He shook his head, trying to remain as calm as always. Moving his hand in an explanatory gesture—one Viktor often used—Nova said:
"Okay… He told me that you can help us watch the others' battles."
She nodded, nervous.
"Yes. I can see through the eyes of animals. And I can also project my visions onto a wind screen…"
That was interesting. With how varied Empath abilities were, she most likely had Vigilance as her primary Spectrum. Empaths with this kind of ability were highly sought after by the factions.
"I understand. Then, could you show me a bit of what you can do?"
Nova needed to see some action. Making such a long trip only to see nothing wasn't worth it. It had to be worth it!
The woman nodded, nervous. She took the staff that was resting against one of the boxes and held it with both hands.
"Give me a moment."
She closed her eyes. Energy flowed through the air like a current of pale blue wind, like an invisible gas present everywhere in the world. Her "eyes" traveled using that energy as if it were train tracks, and in the next moment, she opened her eyes, revealing an orange glow.
"Ready. I found a Swordbeak flying near Mr. Viktor."
The Swordbeak was a giant bird with an extremely long beak. It was one of the birds Nova had seen when he arrived at Lightflower.
Now she was using the bird's eyes to see.
"I can also control the animal's actions a little to help with focus."
When it came to surveillance, this type of ability was perfect.
'I can't wait anymore…'
Impatient, Nova stared at the woman, waiting. She understood, of course.
"Now comes the screen."
She extended her hand along with the staff. In front of her, a spiraling current of wind formed, slowly taking the shape of a round mirror. It was still wind, but now it was possible to see a bit of what was happening.
'The wind… is it recreating what her eyes see?'
The wind currents twisted and merged to form figures. Those figures were what she was seeing. At the same time, the wind displayed a miniature version of Viktor flying atop Maia's back.
'Amazing… I wonder if Miyu will ever be able to do something like this.'
Someone with the Anticipation Spectrum also had the possibility of awakening a similar ability. But it always came down to experience, since Spectrum abilities appear when you least expect them, using your entire life to condense into a power aligned with your experiences.
For example, when Nova was a child, he used his first Serenity ability on his mother. That was the day he awakened Serenity Fluctuation. What experience led him to discover a Spectrum ability while still just a child?
Let's leave that question for later.
Rober was in a corner, a little disturbed by the woman from before. She was a complete psychopathic stalker.
"I just went over to ask for food…"
But instead of giving him food, the woman started talking about Viktor like an obsessive lunatic. That scared Rober, who had to pretend he was going to the bathroom. Now he was sitting behind a tree, waiting for Nova to finish talking to that woman.
And thank goodness Nova showed up. The guy was always good at saving his friends, despite not being as strong as them.
Elara and Miyu watched from afar what Nova was seeing on the wind screen.
Suddenly, Viktor jumped off Maia's back and landed in front of a gigantic portal.
The man stood there watching as he took out the plate to close the portal, but he was surprised when a feminine-looking being appeared, calmly walking out of it.
Her curvy body could make anyone forget that this being was an Aberration. Her pale pink skin, the triple green spines on her elbows and knees, her hairless head accompanied by a pair of crimson eyes—she was the perfect definition of a "being from another world."
Viktor, however, smiled and put the plate away.
"You should never underestimate a woman," he said, quite relaxed for the battle that was about to unfold.
Taking a step toward the Aberration, he continued.
"They're the ones who cause the most damage."
The man vanished. The Aberration opened her crimson eyes with black sclera, startled, and covered her face with her thin forearms as she sensed the imminent danger rushing toward her at a completely ridiculous speed.
At that very moment, Viktor reappeared with his leg raised, striking the exact spot the Aberration was guarding.
"Excellent guard. Let's see if you can handle this!"
Then, the man smiled like a madman. Beneath that madness, a faint flash of resentment could be felt. Resentment not only toward this monster trying to destroy the city, but toward everything that was considered an Aberration.
In a very strange way, the wind figures depicting Viktor's fight suddenly stopped, remaining completely still—frozen in place.
The woman looked at Nova, and he did the same.
"He just used…," he whispered, stunned.
"Yes. He used Memento."
An extraordinary ability of the Anticipation Spectrum. The reason the image had frozen had everything to do with the effects of that ability.
Miyu, who was watching from afar, also sensed what it was. In fact, she knew. Everyone did.
She looked at Elara, who nodded in response.
"He's already using his full power, huh… It's incredible."
Her eyes shone with hope. She clenched her fist and looked at Nova with determination.
She continued.
"Someday, I'll become as strong as the Master…"
Just imagining Viktor's power was chilling. That was why he was a nationally recognized First-Level Empath. He even had a nickname the people gave him years ago.
They called him "The Madman."
Elara nodded.
"I know. Someday you will be. Me too…"
As she looked at Miyu, Elara froze. Something happened to the feline girl from one moment to the next.
Miyu stared into nothingness in silence, her lips trembling. Something spilled from the corners of her eyes, slowly sliding down her cheeks before dripping onto the ground.
It was red—thick and strange…
She was crying blood…
She stood frozen, staring in horror at nothing.
"Miyu, you—!"
One of Miyu's abilities had activated suddenly.
Then, a deep sense of danger invaded everyone's hearts. Before Elara could help Miyu, she felt something squeeze her heart, accompanied by a deep knot in her throat.
Nova frowned, confused. He looked around, expecting something—but there was nothing, only a cold sensation crawling up his spine and reaching his head.
The woman beside him put on a severe expression and gripped her staff tightly. The eccentric men, who had been laughing and chatting calmly before, looked at the woman with the staff seriously. She nodded in response.
Behind the tree, Rober growled, standing up immediately. His crimson aura enveloped him—he could feel that something bad was happening.
This sensation froze his blood.
Then, when everyone stood still, waiting for whatever was about to happen, Miyu broke the silence—no, she screamed:
"NOVA, RUN!"
Instantly, an explosion of ethereal lightning formed behind them. A portal burst open violently, and in that tiny fraction of a second when the portal opened, Nova heard a voice.
It was the voice of a crying child—it said:
"I'm sorry… Forgive me…"
He looked back immediately, feeling that voice whisper into his ear with immense sadness and loneliness—but it was too late. In the next moment, an invisible force kicked him straight into the portal.
He was sent flying with absolutely ridiculous force, shattering a couple of ribs and knocking the air out of him. He opened his mouth, spitting saliva, his eyes wide from the sudden pain.
"NOVA!"
Miyu didn't hesitate and ran toward him, but she only managed to take a single step before Nova was just a few centimeters away from passing through the portal.
For some reason, Nova felt like the world had gone into slow motion.
He saw Miyu. He saw Elara. He saw Rober. He saw the other Empaths—but he also thought he saw someone else who shouldn't have been there.
It was a translucent being that blended in with nature. It was as if it were invisible, wearing large tactical goggles with various attachments.
He thought he saw the red light of a camera on those goggles, but in the end, he couldn't see anything anymore.
He only heard Miyu's desperate scream until, finally, everything went dark.
On the other side, when the Empaths managed to react, they immediately rushed toward the portal—but it expelled a massive amount of energy that sent them all flying in every possible direction, slamming them into the trees.
When they stood back up…
The portal had already closed.