5-08: Dreams I

Six girls, all asleep, were all on the ground as Veronica tried to think of which one should be gotten up first.

She had decided on Seraph first. The leader of Rose Garden, if she couldn't stop the entire thing, she could definitely keep Veronica and the others safe as Veronica tries to wake the rest.

"I going to try to wake Seraph first. I don't know how well it will go but... this is the only thing I can do." Veronica said to Sirtia, who was keep careful watch of all directions.

Veronica kneeled down by Seraph and softly spoke to herself.

"What do I need to do, Lilith?" She whispered as quietly as she could.

"First, put your non-dominant hand above her forehead." Lilith instructed, waiting for Veronica to do as she said. "Next, imagine your power flow from your hand down onto her, like a gentle stream of water."

Veronica did so, focusing on her magic, imagining a soft purple dusting of magic going from her hand down onto Seraph's head. Soon, she started to hear something. Rain? It was unclear, but there was something.

"You should be hearing something by now. What you need to do now is kiss her. You don't need a deep kiss. Just a small peck on her lips will do." Lilith said seriously.

Veronica wasn't quite in a position to question it. It is a Hakano ritual, so a kiss isn't too far out of the book. So, she did it. She pressed her lips against Seraph's, giving a slight kiss. After which, she felt light. As if she were floating.

An odd sensation came over her, like a wave of numbness. Veronica opened her eyes to see that she was somewhere new. Different. A road leading through the forest. Clouds covered the skies and poured down rain.

"This is where you need to be careful. Many won't know this is a dream. And if they remember it when they wake up, they may change." Lilith said as she stood by Veronica.

"I see. Now... how do I...?" Veronica spoke to herself.

The sound of a wailing girl came from further down the road. Veronica looked towards the sound and gasped in shock.

A young girl was sobbing as she knelt over the corpse of an older woman.

"This is..."

"Trauma. I guess she was there when her mother died. You may need to comfort her." Lilith advised.

Veronica didn't say a word and slowly approached. The younger girl looked a lot like Seraph, if she were ten years younger or so. And the older woman was her mother.

Veronica may not have known the full story, but if she wants to wake Seraph from this nightmare, she'll need to do something. She put a hand on young Seraph's shoulder as gently as she could.

"Hey, hey... look at me, look at me..." She said softly, trying to pull the girl away from the body.

"B-But Mom's..."

"Don't look over there, alright. Just... just come here." She said as she pulled the girl into her bosom, comforting her.

The young Seraph didn't resist, she just cried. Louder and louder. Veronica stroked her hair and held her tightly.

Veronica wondered if Seraph regularly had this nightmare. And if so, she questioned if her airheaded and bubbly nature was a mask. A mask to shield either herself, or other from her mother's death. A death that traumatized her when she was young.

As she pondered, she noticed that young Seraph's crying was getting quieter and quieter and the skies soon cleared. The younger girl subtle snuggled into Veronica, as quickly as that all happened, Veronica was immediately trusted back out into the real world.

"Ugh... my head..." Seraph's said, slowly getting up as she held her head.

"It worked! Good job, Veronica. Now, please get the others..." Sirtia said, covered in blood.

Veronica was shocked and she looked around. There were tons of creature bodies scattered about, some were already in the process of being devoured by the dungeon.

'Note to self: Don't piss the quiet one off.'

Veronica had to decide who to get next. If Sirtia could do that much by herself, then Seraph added on would be enough protection. So, she decided to go for range. The next closest person would be... Cassidy.

She quickly went to Cassidy's position and began the ritual again. Hand over forehead, pour magic, hear sounds. Crying? Kiss to finish the ritual.

Home. Her dream brought her back home. Back, something was wrong. It had the feeling of home, but it wasn't. There were the similarities, but then there were also the obvious irregularities. Windows that led to nowhere, doors that shouldn't exist.

But the thing that caught Veronica's eye was Cassidy. Sobbing as she overlooked a bed. Veronica's bed. An unmoving body of Veronica. The old Veronica. The weak and sickly Veronica. But it was her nonetheless.

She approached her and hugged her from behind.

"I'm still here Cass. With you. Forever. Please, wake up from this nightmare." She whispered in her ear.

"Ver..." She sniffed. "Please... take me from here."

Awake once again. A fear that Cassidy told her about. It was eating her from inside. It felt like a message to Veronica as well. A message to tell Cassidy what she thinks. A message she planned to go through.

"Mmm... I hate this..." Cassidy said, grogilly getting up.

"Just four more." Veronica said to herself, still focused on waking everybody up.

Next up, Aviris. Hand, magic, kiss. Arguing this time. Men?

It was sandy and hot. The desert. Aviris' home.

"She's a weak woman! She's only useful for being a housewife!" One man shouted.

"Brother, how could you say that about her? She's strong. Stronger than many in the clan." Another man tried to reason.

"Then why has she failed every single combat exam!? Clearly she's not suited for what our clan needs. I will be forming a marriage to one of the other clans. Maybe they'll see some use in her."

"Just because father isn't here doesn't mean you can sell her off!" The more calm man snapped, the sound a fist hitting flesh and bone.

"You dare... This is treason!"

"Treason? This is a family matter. A matter you don't want to deal with! Our sister has more use than a damn housewife or something to sell. She's smart. She has agility. She's quick and flexible. She only failed those exams because she's not suited for frontline combat. But her prowess in other forms of combat, she excels in."

"One chance. I'll give her one chance to prove herself. Now where is that little bitch?"

"You won't get near her with that attitude!"

The men continued arguing. Aviris had family troubles back home, it seems. But, where is she?

"Ver? What are you..." Aviris said from behind Veronica.

"There you are! Come one, we need to get out of here." Veronica said, grabbing onto her hand.

"Get out... y-you mean... e-elope! I-I-I don't have anything packed b-but... Ah! Forget I buy everything new!" Aviris seemed to misunderstand. But$ this also gave Veronica a deeper insight to Aviris' mind.

Two, no, three women were in love with Veronica now. But, on the other hand, it surprisingly didn't feel too bad.

With Aviris' excitement, the dream fell apart and the two woke up.

"Aw... and it was a good one too..." Aviris grumbled as she was getting up with slight blush.

Veroncia was a bit exhausted at this point, but she only had three to go.

'Almost there, I've got this.'