"No last name?" Astra couldn't help but wonder in her head. She didn't pry any further on this matter.
"So…" Anna replied softly, her voice almost echoing through the dark corridor as vehicles zoomed by on the adjacent neon highway.
"Will you…" It seemed as if she wanted to ask if Astra wanted to help her, but never built up that courage.
"Yes, I will help you." Astra, dressed in a purple sweater and black jeans, said bluntly. "However, it's only under one condition."
"What is it?" Anna instinctively looked to her left and to her right as she asked.
"Don't try to strike up deals for information with me. Even though I can't use Ethereon now, I will always be willing to help you. I'll try to help you escape your current situation. Just don't treat your safety as some sort of transaction." Astra replied.
Anna nodded as she held a deadpan expression.
"Okay…" However, Anna's expression became slightly softer, as if she fully processed Astra's words.
As time was of the essence, Astra didn't dwell on this further. She wanted to gain more information in the limited time that they have before the person or persons tracking her locks onto her, and this was perhaps the best opportunity to do so. While Astra considered the possibility of taking Anna with her, she doesn't know how dangerous that is considering the fact that Anna might attract some danger and suspicions. For the former, it's the secret organizations, and for the latter, it's for the official ones.
And when there's a global manhunt for Astra and her people, that's not something that she'd want to risk.
Similarly, Astra felt that it was risky talking in this dark corridor when there could be an attack at any moment, even if Anna got them off of her tracks for a moment. So, she wanted to finish the conversation with Anna as quickly as possible so they could head out onto the highway where there would be an 'audience'.
As for why she couldn't go out now, Astra wanted to ask about Ethereon, and she didn't want to talk about such a subject with witnesses. After all, she is someone who stands out. It was something that she had known for all of her life.
Putting all of this into mind, she immediately began asking questions.
"Why are you running? Who did this to you?" Astra asked as her expression turned serious.
Anna's eyes began to narrow slightly, as if she was recalling something. Her mouth opened slightly, and her countenance turned solemn.
"…I took something I wasn't supposed to take from those pieces of garbage. Then, using the powers of Ethereon I gained from it, I used illusions to give myself a short window to escape."
"So that's how she got into this situation. I'm guessing she used that sphere to gain the powers of illusions and dreams, similar to Loken's usage of that domain. In that case, that thing is pretty important." Astra listened attentively as she thought about the sphere from earlier.
"If it ended there, it would've been fine. But, since I just got the powers, I wasn't skilled enough to be able to erase my tracks. Soon enough, I was getting tracked by some of the lackeys from that organization, mostly from those who saw me escape. Since they're not that smart, I was able to trick and mislead them for a couple of days. For the most part, I should've been off their tracks, but some higher people got involved, and that gives them more resources…"
"Something doesn't add up," Astra interrupted. "Why are you still carrying the object if you want to erase your tracks? Similarly, why are you using your powers if they can cause you to get tracked?"
"Well, I've been trying to get rid of it. But no matter what I do, I'm not skilled enough. I was thinking of either dropping it in the ocean or in the sewers, but both seem quite difficult. The ocean is thousands of kilometers away from Luna, and the sewers are locked. That's why I decided to keep it. As for my powers, I haven't been using them much, aside from necessary situations. But, since very few people use Ethereon, it's relatively easy to find my wasteful usages of it. Especially with the technology 'they' have."
"So she can't just leave it anywhere. If it gets found, it can be tracked to her. Which makes sense, since she most likely left an imprint on it due to some supernatural shenanigans. I'm guessing she can't drop the object on the outside of the city where there are lakes and forests, as it's easy to predict she'd do something like that with the traces she'd leave…Also, this implies that this was the next reason as to why she came to me." Astra sighed inwardly.
"Why were they trying to punish you for taking that object?" Astra asked. She thought the answer was obvious, but she still wanted to figure out more information.
Anna took a deep breath and almost nervously said, "I think…I think the answer is obvious Miss Astra." Anna said in a polite tone.
