Chapter 10: Intertwined Fate

It was during their breakfast together after her dream, Tsui told Emma about her recurring dream and its vivid contents. She felt there must be a deeper significance behind these persistent dreams. Emma's initial response was to attribute it to a lucid dream, where the dreamer becomes conscious of their dream state while still dreaming.

“I think that’s pretty normal, I sometimes get dreams like yours too.”

“But what about the scar? It’s the 2nd time I have dreamt about it. The man too, I still remember how he looks.” Tsui said, as she held the sketch she drawn to show Emma.

“Maybe you knew him before you lost your memory? Could be your friend or somethin’.”

“That doesn’t make sense, he cut off my hand. Twice!”

“Hmm…but what are you gonna do bout it? They are just dreams.”

“I want to find the meaning and reasons behind the dreams. Unlike some other dreams, the recent ones felt way too real, especially the pain. And I always wake up only when I have died in the dreams.”

Emma asked Tsui how was she going to connect the gap between her dreams and reality—how she intended to uncover tangible traces of her dream experiences. In response, Tsui shared details of the emblems that had appeared in her dreams, as well as the name the man had mentioned: Ocara.

“In my dreams, I was always in some sort of middle age, the people there used medieval weapons.”

“Hahaha, maybe you dreamt of your ancestor’s memories?”

“Emma, I’m serious…I don’t feel like they are just dreams anymore.”

“Hmm, I guess we could look into some history books from the library then.”

“Why not just use your laptop to search for them?”

“We can bring my laptop to the library. In terms of history, the library may have information that are not on the internet. There are books that may not have been digitized, plus we can ask the librarians there for the sort of books we are looking for.”

Emma recommended that Tsui they should choose a Monday for her library visit, considering it was Tsui's day off and the library was likely to be less crowded.

“Don’t you have work, Emma?”, Tsui asked.

“I do, but I only have a half day shift so I can join you around 1:30pm.”

This decision brought them to the library at [District 12] one Monday afternoon. As anticipated by Emma, the library was pleasantly uncrowded. After placing their belongings on a seat, Tsui went ahead to find the aisle containing historical books, while Emma looked for a librarian to inquire about history books that might hold the information they sought.

Soon enough, the table held a pile of books as Emma and Tsui spent the day immersed in reading, searching for clues related to Tsui's dreams.

However, despite their tireless search, their efforts yielded nothing. None of the history books contained the information they wanted. Tsui's disappointment was immeasurable as she left the library, “Was it…really all just a dream?”

 

Part 2:

Grimzna and Peter strolled down the street at [District 12], carrying large bags that hinted at a recent shopping spree. Walking side by side, Peter engaged Grimzna in conversation.

“Will these really work?”, Peter asked.

“If your materials in this world are the same, it should work.”

“But why so sudden? I thought you liked it here.”

“I do, but I don’t think I can stay. Ever since I first sensed the magic, I feel like someone has been tracking me.”

“Then just don’t use your powers.”

“It’s not just this, I’ve told you about the situation on my world.”

In the land of Agromoth, a great war raged on. The powerful nations, Ocara and Ceania, both possessed equal power, clashed fiercely, with Ocara invading Ceania's territory and even reaching its capital city. Overwhelmed by the surprise attack, Ceania's forces found themselves pushed to the brink, struggling to maintain their defenses.

Grimzna, a commander of Ceania, stood at the heart of the battle to defend the city. However, the chaos was disrupted when a blinding white light shot down from the sky, sending Grimzna falling to a completely different world—Earth.

“The presence of a commander is incredibly important to any nation, without one, your nation might as well just not exist in the first place.”

As Grimzna and Peter conversed, their attention was drawn to the sight of Emma and Tsui exiting a nearby library. In a sudden moment, Tsui and Grimzna locked eyes, their expressions a mixture of surprise.

Emma swiftly retrieved the sketchbook containing the man's face, her gaze shifting between the sketch and Grimzna's features. “Isn’t this the guy you dreamt about?”

Meanwhile, Peter observed Tsui, noticing the resemblance she bore to the person Grimzna had told him before. “Is this the girl that you told me about?”

Tsui's gaze fixed on Grimzna, and an eerie shiver traced its way down her spine, reminiscent of the sensation from her dream. A wave of anxiety washed over her, but she managed to hold it down.

“Do I…know you?”, Tsui asked.

