The Dream Shifter

Chapter 255

Photine stared into Chiharu's eyes. She measured out her words through her expression and knew the truth. "You…" Another painful cough escaped from Photine. "…you…won't…"

Chiharu started to stand up. "I don't need to keep these eyes."

"…but…" Photine paused again. The strain on her chest from talking made things worse. She knew she should shut up, but she could not. "…but…that doesn't mean…I'm not…going to…tell you what I…did…"

The words stopped her motion, but her hand tightened even more onto Photine. She pulled her back in towards her face. "What was it?"

"I sealed…away everything…that makes her…special."

"Sealed?" questioned Yumi, starting to take part in the conversation. She leaned over to Photine wanting to know more. "Is that why I feel so strange? But how is that possible?"

Photine glanced over at Yumi. "…I intended…to capture you…so I needed…to prevent…a future…escape…" Her mind went back to when she began. "…that was…my next…move…" The platform she raised from the earth eventually formed the sword she needed. It was a gamble, but it paid off for her.

"If it's just sealing her powers. Removing it would restore it. Your plan is flawed." Chiharu gripped the sword tighter. She just needed to remove it from Yumi. The explanation was all she needed to know it was not a fatal attack.

Another cough came from Photine. It did the job she wanted of interrupting Chiharu from her action. "…no…you can't…remove it…"

Chiharu glared over at Photine not interested in her pleas. "Just try me!" She dropped Photine and took both hands to the sword. 'I just need more strength…its nothing I can't fix!' Her eyes moved over to Yumi to provide her reassurance. She did not intend to let things go their way.

The sword pulled on Yumi. It brought her almost on top of Chiharu in the first attempt. She used most of her strength and reflexes to try to remove it quickly before Yumi's body could react. However, it only backfired on her. "Damn…" She grabbed Yumi's wrist connected to the hand embedded in the sword. A slow forceful push on her hand did not to the sword. Blood did not appear, but Yumi still looked unsettled.

Regrouping her thoughts, Chiharu glanced over at Photine. 'Did she make this sword special?' Her hand rested on the sword. It only moved when Yumi moved. It was attached to her, deeply attached. 'She thought that far ahead? She made it so it can't be removed…' Chiharu did not like where her thoughts took her.

She turned back towards Photine. More answers were needed. "You made it so it can't be removed by anyone. Didn't you?"

"Yes."

Chiharu came to the only remaining conclusion. The one she should have taken at the start. She did not know why she did not consider the option before. 'Why was I so slow in thinking of it?' Chiharu lifted up Photine and raised her fist. "If you created it with your powers, then I just have to knock you unconscious. Then it will disappear." Chiharu pulled her arm back.

Photine finally managed a crooked grin for Chiharu. It pained her a lot, but she succeeded. The pain she felt would pass in time. "…that won't work…I made sure…of it…"

The words froze her fist in mid swing. Chiharu read Photine's face trying to detect the lie. She only needed a flicker of a falsehood to finish her strike. Yet nothing showed to her. Only truth covered her pale features. "What do you mean?" Her fist relaxed.

"…it's not…sustained…by my powers…"

"What do you mean?" snapped Chiharu, tired of the ragged voice.

"…I used my…powers…to create it from…real matter…so its…real…"

The words made Yumi sink backwards. She suddenly felt even heavier than before. 'I'm useless…I'm really am useless now…' Deep despair sat inside Yumi as reality settled in for her. She could do nothing.

Photine finally managed a crooked grin for Chiharu. It pained her a lot, but she succeeded. The pain she felt would pass in time. "…that won't work…I made sure…of it…"

The words froze her fist in mid swing. Chiharu read Photine's face trying to detect the lie. She only needed a flicker of a falsehood to finish her strike. Yet nothing showed to her. Only truth covered her pale features. "Why?" Her fist relaxed.

