The Dream Shifter

Chapter 183

"Yeah, the food's great, Yumi! I'm not familiar with Greek food, but if it is all like this I might have to find a restaurant when we get back!"

"W-well…yeah I…"

"Then come and sit down with us!"

"Alright…" Hesitating still, Yumi folded up her legs carefully taking up an uncertain seat next to her brother. All of the food laid out was dried goods not needing cooking. She was certain that all of the food Eudokia picked was like that, which made more sense to her as she thought about it. It still confused her watching how everyone changed suddenly. Eudokia still remained distant, but ever since revealing her true self that had been the way she acted around everyone. But the sense of thick foreboding disappeared. 'Is it like they say, food washes away worries? I just hope this lasts…'

Next to Yumi, Yori quietly munched on a strip of dried meat. Nothing measured fully the scale of Yori's thought, whether the slow repetitive chewing of the difficult meat or the spaced out eyes. Most of the happenings around him went mostly ignored. He did not even realize that the group had a fight. The trouble in the village consumed all of his attention, his fight with the soldier who tried to kill him and his sister.

Yori's mind remained fixated on what happened in the village. He could not break free from the hold that it had on him, though no sense of wanting to stop dwelling on the matter laid within him. Questions surfaced for him frequently causing his memories to replay the scenes in the village by instinct.

Everything blew away from Yumi when she saw Yori on the ground. Only the three of them existed for her. The village, the screaming, Yuki or Fumiko, none of it mattered to her anymore. She only saw them. 'No! I can't let this happen!' Yumi ran into the middle the fight streaming tears behind her. "I'll protect you, brother!"

Yori's eyes widened seeing Yumi putting her back to the soldier as he came down to swing. "No! Yumi! Get out of the way!" He tried to get up from the ground, but everything moved too slowly for him.

The swing continued through unable to be changed. Yumi only thought of protecting when she heard the sword clang loudly. Behind her a half spherical light briefly appeared at the moment the blade struck. Sparks erupted from the blade fighting with the invisible surface before a force responded back ripping the sword free from Philon's hand. His sword spun rapidly through the air from the force until it embedded itself into the ground out of reach.

Long had he decided that what he saw from Yumi had to be powers like the others. After viewing his memories so many times, it came as the only conclusion. However, he realized his suspicions about Yumi even before the incident in the village. Her unusual intuition stood out as strange to him, one that she did not seem to question. He wondered if the others had taken note as he had. Initially, most of it he passed off as being lucky, but the more accurate she became the more he questioned it. 'I can't deny anymore that she has some power. It was so clear back then, but I ignored it.'

Chewing still on the endlessly resistant meat, Yori's hand tensed up a little responding to his thoughts. 'I ignored it, because she's Yumi. She's my sister.' Unable to see past her as his sister, blinded him to the reality. 'If she was normal, she wouldn't have to follow…him. If she didn't have any powers she'd be out of danger. She'd be safe…' Yori hoped that if she had nothing to offer in a fight that she would stay behind. Nothing dangerous would get near her. She insisted following Yuki into the danger that surrounded him and he could not stop her. He told her to stay behind. Fighting and violence did not suit her. Neither of them had any experience. Yet all of his pleading failed to reach her or sway her. 'I simply agreed to go along with her… I just saw that look…'

Finally, the meat accepted its fate and allowed Yori to finish it off. A long quiet sigh escaped Yori's lips as his thoughts buried himself deeper. '…when…' For the first time in hours, his eyes came to focus clearly for a brief moment. Only Yumi filled his vision. She laughed along with the others enjoying the meal. '…when…' Yori stared longer starting to lose his focus on her. 'When did she change…from the little sister I knew?' What he witnessed in the village from his sister suddenly triggered him to relive the scene again.

Yumi slowly opened her eyes carrying with her unusually serious narrowed features on her face. She lifted up her right palm showing a small chunk of metal that suddenly shrank as though under pressure from external forces. The metal compressed until it became a small ball no more the size of an average child's marble. "Your sword shall no longer hurt my brother," she declared. Her iron marble floated up higher from her palm as her arm stretched out towards Philon. The ball disappeared from her possession flashing through the air spraying blood up from the impact.

Philon screamed from the pain of his shoulder being broken by his own sword. He ground his teeth together as he pressed his hand against his wound. 'She's too strong for me…but if I don't do something…' His still good arm reached behind him pulling out a small dagger. Determination burned in his eyes knowing what he had to do.

