CHAPTER III

(BLOOD MOON)

     “DANIELA!” 

     “HUH!” 

     Walking up from the glimpse of another nightmare, Daniela found herself within the realm of dreams as she is drag inside the dark and hallow space of time in between dimensions. Different from the realm as few can only enter where one should be invited, she opens her eyes waking up from the call of the same voice.

     Floating asleep in a chamber of shallow and endless darkness, she slowly stood up expecting a surface to step on, but with her dismay, she felt nothing, but coldness from beneath as she walks floating in hallowed ground.

   “Daniela.”

    Hearing a fainted call, she turns around looking back and forth searching for someone. Searching for something, and like searching for nothing from that endless darkness of her awaken conscious mind inside the dream void.  

    “Daniela.” As it cries, as ‘she’ cries. 

     From a whisper that is gently coming from beyond, yet near her, a presence known to her is calling beyond the dimension she solemnly can go. 

    “Who are you?” asking in a commanding tone as she draws a pentagram, drawing out a blade from a mystic light that only a maiden born with the blood of the blessed shaman can wield. She took her stance, ready for a fight. 

     Yet far beyond her conscious heart is screaming the word of trust. Her running instinct added by her untrusting mind is whispering to her to fight for the worst that might come as it was, this was and this every instance is the same dream void she always went into on the moment and at the start of the first death night. 

     “Do not make me ask twice.” 

     Warning as he draws her sword with the blade marked with the dragon’s crest, with a written guard of a talisman on its edge and place with its rain guard the crest of her family's heirloom. She holds by both hands the tainted red hilt as the red lace sways in the presence of a none existing wind.

     Called into the void of dreams and endless possibilities, with her, reflected starry night hair swaying its strands into the gentle coil as her turned dark velvet eyes, deepens. Her red dress that flows just above her knees that dances without a waft, she closes her eyes ready for the worst as to the dream world she is at only the stronger one can win and inflict a mortal wound into the reality.

     “Daniela.”

     With her name being called once more and hearing the same tone that becomes near and clear, her instinct flows rapidly, and within the split seconds, she immediately sways the blade back hitting a hard surface that shatters in return like a glass. Then strong whirlpool is created out from an elemental majo that swirls tremendously. 

     Grasping air as it sucks the entire oxygen around her. She draws her blade up and high as she took a strike hitting nothing but slicing the very wind into two and ends up pointing the tip unto the neck of a Goddess. Floating half a meter high to where she’s standing, the dress that is somewhat familiar and she somehow owns as it sways gracefully to the locks of its velvet dark violet laces with the strands of the reflecting starry night sky embroidered in every detail. Her eyes, her face, as everything pins and somewhat back as she is stunned to see of like a reflected glass mirror of herself, she once more face to face with the Goddess she once saw, but keep on hearing her name-calling her. 

     “Daniela.”

     Hearing the call to close and recognizing the tone as her own she looks in a mix of awe, doubting, and caution towards the Goddess who looks like her but is not.

     “Who are you?” asking, yet still in a stunning gaze as she tries to collect her thoughts of the reason of every possibility that she can hold. The dream void where nothing exists but her subconscious conscious mind. The void where she is the owner, where her worst fear and strength are stored, and where her agony lies, appears the person of somewhat telling her a warning of being a doll as she wonders of who among the two of them is what. 

     “The vessel that ‘HE’ created, the one with the perfect body, all of this, all that you think that was the truth, was not. In this void, you are not alone, Daniela.” 

     Whispering the puzzling thought, as her fingertip touches her sword, it created a ripple that then by a split second it gently breaks, turning into a Sakura, scattering each petal as it gently floats around her. Showing the vast mana it has manifested as it cancels out the holy sword's mana just by touch a powerful one she is, greater than anyone she knew and within the ‘world’ she exists into.

     She watches as a command from the Goddess she calls swirls the petals faster raising as the Goddess's arms do so. Waving a slash as it breaks into two, the hollow void cuts in between, turning the dark tone into the green field and scented flower into that vast blue sky in the familiar field of Sakura. 

     “Just who are you.” Taking a precaution, yet somewhat to her heart is whispering not to. 

     The Goddess in front of her, the one in her dreams since then, and the image that reflected in her mirror, yet more powerful, more alive, and greater than anything within her knowledge could comprehend. She is somehow seeing her alternated self in the existing other dimensions but turning out to be the real and true one where the God blessed as IT'S a beloved child. 

     “In this dimension inside my dream void, we are both safe, as HE would not know as HE cannot interfere. Now, remember Daniela, you must be wary of HIM." 

