Sob…sob…sob…
The soft, faint cries resonated through Astra's ears and mind. As her movements were slowing down and her thoughts were turning sluggish, she felt as if she got caught into some weird trap.
"There's a girl crying…clearly this is not a normal phenomena going on…and I'm definitely not hallucinating…is someone targeting me specifically? Why…?" Astra tried her best to compose herself as she tried to move away from the dark, gloomy corridor that kept expanding.
Sob…sob…sob…
The cries began to get louder and louder. As this happened, Astra noticed that she was moving slower and slower. As she was moving slower and slower, the corridor's size rapidly accelerated, eventually engulfing her.
It didn't take long for Astra to realize she was fully immersed in an illusory darkness. Her vision was blurred and her state was hazy, as if she was in a dream.
Deep within the darkness, there seemed to be some strange, blurry outlines that were in the shape of a corridor.
At this moment, the cries began to stop completely. A strange, eerie silence penetrated the atmosphere that gave even someone like Astra goosebumps.
Regardless, she didn't panic. She began to realize that her thoughts were becoming less sluggish, and soon she began to start analyzing.
"Clearly, I'm not in a normal environment. And clearly, this was done by someone who is wielding that infinite and boundless energy source that can power the supernatural…heh, that sounds quite scary now that I'm thinking about it. In any case, I've been targeted by someone who's wielding such things…but why?"
"I haven't done anything suspicious these past few days. Sure I've gotten accustomed quickly, but there was nothing out of the ordinary that I did. So I can eliminate that possibility that someone is tracking me. Unless it's a stalker who doesn't care about me only doing ordinary things. This is by far the worst case scenario…in that case, all sorts of things are possible with this, with most of them being pretty bad. I hope this isn't it, because there's basically no way that I can defend myself…"
"Perhaps it's the official organizations? No…why would they target someone like me, an immigrant working at construction?" Astra gave a self deprecating laugh inwardly, eliminating the possibilities of someone targeting her.
"Someone wants to approach me for something? But what could it be? Why would anyone want to approach me in the first place? And if anyone is trying to do so, this is certainly an interesting way of getting my attention…" Astra slowly began to adjust her mental state as she continued to stare deep into the "corridor".
She couldn't see anything. Even with her eyes that were naturally far more enhanced than that of a normal human's, she couldn't see where the "source" of the now dissipated cries was.
Upon witnessing this, her primal human instincts were giving her signs that she had to retreat, but she knew very well that it wasn't really possible.
It wasn't hard for her to figure out why.
"Given that this situation is currently producing hallucinogenic effects, it's very reasonable to assume that this person is using a power that is connected to something similar. As for what power this is, it's very likely something that came from the third dimension, the Dimension of Dreams." Astra quickly came to a conclusion.
She was currently being pulled into a dream!
Someone had pulled her into a dream, and this was the "trap"!
As for why she was being pulled into a dream, and for why there needed to be a trap in the first place, she had come up with no ideas.
And as for how she was able to notice that she was in a dream, she had experienced similar effects with her hallucinations, so she was able to distinguish reality from the dreamworld.
"Of course, we are in the city that worships the God of Dreams! Statistically speaking, this was one of the more likely places for someone to show such powers!" Astra almost chuckled before staring down the corridor.
Because of this, this meant that if she had tried to retreat, she would have potentially been put into a much more dangerous situation.
Fortunately, by this time, her thinking and movement speed had returned back to normal.
"Have I now been fully assimilated into this dream? If so, why did there have to be a girl crying…was it to catch my attention?" Astra thought to herself.
However, the moment Astra finished this thought, the eerie and dark scene began to suddenly and unexpectedly crack. This formed many illusory ripples over the darkness that looked like grass shards.
Strangely, the scene didn't shatter. It was as if the person who conjured up the dream wanted to dispel it, but wasn't able to. This piqued Astra's curiosity, causing her to walk closer to the "source" of the now silent cries.
As Astra began to walk closer to the source, she saw a figure that was outlined.
It was a blurry, hazy figure. It looked more akin to a dark silhouette.
