The Dream Shifter

Chapter 175

"The weakness of people like you is that without your powers you're just a normal human," commented the woman from the doorway. Her figure took on a more sinister appearance with glow of the awakened village behind her. She had Fumiko trapped.

Heavy panting came as the first thing that Yumi heard finally breaking out of her mute stupor. She only began to realize as she came around that her body moved on its own. Yumi turned her head stubbornly to find her brother next to her with a panicked expression. 'What's going on? Why does Yori look so desperate?' The automated motions that had kept her going fell apart as she started to question things. She stopped in the middle of the alley breaking from the support she had. Losing the support from Yori nearly made her collapse not knowing how much she relied on him. 'What am I doing? The village… everyone… Yuki…'

Yori ran back to his sister when she suddenly pulled away from him. He did not notice the life that had returned to her and trying to coax her back along. Unfortunately, he found her more resistant to him than before. "Yumi? We need to keep moving!"

"Brother?" she mumbled out of her lips nearly tripping over the words.

A word from her alerted Yori that she might be coming back around. "Yumi! Can you hear me? Do you know what's going on?"

Yumi tilted her head up to him appearing almost curious in her confusion questioning. "How'd I get here? What happened?"

"I need to get you somewhere safe! Follow me!"

"What?!" She did not fully understand the situation. All of the pieces still dragged behind to come together for her. 'Where's Yuki? I was trying to find him…and then…' Parts of the scene with the soldiers flashed through to her finally putting everything in place for her. Remembering brought back the emotions for her as well. The shaking in her arms returned as strong as her remembered. 'I froze… I froze! When it came down to act…I failed…'

"Yumi, we need to go!"

Only a nod came from Yumi before she started to run with Yori. 'I was just all talk in the end. I couldn't change anything.' It frustrated her that all of her effort turned out to be empty. She thought that her resolved was stronger. 'All I did was cause trouble for everyone… I made Yori worry about me…'

The back of village homes gave way into the grass fields surrounding Skoupa. Their options ran out for Yori as he searched around for somewhere that could be safe. He wanted to return to the inn, but the chaos in the village made it too difficult for him. 'There has to be somewhere!' A flash of metal cut off Yori's thoughts. Yori pressed back trying to figure out what happened. Checking his shirt, a horizontal gap rested in the middle as well as thin trickle of blood. He searched in front of him to find the soldier from before standing in his way.

Philon shifted his foot forward pleased that he caught up to them. He did not want to have search the entire village over again because he made the mistake of letting the enemy through. A couple of kids did not mean much to him, but intruders had to be treated the same regardless. His free left hand pulled out thick metal chained cuffs. He showed them to Yori knowing the language barrier preventing any sort of civilized conversation. "Come on," he spoke trying in a softer voice not to intimidate them. He preferred not to have to resort to his sword to convince them to give themselves up. "You've got nowhere to run."

Yori kept Yumi behind him knowing that he had to protect her. He could not let her be taken by the military. If what Eudokia told them held true she would be returned to the researchers in the Antarctica bases. The questions that he knew inevitably would happen then would only make things even more complicated, something that did not seem possible. "Stay behind me, Yumi. I won't let anything happen to you!"

"…brother…"

The soldier caught the serious glare from Yori sensing the unwillingness to cooperate. He dropped the cuffs to the ground focusing back on his sword reaching it out towards Yori pointing it threateningly at him. The blade spoke to Yori making Philon's will clear as well.

Tension built in the air between the two men pitting their resolve against the other in a contest of presence. Yumi watched feeling as though she turned into the background. She felt removed from the scene and no longer part of the flow. Yori protected her. He kept her safe. 'He's always watching out for me… I wanted to stand on my own… but I couldn't…' Shifting air pulled her back out to see her brother motioning to her to move back. The locked battle between them grew into pacing. Yumi held her hands together praying that nothing happened to Yori.

Action began with the Atlantean soldier lunging out with his sword to draw more blood and bring down Yori to submission swiftly. Even without a weapon Yori maintained his focused driven purely by his need to protect. Yori dodged carefully away from the swing remaining cautious. 'I don't know the first thing about a real fight… I have to watch him and learn from him…' Pausing for the next strike proved to be dangerous for Yori. The second swing came sooner than he expected and caught the tip of his shirt as he stumbled away.