     Telling her the hinting clue of someone powerful and the deceiver, the manipulator of everything and the one that hides in the shadows, the clues and the warning she gave of her is just the beginning. 

     Slowly moving close to her, as its cold yet gentle hands touch her face, the Goddess once more warns. 

      “You are I as I am you. My shard heart, that soul, those memories, and your existence. Remember everything, Daniela.” 

     Their similarities that beyond bounds as she places her forehead to hers that somehow giving her everything of the blessing and warmth that she ever needed, she says.

     “Everything that you believe and the world that you are into is the book he created. All that surrounds the lies of your world is his truth. Remember that in your world, in your book the lies are the truth and the truth are the very lies. As you must find him no matter what, be with him, to my Raiden as your Lelouch, Daniela.” 

     Descending slowly away from her as she is somewhat locked to stay in her place. The petals of the Sakura swarm rapidly creating a wall in between them. Her hand that reaches towards her, as she tries to make sense of everything, she screams.

     “What do you mean? Who are you talking about, who is the one that I needed to find, who is…” 

     To the split seconds as the Sakura petals churn fast in a tyrant blade engulfing everything it ever touches. She is cut with her words as the scenery vanishes in a second as the dark dream void pushes her back. It leaves them both in the same scene as the second starts.

     “The clock is ticking as the seconds is running fast. Solve every piece and learn the truth from the true one and see the lying one, do not give him your heart, Daniela.”

     Smiling in a wary, she blows her a pink petal. As it flows near enough and towards her, it stops in its track floating as it spins rapidly into her eyes. Just then the Goddess whispers her goodbye, "Until we meet again, Daniela." 

     Vanishing just like how she came within the swirl of the sakura petals, a ball of light appears in exchange as it spews distinct small lights that encircle her and fast then slowly within seconds as it stops forming into a distinct 46 cards. Looking at the familiar image of the cards one card stands out as it slowly descends stopping right in front of her. Reaching for it, it stops face up, and to the purple neon light that slowly faded, the symbol of the roman number I is shown, and to the perfect picture of the man in the middle traveling in a path, the card name is read as ‘THE FOOL’.  

     “NO MATTER WHAT, DO NOT TRUST ANYONE.”

     “WAKE UP, DANIELA.”

     Opening her eyes as a fainted yet a warning tone of a little boy’s voice woke her up. She looks in front of the window as the big and old Sakura tree waves its branches along with the gentle wind, and the ray of the sun greeted her in between, she took a deep breath realizing that she drifted asleep in their club room of the Blood +. 

     “You’re awake.”

     Greeted by Alliah who opened the door carefully, but excitedly with its still usual high energy walking towards her, bringing some cookies and tea along, and serving her.

     “How long was I asleep?” she asks as she notices the blanket wrapped around her as she leans on her chair and resting her hand on her table with the plated name and title as the vice-president. 

     “Not that long, almost an hour.” Replying as Alliah gave her the cookies and poured her-her favorite tea. “Emie baked some cookies. Try it, it’s the best!”

     Alliah praises knowing that sweets are her weakness for having a sweet tooth, she smiles nodding as she took a piece and ate it halfway. Noticing the unread email on the screen of her laptop, she immediately cast a spell drawing a pentagram in the air for the symbol of the hawk as it sinks into a small circle and fitted into the specs of her eyes. Reading the files JK sends, and the hidden words and information it is concealed with a spell. Her expression dims as Jk's report alarms her of the demon's aggressive nature escalating by each minute knowing that the death festival is approaching. 

     “You should rest more, Daniela,” Alliah suggested in a worried tone noticing her best friend's deep expression in a mix of worry and anger. “You’ve been using Hannah and Jessa for two days straight now. Even a high priestess could not stand a chance with a middle-rank demon if you let yourself go on like this with your mana.” 

     She warns about Daniela's familiars, the perfect human twin familiars of night and day and who are hunting nonstop for the monsters, shadows, and demons lurking within the vicinity of their land.

     “We can't help it they’ve been sealing demons since the start of the week as those demons are getting aggressive and powerful by each passing second. As they are the only twin familiar who knows how to make use of my mana and with Kyle with them, a little will not hurt.” 

     Daniela defended shouldering the greatest responsibility as the shrine priestess. 

     “Don’t worry I will be fine.” She assures, reminding Alliah of what’s she’s capable of. 

     “You may be the most powerful priestess as you surely can defend yourself, but remember your blood is the only thing they could not stop at nothing to have.” 

     Warning her again as she needed to let loose and put the greatest trust on them. The dream and the words SHE said flashback unto her mind. 