"Who…" Astra instinctively muttered to herself. As she did, Astra felt a slight ringing in her ears as she "heard" the scene begin to shatter like glass. This caused Astra to flinch slightly.
The scene continued to shatter, and the darkness continued to dissipate. During this, Astra felt as if she was leaving her dreamy and hazy state; her vision had now become a lot clearer!
Zoom…zoom…
Astra was beginning to hear the sounds of the high speed vehicles on the highway. They zoomed past as Astra noticed people walking past her on the sidewalk, unaware of what transpired. They were on their phones, listening to music or talking to their friends next to them.
"I got pulled out of the dream? Hm…was I not supposed to know that I was in a dream? Was the trap hidden in the dream somewhere, and me being unaware would cause me to lead to it? If that's the case, then the perpetrator wanted me to attempt to leave the dream. So, it was likely more dangerous to leave as I had expected…" Astra muttered to herself as she looked back at the corridor that caused her to get pulled in that strange dream.
It looked like a normal, ordinary corridor. It was completely identical to the one that Astra looked into before she got pulled into a strange dream that was presumed to be a trap.
Just as Astra was beginning to move away from this scene to go to work, she suddenly saw a figure in the distance.
The person was at the center of the corridor. She was a girl in her late teens.
She was not much taller than Aria. She had a soft face, sharp eyes and Caucasian skin. She had almond shaped eyes with high cheekbones and a broad forehead. Her slightly messy long brown hair was tied up into two ponytails and it had three bangs covering her forehead. She wore a black sweater with black tights and a mid length starry skirt.
She wore a strange expression, one that looked as if she was worried about something.
However, most of all, she had blue eyes that seemed dead—lifeless.
"…" Astra stared at the girl for a few seconds, not saying a word. She wanted to leave, but many thoughts flashed through her mind.
"This was the girl causing those effects? She wanted to pull me into a trap? No…that doesn't seem like it. Maybe she wants to approach me? But why pull me into a dream? And why make such a scary scene? In any case, despite her making me hear a girl's cries, she herself wasn't crying. Sigh…it's almost hard to believe that a girl like her caused me to be so scared. It's going to take me quite some time to get used to the powers of this world…" Astra sulked inwardly.
The girl began to walk towards Astra. As she did, Astra noticed something as her figure became clearer.
This girl had a couple of bruises on her face!
"She's…injured? Is that why she wants to approach me? No…there are more than enough hospitals in Luna, and clearly I don't have a vehicle to transport her to one. Unless, she's coming to me for support rather than for healing…but why would she suspect that I would be able to support her? Hmm…unless…" Astra thought to herself before finally coming to a conclusion.
"Were you the one that caused those strange effects?" Astra asked.
The girl continued to walk closer and closer until the light from the highways and the city touched her face.
"She looks quite pretty, and has quite a delicate face…" Astra sighed inwardly.
"Yes." The girl said with a dead tone.
"You were able to be aware that you were in a dream. My suspicions were right, you're clearly not a normal person." Before Astra could respond, the girl continued.
"Eh?" Astra couldn't help but mutter a sound in confusion. "How do you know I'm not a normal person?"
"You clearly don't use Ethereon, and you were able to resist my powers. That's not possible for a normal person. My intuition was pointing that you specifically were different…"
"Ethereon?" Astra almost blurted out the word in disbelief.
"Ethereon…this…" Astra's eyes noticeably and intentionally widened in surprise. "Is this the name of that boundless energy source that I was looking for? Why did she suddenly just drop the name to me? I see…" Multiple connections appeared in Astra's mind.
"So, she just suddenly dropped the name that the official organizations are trying to hide from me and others…then there's the fact that she isn't at a hospital right now…it's safe to assume she's a part of a secret organization. At the same time, if she was and perhaps she wanted me to think that, there's no need to go through such a roundabout way. I'd be screwed either way."
