My Dreamwalker System

Chapter 35: An unwilling hero

Dusk blended seamlessly into a blinding darkness, ushering in an unnatural night. The sun dipped below the horizon earlier than usual, taking with it the last seconds of dying daylight.

Leena stared at the dark clouds gathering overhead, and her instincts screamed at her that something was about to go very wrong. She could tell that whatever was happening wasn't natural, and it wasn't going to end well.

The people who were still roaming the streets, gathered in the middle of Kolaris Square to gaze at the darkening sky. Little did they know that the clouds heralded a storm unlike any other they had seen before.

"This is bad. We have to warn the people."

Leena was about to approach the crowd of onlookers when a bolt of forked lightning struck the Frost Fig tree standing in the middle of the square, instantly setting it on fire.

Fearful gasps escaped from their lips as the people looked up and saw two ashen gray circles forming in the sky.

"What the hell is that?"

"Is that one of those portal things?"

"The one at Windbell Park was red. I saw it on the news."

"This can't be good. We shouldn't be out here."

Panicked whispers and uncertain mumblings filled the street as the crowd grew uneasy. Though a few daring souls wanted to observe the strange phenomenon, seeing the others flee made them lose heart and they soon followed suit.

"Xander, we need to get out of here!" Leena cried aloud, tugging at Xander's sleeve, but the Dreamwalker stood there like a statue.

"It's too late now," he declared, pointing at the sky. Hundreds of red-winged bats poured out of the portals, their loud screeches filling the nearly empty streets.

"Necrobats!" Leena exclaimed in terror. Her face lost its color in seconds as the winged monstrosities flew over them and headed for the old Peraven Public Library where the people had taken shelter.

There were hundreds of these Ethereals, each nearly twice the size of common vampire bats found in the woods outside the city. Their entire colony congregated over the library and kept hovering around its domed roof.

The people thought they were safe inside the library with all the doors and windows shut tightly, but they were in for a dreadful surprise.

Without warning, the Necrobats formed a ring around the building and started emitting unearthly cries that were too shrill to be heard by human ears.

Within seconds, the glass window panes developed hairline cracks that spread across their surface like an infection, before eventually shattering them to pieces. The Necrobats flew in through the broken windows and swarmed the people huddling under the tables.

Hearing the desperate cries for help, Leena rushed in the direction of the library, leaving Xander with no choice but to run after her.

"Leena, wait!" Xander shouted behind her. "We need to get back to my apartment!"

Breathless and trembling, Leena stopped outside the library's front gate, resting her arm on the railings enclosing the steps. "We can't just abandon them. The Necrobats will kill them if we don't do something."

"This isn't our problem. They should have stayed inside their houses," Xander muttered in frustration.

Leena turned to him with pleading eyes and asked, "How can you be so heartless? These people are innocent. How can you just stand there and let them die?"

"Because I'm not a God damn hero!" Xander snapped back. "I'm not going to risk my neck for a bunch of ungrateful Ordinaires. Don't try to guilt trip me into this."

Before Xander could pull Leena back, she fished out a card from her set and held it up over her head. "Play card: Blinding Glory!"

As the card in Leena's hand disintegrated, it released a wave of golden light that pushed back the shadows and enveloped the library in a radiant glow. The Necrobats swarming inside were blinded by the unexpected luminous assault, leaving them dazed mid-air.

The card that Leena had just activated was a sacred Dream Card that called upon the purifying radiance of the Seven Saints to dispel all shadows. While it didn't inflict any direct damage on the Ethereals, it was highly effective at crippling their sense of vision and leaving them dazed.

This little trick bought the people hiding inside just enough time to get out of the main hall of the library and shut themselves inside the reading rooms.

"You're not safe there!" Leena shouted from outside, hoping to get their attention. "Get out of the library and hide inside a shrine. The Necrobats can't come onto hallowed ground."

Despite her repeated attempts at communicating with them, not a single voice responded from the other side. The people trapped inside the library were simply too scared to even utter a whisper.

"They'll all die if they stay here!" Leena exclaimed frantically.

"You've done your part. This isn't our problem any—"

Before Xander could finish his sentence, Leena hastily picked the lock on the front door and barged inside.

"God damn it, Leena!" Xander cried out in frustration. He had no intention of helping the bunch of witless idiots hiding in the library, but he couldn't leave Leena alone.

Without a second thought, Xander rushed in after his partner. As soon as he entered the library's main hall, he saw the Necrobats congregating near the ceiling.

Unlike the common bats found in the real world, the Necrobats had excellent eyesight. However, this made their ears far less sensitive to sound, rendering their echolocation ability almost completely useless.

Since Leena had blinded them, all they could rely on was their sense of smell to locate the other members in their colony and re-group with them to deter potential attackers.

"I thought you didn't want to risk your neck for a bunch of ungrateful Ordinaires," Leena reiterated Xander's words as she pulled out one of the clay tablets from her pocket.

"I'm not doing it for them," Xander scoffed and pulled out his revolver. "Get behind me!"

