Chapter 355
Three days later.
It's supposed to be the morning that Ollie planned to watch Toy Story 8. Taking the cup of steaming hot coffee to his lips, he took a sip as his hands trembled. The temperature was exactly 54.5C, just the way he liked it. Not hot enough to burn him and not cold enough to taste bland.
The mood was ruined as he remembered the chills he felt after confronting Esther that night. All the lights of the apartment were turned on just so he could keep his mind at peace. At times, he'd see wisps of light in the dark corners. In the corner of his vision, he would see eyes and mouths on a distorted face. When he looked directly at it, it would suddenly disappear.
He shook his head, then walked over to the sofa. Floating the remote control to his hand, he turned the TV on and clicked on the Pixar app. After quickly typing Toy Story 8, he played the movie.
Just as he was about to relax, in the corner of his eye, on his balcony through the window, was a humanoid figure. It was floating just slightly off the ground. He already got used to these random phenomenon. A small part of his sanity broke when he looked directly at the giant eye. Every delusion he saw was just his mind playing tricks on him.
Knock. Knock. The thing on the balcony tapped on the glass.
Ollie ignored it as he laughed. Woody in the movie just started to talk to Buzz about the teddy bear army.
Knock. Knock.
Again, the thing tapped on the glass. Around the corner of the TV screen, multiple eyes popped open. He felt a hand tug at his shirt towards the thing on the balcony, but Ollie still refused to look.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed.
[1 new message from: ^^ our fun group chat (to Erin, this is the chat with everyone, type here)]
Tapping it open, he read the new message and more incoming as Rachel and others typed.
[Kyle: watch out for the Bakers]
[Rachel: What happened this time?]
[Clyde: ongoing investigation in downtown toronto]
[Gale: is that going to mess up our bbq plans?]
[Lily: it shouldnt]
[Rachel: What happened this time??]
[Clyde: they talking about some veil prohpecy thing and finding a culprit]
[Xinyi: Clyde, the scallion pancakes are done. Do you want some?]
[Kyle: why do you ask him and not me?]
[Xinyi: You didn't put your cups in the dishwasher.]
[Kyle: UGH.]
[Lily: @Zhouzhou6241 When did you wanna shop?]
[Rachel: How about this weekend?]
[Xinyi: I still have to do the laundry in the morning. Can we go in the late afternoon?]
[Lily: Let's go at noon. The twins can handle their own laundry.]
[Xinyi: Ok. Sorry, Clyde.]
[Clyde: WHo are you to roder our maid!]
[Ollie: @AnnRachel_fire I'll take a look at what the Bakers are doing.]
[Gale: do they also run bakeries]
[Rachel: No, Gale.]
[Kyle: since when did you start using proper grammar ms fire toes]
[Rachel: Shut up.]
Knock. Knock.
Ollie felt his heart jump when he heard the tapping again. For someone who cleaned spectral entities in schools and asylums, he shouldn't be scared of some measly delusions.
Think, Ollie. It was all in his mind. Nothing more than just his imagination. He stood up, turned around, careful not to look at the balcony, and walked to the washroom. For a second, he hesitated, turning the doorknob.
Taking a deep breath, he forced his hand to land on the knob and twist. After pushing it open and stepping forward, nothing happened. Ollie sighed with relief. He turned on the cold water and splashed his face.
Maybe Witch Moura could provide something that could fix his sanity. The only time he's ever felt this jumpy was when Gale first killed the Attuned in the Eclipsed. Just looking at his transformation had made Ollie jumpy for a couple of nights, but this was worse. At least there, danger was at every corner. Back in his home, where it was supposed to be safe, he couldn't accept the danger.
Ollie sighed again. He could just go to Esther and ask her to fix whatever she did to him. However, he knew it wasn't something she did herself. Knowledge, after all, could break people's minds.
Dainv....
He chuckled. Knowing of their existence and how small he was compared to the grand scheme of the universe, Glory Industries and himself were just the size of an ant. Yet, he dared to bluff his way to survival in front of such a being.
Looking up at the mirror, Ollie suddenly saw a dark silhouette with two eyes behind him.
His Deagle pulled out of his waist's holster as he aimed at the thing behind him, but saw only the entryway door. Shaking his head, he should've known that was all part of the delusions.
Knock. Knock.
Again, the tapping on the balcony glass door echoed in his empty apartment. From the TV, Woody was talking about some adventure to the park to rescue toys stored under a sandbox.
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Ollie carefully exited the washroom. He aimed his gun slowly as he rounded the corner to the living room, crosshairs right where the sound would be on the balcony.
Then his eyes caught the figure on the balcony. A blank face, cold demeanour, eyes glowing an ethereal blue like it was looking at him with cold curiosity as if he was a subject. Her blue hair flowed down below her waist as she wore a dress-like lab coat that twinkled with stars yet was paradoxically just white.
Knock. Knock.
Jesus christ, it was just Erin. Ollie, annoyed, quickly went over to the balcony and opened the door. "Erin, why are you on my balcony?"
"I do not see the meaning of using what you humans use as 'elevators'. Is the method of entering through the open space not normal in your culture?" Erin asked.
"People don't fly--wait. No. There's people that float and fly, but it's still common courtesy to go to the front door."
"The concept of the front door is curious when the open space is the first thing to be seen from the outside."
Ollie grumbled. He knew he couldn't win against this floating bluey. Social norms were understood and thrown right out the window with this... alien that he now knew as a Dainv.
"Why are you here anyway?" he asked.
"I've come to relay to you the needs of the RAS once it's assembled."
"Ok?"
"The energy requirements of the RAS for full continuous output needs 3 stars to function. Is there anywhere on Earth with this amount of energy?"
"Ok, hold on. How much power is 3 stars?"