"Though, she's not getting pursued by them either, as I doubt someone like her can avoid the pursuit of something on the level of the Dominion or the police while chatting with me. That entire scene earlier was just to confirm if I was someone worth getting the attention to. The reason she didn't use a better method for getting help, like going to the police, is because she's a part of a secret organization. If she's left that organization, the fact that she's used Ethereon and probably isn't listed in the Morphean records is likely enough to throw her in prison. This confirms my thoughts…she's getting pursued by someone, and that someone has laid their hands on her. They most likely can use Ethereon also." Astra quickly deduced the girl's current state and controlled her expression.
"In a sense, I did fall into her trap but not attempting to leave the dream, but this is actually better for me. It just so happened that if I did attempt to leave, it would've been dangerous for her, and not for me…there were also no latent risks in not leaving either…" Astra sulked inwardly. "Either way, there must be a reason why she suddenly told me such information."
"So, how do you want me to help you? After all, I can't use Ethereon. I don't know what's so special about me that you see." By her choice of words, Astra wanted to probe for an answer.
"I can't really tell you how, but I do have a 95% certainty that you'd be able to help me," The girl continued.
"…She can't tell me how. Why does she have so much confidence anyway? Is this secret organization she's a part of monitoring me?" Astra sighed in her heart.
"Why are you so confident that I'd be able to help you? What if I just happened to be resistant to entering dreams, and nothing more?" Astra asked.
"Well, she doesn't know that the reason why I was able to resist her powers was because I naturally experience effects like that almost everyday, albeit on a lesser scale…" Astra added inwardly.
"No…" The girl hesitated slightly. "That's not possible." She later shook her head.
As if she anticipated what Astra was going to say, she continued, "If you want to know why, you will have to help me defeat those people following me."
"…" Astra was stunned for a couple of seconds.
"This girl is really bold…is she really a teenager? She thinks that my body is physically strong, or something else about me is special? How? That secret organization really is monitoring me, or perhaps there's something about my circumstances?"
"Also, given that they are pursuing her, and she's running the risk of chatting with me, she might think that I'm her only hope. It's either that, or she has temporarily got him off of her tracks. No, it's not either or. It's most likely both."
Noticing Astra's silence, the girl elaborated.
"Of course, I'll also give you information about Ethereon and our secret organization, along with information about others. I noticed that from your reaction earlier, it seems like you're likely curious about such things."
"She's sharp…however she keeps wanting to give me information. She is enticing me by showing how much she knows…hehe." Astra thought for a second and said, "That doesn't sound convincing enough. I mean, you're saying this with effectively no basis, and you don't want to tell me the reasoning behind your confidence in me."
"I mean, I've never fought before…" Astra added in her heart.
Furthermore, even though she felt that this might've been her best chance to finally get knowledge about the underground of this world—so she can find more about Ethereon, she couldn't really trust the girl. This applied for whatever she was saying too. It's better to wait a little while longer for a more reliable opportunity to come up, than to risk it with someone who has come from a secret, shady organization.
Of course, this only applies if Astra cannot find a way to reliably trust her.
However, before she could leave, she wanted to obtain as much information as she could. And to do so, she wanted to word her words in such a way that it would exploit the desire of this girl that seems to long for Astra to "protect" her.
"Hmmm…" The girl hesitated again before saying, "Well, I expected to hear something along the lines of that from you." She then began to place her right hand in her left skirt pocket to grab something.
Upon seeing this scene, Astra naturally got on guard.
But suddenly, Astra's anxiety turned into curiosity as soon as she saw the object that came from the girl's pocket.
It was a sphere that seemed to contain countless grey clouds. It was tinted with a purplish bluish hue and seemed almost ethereal.
"What's that?" Astra deliberated and couldn't help but ask about the object.
The girl's lips curved up for the first time and her eyes narrowed. With a beautiful smile, she placed the object back in her pocket.
"I'll tell you…when you help me."
As soon as she said that, Astra's lips also curved up.
"Excellent. I've gotten what I needed."
"Huh?" The girl's originally smug face immediately turned to one of shock.
Without saying a word, Astra began to turn her back to the girl. It wasn't long before she was beginning to walk away.
