The Dream Shifter

Chapter 184

All of the soldiers fanned out into their assigned groups passing around Simonides with their destination Yuki's group far down the plains. Once his men began to grow more distant to his ears, he turned around to follow the lines of battle beginning to form. With his eyes, he scanned the field setting up marks in his mind of the plan and tactics. He retrieved his binoculars once more turning into a spectator. 'The first stage begins…'

"Don't you think you've had enough already?!" snapped Saki. She ripped the dried fruit piece out of Yuki's hand just before reaching his mouth. The fruit found its way back to the small tied pouch. "We can't over indulge. Do you want to keep making trips into villages for food and risk getting them caught up in our troubles?"

"…no…" Yuki pouted a bit with disappointment.

Fumiko let out a tiny laugh amused with the scene between the two. "You sounded like his mother for a moment, Saki!" The others smiled a little as well before the most of the group broke out into laughter, especially seeing Saki's reddening face reacting to Fumiko. She tried to deny it, but fell upon empty ears.

Suddenly, the light mood shattered like glass crashing to the floor. Blood sprayed up everywhere from all directions. It all happened so quickly that they stared in confusion not understanding what happened. Pain pierced them all as they found blades pierced through their chest. Yuki collapsed first his eyes turning lifeless as blood pooled out. Yumi fell last desperately reaching out for Yuki as she felt her own life fading crying as the empty shell of Yuki before her. Appearing from what seemed like the very air, Abeiron and his men with dripping swords looked down pleased in the quick completion of their mission.

"Don't you think you've had enough already?!" snapped Saki. She ripped the dried fruit piece out of Yuki's hand just before reaching his mouth. The fruit found its way back to the small tied pouch. "We can't over indulge. Do you want to keep making trips into villages for food and risk getting them caught up in our troubles?"

"…no…" Yuki pouted a bit with disappointment.

Fumiko let out a tiny laugh amused with the scene between the two. "You sounded like his mother for a moment, Saki!" The others smiled a little as well before the most of the group broke out into laughter, especially seeing Saki's reddening face reacting to Fumiko. She tried to deny it, but fell upon empty ears.

Suddenly, the light mood shattered like glass crashing to the floor. Blood sprayed up everywhere from all directions. It all happened so quickly that they stared in confusion not understanding what happened. Pain visited upon them all as they found blades pierced through their chest. Yuki collapsed first his eyes turning lifeless as blood pooled out. Yumi fell last desperately reaching out for Yuki as she felt her own life fading crying at the empty shell of Yuki before her. Appearing from what seemed like the very air, Abeiron and his men, with dripping swords, looked down pleased in the quick completion of their mission.

Anguished struggles from Yumi feeling the very life drain from her flailed her hand weakly to reach out. Wet thick pools of blood soaked into her clothes and smearing her cheeks. Vision blurred and the warmth in her fingers retreated. Everything turned cold. A sharp pain struck her again forcing her into the grass. It felt as though someone had cut the last branch her hand held on the edge of a cliff and all she could feel was falling, so empty. The ground came rushing up to her in an eager embrace and the crushing force blasted through her.

Yumi threw her head from the pain yelling. It startled everyone around her even snapping Yori out of his dense fog. She panted heavily slumping her back forward her eyes wide open realizing the truth. 'I'm still alive?' Looking around at everyone gathered in front of gave her pause for relief. 'They're all alive. But what was that? It was so real!'

Standing next to Yori, Yuki leaned forward coming very close to her face trying to examine her. "What's the matter, Yumi?"

The impact of what she experience drained the blood from her face giving her a pale complexion. It felt as though she ran for her life unable to stop until at that moment. Her body felt sore. She tried to slow down her breathing thinking that her chest would burst. 'I know it happened! Or it…will? What's this feeling?' Yumi stared up at Yuki silent and pensive never hearing his question.

"Yumi?"

She darted her head around feeling the growing unease in the air. A dark menacing pressure surrounded her giving her a familiar sensation. 'It's like that dream or vision I had. Like death's descending…' Yumi snapped up to her feet. She did not know what happened, but she needed to warn everyone. "Something's coming! I can't explain it, but something's wrong. We need to get out of here or we'll all die!"

"Huh? What are you talking about Yumi?"

"Girl's gone crazy!" remarked Seiji starting to back away.

Doubting her abrupt case of paranoia, Yumi watched the concern that they had fall away. 'I can't let it happen again! I don't care if I'm mistaken! It was too painful to ignore!' Yumi leapt forward knocking over Yuki and scattering the others surrounding her. 'I'm the only one that can protect them!' She closed her eyes panicking. A pale green film appeared just beyond the circle everyone unintentionally created. Clanging of swords against the sphere echoed dully through the space.

The noise put the group on alert not seeing anything further. No one spoke another word scanning the area out of the barrier to understand what happened. They no longer questioned Yumi. Apologizes waited however, they had their new guests needing attending.

Simonides stared from his perch unchanged in expression. 'A barrier…' He made a mental note to himself as he already started making future plans based on what he saw. 'I didn't think a stealth attack would work, but this is a different outcome. However, it means the second stage starts earlier.' The briefing he gave to his men ran through his mind prepping for what should happen next.

