finally breaking. The reality that they had all survived made the moment feel lighter, despite everything.Zéno, however, remained unfazed. He hoisted Kenny onto his shoulder with ease."No time to waste," he ordered. "Stay on high alert. I hope today made one thing clear to you, every mission means putting your life on the line.""Yes, sir!" they all responded in unison.With that, Zéno and Yumé made their way back into the store, while Ikku and Carla remained outside, standing guard.The mission continued.