"W-wait!" The girl hurriedly put the object in her left skirt pocket and called out to Astra. "Why are you leaving?"
Astra didn't respond.
The girl started to run toward Astra as she was beginning to fully leave the corridor to go onto the sidewalk.
When they were less than a meter apart, the girl stopped and looked at the ground.
"Please help me…I can really only rely on you…I have nowhere to go as long as they are still tailing me! I don't know how long I can hold out…" The girl's tone completely shifted from the attitude she displayed earlier.
This tone happened to be more sincere, more genuine.
Only then did Astra stop walking.
"Such a stark change in attitude." Astra felt a little bad for the girl.
Of course, this was all an intentional change that Astra herself had set up.
She had noticed that the girl was strangely confident, but also had some signs of hesitation. She had noticed that the girl was trying to make deals with her, but all of it revolved around giving information in exchange for protection.
But most of all, Astra had noticed that the girl knew that she was the one that had her powers resisted by Astra, and she was the one who admitted that Astra was special! This all pointed to the fact that the girl subconsciously thought that Astra was the one who had all the bargaining chips—she was subconsciously thinking that she was the one who needed to have Astra, but Astra did not need to have such information!
Using this, Astra had come to one conclusion—the girl's confidence regarding Astra helping her was a bluff! What she really wanted was to trick Astra into believing that the only way Astra would be able to get information from the girl is if she had helped her. Hence, the information she provided was likely true because she didn't want to give it away freely. After all, what use is false information, especially if she wants Astra to be a long term client?
So even if the girl believed Astra couldn't verify it now, it doesn't mean that Astra wouldn't be able to verify it later on. If she wanted to get some long term help from Astra, then this is the only reasonable choice. Even if she only wanted help from just this incident, the girl doesn't know how much knowledge Astra has. Thus, lying in such a situation, especially for someone who doesn't have the bargaining chips, was extremely risky.
This was also why Astra said something as vague and somewhat cryptic as "Exactly what I needed." It was to implicate her status and to show the girl that her position was based on too many risky variables! The girl was gambling!
As for how Astra could have such a status without being able to use Ethereon, it's simply because the girl had already admitted that Astra was special in some way, presumably due to the fact that she might have been monitored.
"I wonder why she felt that she had to do such deals for protection…she knew that I wasn't normal, and felt that she had to provide something in return for me potentially saving her life. Her background definitely isn't one that's suitable for children to be in. This makes me even more terrified of how she knows that I wasn't normal. It most likely isn't coincidental…" Astra sighed while looking down at the girl with no discernible emotion.
"She did all of this so she can be sure of the fact that I can protect her. When that failed, she had to resort to begging. She has lost almost all hope. Even when she tried to smile, I can tell that it was inauthentic…"
"Even though she's really sharp, she's still a teenage girl who has likely been forced to enter a cruel and dangerous world."
Of course, Astra was never going to leave a teenage girl to continue to be pursued by this organization. Even if she didn't find a way to trust her entirely, she still would have tried to protect her.
So, the only reason why Astra went through with such a method was so that she can make the girl give her information without trying to strike a deal. This would make things a lot easier in the future. For her, and for herself.
As for whether or not Astra could trust the girl, she thought that it was safe to do so. Her actions just now were evidence of that. This can qualify as a reliable way to verify if she is to be trusted!
As for the organization behind her, that was a whole different manner.
"This isn't considering the fact that this whole scene itself is a trap. In that case, I have no way to defend myself other than running…" Astra wanted to give a self deprecating laugh, but she refrained herself from doing so.
Astra turned her body to look back at the girl. She saw the girl looking down at the ground, holding a solemn expression. Astra couldn't help but wonder how she got into such a situation, and how scary this world was shaping to be.
"Sigh. Even in this way, it's still not much different than the previous one…"
"What's your name?" Putting aside her previous thoughts, Astra turned around and asked with a smile. "My name is Astra Sera."
"Hi Miss Astra. My name is Anna." Anna replied with a soft, innocent tone as if it was rehearsed.