"I'm not supposed to be having powers…instead I…" Anna paused for a second. "I was supposed to be transferred somewhere else…doing horrifying and disgusting things for people…"
"Not 'with people' and 'to people', but 'for people'…"
As if Astra was expecting this answer, her expression remained unchanged as she calmly replied, "How did you get to use that object to make you use Ethereon?"
Anna didn't hesitate this time, as if she wanted to tell Astra all this while. "Well, to use it, you have to do a ritual. It involves making you more in tune with your subconscious using dreams. During this, you have to keep holding the object. Once you feel more in tune with your subconscious, an illusory but very real piece of the object will be inserted into your subconscious…this is a little hard to explain, but I hope you understand." Anna said while looking around anxiously.
She continued to explain, "Incidentally, once you gain this ability of Ethereon, you have to tune it with your subconscious every time you use it. So, the applications of the powers can vary, and that means the illusions and dreams can vary also depending on the person. This makes it surprisingly hard to use, so I have to use it wisely."
"You have to tune in with your subconscious every time you use it. In other words, your subconscious is a medium for Ethereon to flow through. My 'dream' earlier at the Department was about the woman in the void, and my childhood. Anna's dream showed me a girl crying in the darkness..." Astra took note of something as thoughts flashed through her mind.
She didn't dwell on it further.
"What does getting more in tune with your subconscious look like?" She asked, not wasting any time.
"You have to allow the object to make you turn ethereal. This is the only way to connect with the object, and to make you enter a dream state. This was the way I avoided those lackeys while I was dreaming…" Anna sighed. "Of course, if you're good enough, you don't need such an object. There may be other ways to turn ethereal, but I don't know."
"So it's almost like the secret is in the name…is that why the name doesn't show up on the internet or anywhere else? Ethereon…so to connect with and use Ethereon you must turn ethereal using an object that comes from a specific dimension, or from other means…How interesting." Astra thoughts raced as she thought about ways of being able to use Ethereon.
"Is that why you said that you've got what you needed? With that, does that mean you'll help me?" Anna asked, with hints of desperation flowing out of her mouth.
"It's almost instinctive. She repeatedly keeps asking for help…" With no change in her expression, Astra began to walk diagonally from Anna towards one of the walls on the corridor. She proceeded to lean on the wall with her back crossed. Half of her face was in darkness, and the other half was tainted with a neon-like purple light.
Anna was a little shocked by this showing, expressing a slight sense of worry in her face for a moment. It seemed as if she expected Astra to leave once she started walking.
Without responding to Anna, Astra asked another question.
"Why are those higher people getting involved?" She was prepared to leave to go out onto the highway with Anna as soon as she answered the question.
Anna looked a little shocked for a second, but she quickly turned back to her deadpan countenance.
"To put it bluntly, it's because of you." Anna said frankly.
"What? Why?" Astra couldn't help but express her shock. "Me? What do I have that may interest those people? I'm just a random construction worker!"
"I don't know why. But shortly before my escape, I overheard a person describe someone who has exactly your features, and they said the higher ups seemed to be looking for you. If they are looking for you, then there must be something special about you. And…maybe that person would have helped me. After all, I didn't think that a woman that they were looking for would like those bastards. Even if you weren't a good person, anything is better than going back to that place, or similar places."
"The only problem was that I wasn't sure if I'd find you, but I lucked out after a couple of days. You seem to stand out a lot." Anna seemed as if she wanted to smile, but wasn't able to.
Anna continued, "Either way, I'm glad the higher ups target isn't me, or they'd find me long ago. However, I still have to deal with the lackeys chasing me. The good thing is that I happened to stop them for a moment because I went into a police infested area a few hours ago, so we would be safe for now."
"So it's as I expected…that explains why she has been allowing us to talk for so long even after I agreed to help her. But still, she doesn't know what can happen. She definitely likes risks…" Astra gave a deep breath.
Astra closed her eyes and then nodded. She began to start thinking.
"Also, that's how she knew that I was able to help her. However, even going by this explanation, it still wasn't guaranteed. It was even extremely risky. This fully explains her actions so far. I can also see why she was so desperate."
