Nightmares Across the World
The tremors spread like ripples on water.
Not of earth alone — but of aura.
Global Nightmares
In New York, thousands jolted awake at once, screaming the same words:
"The chains are breaking."
In Cairo, the desert winds carried whispers. Travelers collapsed in the dunes, clutching their heads, blood dripping from their ears.
In Moscow, frozen rivers cracked in the dead of night, as though something beneath them struggled to rise.
And in Seoul, an entire school of children painted the same image in their art classes without knowing why — a colossal figure with chains shattering across its chest.
The world itself was warning them.
---
The Council's Panic
Paris, Aura Council Chambers.
The seal map pulsed violently, three crimson points flaring like open wounds. The chamber filled with voices, frantic and fractured.
"They're waking—!"
"We don't have enough wielders left!"
"Then we must strike before they do!"
Arashi slammed his staff against the floor. "Silence!"
But the silence was brittle.
A French elder whispered, "If Scarlet awakens them… then keeping Ishita alive may doom us all."
The words hung heavy, poisonous.
Li Wei's voice cut through the tension, cold as steel.
"Touch her, and you will doom yourselves. Scarlet is not your curse. It is your only hope."
But doubt lingered in the chamber, cracks widening in the council's unity.
---
Ishita's Struggle
Far from Paris, in the ruins of Borivali, Ishita trained alone under the night sky. Her Scarlet aura burned steady now, wings folding and unfolding with control.
But then it happened.
A whisper. Low, cold, crawling into her ear.
"Scarlet child… join us. Burn with us. Your grief is ours. Your wrath is ours. Break the chains with us…"
Her eyes widened, breath catching. Flames lashed wildly, nearly consuming her. She clutched her head, screaming, "Get out! Get out of me!"
Rehan rushed forward, catching her as she staggered. "Ishita! What happened?"
Her hands shook violently, tears streaking down her face. "I… I heard them. The demons. They're calling me."
---
The Anchor
Rehan pulled her close, golden aura wrapping around her like a shield. "Then block them out. You're not theirs. You're you. And as long as I'm here—you'll never be alone in this."
Her trembling eased, the Scarlet flames dimming to a faint glow. She buried her face against his shoulder, whispering, "Why… why do you always save me, even when I'm falling apart?"
Rehan's voice was quiet, but firm. "Because if I don't… who will?"
Her heart thudded painfully, but not from fear. She didn't say it out loud — not yet — but the truth bloomed inside her.
I don't want to lose him.
---
The Shadow of Awakening
Li Wei stood at the edge of the courtyard, his gaze fixed on the horizon where the seals pulsed like distant thunder.
"Their whispers have reached her," he murmured. "The chains will not hold much longer."
The night sky rumbled. Somewhere deep beneath the earth, the second seal cracked.
And far away, in the abyss, laughter rolled like an approaching storm