The Sight Beyond The Haze

Chapter 23: Being Hunted and Haunted

It was the first time that I saw Deo looked so upset about something. The butterfly that has been clinging to my shoulder since earlier immediately flew towards them. When it hoevered just an inch away from them, Deo held out a hand and the butterfly perched itself on it, glowing steadily.

"I see that you changed the light butterfly back to its original form," Deo stated while Haziel Imbert's eyes were still evading my gaze.

"If..." I breathed a deep sigh and released it as equally as I heaved it inside. "If you do not want me to ask you about it, then I won't. I have also been neglectful of myself, it is not your fault. And I trust you."

There was an unbidden statement that I did not say, but I was certain Deo was aware of.

'I trust you enough to have endowed you my life,' was the thought that has been circulating around my mind.

Haziel Imbert's head was still casted down and the eyes that used to be of a green shade abruptly wavered into a brighter shade, a silver ash gray. I wondered if that was Deo's own coloring and if so, what a beautiful pair of eyes they have.

Unconsciously, I started to unfasten each of the buttons of my soaked uniform. It has been already dried off, but there were still patches, like the part under my armpit, that were a little damp. The next one that I removed from my shivering body was the brassiere. Not a moment later, a towel has been placed on my shoulders and I realized that Deo must have gone back to their original form. The small but intimadating presence of Haziel Imbert was no more and was replaced by Deo's usual expansive white robes.

"Thank you," I whispered to them. The answer that I got was being handed a new set of clothes over.

I turned a full one-hundred eighty, the towel was hanging loosely on both my shoulders, my upper body was bared under Deo's scrutiny. All Deo did was to pull the thick towel to cover my bared body.

Their mask was dark, so deeply dark that it made me lose myself on it, and both of the ends of the crescent shape lips on their mask were poiting down as though it was frowning. I just looked at them, at Deo was so arduously drying my skin off.

"At this weather, do you think your body will hold out?" Deo asked me rhetorically while still trying to wipe me from the wetness that I experienced. "It is too cold, you have better get to bathe lest you'd catch a cold for yourself."

I nodded at Deo and turned to go to the bathroom that was adjacent to the room. I did not knew or even understood why I did such a thing. It was an unconscious act, but I know it must have been be inappropriate and Deo must have felt rather uncomfortable. I did not meant that to happen. My ears started to turn red as my brain finally realized what my body so absentmindedly did.

"It must have been too difficult for you," Deo stated before I walked straight to the door or ram my head to the wall. I stopped from walking and closed my eyes, clutching the towel with both my hands, it looked as though I was hugging myself. "I am sorry, but I will get you out of this chaos that others have pulled you in."

I nodded though they could not probably see that.

"The temporal illusory fragment only opened an entryway outside when we realized that I was the killer," I stated when Deo asked me how we got out of the illusory fragment. "The odd thing was that..." I pursed my lips in concentration while Deo waited patiently, sitting on Bianca's bed comfortably. "I'm not aware that I killed the girl in the illusory fragment. One more thing, the books there." My frown deepened as I thought of what had happened on that illusion. "The books over there that were displayed, I think those described of what had happened to other victims. I was able to get a brief sight of the contents, and now I realized the two books that I checked earlier was just as exactly how the illusion was. People in an abandoned manor with murders. That is my speculation at least."

"And the illusory fragment looks exactly like the outside world?" Deo asked, making sure of what I told them earlier. "Like the reality we lived in?"

Deo was already in Haziel Imbert's face and built. They were sitting comfortably on Bianca's bed as though it was theirs, they even have their bare feet up.

"Yes, it looks like it was ripped out of reality," I confirmed at them and sat beside them, "but what would happen now?"

"What do you mean?" Deo asked me, curiosity tainted the green in Haziel Imbert's eyes.

"I thought that Caspian will report it," I told them, "and Sir Apollyon knows..." I paised and pursed my lips together.

"He does," Deo said even without me finishing my own statement. "But you need not worry about anything. Those students who were with you would be taken care of and Caspian would not utter a word about your whereabouts. Even that teacher would not dare."

Why not?

A question hung inside my head that I could noy utter out loud for fear of not being answered, or maybe the expectation that Deo would not answer me directly.

"But that temporal illusory fragment..." Deo's voice faded as they thought about it.

"What about the illusory fragment, Deo?"

"It was made for the henious of crimes," Deo answered, their expression was forbidding and dark. "Cannibalism of human life force. It is probably an energy source. You said the owner was there?"

I nodded.

"I could feel their presence," I told Deo, "and when I started the fire, it suddenly rain. It was either the owner doesn't want to burn down the whole manor causing possible damage to overall illusory fragment or that..."

It was now Deo who nodded, agreeing to my hypothesis.

"The owner was there," Deo continued for me, "preventing themselves, along with all of you, to be burned alive. The owner of the illusion must have taken an interest to look on you to get there, but he does not harmed you in any way."

