36: Imperfect Recall, part I
Phantasia sat on the roof of the underground cavern, forcing herself to endure the fringes of physical reality. Another gust of ethereal wind escaped from the streams of mana and buffeted her, blowing white hair into her eyes, but she brushed it aside and continued focusing. She had to endure more than this! Only by learning to focus herself in chaos could she become strong enough to explore the castle below.
As she continued to endure the pressure her thoughts played with everything that had happened recently, seeking a slither of explanation amidst the confusion. On the surface world above her human friends would be sleeping and if Dante was any example they would be lost in dreams filled with fragmented memories. The magic that distorted their perception painted over their experiences and everything they’d learned from them, leaving them naïve and vulnerable as it had Dante. Had his memories been intact perhaps he would have opened up to her instead of locking himself inside an iron prison, and had everyone’s memories been intact she wouldn’t be forced to maintain the act of an eccentric human girl, lest she herself be erased from their mind! It was madness. Illogical madness! Faye would not approve.
Another wind pulled at her aura and she fell backwards, catching herself on a stalactite before she was blown away. So long as it plagued her thoughts the situation would leave her in as much danger as it did her friends! It was time she did something about it, consequences be damned! They could try and wipe all memory of her from existence for all she cared, she’d just have to shout louder to compensate!
***
Wandering the town streets in a t-shirt and shorts earned her the usual stares from the few humans who had dared to brave the downpour, but Phantasia felt like she was back in the Water Queendom – it was the perfect weather an investigation!
She had a mental list of people to visit, all of whom had been involved in recent events and the purpose of her investigation was simple: find out how much they remembered, question their perception of reality, and hope her prodding helped them recall the truth. If they’d ‘forgotten’ it all by tomorrow she’d remind them again. She’d keep reminding them until the spell broke, or the person responsible showed their face.
First up were the individuals Phantasia expected the least cooperation from: Shelley and Elone. Approaching the Gallery she wasn’t surprised to find the Hawks had abandoned the front steps, which the rain had transformed into a series of waterfalls, and retreated inside their tribal base. The last time Phantasia had been inside the Gallery was when she’d been hunting for a leansídhe in the middle of the night, so seeing dozens of Hawks clustered around the various exhibits was quite a sight. At the far centre of the Gallery, sitting on a throne of metal twisted and shaped to resemble hawk wings, flanked on either side by adoring girls, the tribe’s leader overlooked his followers with a smug grin that turned to a frown as he noticed Phantasia’s entrance. The other Hawks were quick to cast their own displeasure in her direction but she ignored it, making use of her strengthened endurance, and skipped over to the Academy clique.
“You’ve got guts walking in here,” said Vincent, looking down his nose at her with the one eye that wasn’t hidden behind a curtain of styled hair.
“I’m just being friendly,” she replied. She caught a glimpse of a slight snarl on his lips and resisted the urge to smile at his discomfort. “I wanted to ask you guys if you’ve seen anything weird lately,”
Vincent’s lone eye glanced up and down her body. “You mean other than some Dove girl who’s been walking through a downpour dressed like it were heat wave, and…” He squinted. “Whose hair isn’t even wet? No… Nothing weird. You done here?”
“You can’t answer for everyone,” said Phantasia with a smirk, enjoying Vincent’s increasing sneer struggling to contain itself. His aura reached out to encapsulate his little band of followers, as if wanting to draw them in under his authority, but the actual bonds between them all were flayed like cheap rope.
“If there was something to hear, they would’ve told me,” he replied, but his eye twitched a nervous gaze between each of them, betraying his lack of faith.