Grimzna's eyes briefly widened, then quickly reverted to their original state, a subtle attempt to mask his surprise. However, Tsui's observant gaze caught every nuance.

“You do know me, don’t you? You looked exactly like the person I dreamt about.”

Grimzna averted his gaze from Tsui, his eyes looking the surroundings with a sense of unease. Anxiety painted his expression, evident by the beads of cold sweat trickling down his face. Tsui's confirmation grew stronger; she was certain that Grimzna recognized her. With determination, she pressed on, and showed him her sketches and asked if he recognized the emblems.

[The drawing of the nations’ emblem]

[A sketch of Grimzna’s face]

Grimzna looked at the drawings with an impassive manner.

“Do you recognize any of this? I…I recently lost my memories, and I’m trying to get them back. So…please, if you know anything about me, please tell me.” Tsui said hesitantly.

Grimzna's gaze returned to Tsui, and he spoke slowly, his tone and manner mirroring what Tsui had experienced in her dreams. “No, sorry, you must have mistaken me for someone else.”

In a fleeting moment, Tsui's sight seemed to flicker, like a glitch in a digital display, as images from both her dreams and reality converged, aligning seamlessly.

“Well, if you are done, we will go on our way, please don’t bother us furthermore.”

Grimzna continued on their path, with Peter trailing behind. Along the way, Peter spoke up, saying, "I apologize if he seemed rude. We were simply on our way back."

Tsui and Emma looked at Grimzna and Peter as they walked further. In a gesture of support, Emma gently patted Tsui’s back, trying to comfort her.

“The guy did seemed like he recognized you. But I’m sure we both could notice he wasn’t exactly pleasant seeing you, maybe you guys weren’t on a good term after all.”

“Can’t he at least tell me something? He just pretended he didn’t know me at all.”

“C’mon, let’s head home. It’s getting pretty late.”

Tsui and Emma both walked their way back home, while on the other side, Grimzna and Peter did the same. However, their pace was notably swifter, causing Peter to resort to speedwalking to keep up with Grimzna's stride.

“Why are we suddenly walking so fast? You looked so pissed off seeing that girl, did she do something?”

“No, it wasn’t her. Sure, her sudden appearance surprised me, but it wasn’t her that I was worried about.”

“Then why did you walked away?”

“It’s the magic, I sensed it there, the one from before.”

“Then was it the violet hair girl?”

“I don’t know, whoever they are, they were close by. Just peeking at us from a short distance. I’m very certain that they were tracking us. We should get home fast before they can follow us back.”

“Then are you going to use your powers? Doesn’t that mean they could detect your presence?”

“They already knew my presence, but I would much prefer they don’t find out where we live, best we shake them off our tail even if it means further exposing my identity.”

Grimzna and Peter ventured deeper into the alleyways, gradually distancing themselves from the main street. Their surroundings grew more secluded, devoid of prying eyes.

Grimzna took out a bag akin to a pouch, and they began compactly packing their belongings within. Astonishingly, whatever could remotely fit through the bag's opening was mysteriously drawn in, while the pouch's size remained unchanged.

“Alright, get on.”

Peter had grown accustomed to Grimzna's actions and latched on to him, aware of what was to come. Just as Grimzna cast the [Invisible] spell on both of them, they seamlessly faded from view, and flew back to Peter’s house.

…

Close to the spot where Tsui and Grimzna had encountered each other, an empty space nearby started to have an invisible figure gradually materialized, their form emerging from obscurity like a faint mist coalescing into a recognizable shape.

A hooded, cloaked figure stood facing the direction Grimzna and Peter had went.

“I believe we’ve seen enough.”

Almost immediately, three more figures materialized behind him, similar to how the man appeared. Each pair positioned to face distinct directions – watching keenly in the paths Grimzna and Tsui had taken separately.

The hooded man took out a phone and started to dial a number, he continued on, “Inform the grandmaster we have everything we need to begin our plan. We've closely monitored the target's daily activities and pinpointed their residence since we initially traced their arrival. No major alterations have been made.”

“What are the minor alterations?”, the voice on the other end of the call asked.

“Nothing worth noting, just came in contact with some strangers.”

“How many do you think we need to apprehend the target?”

“Five of us will do.”

As if blending into the surroundings, the figures’ form gradually blurred and faded, until they vanished from sight, leaving behind only a faint shimmer in the air as evidence of their recent presence.