"The amount of power is self-explanatory. 3 stars requires the output of 3 stars." Erin pointed at the ceiling. "The sun is 1 star."
"Then no, we don't have that much power."
Erin stared at him for a while.
"If Earth had the power of literally 1 star, we'd have electricity prices so cheap that third world countries would become developed overnight. That's not happening. We'd probably need an alternative source of power. Maybe something we can get from a rift?"
"There is. However, the current Origin Shards must be used as substrate, and the three machines will consume all of them."
"Then?"
"The group must prepare for another expedition."
"Cool. Is that all you wanted?"
"No, short one. I sensed your mind has slightly eroded. Do you care to be fixed?"
"What do you mean fixed?" Ollie asked. Ain't no way he was going to let her open up his skull.
Knock. Knock.
The sound this time came from the entryway door. Though, again, Ollie ignored it.
"It seems you have visitors."
"Wait, you heard that too?"
"Is the knock not an announcement of one's presence?" Erin asked.
"It is, but you heard it too?" Ollie asked.
"Indeed. It is the sound of a visitor's announcement."
"Shh," Ollie said. There should be no one that knew where he lived except for his close friends, Sarah Chen, Dr. Gray, and Erin. No one has ever visited him. Slowly moving towards the door, he raised his voice. "Who is it?"
No answer.
"I said, who is it?" Ollie asked again.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
The entity behind the door started banging on Ollie's door. It had no signature, not that he could tell. It was mundane, but a signature could always be hidden.
Floating his phone into his hand, he opened the app called 'Receiver'. He tapped the red button once, making his phone ping the whole area. 1 mundane signature behind him, himself as a Resonant, and a squad of 5 Resonants and 1 Mid-Haromnic was behind the door.
Shit.
"I know who you are," Ollie said. "Baker Family forces, am I right?"
"Oliver Glory. You are under arrest. Open up and stop resisting," the Mid-Harmonic said.
"I didn't do shit."
"Open up the door, or we'll force entry."
"If you break that door, I'll sue the whole Baker family for breaking and entry," Ollie said. According to Neutral Grounds law, 'future visions' do not constitute as legal precedent to arrest someone as nothing has happened yet.
"You are under arrest and will be held in detention in the Baker family prison for actions regarding the breaking of the veil," the Mid-Harmonic said. "The legal precedent is the destruction of property caused by civilians using Aurian hot weaponry that originated from Glory Industries."
"That shit happened months ago and that has nothing to do with me. That was the Silver Lions and the Ann Family!"
"The origin of the weaponry was still from Glory Industries."
Before Ollie could reply, the lock on the door clicked open as it was unlocked from the outside by the operative. He telekinetically locked it again, forcing a tug-of-war on the lock.
"Oliver Glory, stop resisting, or we'll break this open!"
"Break it open, and I'll sue you!"
"I do not understand the legal procedure of the Baker Family," Erin said.
"Shh! Not now!"
Erin floated over to the door and casually opened it. Before any of the suited operatives, and before Ollie could shout at the floating bluey, her signature flared outwards. A full Late-Arcane level signature weighed down on all their shoulders, preventing anyone from moving.
"Baker Family, your legal inquiry should be at the Ann Family estate for the accidental access of the Aurian weaponry by the mundanes. Is it not?"
"That's not what matters," the Mid-Harmonic said as he gritted his teeth. "The cause and effect had weakened the societal veil!"
"How is that my fault?" Ollie asked.
"Any more production caused by Glory Industries would eventually peel back the veil. Oliver Glory, you must die!" the Mid-Harmonic broke free from Erin's grasp. He aimed his pistol at Ollie's head.
One squeeze of the trigger, the bullet flew out of the barrel, only to be caught by Erin's two fingers.
"Earn my rage, and I assure you that none will see the light of day again," Erin said in the coldest voice Ollie had heard.
All the operatives pointed their guns at Ollie once again. Before they could fire, their firearms all collapsed and turned into smooth metal orbs. As Erin's signature flared again, Ollie shouted at her.
"Stop! Don't kill them!"
"They held killing intent against you. Sparing these humans is an inefficient action," Erin said.
"Not in front of my apartment," Ollie said, then he turned to the Mid-Harmonic. "I'll talk to the Baker Head tonight. You guys just leave before she kills you."
For a moment, none of them moved. After a while, the Mid-Harmonic signalled for all of them to go back to where they came from.
"Hmph. If you don't call the head, we'll be back," the Mid-Harmonic said.
"Whatever." Ollie sighed with relief as Erin closed the door.
He moved back to the sofa and fell down onto it. The movie was still playing, Woody and the group were now moving through the playground on the way to the sandbox.
"Ollie," Erin said, sitting beside him. "For the next rift raid, the group requires your presence."
"Didn't you guys already get Xinyi?" Ollie asked. He was still kind of enjoying his own vacation, even if shit like this was still happening.
"The critical role of a controller is still empty. Your role is required."
"I'll think about it..." Ollie's eyes glanced at her side profile. "Can you, like, do that thing you said you would do? Fix my mind."
Without answering, Erin put her hand onto the top of his head. A cold feeling seeped into his skull that flowed through all the veins in his body. Even though it was cold, it felt more refreshing than a warm bath. Closing his eyes, he let the cold feeling take over as he listened to Woody's ramblings on the TV.
For a couple of minutes, the cold feeling cycled in and out of his skull until finally it dissipated.
"You may open your eyes," Erin said.
When he opened his eyes, the darkness in the corners looked like they were lighter. At the corners of his vision, he no longer saw the wisps, eyes, and mouths that gnawed at his sanity. Ollie sighed once again. Fortunately, he didn't have to spend money at Witch Moura's shop.
"Thanks, Erin," Ollie said.
"Your gratitude is noted," Erin said.
"I know, I know."