"What is a temporal illusory fragment doing in this academy, Deo?" I asked, a slight hope sprung on my chest.

It was the question that Caspian intervened Sir Apollyon on answering. I wonder why Caspia was so worked up for. I Haziel Imbert's face whose face was being worn by Deo.

"This academy is a Middle Ground," Deo finally answered, "or it used to be a Middle Ground. It was where most travelling Mages and Warriors alike stayed at most of the time, but, as you can see from our surroundings, it has been reinvented as an academy. Some students here are actually descendants of people of magic, if not themselves. Such as that Caspian Cashel and maybe even that teacher."

With the mention of Sir Apollyon Hart, Deo and I exchanged a look but never did utter anything against the teacher.

"But savagery between the people of magic still lingers on the halls of this academy. Such as those people who opened the temporal illusory fragment and also the one who instigated the siren's song. If I dare say that it is normal to have those in this place, then yes, it is quite normal for Middle Ground. Though with that disadvantage, this place is also full of protective barriers and seals," Deo continued then they added, "good for hiding. And if you are going to as if that was the reason why you are staying here, then yes. That is exactly why you are placed here, on this very place. Although I do not believe for one second that the owner of the temporal illusory fragment intended to cause you harm, it is still better to be more careful and alert of the events inside this academy."

Bianca did not return even after the day ended so it was Deo who was still wearing Haziel Imbert's guise that accompanied me.

Like the usual, Deo would read me academic books of the mystic arts but they would let me try any of the things they were teaching me for the fear that I would single-handedly tear down this whole building. The light butterflies that exhibit a delicate glow all over the room were our aurdience.

"Change back to your original form," I told Deo as they were reading through a thick volume of Transportation and Teleportation: Mages' Hows.

"You do not like Haziel Imbert's face?" Deo asked with caution, they carefully laid down the blanket that we were both sharing the leather bound book. "Was it not beautiful enough?" they asked me.

"No, it was not," I, however, responded seriously, "I do not feel like I was looking at Deo when you are wearing someone else's faces. My body refused to think it was you beneath all that."

"I think it would be uncomfortable for you, Seraphim," Deo contradicted rather quietly, "don't my original form always make you feel like that?"

I shook my head at them.

"Not anymore," I answered to him.

Before I sleep, Deo went out of my room. They never did give in to my advice, but I'd like to think they were close from doing so. I did not pursue it though, believing that Deo have a reasonable explanation for withholding information from me.

"Good night," I heard them whispered to me and a butterfly that they fashioned as the one with black countenance perched itself on the tip of my very nose.

It was delicate and ticklish.

But I was still not able to sleep well that night.

"Where are we going?" I said, breathless, as we ran deeper into the woods. A girl, smaller than me, was gripping my arm so tight that I can already see her knuckles turning white.

It was so dark that I could only saw a flash of golden threads at the top of her head which was, I assume, her hair. Her hair, pinned by fragile-looking gems that glittered through the night, was in a elaborate braid that circled the top of her head.

She was wearing a simple white dress and, for the first time, I took a good look at my own body. I was wearing a light floral dress and from the aching of my feet, it seemed as though I was also wearing some stilettos. And we were both running.

"We need to get out of here!" she said using that enigmatic voice I once heard.

Haziel.

In this dream, I was with Haziel Imbert. Her hair was unlike what it was in the reality, but my mind was in a hazy blur. I could not really bring myself to trust what was being shown on my mind at this point. If they were real or not, who was I to decide when it had all muddled into one incoherent array of things?

I abruptly stopped from running and harshly pulled at my hand. The tone I heard that came out of my own lips was sharper than usual, very unlike of my own placid and almost cold voice. "Va te faire foutre!" I said violently. "Who are you? Really? Where did those guys bring Zachriel?!"

Even the way I spoke was not similar to how I usually do. Instead of those things, I wanted to blurt out one name only.

'Deo?' I wanted to ask, but could not do so. There was a force that was keeping me from doing what I wanted. I pursed my lips inwardly and decided that this was just a dream. It does not matter if I could do something because even I do, there was nothing that could change anything. I only need to standby and watch what events would unfold in this dream this time.

But one word, a name particularly, made me sober.

Zachriel?

Again?

What was this dream of mine got to do with him yet again?

Haziel Imbert turned to me and she was as fierce as any avenging angel. Her delicate brows were knitted together, her lips were set in a tight line, and her eyes were blazing with passion or maybe anger, I could not really distinguish one from another. Her grip at my arm was as hard as steel and so was the expression on her face.

"We don't have time for this," she muttered, almost as thiugh she was only speaking to herself. "Listen," she pointed one tiny finger at me, "those guys wants to kill you and I am here to protect you from them. I want you to shut up and let me do my work. I don't know a lot of French, but I hope you can understand this. Ta gueule, Seraphin?"

I raised my eyebrow, offended by her harsh tone "Encule toi salaud! You do not tell me what to do! I want to remind you of who I am!"