Leena crushed the white tablet inside her palm and conjured a Dream Weapon. It was a silver staff almost as tall as her, with finger-like projections on its broad head which held a bright red ruby in their entangled grasp.

As Xander stepped in front of her, she gently planted the staff's pointy base into the ground and whispered, "Hear my prayer, O Sleeping Mother. Protect us from the horrors that lie beyond the veil. In Kiya's name, I command the light to shield us from harm."

The rhythmic prayer-like utterance made the ruby glow like a burning piece of coal. A faint white aura spread out from the enchanted staff and formed a protective barrier around the Dreamwalkers.

Xander relaxed his right arm and aimed at the Necrobats, but refrained from firing. He waited for the flyers to swoop down and get in close before finally pulling the trigger.

As the Necrobats flew toward the Dreamwalkers, Xander unloaded all six rounds in quick succession, taking out the larger bats in the group. The rest of them tried to dive at him and sink their fangs into his face but were repelled by the holy barrier conjured by Leena.

Belonging to the same group of undead as Ghouls and Skeletal Warriors, the Necrobats had a strong aversion to all types of holy magic. Though they had superiority in numbers, as long as the holy barrier remained active, there was no way for them to get close.

Xander took full advantage of this and fired another six shots as soon as his revolver was reloaded. Six more Necrobats turned to dust as the magic bullets pierced their bodies.

The Necrobats however, weren't as mindless as the Implings and Grievers. Instead of trying to rush straight at the Dreamwalkers again, they scattered and started flying erratically across the room to throw Xander off target.

This new strategy worked like a charm, making Xander miss five out of his six shots. However, as the last bullet struck one of the Necrobats, the black strands covering the Eyeless Watcher started squirming, and the revolver's barrel became engulfed by a foggy darkness.

Xander could feel the heat coming from his weapon. It didn't burn his skin but warmed his palm like a cozy glove.

"Leena, I can't get a clear shot as long as the Necrobats keep flying all around us. I need you to help me out."

"Alright," Leena mumbled feebly and pulled out another card from her inventory. It was the brightest among all the other cards in her set and bore the image of a glowing silver mirror. "Play card: Deceiver's Gaze."

As soon as the card disappeared from Leena's hand, a shadowy figure appeared in the middle of the room. It gradually morphed and took on a human form, likening its appearance to Leena.

Seeing the Dreamwalker standing unprotected in the open, the Necrobats flocked to her, and the whole colony descended at once to sink their fangs into her flesh.

It was too late by the time they realized it was nothing more than an illusion. Now that all the restless Ethereals were right in front of him, Xander had enough time to line up the perfect shot and fire a single bullet from his charged revolver.

The enchanted bullet transformed into a twisted beam of violet light and pulverized every last Necrobat in its path, silencing their cries forever.

[Necrobat colony eliminated.]

[500 exp gained!]

[Accumulated exp: 700/3000.]

[Current Level: 5.]

[1000 Nightmare Shards obtained!]

With the Ethereals defeated, the darkness engulfing the library slowly dissipated, and moments later, the portals in the sky collapsed, dispelling the unnatural clouds gathered over Faros.

Xander holstered his weapon and breathed a sigh of relief. The first thing he did after putting his revolver away was to turn to Leena.

"Well done, but the next time you decide to play the savior, I won't hesitate to abandon you," he reprimanded her in a stern voice.

Although Xander's words sounded harsh, Leena knew in her heart that he would never turn his back on her in a crisis.

"It's safe to come out now. We've dealt with the Ethereals," Leena called out to the people hiding inside the reading rooms.

After a few seconds of hesitation, the doors finally opened, and the people stepped outside. All of them were Ordinaires possessing no special Talent. They knew if these two strangers hadn't shown up when they did, things would have ended much differently for them.

"Who are you people?" A middle-aged woman asked.

"We're Dreamwalkers," Leena replied after some initial hesitation. "I'm Leena, and my friend here is Xander. He's the same guy who defeated the Ethereals in Windbell Park."

"I've heard about him on the news. But, I never thought I'd ever get to meet him in person," the woman replied, darting her eyes toward Xander. "Thank you for killing those things. I'll never forget you."

"Just go home and don't wander outside after dark," Xander muttered, averting his gaze.

"Aye, we will," an elderly male voice replied. "May Larosh protect you two. They always say Dreamwalkers don't lift a finger without payment. But you two are different. Larosh knows that Faros needs more heroes like you."

Without even bothering to look at the man, Xander quipped, "We just happened to be at the right place at the right time. No need to put us on a pedestal for that. You may not be so lucky next time, so stop screwing around after dark."

Xander's rude behavior shocked the people and stunned them into silence. Leena wanted to tide things over, but Xander walked out of the library without giving her any chance to remonstrate.

While most Mystics would have loved being glorified as a hero, Xander hated the tag. After his sister's death, it had become his life's central philosophy to avoid risking his neck for others when there was nothing to be gained.

The world had always been harsh to Xander, and he had no intention of trying to play the savior and ending up with a dagger in his back. Though it wasn't the noblest of philosophies, Xander knew it was the best one to follow to stay alive in this unfair and cruel world.

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