Standing before his men, Simonides already explained the purpose of the mission he gave them. Next, he needed to give them their orders and information on the enemy. Grouped into their teams, he began with Photine first. She had been with the South Gate since completing her training at the academy unlike some Meso Prosecho, which had stations in the capital prior to border security. A woman in her early twenties still, she had little experience against any opponent other than a normal human. She kept to a strict professional regime waiting for her chance to prove her worth. Simonides saw the eagerness in her light blue eyes, which shined with their own radiance.

Photine's team filled out with three Blacks. Their purpose changed after the first stage of the mission. "Photine your target is one of the confirmed MP users. A teenage girl appearing about sixteen described as having short black hair and a frail appearance. The powers she has been displayed using are a repulsive barrier, telekinesis and hovering. Her barrier was strong enough to rip a sword from the hand of the user."

Four figures in Atlantean military uniforms appeared from thin air positioned roughly behind Yumi's location before she leapt forward. Leading the small group was a woman with short dark blonde hair rigidly forced back, Photine. Her white uniform swayed in the breeze a moment before a small ripple echoed from her feet. Instantly, brownish-red dust billowed outward altering the grass plains into a barren wasteland of dry stone and earth. Accompanying the warm earth was jutting rocks carved out by strong winds and towering too far above to fit into the field, suddenly being cut off at the limit of her reach.

As the dust bowl began to settle out several flashing lights appeared hazy through the windy soup. Little brief glimpses broke through giving enough pieces to discern weapons. Not granting those trapped inside a moment to consider their position, the weapons flew away in long streaks of light caught from their blades. Only leaving their sight for a second, a loud buzzing and sparking blasted over their heads. The sound changed to pounding echoing through the thin film of the barrier beating out an ominous message of doom.

"What the hell's happening?!" shouted Seiji over the almost deafening noise created by the weapons. In all of the confusion of the last few seconds, his world got thrown upside down. He no longer knew what was happening to him. Pounding from above became worse for his ears.

Gathered closer to Yumi, Yuki had one eye partially closed trying to manage the pain of the ringing in his ears. "Are we under attack?"

"I think that's pretty obvious!" snapped Saki, covering her ears up with her hands.

Left on the ground murmuring in pain, Yumi felt like a rope connected to her heart being yanked. She did not understand the feeling, just knew that it pulled on her invisibly. '…it hurts…' All of her will power struggled to fight the urge to release her grasp and be taken away with the current. Where the force tried to drag her felt empty and wrong in a way she had no words for. While instinctively she knew remaining was correct.

Photine stared at the barrier unflinching, waiting. 'So your first task will be to neutralize that barrier. Her field has not been seen yet, so there is no judge on her strength yet. Make use of your weapons to drive her back and shatter her barrier.' She concentrated on the task materializing more weapons to crush the barrier. So long as it stood a stalemate remained and their mission stalled.

The duration that the barrier survived before the first c***k appeared surprised Photine. 'It's only now weakening even with me dampening her field! Just how powerful is this child?' She continued to press the attack hearing further cracks develop along the bubble's film. Certainty in its collapse came assured, only time remained a factor.

Yumi felt the imminent failure approaching. She still did not fully comprehend what she felt, but knew to trust her body. Staggering to her feet, she braved the pain that racked her body. With heavy panting, Yumi drew herself firm before her friends. "I can't…hold them…off much longer! Be ready!" Almost on cue, a sound like glass shattering rippled through the chamber. Highly reflective shards still holding on to energy rained down around beginning the cascade. '…the pain's gone…' Relief rested on Yumi with all of the tension that ripped her body cut her free.

Breaking to recover was not in the cards for Yumi. A battle cry from a guttural feminine voice directed towards her snapped her eyes around. Instinct saved her in the last moments as four long strangely shaped swords flew at her colliding against a small square of a barrier reflexively erected. The mass and velocity of the weapons knocked her back sending her careening through the air out of control. Trails of dusts drew lines through the air following her arc.

'Once you bring down the barrier corner her and force her away from the rest of the group. It's important that you remove her from the others. Keep her at a distance from the rest.'

Watching her prey disappear from range Photine broke rank. The Blacks in her team had different orders when things reached this situation. As the Atlantean woman charged through the ragged group of teens, two walls of solid purple barriers raised dividing them and leaving her an aisle to her target.

Turning to the next team, Simonides focused on Antipas. Youngest of the three Whites, he had much to prove to his Captain fresh from training and filled with promise. "Once Photine strikes that'll be your signal to prepare. When the girl's barrier comes down and she's separated from the group you will make your move. There are still two others of concern that must be divided. Two boys, one is rough looking with dark brown hair tied back in a small ponytail while the other has roughly cut black hair. You need to use your walls to divide them. Your target is the black haired boy. He's the only one of the group that has displayed his field. He uses a grass field and makes use of a strange physical technique that is more deadly than the physical attack. Keep out of his range and don't give him anything to use against you."

Curving out blocking all of the escapes to the rear for Yuki, the light brown haired Antipas surfaced with his band of three Blacks. Besides Yuki, he caught two others on his side, but neither of them were his target. His only goal in mind was Yuki. Already cut flat by his smooth stone cobble field, the grass disappeared from nearby view. Large stone slabs groaned from behind breaking free from their place to become new walls. Each newly formed obstruction forced Yuki to step forward to keep ahead of the quickly fading ground.

'Force him out away from the rest of the group as well. It's important that these three individuals remain apart from the rest. Leave the rest of your team is to deal with the others as Commander Abeiron will take command of the soldiers.'