Yumi regretfully watched Yori forced into a fight that he did not want because of her. 'It's my fault… If I hadn't insisted on following Yuki…' A pained gasp from Yori catching a bit of the blade on his arm sent waves of fear through Yumi. 'Yori's going to be killed by that man! He's going to die because of me!' She stepped forward by a foot feeling drawn in by the fight. Yori kept trying to dodge, but the soldier had him cornered. 'It's me! I wanted to do something… Why can't I protect my brother when he needs me the most?! Why?!' Yumi felt at the end of her reason with only emotions pouring through her and driving her.

The one sided fight turned poorly for Yori quickly. He fell backwards to the ground with Philon standing over him still seeing the Yori resistance. Philon raised his sword up for the final attack he needed to put the kid into submission.

Everything blew away from Yumi when she saw Yori on the ground. Only the three of them existed for them. 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 so slowly for him.

The swing continued through unable to be changed. Yumi only thought of protecting when she heard the sword clang loudly. She felt it echo through her back. Her eyes widened for a moment thinking that she had been cut down. However, the sword spun away from her ripped out Philon's hand embedded into the grass several meters behind him. Yumi turned slowly confused by what happened.

Confusion sat deeply on Yori and Philon's faces as well. 'What was that light I just saw?' questioned Yori as he stared Yumi. 'What did Yumi just do?!'

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.

Confusion sat deeply on Yori and Philon's faces as well. 'What was that light I just saw?' questioned Yori as he stared Yumi. 'What did Yumi just do?!' Yori hesitated to believe what he saw just happen. He did not even know what he saw. 'Was the fairy right when it said she had powers like the others?! But what…'

Yumi slowly turned in confusion trying to understand what happened as well. A vibrating feeling lingered in her back as phantom memories where she had thought the blade cut into her. 'What happened? Was it something I did?' She stared at her hands and body seeking answers from herself and finding nothing. Nothing visible remained of what happened and with her back turned away she saw nothing. Her only clue came from the awe struck look in her brother's eyes. Unfortunately, his eyes did little to comfort her panicked feeling growing in her chest. She had done something, but did not know how to do again.

Philon stared at his sword hand seeing the red scrap marks from where his sword ripped forcibly from his grasp. 'I thought they were supposed to just be children! What is she…' He leaned back to see where his sword landed calculating his risk in going for it against the unknown powers of the girl. Images of what happened played through his mind trying to piece what he knew together. In the end only one conclusion seemed the most reasonable. One conclusion he hated. "You're a MP user too… What's the chances of two rogue MPs together. Is this a revolt?"

The young soldier that Seiji picked out to fight laid in the dirt after one punch. Seiji appeared very disappointed with the results. He looked back at Yuki, who had not even managed to get into his fight with the Captain yet. "That was a big let down! And what's with my fight being completely off-screen! That's not fair at all!"

Yuki sighed a little lowering his eyelids. "It's not exactly a fair fight considering your strength."

Seiji lifted up the unconscious soldier by his uniform staring at him. "I know, but I held back most of my strength! He should have been able to take at least two hits!"

"You jumped the guy as he came out of the house! He didn't even see you coming!" shouted Yuki taking his attention off the man.

Still not satisfied and continuing to get upset he marched over to Yuki. His anger over an empty fight feed into his words. "If he's soldier then he should always be prepared! He should have had expected me!"

Yuki raised his hand to his face not sure why he had this argument with Seiji. "Are you listening to yourself? These guys aren't expecting someone to fight back! They're looking for frightened and confused scientists that stumbled in! You really think they're expecting them to fight back!"

"But what soldier doesn't take pride in being trained and always ready!"

"Didn't you hear Ayumi talking on the walk?! They haven't fought for real in millennia!"

Seiji chucked the soldier casually up against the house getting in Yuki's face. "That's no excuse! You can't let yourself weaken in a time of peace!"

"What are you a General now?"

"It's common sense!"

"Only to you!"