"S'il vous plait," she said, almost pleading but also as equally harsh. "Do you want to die? If you don't, you will listen to me. I mean no harm to you and you will move as I say." Then her voice dropped to a whisper, talking almost to herself but, nevertheless, I still heard her. "I can't believe this is happening. I don't know what else to do."

Up in the sky, the stars have started to show themselves and it was not too dark for my eyes any longer. We stopped by a creek and my companion, Haziel Imbert, sat by the side of it and suddenly I have this urge to look at my own reflection down at the clear water of the creek. As I look down, I saw that my ivory features have its roundness and softness, a leftover of childhood.

Haziel's face also shows signs of childhood, but she managed to look more mature than me though she was smaller than I was. Her hair was golden yellow this time, which suited her angelic face perfectly.

Then I remembered what she mumbled earlier. About me.

"Je ne comprends pas," I said, "I do not understand."

Then the dream shifted to another.

My hands were bloody and I was crying. I was kneeling on the ground, the rough texture of it were grating my knees. At my side, standing as still as the wind that surrounded us, was Deo with their billowing white robes and their masked that was as black as the shadows. Both of the tips of their mask were pointing down.

It took me a great effort to breathe because I was crying too much and though I wiped at my face to rid it with tears, but the only thing I did was to stain my own face with blood that both of my hands were tainted.

"H-help... me," I begged at them, but Deo just kept on looking at me as though they could not hear how I beg for their help. "Help! H-help!"

But Deo did not move even just a finger to help me.

When I looked down, shivers and horror ran through my whole body. It was myself that I was trying to help. I sas trying to revive her, but with how her lips have turned into an ashen color, I knew that it was too late even how long I try to revive her. The Seraphim on the ground was lying, not even a single movement could be felt on her cold corpse.

My eyes could not averted her.

She was cold to the touch and my hands, that were trying to wipe at my tear-streaked face, were now holding her chest that was so brutally shredded. I could her flesh inside, red and still spilling with blood. And her eyes... her eyes were wide open!

I was speechless.

I stayed motionless, my blood stained hands and my feet were numb with coldness that was spreading all over my physique. My mind still could not process what it was seeing, but it was slowly dawning at me what it was. Her eyes were opened and she was looking at me, staring deep into my soul, as though she knew just the hoax in my life.

Trembling, my hand reached out to close her eyes, but as my eyes swept a glance on the surroundings, I saw that it was not only her, not only Deo, and not only me that were here.

There were a dozen corpse that looked similar to me. Their hearts have also been tore out of their chest, their flesh and innards were bare and stripped open for the whole world to see.

My mind was whirling so fast with the scenery around me that I felt faint. I felt as though I could also just lie beside these corpses that looked similar to me, let whoever took their hearts out do the same to me. There was a rising vile up to my throat after the wind blew and brought forth the metallic and salty scent of blood.

A sudden movement caught me off guard and, not a second later a hand was on my neck. It was choking me fiercely and I gagged and tried to break free. I was supposed to be stronger than this, but a few more pairs of hands flew out to grabbed each of my limbs.

Their hands, also soaked with blood like mine, were gripping me with an unbelievably firm grip and staining me more. It was cold. They were so cold.

I was feeling so cold.

"Deo." I called out to the person beside us, standing tall with their fluttering white robes that were undisturbed with all the gore and remained as pristine and immaculately white as ever. "H-help me."

"How... real... are... you?" they hissed at me slowly, they were all a combination of a larghetto of low voices and they were all driving me crazy.

With such a shock on my wit, I could not even speak nor act anything to prevent them from gripping parts of my body. It was painful and even though I knew it was a dream, their voices rang inside my head. They were banging inside my own head and their pain, I could feel it seeping within my flesh.

"Deo," I desperately called out to that person still standing, just watching, "he-help.... help. "

It took all my strength and will to utter those two words, but Deo never moved. I struggled against the hands that were gripping my skin to get closer to Deo, maybe to beg more or to just get close for the sake of our proximity. I crawled and I reached out my hand towards them. That was only then that I realized their feet were shackled to the ground and the mask, that was so dark earlier, seemed to have turned darker again.

"How... real... are... you?" the corpses hissed yet again to my ears, directing their hatred and pain straight to my chest.

It hurts.

It hurts so much.

When I looked up again, there was something else. A silhouette of a familiar person and I was suddenly lying on my back. A smooth blanket was draped over my stomach down to my feet, covering me, and a soft mattress was beneath me, supporting my whole body. My eyes were bleary and my head ached on a particular part.

Since I was lying, the shadow of the person who sat near my head was all I could see. That person has a short dark hair and a familiar way about that person told me that I probably knew this one. There were a pair of long golden sticks on the person's hands, maybe a couple of inches long, and both of the points of those golden sticks were pointed at my head where a dazzling object was suspending above my had.

As the object pulsated with a bright light, the face of the person was finally illuminated that enabled me to realize the identity of the person.

It was Zachriel Legrand.