"However, why would I be in the talks of their organization…I haven't done anything to prompt such gossip…"
"Maybe it's not something that I've done, but perhaps it could be my circumstances? It can't be because I suddenly appeared in Luna, since that can apply to many immigrants. Also, if that was a suspicion, I believe the official organizations would've caught on long ago. Right, there is no way to prove I'm from the other Earth…"
"In that case, this only leaves my job and my house. As for my job, there are too many variables to consider that can definitively point them to me. The only way this can be possible is if her organization had a mole inside the construction company, and that mole saw me in practical training. But still, I haven't shown anything that would make me valuable to a secret organization that uses Ethereon."
"This leaves my house. This is even more baffling, as it's a normal house that was recommended by the Department of Immigration. What could be about it…"
Astra's eyes opened slightly as she had an epiphany.
"Kayla!" She almost blurted out her name. "I'm living with Kayla, and these people are looking for her!"
"They've been monitoring her silently, and have been waiting for an opening!"
"The higher ups of this organization came to Luna immediately when crime was up and the police and other official organizations were too busy dealing with the people from the previous Earth. Once they saw that, they immediately tried to find ways to find an opening, and they were trying to use me as one of those ways!" Astra began to calm herself down as she tried to find some problems with the theory.
"If this is the case, some things still don't add up. First of all, why would Kayla still stay in Luna if she knows that the organization is looking for her? Why would she get a house in Luna from the Department of Immigration if there's a risk of her being monitored? This is assuming she is a defect. Even if she isn't, and she genuinely does not know she's being monitored, there has to be some reason why those higher ups aren't able to affect Kayla and are simply monitoring her and waiting for an opening. Using their illusion and Dreamscape powers, I would assume that if Kayla wasn't that strong, they'd be able to take her without a trace."
"Only one thing makes sense…It's because Kayla is quite strong in her own right, and they're not confident they can defeat her before reinforcements inevitably come due to any sort of commotion. If Kayla is a defect, then she would know how powerful she is, and knows how tied up they are. In that case, even if they wanted to, they couldn't affect her without major repercussions. In that case, the safest place for Kayla to be is in Luna!"
"In that sense, now that the police and other organizations are tied up, I'd assume they're trying to finally attack her. Then, they're starting to prepare their plan by using me. How can I use this to my advantage…well, I'll think about this later once I take care of this lackey that's pursuing Anna."
"As for Anna here, she's almost entirely wrong with her theory. It's not because of me, it's because of this strange woman I live with, Kayla. Of course, she wouldn't know that as she was too busy trying to escape. But still, she knows that I can't use Ethereon, and was interested in it. She's lucky that I happen to have quite a strange body, otherwise I wouldn't be able to help her immediately. Or was she banking on the fact that I might have some other things special about me that might be used to guarantee her safety? This really highlights why she wanted to see if I'd be able to recognize that I was pulled in her dream. Even still, it's not enough, since the only reason why that happened is because I'm used to hallucinating."
"Either way, she really was gambling! And she happened to luck out in a way she didn't expect! The problem is she hasn't realized it yet…"
"Nonetheless, the interesting thing is that Anna believes I'm this strong because of how high this organization views Kayla. That means I should be nicer to her next time…" Astra gave a self deprecating laugh inwardly.
"This also makes me question her backstory. Was she really from Vytheris, or was she a part of this secret organization? Or, could she be connected to something else? In that sense, there's a chance she might really be like me, someone who just suddenly appeared in Luna but has a made up backstory. The only thing is that I'm definitely not as strong as her. And I definitely do not want to be caught up in her battle with this terrifying organization. Sigh, Luna should do a better job with letting in these immigrants! Who knows that one of them might be a monster like Kayla! It is also a little convenient that I chose a house with her in it. That can't be a coincidence right?" Astra sulked.
"Sigh. As for why specifically they're going after her, it might be something related to that Ethereon, as was implied by Anna's escape. Of course, I could be completely wrong and this organization sees something in me that the Dreamlanders can't. Or maybe, they do and are secretly monitoring me also."
"Regardless, this is very important information. This means that being with Kayla is the safest place right now! I don't have to protect her now and run the risk of being here now!"
This was the most reasonable conclusion Astra could have come to. In her mind, she had two goals: One, to gather more information about Ethereon and underground gangs. And two, to protect Anna. By carrying Anna to her place, she can accomplish both of these things at once!