     “No matter what, do not trust anyone.”

     Smiling as a facade, she looks back assuring, “I trust you all.” 

     Earning a cheerful smile from Alliah as she sips the tea it serves, she asks. 

     “The rest?” 

     Looking for the others as the clock strikes 12, perfectly in time for the school’s bell that in time rings. Alliah nodded, reporting.

     “The president is out hunting,” as she pertains to Kyle, by which stubbornness and thirst to seal the demons fast is brimming aided by Hannah and Jessa in the realm that no ordinary humans can see, hear, or even approached. “Emei is in her research library on the 5th floor as JK is in the alchemy laboratory, and as for Winona.” she stops thinking, then smiles cheerfully, giving way. “Somewhere in the University, you know her.” 

     With the member and the only one who bears nothing of a special ability like the rest of them, Winona is someone greater than just the heiress of the Academy as the President's only daughter, but she is the only one Daniela intrusted with the camera that is worth greater than they could think off.

     “Take it or better yet regret it in return, be its holder or let yourself devour alive. What will you choose?”

To the words and the choices, she pushes her into, the ordinary life of the introverted girl changes as she accepts the deal.

     “All you have to do is tract and record everything. Make sure you did not miss out on a thing, be accurate, be precise. Record everything around the maiden, after all, she is the most important one. Take the camera, click the Obscura, wouldn’t you?”

     “WINONA.”

     Snap! As the camera captures an image without the flash of its light. To the gentle breeze and the eerie silence, her footsteps echo as she found her way at the forestry and the greenhouse garden of the Academy’s botanical laboratory.

     “You freak!”

     Staring somewhat blankly with her distinct eyes as the insulting laughter and bullies cross her path, she snaps her camera, recording everything. Taking the steps in as she made out the perfect image, they stop in their tracks as she warns.

     “Enjoying yourself, aren’t you?” smiling sinisterly as the two froze in shock and fear for not expecting to see and seized red-handed by one of the elites and the heiress. They crumpled their fist as they held hard on their blue-shaded uniform, knowing that what they did is punishable by a de rank of status no one ever wanted to. 

     “We didn’t do it, she started it!” 

     Pointing their fingers down towards the girl that is crutched in a fetal position holding her screams and pain of the wounds she got from their kicks and insult, she smirks taking another shot whispering.

     “Then petition it to the camera above.” 

     As the two bullies look above and upon seeing the CCTV camera recording everything, they shivered as they are clearly in trouble. With the evidence at hand as their stupidity leads them to miss the camera and not noticing it, they both cried, and were scared to even plead in front of the heiress. 

     “Next time if you want to make someone miserable, take it in the grave, shall we?” 

     As Winona made them regret, making them cry even more as they did not calculate the circumstances they ended into, as reading unto their eyes she knew that it is not the first time they ever did such thing. 

     “You both know where’s the president's office is, right?” 

     Commanding as the two walk away crying in a shivering tone, she looks down as she reaches her hand towards the girl that is still in her fetal position. Looking as she is observing, the girls' eyes peek at its hazel color marks, not by hate, fear nor shock, but excitement and awe as she looks towards her. 

     Taking her hand as a million needle-like ice pierces her, she immediately let go. Making the girl wobble as she tried to regain her balance from the wounds she got. Standing as her dirtied white uniform that shows the lowest hierarchy in the Academy that could not be a match for the original 7 ranks. The students titled as the scholars, smart, talented, yet an outcast and a charity to call are the ones who are the center of bullies and hate from the one higher in status than them. 

     “Thank you.” 

     Whispering that coldest voice that reflected her icy hand added with that pale skin and her left eye by which she hides in her reddish-brown hair. She is like a picture-perfect omen and somewhat a ghost in a hunted mansion waiting to scare the hell out of anyone she wishes to. To her bruised and scars visible to not be notice looks like a product of abuse or perhaps and both in bully. Everything falls perfectly for the reason that she is bullied for she is strange and whose beauty is half-hidden together with her eyes. 

     “You should not let do that to you.” 

      Winona advises, which gains her a smile in return, yet by seconds gone as those hazel eyes dim looking directly at her and whispering. 

     “You’ve been everywhere, yet this is your first time here. I am used to it, being bullied, but this is the first that you saw, came, and helped. Everything that happened, like the CCTV that wasn’t there then, but now like you coming to my rescue are all inevitable things.” 

     Somehow giving her a warning, she caught the glimpse of the book the girl clutches tightly in her arms, just then shivers run down her spine as the coldness blew and everything turns silent like there is no one within a 100-meter radius and that somehow they just vanish without a warning.

