Hikari and Lila blinked into consciousness, lying on the cold, fractured ground of nightmares. The air was thick with tension, and when they pressed their ears to the dirt, faint, echoing screams pierced the silence. Hikari was the first to stir. She cracked her back and neck, the sound a sharp break in the oppressive quiet, before reaching out to help Lila to her feet.
Hikari: "What's this? I don't remember the domain looking like this."
Amanda's subconscious, now twisted by Lirael's corrupting influence, had mutated into a nightmare of contradictions. A fractured, surreal landscape where innocence and grief collided in a violent dance. What was once a vivid, private realm of dreams had been warped into something darker—a place stitched together by the cold, unrelenting power of despair and necromantic sorrow. In this place, Amanda's deepest fears and fragmented thoughts bled into the walls, shifting and changing under Lirael's cruel hand, trapping her in an endless cycle of torment.
The subconscious was still Amanda's—born from her pain—but now, it was also Lirael's dominion. Though it still held whispers of its original form, the realm had become a labyrinth of corrupted emotions and memories, an unsettling fusion of Amanda's inner world and the haunting desolation that Lirael had woven into it. The very fabric of the place seemed on the verge of unraveling, like a delicate dream threatening to dissolve. Fragments of Amanda's real life were strewn across it, suspended in unnatural configurations.
Lila: "Jeez, I swear I hate fighting witches. They have the most complicated way of dying."
Hikari: "What do you mean?"
Lila: "How do I put this without making it sound like a lecture…" She cleared her throat, gathering her thoughts. "To kill a witch, you have to find their true core—hidden deep within the heart of their domain. The core isn't a physical thing. It's a metaphysical concept, tied to the witch's soul and emotional essence. Destroying the core—or cutting the witch's connection to it—is the only way to end their existence for good."
Hikari couldn't help but laugh, the sound echoing in the tense air. "I swear, sometimes you're just a walking encyclopedia," she said with a teasing smirk as she looked at Lila-
BOOM!
A violent explosion of red and black light burst downward, slamming into the earth like a thunderclap. The shockwave that followed was powerful enough to send a ripple through the air, the ground cracking and crumbling beneath them. Dust and debris were sent flying, and a crater formed where the explosion had struck, the force of it nearly knocking Hikari off her feet. Instinctively, she used her telekinesis to pull Lila back with her, the air crackling with energy.
Hikari's mind raced. What the hell? Another undead? No… This aura feels familiar, too familiar…
As the dust began to settle, her sharp gaze locked onto a figure standing amidst the crater. His eyes, deep amber with an eerie, faint glow, pierced through the haze, glowing like molten gold. His hair was dark brown, tousled and just long enough to fall over his forehead, constantly pushed back but never quite staying in place. His lean yet muscular form stood tall and unyielding, radiating an unsettling presence, the air around him charged with raw power.
It was him. Qua.
"Qua," Hikari muttered, her voice low but edged with frustration. "What the hell are you doing here? Come to finish the job and kill us?"
The words were harsh, but the tension in the air was palpable—she didn't trust him, not one bit. Not after everything that had happened. She was ready to fight if it came to that.
Qua's expression remained impassive, not a hint of emotion flickering across his face. His voice, when it came, was calm, almost too calm. "No, actually. I've come to team up with you two."
Lila raised an eyebrow, her usual cheerful demeanor faltering as suspicion crept in. "Team up?" she echoed, crossing her arms with a skeptical frown. "Why the hell should we team up with you?"
Qua didn't flinch, his eyes steady and unwavering. "Because, bubblegum hair," he started, his voice dropping to a tone so serious it felt like a stark contrast to his earlier indifference. "I've seen how manipulative Lirael is, and just how badly her plans are going to backfire."
Hikari's lips curled into a smirk, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms. "Oh, so now you're using your brain, huh? Took you long enough." She let the sarcasm drip from her words, but there was a sharp edge beneath it.
Qua didn't react to her teasing. "If that's what you want to call it, then I guess," he said simply, the faintest trace of something almost like bitterness in his voice. His gaze shifted, his amber eyes flickering like smoldering embers. "Lirael's plans are a mess, Hikari. She's playing a dangerous game, one she won't win."
Lila stepped forward, her gaze now serious, her earlier uncertainty replaced by a focused intensity. "What are you talking about?" Her voice was sharp, her tone less playful, the humor now gone. "What plans? And why should we trust you?"
Qua's gaze flicked to Lila, then back to Hikari. "Lirael has bigger things in motion than you two realize. Her control over Amanda and her growing influence over the supernatural are part of a much darker scheme. She's manipulating Amanda's grief, using it to fuel a destructive force that could destroy everything you've worked for, everything you care about." His voice was measured, but the weight of his words hung in the air like a storm about to break.
Hikari's eyes flashed with something between skepticism and anger. "And you're just realizing this now? You think we're gonna trust you after everything that's happened?"
Qua's amber eyes gleamed as he met her challenging stare. "I don't expect you to trust me," he said, his tone shifting slightly, a hint of something more dangerous lacing his words. "But I know more than you think I do. Lirael's pulling strings that could tear the fabric of reality itself. You'll need more than your powers to stop her. You'll need strategy, and I'm the only one who can provide it."
Lila's mind raced as she processed his words, the gravity of the situation settling over her like a heavy fog. She glanced at Hikari, the unspoken question hanging in the air between them. Could they really trust him? Could Qua be telling the truth, or was this just another trap?
Hikari exhaled slowly, her frustration building. "You want us to believe that you of all people are the answer?" She let out a bitter laugh. "You've been as much a part of the problem as anyone else." But there was something in her gaze now, a flicker of doubt she couldn't quite hide.
