Chapter 101: Seraphina Darkthorn [3]
Floating in the nowhere of space was —me.
The blackness greeting my eyes—the truth that is not denied by either space or time.
"Oh right, who am I?"—I said, pointing my finger at the television monitor, that hovered at my eye level.
Thousands of people were watching me, from inside the TV. Thousands of people were LITERALLY inside the TV. Living, breathing, alive humans.
"My name is Noah Grey! I am 18 years old!"—stretching out both of my hands in a triumphant T-pose, I declared myself.
My voice was muffled due to the helmet of my space suit.
"You folks must be wondering why am I in space right? Well, truth is, I asked my grandfather for a chance to experience the wonders of space, just once."
"I wanted to feel its embrace before my time comes to an end. And so, he allowed me to join his expedition teeaaaammnnnnghrreeee ...?
—My voice grew increasingly heavy, resonating like a blaring siren, as the world around me underwent a dramatic shift.
My vision blurred and when it cleared, I found myself standing in a desolate and desiccated land.
To my right, a signboard caught my attention.
It boldly displayed —From April 24, 1904, to February 18, 1967.
What was this signboard? I had no idea.
Just as confusion gripped my thoughts, a sudden cry shattered the silence—"Toten!"
"Toten!"—Adolf Hitler's voice reverberated, while his finger pointed towards a particular direction.
There he stood, donned in his infamous field wartime uniform, perched atop an imposing white duck.
The magnificent duck sported a scarf embellished with the pattern of a Nazi symbol, draped stylishly around its neck.
With a hysterical laugh, the duck charged forward, screaming—"HANHANHANHAHA!"
Suddenly the duck spewed something from its mouth— a projectile. The projectile flew in the air.
I trailed the trajectory of this projectile, only to discover it was an eagle.
With grace and elegance, this majestic eagle glided high above a picturesque rice field. Down below, in the land, diligent farmers and workers toiled away. The sun slowly started rising in the distant backdrop.
Suddenly, the soaring eagle released an object from its powerful talons.
"What did it drop?"—I asked confused.
But in the next second, in the blink of an eye...
----(INTENSE BRIGHTNESS)----
A blinding light engulfed everything.
Once my vision steadied...
Before me stood a huge mushroom cloud, stretching tens of thousands of feet high.
Nestled at its core was a radiant light which felt like pouring of thousands of suns. It felt as if I was gazing at the very essence of death itself.
From the corner of my eye, my grandfather peered at me and softly uttered, "Wake up."
"Wake up? What do you mean?" I asked, a wave of confusion washing over me.
"WAAAAAKE UUUUP!" his sudden shout jolted me awake.
***
Thump! —My head hit something solid.
"Uh ...what happened?" I muttered, confused, while surveying my surroundings.
"Wtf was that?"
"A dream?"—I asked myself, finally awoke and coming to my senses.
The dream seemed to show memories from my past?
Yes, the dream was weird, but it was also showing me past events of my life.
I had experienced both space travel and witnessed a nuclear detonation in my life.
"I was informed that Seneschal Sir Liam is ready to meet you," Nathan suddenly approached me.
Ah, that's right...
I am currently in the guest room of Darkthorn's manor.
"Were you dozing off?" Nathan furrowed his brow and questioned.
"No, of course not," I hastily replied, wiping away the drool from the corner of my mouth.
'This must be the consequence of four sleepless days. I don't usually daydream.'
"Anyway, you mentioned that he agreed to meet me?" I asked.
"He did", Nathan confirmed.
"Was it that easy?" I asked again. "Did you use some sort of trick?"
"No, even I am puzzled," Nathan responded. "It seemed as if he was anticipating our arrival."
I furrowed my brow. "Did he know we were coming?"
"Well, not exactly 'us', but he was expecting someone's arrival regarding Svetlana's matter," Nathan explained.
"Their butler is waiting outside. Don't mess this up."
***
Third person's POV:
A grandiose bed, beautifully crafted from lavish wood, adorned the room with its striking white color and golden accents.
The footpost resembled carved alabaster pillars, displaying exquisite artistry.
Resting upon the bed lay a young teenage girl, seemingly in her sixteenth year.
Her flowing onyx hair cascaded like a waterfall, framing a beautiful short haircut.
Her flawless, porcelain complexion was accentuated by luscious, rosy lips. Just above her chin, a delicate mole added a touch of charm.
She wore a black dress, yet her eyes remained concealed beneath a blindfold.
"The Dreambreaker has arrived..." Svetlana's voice resonated gently, flowing with melodies.
Seraphina, her mother, glanced at Liam, positioned by the doorway.
"Someone has indeed come regarding the matter of 'cure'," Liam affirmed.
"So there is hope..." Seraphina whispered. She shifted her attention back to her daughter, gently grasping her hand.
When Svetlana was only 12 years old, she was diagnosed with a strange and deadly type of cancer. It had no known cure and, to make matters worse, it affected her mana circuits, making it even more dangerous.
Finnding a cure for cancer is quite difficult in general.
While less sevre forms of cancer can be treated with high-grade potions, it wasn't the case for Svetlana.
Seraphina traveled almost the entire earth, seeking a cure and utilizing all of her available resources.
She reached out to expert potion makers and healers, desperately seeking a glimmer of hope.
But, despite her efforts, hope remained out of her sight.
Svetlana managed to live a relatively healthy life with the help of potent healing potions and magical herbs, but her underlying issue persisted.
Luckily for herself, Svetlana was born with a unique and powerful propensity —the ability to see into the threads of destiny.
Seven months ago, she had a sudden vision. In this vision, she saw that someone was destined to come to her rescue. This mysterious person was called the 'Dreambreaker' in her prophetic sight.
And he was not mysterious just for the saying of it—no. According to her vision, he would be adorned with jewels of mystery itself, with a gift from another world. Perhaps it was all metaphorical? It is quiet hard to interpret prophetic visions, often filled with symbolism.
That's why, seven months ago, the Darkthorn family started advertising for the cure in public, in hopes that this said person would come. But alas, nobody did.
It was no secret that if even high-level sorcerers and healers couldn't cure Svetlana, what can the random public do?
That was the case until today.
"Arrange the formalities. I really hope this person has a cure," Seraphina said.
Bowing deeply, Liam left the room.
Svetlana's smile blossomed. 'Smells like beautiful incense stick.'—She thought.
***
Noah's POV:
Perplexed by the sight of various preserved magical beast carcasses displayed like trophies on the walls, I turned to the butler and asked, "What are these?"
Among the collection, peculiar glass stands held the heads of other mystical creatures.
Nano's monotonous voice echoed in my head, [A lot of uncatalogued DNA is being detected].
"The Darkthorn family has killed many legendary beasts throughout generations. All of these serve as markers for their conquests. Some were even slain by Her Excellency Seraphina herself. In the past, the Darkthorn ancestors were known for slaying mythical beasts," explained the butler.
Intrigued, I raised an eyebrow, but suddenly an idea struck me about mana circuit tattoos. Hastily, I interrupted the butler,"Wait, hold on! Hold on! You just mentioned mythical beasts, didn't you?! What kind of mythical beasts were slain by the Darkthorn family?"
***
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