"…it's not…sustained…by my powers…"

"What do you mean?!" snapped Chiharu, tired of the ragged voice.

"…I used my…powers…to create it from…real matter…so it's…real…"

The words made Yumi sink backwards. She suddenly felt even heavier than before. 'I'm useless…I'm really am useless now…' Deep despair sat inside Yumi as reality settled in for her. She could do nothing.

Chiharu flipped over to Yumi. Watching her sink deeper made her tighten her fist. 'It's just like what he did with those earrings. There's nothing I can do…' She turned back to Photine. '…damnit…' Their usefulness had ended in Chiharu's mind. Putting her out of her misery was the only thing she could do. A quick punch knocked the woman unconscious. Chiharu dropped the body out of the way to return to Yumi.

New problems surfaced with the revelation of the sealing. Chiharu did not know the right words to use. She reached out for Yumi, but held back pausing at the last moment. 'I need to motivate her…we need to move, but she's…' Her fist tightened up with her thoughts. It attempted to strengthen her determination, but it felt empty.

Everything changed from before. Chiharu berated Yumi on her weakness in the past, but she could say nothing anymore. It was not about strength of character or resolve. She wanted something to say. 'What can I say? Nothing can be done…'

Yumi caught sight of Chiharu out of the corner of her eye. It surfaced her from the pit. She had partially forgotten that she was nearby. The thoughts she had focused her away from all of her surroundings. She forgot they still stood in enemy territory. Yumi could only think of how useless she was to everyone. The seal had left her with nothing. She could feel how well it worked.

The empty alone feeling that encompassed her made sense to her. It was the absence of her powers. She only had them for a short time, but they were a part of her. She grew to understand them and accept them. They were a part of her as much as her arms and legs were a part of her body. Their loss ran deeper than she imagined.

She was normal, again.

Yumi looked over at Chiharu. She made stiff motions to get her body to move. 'I never thought I'd actually miss them. I've gotten so used to them. It really is lonely without them.' Her thoughts brought her back to Chiharu. They stayed out of reach in spite of their close proximity. 'Chiharu…she's bothered by something… It seems strange that I can actually read her face.'

Loosely staring at Chiharu, Yumi's thoughts consumed her with Chiharu at the forefront. It pulled her away from the spiral. 'I'm holding her back… I can't be depressed. I might have no powers, but I can still walk! I can't let this stop me!' Yumi braced her free hand against her leg. The sword made her entire body awkward, something she was going to have to adjust to dealing with now. It was just an obstacle. 'I'm alive still. So I'll find a way out of this. It's not over!' Her hand pushed against her leg to get her body standing. Shakily, Yumi planted her feet firmly back in the ground.

'This is going to take some getting used to…' She looked down at Chiharu, still unmoved. It felt a little strange to her. She did not think she would need to give her comfort. "You don't need to worry, Chiharu. I'm alive." Yumi leaned down a little offering a hand out to Chiharu. She worked up a reassuring smile.

Chiharu took a glance up, waking from her thoughts. 'She's standing? She was just down before…gone…' Uncertain, she stood up on her own to meet eyes with Yumi (as much as she could given the height difference). "…that sword…"

"It doesn't hurt. It's a little weird, but I'll get used to it." She kept working on her front with Chiharu. 'I can't show her any weakness. I can't let her stop because of me.'

A narrow look came across Chiharu's eyes. She watched Yumi fit a mask awkwardly to her face. '…she's…' It took her only a second more to realize everything that Yumi was doing. When she did it all turned back on Chiharu. She stared at herself.

"I'll figure out a way. You don't have to worry, Chiharu. There might be a way to break the seal if I just think about it."

Everything in Chiharu turned rigid. She spun around facing away from Yumi. "Of course. I wasn't concerned about it."

Yumi gave a small grin glad to see Chiharu acting normal again. Her eyes lowered to the ground for a moment, but quickly focused ahead of her. "We need to get away from here. There might be more coming."