Not only that, it was undoubtedly riskier to stay here, knowing that the upper echelons of this gang were monitoring her. Anna perhaps didn't think it was risky because she assumed that Astra was the strange, strong and special person that the organization had to prepare for. She didn't realize it was Kayla!
After a few seconds of thinking, Astra sighed and opened her eyes to look at Anna. She started to walk towards Anna at a quickened pace, which caused Anna to flinch slightly. Once she was merely two meters away from Anna, she stopped and looked down on her.
"I can help you. But first, you have to come with me. It's at my residence." Astra said this in the tone similar to that of a charlatan. This was because she wanted to keep her status that Anna had placed on her, at least until they reached the house.
"To an extent, this attempt should make her feel more safe…" Astra couldn't help but sulk at her acting.
"Residence?" Anna asked. "I'd prefer not to go there…" Naturally, she rejected the offer.
"Don't worry, you don't have to go inside the deeper parts, and you can only stay in the main, outside room. However, my residence is the only place where I can get rid of that artifact for you at the moment."
Astra was thinking of letting Kayla deal with it, as she seemed skilled enough to get rid of it entirely. Even if she wasn't, it was safer in her hands than the hands of a teenage girl.
On that note, Astra thought about the fact that everyone in that house would have to eventually deal with the suspicion of the official organizations. Knowing that there's slightly more pressing matters right now, she put aside that thought. The good thing was that Anna didn't have to worry about the danger of this secret organization anymore at their house.
"O-okay…" Anna hesitated slightly as she didn't object to Astra's request.
"Good." Astra gave off a charming smile as her golden eyes stared down into Anna's dark eyes. This warmed Anna's heart slightly. She felt as if she trusted Astra even more.
This was Astra's intention. She didn't want Anna to feel uncomfortable going to her house, especially considering her past.
"I wonder how Kayla would react to me bringing such an object home. I can imagine her saying: 'Hi Astra! I brought some food for you,' with me responding kindly with: 'I also brought something for you! I think you'd like it,' as I pull out an ethereal artifact wanted by the same organization that wants her…heh, imagine if she saw Anna…" Astra quietly thought of an interesting interaction.
She began to look at the end of the corridor, preparing to leave with Anna.
"So…well…why are you doing this for me?" Anna asked hesitantly, breaking Astra's thought process.
Upon hearing such a question, Astra quickly looked back at Anna with a serious expression.
"It's simple…" Astra was beginning to say, but she was interrupted by a feeling.
This feeling was quite a strange feeling. It was in her stomach, and it was like there were sharp needles piercing through her insides.
She was feeling uneasy!
"Okay, it's time for us to go…" Astra said suddenly with a worried expression as she walked towards the end of the corridor.
Anna couldn't help but look confused at Astra's sudden switch of tone.
But she didn't object. She immediately began to follow Astra.
Suddenly, to not waste anymore time, Astra immediately turned around and grabbed Anna's arm with her left hand.
"Wha-" Anna flinched as she instinctively tried to move away, but she was too slow.
Astra, while holding Anna, decisively dashed to the end of the corridor where the highway was located.
It didn't take long for Anna to understand Astra's series of actions. She too had a gut feeling that told her something was off, that someone was looking at her.
In no more than two seconds, they had reached the end of the corridor.
Astra would've arrived much faster if she wasn't holding Anna.
BAM!
Suddenly, Astra slammed into what seemed to be an invisible wall.
The impact caused both Astra and Anna to ricochet back from it!
Luckily, Astra kept her balance so as to not allow herself and Anna to fall.
"Ow…" Astra couldn't help but hold her forehead with her right hand as she heard a faint ringing sound.
With a worried expression, Anna wanted to ask if Astra was okay, but no words left her mouth.
At the same time, both ladies felt someone behind them.
Upon feeling this, they both proceeded to turn their heads around, their faces teeming with shock and worry—Anna even more so.
They saw a figure in a hoodie with their hood covering their face. They were wearing black jeans.
"No…" Anna's heart dropped as her head flashed back to terrifying memories.