     “Who are you?” 

     She did not hesitate to ask as she pins her gaze upon the book, by which she reads losing her grip in it in the process showing it slowly, yet cautiously towards her. 

     “No one should see, as no one should hear, even the knight and the holder who is blinded by HIM. Yet, you are different and is just the one.” As the girl whispers the words like a code that she needed to decipher. 

     Still staring at the book that was carved with every peculiarity, yet with the symbols of the indecipherable thoughts brought Emie’s image unto her mind, she reaches wanting to grab the book, yet the girl holds it back and tightly moving a step back away from her as she continues.

     “You would not understand, nor she. Only the maiden whose blood is for seeking.”

      Hearing those words rings the red flag and danger to her mind as she cautiously and warry asks.

     “Who are you?” 

     Clutching her fist as she warns the girl with her gaze of what she is capable of, the girl smiles somehow knowing better as it calmly told her. 

     “An ally nor a foe, someone whose been here, yet you did not know, but she does. Don’t worry, I mean no harm. Let’s just say I am a seer who wanted everything in the middle. You can see as you should keep everything on track. The Obscura you are holding is the key to everything. You must protect the one that you should all do so. Until that time, I’ll be just right here.” 

     Ending with the words as the wind blew the coldest air. She smiles as she walks away before stopping as she looks back introducing herself. “By the way, the names…”

     CLICK!

     Taking a deep breath as she grasps blinded by the flashing light of the camera that reflected from the glasshouse of the botanical garden, by which a definite stupidity she would never commit, she turns it off knowing that the same thing might happen again, just then she realized. 

     “What the?” she asks herself rubbing her eyes and head from the sudden dizziness that she felt not just from the flash of the cameras but like she is dragged out in a tyrant grasp and pin unprepared on the moment.  

     Looking back and forth then around as she scans the place and closing her eyes as she is trying to remember something. To the tick of the clock that strikes at the same time her heart sank as somehow, she was taken in, then out of a paradoxical dimension in a moment of a time loop, yet not. 

     “No one should see, as no one should hear, even the knight and the holder who’s blinded by HIM, yet you are different, and is just the one."

Taking the icy whisper as she immediately looks back. Flashes of picture-perfect image rush as the time somewhat go back, yet stood still, dragging her back to the same event twice.

     “You weirdo!”

    Just then a familiar giggle and laugh echoes. Following the sound as her sight caught the same scene. She clutches a tight grip of the camera as a definite time rift in time from a future or maybe not, take her back at that moment.

     “You would not understand, nor she, only the maiden whose blood is for seeking.”

Perfectly pictured Daniela unto her mind her urges boil as a threat just whispers unto her ears.

“You freak!”

      Taking a series of shots as she marched with a mix of hate and distinction as the insulting laughter and bullies cross her path. Her mind is screaming the thousand evidence to prove and ask, in a coincidence, yet not, nor a déjà vu in between. She stops taking their attention and uttering the same words she said then, but the first in this time rift.

       “Enjoying yourself, aren’t you?” smiling sinisterly as the two froze in shock and fear for not expecting to see and entangled by one of the elites and worst the heiress of the Academy. 

     They crumpled their fist as they held hard on their blue-shaded uniform knowing that what they did is punishable by a de rank of status no one ever wanted to. 

     “We didn’t do it, she started it!” 

     Pointing their fingers down towards the girl that is crutched in a fetal position and holding her screams and pain from the wounds she got from their kicks and insult. Winona looks at her as she knew that the girl down and in pain is the same one who owns those marking hazel eyes.  

     Looking above as the CCTV camera is widely recording everything with the mark of the red dotted light, she deepens her voice as she looked at them with dread, warning. 

     “Next time if you want to make someone miserable, take it in the grave, shall we?” 

     Warning the two bullies as they cry running away knowing that their fate in the hierarchy system is in compromise, she looks down and without a thought to reaches her hand knowing what will come to her. The frail girl slowly stood up different from what she expects as it crumples its fist and hides her face and eyes behind her hair. The book she saw and knew the girl had was nowhere to be seen. To its wobbling feet as she tried to regain her balance from the wounds she got, the frail girl whispers.

     “Thank you.” 

     Breaking Winona's thoughts as her crisp voice sounded like a deserted pain, her puzzling mind is in chaos as something is wrong, as that scene is not the same as the first. Taking a deep breath, lost in thought, she asks in a commanding tone. 

     “You know me, right?” 

     Expecting a thing or two, the girl shyly smiles nodding saying her name.

