Chapter 156: Gaia

The Southern Border Patrol Office was a place that normally doesn't experience any action.

Most people who work here either love it or hate it. Some find this place dull while others just adore the simplicity and quietness of it all.

That being said though, despite them not being an active bunch, they have enough firepower to vaporize an invader that comes a little too close for comfort to their home. Well...most of them at least.

Sometimes, there are stronger invaders out there that completely go beyond their capabilities which makes them helpless against them, like the Revenants...

In fact, most of the people who work here are being blamed for the disappearance of the cities and the deaths of millions of people. It's the reason why they've been tense ever since.

The peacefulness and quietness of this place have long since disappeared.

Fortunately for them, Ashton broke their expectations. He cooperated and never raised a fuss about the procedures he needs to go through. They initially thought that he'd made things difficult for them but surprisingly, he didn't.

When he was asked if there was anything he wants, he just shook his head and said that he was fine just like this.

Everybody remained tense but as time passed, Ashton didn't cause trouble. Eventually, the night passed and Oracle Felicia as well as the Ruby Knight and her friends returned to visit Ashton.

The Oracle told them that he was taking Ashton away and signed the papers for his release. Due to her unique status and position in the Federal Government, Ashton was cleared just like that.

The staff at the Southern Border Patrol only sighed in relief once they were no longer in sight. In their hearts, they hoped that something like this wouldn't happen again or else they might just collapse in stress.

***

'...a flying sword mount. How nice.' Ashton mused inwardly as he felt the air blowing past his face.

As expected, Felicia and his friends returned for him, and this time they took him away. Apparently, Felicia already informed the three of this so none of them were surprised.

Now, they're riding Alice's flying mount which is a huge sword, toward their destination.

As they flew, Ashton couldn't help but look down and see Fantasia as a whole.

In the past, he never had the chance to fly within the skies of the Last Bastion, but he did see a map that showed him to locations of each city. The map he saw also came with pictures so he had a good sense of what the old structure of Last Bastion looked like.

However, it's not the same anymore...

Instead of separated cities connected by subways and stuff, the new city — Fantasia, is a sprawling metropolis.

The modernized atmosphere and the familiar bustle of people remained the same. Ashton noticed that others were flying like they were.

This scene reminds him of the first time that he entered City M while inside the flying bus, back then he was ignorant about the world. He was bright-eyed and bushy-browed, wanting to learn so much more about his surroundings.

Now...he had seen way too much. He's still young but he had seen and learned about too many things. He's no longer innocent.

Somehow, he wished he still was innocent. Unfortunately, that's not how the world works sometimes...

The complicated emotions Ashton felt caused a reaction to occur around him.

It wasn't that strong, he just released some fluctuations, very faint ones but due to the close proximity between him and the people he was with, they all felt it.

'...wow, this kid's absurd.' Blake thought to himself, controlling his reactions.

'This is...Heavenly Resonance!? No way, he's this talented? Is he aware of it?' Alice was shocked.

'This child...' Felicia narrowed her eyes, and her thoughts became more complicated.

"Ash, what's going on?" Mary asked, confused about what she just felt from Ashton.

That somehow woke him out of his stupor, so he said: "Nothing, just got a little bit too absorbed in my thoughts. Don't worry about me."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Ashton shook his head and replied. "It just feels weird. That's all."

Ashton didn't want to burden her with his emotions. He could still remember what Mary's curse does to her so he didn't want to make it worse.

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Mary just nodded and the rest didn't comment on it. The rest of the trip went silent until they arrived at their destination.

They stopped at a relatively recluse spot within the city. This place is hidden behind the hills and a river. It feels peaceful here, quiet as well.

"Ash, I'll leave you with Master for now. I'll just escort these two back to their home. I'll return here soon."

"Got it." Ashton nodded.

The three of them got separated again but this time, the mood wasn't anxious. Since Ashton has already returned to the city, it wouldn't be too difficult to find him, plus they're sure that they'll meet him pretty frequently from this point forward so they're not in a hurry.

"Follow me, Child." Felicia said to him. Ashton nodded and followed her.

They walked by the riverside, following the shore at a brisk pace. None spoke since there was no need to.

Ashton was marveling at the quietness of this place. It's not silent per se, he could hear activities going on around him but those sounds seem to be in harmony with this place so they don't feel out of place.

As he slowly immersed himself in his surroundings, everything faded away.

He didn't know when it started happening, he just know that it happened. All of a sudden, he found himself standing on the surface of the water. Felicia was nowhere to be found and his surroundings were completely and utterly silent.

Ashton didn't panic. He looked around and scanned his surroundings. At first glance, it felt like he was inside an illusion but not quite.

If this was an illusion, he would've already broken through it at this time. Him possessing the Purity Trait and Law, meant that outside influences cannot easily exert their control over to him so this means that this place isn't entirely an illusion.

And because this phenomenon didn't raise an alarm at him which caused him to fall into it, this probably means that whoever was responsible for this probably didn't mean him any harm. They just extended an invitation.

'...weird. It feels like I've been here before.' Ashton mused to himself.

There was a twinge of nostalgia when he looked at his surroundings but that was confusing since he couldn't remember himself coming to this place before, so what's with the familiarity?

Then, out of nowhere, he felt movement from beneath.

He could see the water beneath his feet churning, not in a violate manner, but strong enough to make his footing slightly unstable.

Ashton took a few steps back to re-position himself. As he did that, he could see a figure emerging from the water.

It was a woman wearing a yellow-gree dress. Her skin was dark, she has long and curly black hair, her eyes were hazel in color and butterflies never stopped emerging from her shadows.

A deep sense of peace and trust was what Ashton felt when he stared at this woman. This was something that shocked him for a bit, but then again, looking at how this woman appeared to him, his guesses were mostly confirmed.

"Welcome home, Bearer of Providence. I am Gaia."

"...I've dreamt of you before," Ashton replied, somewhat sounding strange.

Hearing her voice not only confirmed his guesses but also reminded him of the dream he had way back before...

It was a dream when he walked into a very desolate battlefield. He heard many voices in there like they were in the middle of a war. He could remember feeling a lot of pain in that dream before then, he heard the same voice saying that it wasn't his time to be there just yet.

It seems that Gaia was the one who saved him back then by removing him from that dream.

"Indeed." She nodded gracefully in reply, "Back then, you were too young and unprepared. Because you were chosen to be the bearer of Auspicious Rainbow Cloud, that automatically linked you to me, and where I was at before...was something harmful to you, that's why that happened."

"...Auspicious Rainbow Cloud." Ashton repeated, "Is that what the Mysterious Rainbow truly is?"

"Indeed it is." Gaia nodded once more. "It is and so much more. But before we proceed with that discussion, may I first inquire about the situation of my Sister, Acacia?"

"Acacia?" Ashton blinked, "Oh! Oh, so that's her name. I was calling her Hilda all this time. She...should be fine. She's slumbering here."

He pointed at his head, "...along with the Dragon Vein. I don't know how long she's going to be like that though."

"I see. That's fine. At least, she's with you and safe for the time being. I reckon that she'd need at least a month or two to fully recover even with the Dragon Vein with her."

"Oh, cool. At least it's not that long." Ashton shrugged. "And oh, why did you summon me here by the way?"

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