A glance from Yumi at his dagger ripped it from his hand floating away from him. Like his other weapon she crushed it into a ball and returned it back through his other shoulder. She glared at him looking for him to back down. "…stubborn…" Yumi remarked before waving her arm at him. Philon flew across the alley crashing into one of the houses. A nearby rock ripped itself free from the earth and came to rest hovering in her hand. The rock filled out her palm completely. "Flee. This is your last chance," commanded Yumi with all of the lethal presence she had to break through the language barrier.

'Was really my sister back there?' questioned Yori to himself. 'Is that what happens when she uses her power? She becomes someone else?' He hoped that her power never activated again if she became like she did. Becoming consumed by her own power and acting out violently as she did went against everything he knew of his little sister. Such a form did not suit her. 'But she only did that because of me… It was because I was unable to protect her… I promised her! I said that I would protect her and I failed!' Yori clinched his fists starting to feel the numb void that had surrounded him slowly evaporating leaving behind only a deep stabbing pain in his heart. 'What sort of big brother am I?!'

Sitting at what seemed miles apart, Yumi tried to keep up an outward appearance of nothing being wrong. However, a persistent confusion hovered over her head. Ignoring worked for her when she had more pressing troubles immediately at hand, the group's unity. Breakfast and the brief, hopefully lasting, reprieve from the tension gave her mind time to wander away from her. So much of the last night seemed to have happened in a short amount of time that it had turned into a blur for her. She struggled to put the night together for her. Everything felt so foreign. Even seeing Yuki fight in front of the school and witnessing all of the destruction, the chaos in the village still weighed on her. It mixed up her thoughts confusing her to what happened.

Waking up in Yori's arms came as her first clear memory. She remembered deciding to follow after Yuki to help him when the village came under attack, but everything in between turned into a haze for her. She hoped that while they walked they would fill in the blanks that she had questions about, but in everyone's silence she only remained in turmoil. Yet she understood the importance of them needing to leave the village when she woke up. The certainty amidst her confusion stacked upon her like a poorly balanced pile of chopped wood waiting for the worst possible time to collapse.

Yumi took a small bite into a bake bread filled with nuts. The others around her still seemed oblivious for the moment and enjoying themselves. 'Yuki has so much on his mind already and I feel that the others have their own similar problems that make them dwell. I shouldn't bother them with my problems. I need to sort it out on my own.'

Out across the fields of grass just inside of range, Simonides stood in front of the small group of Abeiron's had under his command. A pair of binoculars rested over his face getting a view of the band of intruders that they chased. He recognized Yuki and Seiji out of the group, but half of them had their backs to him. So he had no clear sight on the entire party. 'Nine in total. I was right in my feeling that there were more. How many are MP users?' He lowered the binoculars down and turned back to his soldiers.

Amongst the group were three Whites this time and ten Blacks. He knew quite well that the squad stood no chance in success against the intruders if a fight dragged out. It had to be swift. No hard facts proved him to be correct, but the impression that he had told him not to believe in what he saw simply with his eyes. The fact that he summoned his entire division to his side stood to show his belief. However, the battle was important and very necessary. His men knew well the dangers that they faced. He already explained to them the reality of the situation and of the necessity of their mission.

Abeiron stood in front of his team, the extra Whites added for the mission, but otherwise all his team from the initial search. During their march, he got briefed on the nature of the Captain's plan. The young Commander looked ready and determined to carry out the orders given to him.

Simonides returned the binoculars back to their specially fitted leather pouch at this lower back. "The enemy is within sight breaking for a meal. We'll use this opportunity while they're resting off guard to strike." Slowly stepping forward, he impressed his authority upon his men. He carried himself with strict, confident steps to instill strength to them. Fear had to be removed. "You all know what you face down there. Never underestimate them for a moment. They may appear like children to you, but remember what they were capable of doing to Skoupa. We know more about the enemy this time. The same mistakes will not be made. Use what we've learned against them. Make them understand that their rebellion will not succeed! You are all soldiers of the South Gate and we always catch our prey! Be proud of who you are! I expect you all to come back alive!"

"Yes, sir!" echoed everyone's voice in trained unison. They all came to quick attention and saluted their Captain.

"Commence the operation! Move out!"