Just like Ivan had predicted, I woke up to find him gone from the flat. Being the worrywart I was, I couldn’t help but feel anxious, when I knew he was risking his life for me. Since this was the last time I'd be able to shadow Dragan, I resolved myself to give it my best until the end. 

The day unfolded like any other. I followed Dragan to school, and the classes passed without any incidents—though I hadn't expected anything to happen while he was at school. Aside from their flat and Branka’s place, the school was a safe space. The assassins would be stupid to make a move on Dragan while he was at school. Contrary to what you’d expect, the school was guarded pretty well. 

Just as Dragan was making his way quietly to Branka's, I got startled by the sudden sound of Ivan's voice echoing in my mind.

 “Hey Rêve~! How’s it going on your end?” 

The unexpected call made me squeak in surprise. It was a jarring sensation to hear someone's voice directly in your mind. And, for some reason, Ivan also managed to make my name sound sultry, which made me even more embarrassed. I was glad he couldn’t see my heated expression right now!

“There’s nothing to report, I guess? Dragan’s on his way to his master,” I explained quickly and moved on to another topic to divert the conversation away from me. “How are you faring?”

“I’m almost finished here. There’s two ingredients left to find and I thought it’d be a nice time to take a break and make a little call to recharge”, his playful tone suggested that he was telling the truth and a wave of relief washed over me, though I still knew that I would be walking on coals until he was back home. For a moment I considered chastising him that he shouldn’t let his guard down, but I had learned better. Instead I thought of something else to encourage him for the last stretch.

“Come back home safely, okay? I’ll be waiting for you…” My voice came out mellower and softer than usual, surprising even myself. This stubborn mage really had me wrapped around his little finger, didn’t he?

There was an audible gasp from Ivan, and I wondered what could be wrong. Had I said something inappropriate? 

“You sure know how to encourage a guy,” Ivan chuckled softly, breaking the momentary silence that followed my words. Listening to his laugh in my mind, made my pulse spike, and I felt unsure on what to say next. It was even a more intimate sensation than having someone whisper into your ear.

Luckily for me, Dragan was approaching his master’s house, which meant it was time to end the conversation.

“Sorry, I need to hang up now. Take care, Ivan.” I cut in quickly and gently tapped my tattoo, before Ivan would feel encouraged to keep the conversation going. 

My return to my normal corporeal body was just a few hours away and the pit at the bottom of my stomach was growing bigger. It was normal to be nervous, I told myself, but I couldn’t shake the ominous foreboding I was experiencing since yesterday. 

Knowing that it would take a few minutes for Dragan to change, I immediately went to the garden porch where I had a good view of the training grounds and surroundings and sat down. My feet were quite sore from all the walking all day, plus I wasn’t even wearing shoes.

The fatigue quickly caught up to me the moment I had let my guard down, washing over me like a tidal wave. To my luck, Dragan and Branka would train for at least a whole hour, so I could take my time recuperating. 

I adjusted my sitting position to be more comfortable and waited for Dragan and his master to emerge from the house, which didn’t happen until five more minutes went by.

Just as I considered standing up to see what the hold up was, both Dragan and Branka entered the training grounds. They were caught up in a lively discussion, but my head was buzzing from fatigue, which made it hard to focus. It didn’t take long for my head to feel really heavy and I felt my eyelids slide close. 

Sadly, I did not get much sleep last night and this was catching up with me now. I fought against my drowsiness but my body worked against me. In the matter of a few minutes, I gave in and fell asleep. 

***

A warm breeze enveloped me and in my hazy mind I felt like I had experienced this sensation before. I had the vague sense that observing eyes were directed right at me. Eyes familiar and yet somehow alien and unfamiliar. A distorted voice urgently spoke to me. Their distorted voice felt somehow familiar to me, even if I didn’t hear them properly.

W□k□ □□, y□□ f□□l!

W□ke u□,

 b□f□re it’s t□□ late!

Thunderous sounds erupted around the voice, until I heard nothing.

***

Startled awake as my head hit the porch floor, my pulse quickened as I remembered where I was and what that voice was telling me. I still had no idea who that voice belonged to or why they spoke to me again, but I couldn’t afford time to think about this now.

Panic surged through me, now that I had failed in my one task for the day – keeping a vigilant eye on Dragan. A string of curses left my lips, while I got to my feet.

I rushed through the housewalls to find out whether Dragan was still here. The moment I entered the house I was greeted by Branka leaning against the wall talking to an auburn-haired man with an eyepatch. 

Dragan wasn’t here anymore!

The realization that he had likely left already intensified my anxiety, and I started feeling nauseous. Ignoring the conversation in front of me, I rushed to the entrance to check if Dragan's shoes were still there. 

