Ace is seated comfortably on a sofa at the far end, headphones securely in place.
What does he even listen to? I still wonder.
Praisch is sitting beside me.
I was surprised to see him waiting here when I returned.
He has been trying to focus on his book, but he keeps fidgeting his chair, stealing glances at Ace every now and then.
I want to assure him that he is safe as long as he does not make eye contact with Ace, but that theory stands to be proven.
He had pulled me and the Presence into his Spatial Domain without making eye contact.
And also, the more mysterious his powers remain, the more sway he holds over people.
He finally gives up and puts the book aside.
I don’t respond immediately, choosing to study the guy in question closely.
He doesn’t give the impression, but I know he is aware of my scrutiny.
My thoughts are confirmed when he opens his eyes, locking with mine immediately.
His face is unreadable, a mask of many faces.
A slow smirk carves through his stoic demeanor.
Praisch just watches us, fumbling with the pages of his novel to distract himself.
He is holding my gaze, but nothing is happening - proof that my theory has no base.
His lashes flutter as he closes his eyes once more. The air had been charged with unspoken tension.
In that brief moment, everything in the room had disappeared until it was just us.
I blink, running my hands through my unruly locks.
"What did he do to you?" Praisch startles me by asking.
"Nothing". I murmur, still a bit confused.
Praisch’s eyes narrow.
I hear footsteps approaching. The sound of heels clicking against the marble floor sends a wave of nostalgia and irritation through me.
I watch them all, noting their pale faces and long expressions.
All three girls are hovering protectively around Furuno - which is strange.
Furuno settles down in one of the setees.
I notice his slight limp.
He is flanked on both sides by Angela and Morrow. Safari perches herself on the arm of the chair, rubbing Angela’s arm soothingly.
Something must have happened. Even Ace, who’s eyes are wide open, has noticed.
Praisch is oblivious to what is happening.
"Is this everybody?" Praisch asks, his voice dripping with disdain.
Ace leans forward. He peers at his wristwatch, then at the mantlepiece on the wall before nodding at me.
Confused, I glance down at my own watch.
"One hour". He mouths.
Before I can ask what he means by that, we are seated in the garden that has become quite familiar to me.
Our chairs are arranged in a precise circle. Everyone but Ace is present, I notice.
"Where’s he?" Morrow asks, voicing my concern.
"He said he isn’t a member, duh! I just hope there’s a way for us to get out of this mind prison". Praisch mutters under his breath.
I look down at my watch. It’s 01:32pm. One hour - that must be the duration of the meeting.
"Ace?" I call softly.
He had told me that he hears everything that goes on in his Domain, I can only hope he is hearing me now.
Suddenly, I am back in the library. Ace is exactly where he had been.
I look around - everyone is still seated where they had been, but they are frozen in place.
Their eyes are open, staring straight ahead - like mannequins in a showcase.
"What’s the problem?" He asks, his voice impatient.
His voice echoes across the empty room, bouncing off the walls and dissipating into the air.
"Nothing... Why aren’t you attending?"
"I’m attending more than you know".
His vague answer irritates me.
"You are obligated to attend". I say, my voice rigid and authoritative.
"You forget I can hear all their thoughts. Trust me, your meeting would go a lot smoother if Spatial Domain isn’t there".
His voice is sarcastic and detached.
I understand his reason, but don’t support it.
"If we are to work together, they will have to get used to your presence whether they like it or not".
His eyes brighten - just a momentary spark, and then it’s gone so quickly that I may have imagined it.
"Don’t try to force a membership on me."
"Fine. Send me back". I concede.
Bright sunshine flashes into my eyes. The weather in his Domain is always perfect. The flowers are always in bloom. The leaves are always green.
Only once had it been different - when he had been under the influence of the Presence.
"Where did you go?" Safari asks.
"I was talking with Ace".
She leans back on her chair, as if she hadn’t really been expecting a response from me.
"So what now? Peptalk?"
Morrow leans forward, directing a glare at Praisch.
"Why are you even here?" Safari asks him.
"One word. Blackmail". Comes his snide remark.
The girls turn disbelieving eyes to me.
"We needed a leader-figure".
The confusion on their faces is almost comical.
I glance at Furuno. He seems worlds away. His eyes are vacant and lost.
Morrow follows my gaze.
"Furuno?" She calls softly.
His eyes flicker in response, but that’s it. His attention is still elsewhere - completely detached from our purpose.
"From the news I saw this morning, Russia has been invaded. Nuclear weapons and firearms have been employed in a bid to destroy these monsters, but not only do they regenerate, they can multiply themselves. The world is a large place - there’s no way our little band can wipe them off the surface of the earth. We need a way to gather them to one place. But, to do that, we would need to know more about them".
"How do we do that? If they are aliens, we would have to find their spaceship, right?"
"Except, they’re not. One thing is clear, though. They are not from our world".
"This mission sounds hopeless". Praisch says, folding his arms across his chest. Newest update provıded by novᴇlfire.net
To his surprise, I nod.
"It is. But, it would be a lot worse if we just sit around doing nothing."
"I read a report this morning. It was a study done by a favourite scientist of mine. He noted in his report that they mostly travel in packs, and are only interested in eating human beings." Safari says.
"That means we can only entice them by offering a bloodbath".