     “Winona.” as it started pointing at her. “The 6th and one of the 6 most popular ones, the Elites. I know you, as I know you all.”

     Hitting that last word as that phrase rings something that she could dig a piece of information about. She deliberately set the trap without asking. 

     “The elites?”

     Nodding in confirmation as she continues, “John Karlo, Kyle, Alliah, Christine are all part of it, you’re the elites and most especially the priestess.”

     Echoing slowly unto her ears as that title boils the total red flag. She almost lashes out as she stops herself in time taking everything calmly asking in return.

     “Daniela. Just how deep do you know about her.” 

     Taking an investigatory term as she hit the recording button of her phone sneakily. Taking it out without her knowing, she took her to guard up as the wind blew an eerie howl. 

     Finally, yet slowly raising her head as she looks at her with that same hazel eyes, pale skin, and bitter voice, she could not be wrong as the girl whispers. 

    “The Shrine Priestess, the smartest and rank 1 in the entire university who excel in everything and the vice-president of the paranormal club, Blood +. Isn’t she that one, or more than? That’s all I know as everyone knows, right?” 

     Sealing perfectly as she is stopped in a corner of a dead-end. Her innocence and pure gestures faded the thoughts, but never the doubt she had that pin unto the girl, yet, she cannot find the question to ask in return as it may lead to either a clue or a death trap in between. 

      “You should not let them be.” 

     She advises letting it go as she calms down in place, which gains her a smile in return, replying.

     “Thank you.”

     “I’ll take you to the clinic.” She offers, yet the girl declines, shaking her head. 

     “Thank you, I can handle myself you’ve done enough.” 

     Bowing as a respected gesture, she nodded as she watched her walk remembering one thing. 

     “Wait!” stopping her tracks as she looks back wondering, she asked. “Your name.”

     Smiling like it was the very first time someone ever asked a simple, yet very important question the girl warmly introduces herself. 

     “Bianca!” 

     Almost in a shout, she hurriedly runs away as she stops the recording together with the wind that stops its chilly breeze and comes to the warmth that it all should be. 

     “Bianca.” Looking at her phone as she scans the profile page of the school’s admin system.

      Hacking it in his father’s computer, she found her target now knowing where to start. 

      “Bianca Marie Espinoza.” 

     Placing her phone back in her pocket as snaps a picture of the place. Her face draws a smile as she walks away, going back to her board. 

     “You should not have done it?” 

     Taking the silence as the chilly wind follows her, the wounds that were inflicted are slowly disappearing together with the dirt and smudge, as Bianca's time in herself went back a few minutes than expected.  

     Standing in the blind spot staring as Winona walks away. She looks beside her, reaching her hand as 'she' handed it back to her tight arms. 

     “Don’t make me do it again.” She pleads as it showed a smile, yet too vague to notice and see. 

     Hiding in the void of a hole. The little girl’s image, with playful eye color, is smiling her satisfaction in between. 

   “Playing like this, aren’t you scared?” 

     Asking as that little girl's face only draws a smile marking a definite ‘no’. That facade, that image, and the playful tone. The little girl’s guardian howls the original’s desire. 

    “I will as you speak.” 

     Understanding as she took the command, the hourglass that she flips as the tie continues, she assures, “Until that time comes, I’ll be the seer of the Princess shard existence.” Taking the promise from her exchange of sacrifice, the void slowly vanishes as so as that little girl’s sinister smile. 

     Taking a deep breath as the play ended. To the laid warning from the parallax that was set, the words tempting yet amusing. The cross paths that are needed to set. The game had finally started. 

     “Do whatever it takes do not disappoint them, Bianca.” 

     Clutching the book into her arms as the unfamiliar words change into their distinct calls. The world within the world is about to set its death game.

     “Everything that you believe and the world that you are into is the book he created, all that surrounds the lies of your world is his truth. Remember that in your world, in your book the lies are the truth and the truth are the very lies, as you must find him no matter what, be with him, to my Raiden as your Lelouch, Daniela.”

     Calling as the dreams rattle in its existence as she looks at the Sakura tree picture perfectly with a sting as she remembers her every word and existence. The world that she needed to end, the existence that she needed to unravel, and the one that she needed to find, is the puzzling tone she wanted to grasp, but still couldn’t.

     “Ai Sakura Shinohara,” calling the first name that rings a thousand familiarities from the heart and somewhat a borrowed tone. To that known existence it left her, “Raiden Cross.” Added the second name that beats the same as the first. Everything is like a hollow mystery that the million shattered pieces are to be found. 

     “JUST WHO DO I NEED TO FIND?”