They weren't there anymore.

He had indeed left for home then…!

Without looking back, I bolted out the house and followed the route Dragan typically took on his way home, observing my surroundings to see whether there was some trace of him somewhere. My hands trembled, and my feet ached, but I pushed through the discomfort. What if these assassins attacked the one moment I wasn’t paying attention? The urgency of the distorted voice had to mean something was about to go down soon! My whole body and that ominous feeling screamed that I had to hurry. If something happened to Dragan right now, it would be my fault! 

I ran as fast as my feet could carry me, covering half the distance of Dragan’s route with no Dragan in sight. Just as I was about to slow down a bit, I spotted a person with plum colored hair in the distance.They had just crossed the corner in the distance. 

Hope bloomed in my heart that it was Dragan, as the stature matched up with his. I sped up my pace, ignoring my stinging feet and the burn in my lungs. As someone who spent his last days in the hospital, my stamina was pretty poor, so determination was the only thing keeping me going at this point. 

As I drew closer to the corner, I made a mistake and missed a step. In my haste, I slipped and stumbled forward, clumsily landing on the hard floor on the edge of the corner. My body twitched in pain from the impact and I cried out rather loudly. A part of my pajama pants was torn revealing a scraped knee, but I had to ignore my own issues for now. 

With my current location. I had a better view of the person walking in front of me and I was able to see that it really was Dragan!

Tears of relief and pain collected in my eyes, when I saw him. I tried to stand up again, but my legs hurt like hell and I fell down to my knees. Not only was my knee scraped, one of my sleeves was also torn revealing a scrape wound on my right arm. It didn’t matter that I was a ghost, I was clearly still able to feel pain and hurt myself.

A pebble suddenly fell from somewhere above me and I craned my head to see where it had come from. My eyes widened, when a person jumped down on the floor right in front of me.A red and white frilly lolita dress with a pattern like blood-like splatters blocked my view. Soft white hair swayed in the air from the aftermath of the landing. 

Nausea and panic washed over me as if I had been thrown into an ice cold bath.

It couldn’t be-!

I spotted another person in a black lace dress sitting on a low roof somewhere in the distance close to where Dragan had to be standing.

"DRAGAN, WATCH OUT!!!" 

I screamed in desperation, my voice shrill and loud, but nothing reached his ears. 

My body moved automatically, forcing myself to stand despite the pain in my knee. I had to get closer to Dragan, but with the white-haired figure blocking my view, I couldn't even see him properly. 

Dragan didn’t seem to notice the attackers and I fell into a spiral of despair. 

The white haired lolita drew closer, while the person on the roof stayed still. I moved my battered body to somehow get ahead of the lolita. With every step I took the pain in my knee grew stronger, but I had to do something! 

I tapped the turquoise tattoo on my wrist twice with a trembling hand and almost yelled. 

“Ivan, they’re here!”

My brain went on autopilot and I babbled on in a panicked voice, trying to get as much information across as possible, leaving Ivan no choice to respond until I stopped talking.

“Dragan is currently on his way back and the assassin’s are here. One’s right behind him, while the other is on a roof right now. Call him and tell him to turn around before it’s too late!”

“Stay put. I’ll call him right now and warp to you two. Don’t do anything rash until then.” Ivan answered in a serious tone and ended the call immediately. My gaze was switching between the white haired lolita Lu, their master the distance and the unarmed Dragan. 

Sh*t! 

Was all I could do sit around and watch a tragedy happen?!

My pulse spiked the moment I realized that Dragan was defenseless. His staff was still at his master’s home, and he was probably tired from training, too.

There had to be something I could do for him, but what?

I tried to calm my panic by taking a deep breath. If I wanted to contribute in any way, I had to analyze the situation first. Even if Dragan got hit once, he should be fine with the barriers protecting him. 

As if to mock my current uselessness, Lu began to act. They cut a part of their right arm with a pocketknife and blood drops fell on the ground, staining it red.

I instantly remembered one of the skills the homunculus was supposed to possess – blood manipulation. An eerie aura surrounded the white-haired lolita as the fresh blood hardened, forming a sharp jagged claw around the wound. 

Meanwhile, the person on the rooftop made strange movements as well, as if pulling or pushing on something invisible – probably some thin threads.

Without a warning, Lu suddenly sprinted towards Dragan, making me lose my cool again, but I bit my lower lip and pressed on. 

It didn’t matter how much I kicked and screamed, Dragan could not hear my voice, so all I could do was move. I dragged my body closer to the two, trying to reach Dragan before the homunculus did. 

I had to protect him somehow, until Ivan arrived!