Qua's face remained unreadable, but there was a flicker of something behind his amber eyes—something dark, something dangerous. "I've never been part of your little problem, Hikari," he said coolly. "But the difference between you and me is that I can control the chaos. I stockpile it."
Hikari and Lila exchanged glances, both sensing the weight in his words. Qua wasn't just dangerous—he was potentially a walking weapon, and his power was something none of them fully understood.
Lila's voice broke the silence, her tone tight. "What do you mean, stockpile chaos?"
Qua's gaze flickered briefly as if considering how much to reveal. "I absorb the forces around me. Every ounce of energy, every emotional wave, every blow I take or give—I store it. I've been using it to survive, to get stronger. But when it accumulates too much, it becomes a burden." His eyes darkened slightly, as if remembering something unpleasant. "I can draw on that stored energy to enhance my abilities—strength, speed, durability—but I can also unleash it in ways that could devastate anything in my path. Even reality itself. The more I stockpile, the more control I have… or lose."
Hikari's brow furrowed in disbelief, but a flicker of realization crossed her face. "So, you're saying you're a walking time bomb?"
Qua didn't flinch. "Only if I lose control. But I can choose when to release it. I can shape it. If we team up, I'll be the power you need to counter Lirael's schemes."
Lila's voice was low, almost hesitant. "But what if you can't control it? What if—"
"I will control it," Qua interrupted, his voice now hard, the conviction clear. "That's the price I've paid, and it's a price I'm willing to bear. I'm not here for your trust—I'm here because I'm the only one who can help you stop her." His gaze locked onto Lila, his eyes glowing brighter now, a dangerous energy crackling in the air around him. "The question is, do you trust yourselves enough to stop what's coming?"
The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy, the weight of Qua's words settling deep in their bones. Neither Hikari nor Lila could deny the truth in his words. But the question of trust, of using such overwhelming power… that was something neither of them could answer so easily.
The tension in the air crackled as the conversation faltered, replaced by a deafening series of unnatural sounds—a rhythmic thundering that resonated through the very bones of the land. From above, a cold, malevolent shadow stretched across the sky, and six skeletal dragons—each one a grotesque tapestry of ancient bone and necrotic energy—descended, their wings beating with a terrifying force. Each flap sent violent shockwaves spiraling through the atmosphere, warping the very air in their wake, a pulse of dark energy that rattled the core of the domain.
Qua narrowed his eyes, his voice laced with a dark amusement, as the dragons circled menacingly overhead. "Guess the bitch is going all out now."
Hikari's gaze followed the dragons as their hollow eyes glowed with a malevolent, deathly light, their skeletal forms leaving trails of ethereal mist in their wake. "Are those… dragons?!"
Qua's chuckle was laced with bitter irony. "That's right. What, you new here or something?"
Hikari opened her mouth to retort, but Lila's voice sliced through the air, sharp and unwavering. "You think you can handle those things? If you really want to team up, then prove it by protecting us while we find Lirael and Amanda."
Lila's words hung in the air like a challenge, sharp and unyielding. Hikari's heart raced, a mix of dread and determination surging through her veins, but before she could voice any protest, Qua was already in motion. His stance shifted, a barely perceptible motion that sent a wave of air rippling through the ground beneath him. He pushed off the earth with a casual grace, his body floating 45 inches above the ground, the weightlessness of his form seemingly defying the natural order.
"Leave it to me," Qua said, his tone cool, almost playful. "If I'm not able to take them all out, I'll at least take down three."
The words were barely out of his mouth before he was already preparing himself. His eyes narrowed, his breathing steady as he focused, drawing in the swirling, intangible energies of the environment. He clenched his fists, his legs radiating a deep, blue glow—bright, electric, as if the very air around him was vibrating in tune with his purpose.
"60%—Living Catastrophe." His voice was like the calm before a storm, but it was the moment his body began to move that the world around him seemed to shudder in anticipation.
In an instant, he vanished from sight, a blur of motion that seemed to distort the space around him. Hypersonic speeds tore through the air, leaving nothing but fractured ripples in his wake. The very ground trembled as he shot upward like a bullet from a gun, his eyes locked onto the nearest dragon.
The dragon—its skeletal body a patchwork of decayed bones and ethereal, dark energy—was caught off guard as Qua closed the distance in the blink of an eye. His fist, encased in a shimmering aura of raw, condensed force, struck with the fury of a collapsing star. The sheer impact of the blow sent a shockwave rippling outward, the ground beneath shattering like glass under the pressure.
Time seemed to stretch in that singular, crushing moment. The dragon was sent hurtling through the air, its skeletal form spinning wildly, as though the force of Qua's strike had torn its very existence asunder. Dust and debris cascaded in all directions as the monstrous creature was thrown backward, crashing into the rocky landscape below.
Qua's smirk twisted into something darker, something almost predatory. "Let's end this shitshow."
He stood there for a moment, the echoes of his attack reverberating through the air like the aftermath of a violent thunderstorm. His chest heaved with exertion, but the gleam in his eyes remained sharp—unfazed, undeterred.
But the dragons weren't done yet. The remaining five began to circle once more, their eyes blazing with ancient, vengeful fury. The air thickened with their presence, and the tension crackled like a live wire—each heartbeat heavier than the last.
Qua's gaze flickered to the horizon where Lila and Hikari had disappeared into the distance, his lips curling into a smirk as he shifted his stance. The hunt had only just begun.
And with that, the ground beneath them shook once more as the dragons prepared to strike again.
To be continued…