Her explanation sent a chill down my spine. An ability to mask her presence, to bypass my enhanced senses... that was a dangerous power indeed. It meant she could have been watching us all along, observing our every move without our knowledge. A sense of unease settled in my stomach, the realization that we were facing an enemy even more cunning and unpredictable than we had anticipated.
"That's quite a handy trick," I remarked, my voice laced with a hint of caution. "But it doesn't change the fact that you're working with the Seers. You're on the wrong side of this fight."
Boss Mira shrugged, her expression nonchalant. "Right and wrong are subjective, Imaginary," she countered. "We all have our own beliefs, our own motivations. The Seers may have their flaws, but they also offer a vision of a better world, a world free from chaos and uncertainty."
"A world ruled by fear and control," I retorted, my voice firm. "That's not the kind of world I want to live in."
Boss Mira chuckled, a cold, calculating sound. "Perhaps not," she conceded. "But it's the world we're building, whether you like it or not. And you, Imaginary, are either with us or against us."
Should I show them what fear truly is...? I thought, a dangerous idea taking shape in my mind.
"Imagine...." I closed my eyes, my voice a low whisper amidst the tension.
Everyone who heard the word "imagine" froze, their bodies instinctively reacting to the power they knew I wielded. A sense of dread washed over them, their eyes wide with anticipation, their hearts pounding in their chests. They waited, suspended in a moment of terrifying uncertainty, for their fate to unfold.
Earth is the center of everything, and every planet will be drawn towards it, crashing into its surface. But before it happens... everything returns to normal. I imagined, the image vivid and terrifying in my mind.
The world around us seemed to warp and twist, the sky above darkening as if in response to my command. A sense of unease settled over everyone, a primal fear triggered by the impending cosmic catastrophe. The Seers, their confidence shaken, looked around in horror as the stars above began to shift, their familiar patterns distorted by an unseen force.
But just as quickly as it began, the illusion vanished. The sky returned to its normal state, the stars resuming their familiar dance. The Seers, their breaths ragged and their faces pale, stumbled back, their bravado replaced by a visceral terror.
"Fear, you said?" I asked, a chilling smile spreading across my face as I levitated into the air, my cape billowing dramatically behind me. "Let me show you the end of the world..."
The ominous tone of my voice, coupled with the lingering fear from the previous illusion, sent the Seers into a frenzy. Their faces paled, their eyes wide with terror. The realization that they were facing a power far beyond their comprehension, a power that could reshape reality itself, shattered their composure.
"Run!" one of the Seers screamed, his voice cracking with desperation.
The warehouse erupted into chaos as the Seers scrambled to escape, their movements frantic and uncoordinated. They stumbled over each other, their fear clouding their judgment and hindering their escape. The once-confident group was now a panicked mob, their unity shattered by the overwhelming dread I had instilled in them.
I raised my hands, my eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. With a single thought, I activated my power, targeting the fleeing Seers.
Imagine... teleport only the Seers to a dimension that looks exactly like the real world.
Instantly, the Seers vanished, their screams abruptly cut off as they were ripped from reality and transported to a parallel dimension, a perfect replica of their own world.
"The end of the world is coming!" I boomed, my voice amplified by the power of my imagination, echoing through the desolate cityscape.
In the replica world, the Seers found themselves standing amidst familiar surroundings, their initial relief quickly turning to horror as the sky above them darkened, the sun disappearing behind a swirling vortex of ominous clouds. The air crackled with an unseen energy, the very fabric of reality seeming to tremble and warp.
The ground beneath their feet began to shake, buildings crumbling and streets splitting open as if the earth itself was tearing apart. The once-familiar cityscape transformed into a nightmarish landscape of destruction and despair. The illusion was so vivid, so realistic, that it felt like the end of the world was truly upon them. Their carefully constructed facades of power and control crumbled, replaced by raw, primal fear.
"Don't panic! Use your Guardians and let's get out of this world!" Libido yelled, his voice a desperate plea amidst the chaos.
Swooosh! He stomped his foot on the ground, creating a platform of ice that rose to shield them from the falling debris.
Other Seers, spurred by Libido's command, also summoned their Guardians, their spectral forms materializing amidst the chaos. A cacophony of abilities erupted, each Seer desperately trying to create a safe haven for themselves and their comrades.
One Seer conjured a protective dome of shimmering energy, while another manipulated the earth to create a temporary shelter. But the destruction was relentless, the illusion of the apocalypse overwhelming their defenses. Buildings collapsed, fires raged, and the ground continued to tremble, threatening to swallow them whole.
The Seers' screams echoed through the desolate cityscape, their fear and despair palpable even in this fabricated reality. They had become the victims of their own arrogance, their pursuit of power leading them to a fate they had never anticipated. The illusion, a mirror reflecting their own darkest fears, was breaking them down, stripping away their illusions of control.
Meanwhile, Boss Mira stood motionless amidst the chaos, her eyes closed and her expression serene. She seemed oblivious to the destruction around her, her mind focused on something else entirely.
"Boss Mira!" one of the Seers called out, his voice filled with desperation.
"Just protect yourselves, don't mind me," she replied calmly, her eyes still closed. "Let me see the future."
A wave of energy pulsed from Boss Mira, her body glowing with an ethereal light. Her eyes snapped open, revealing a depth of knowledge and understanding that sent shivers down the spines of those who witnessed it. The chaos around her seemed to fade into the background as she focused her vision on the threads of fate that wove through the tapestry of time.
"I see it now," she whispered, her voice a chilling prophecy amidst the chaos. "The path to our salvation... the key to our survival..."
The Seers, their fear momentarily forgotten, turned to her with renewed hope. "What is it, Boss Mira?" Libido asked, his voice filled with desperation.
Boss Mira's gaze swept across the crumbling cityscape, then lifted to the sky, where the two Whales clashed in an epic battle. A sudden realization dawned on her face, a mixture of acceptance and resignation.
"The Imaginary!" she declared, her voice ringing with clarity. "I surrender! Take me to your prison!"
Swoop! In a blink, Boss Mira vanished from the duplicate world, leaving the remaining Seers stunned and bewildered.
"Gone!?" Libido's voice cracked with disbelief. Boss Mira, their leader, their strategist, had surrendered? The realization sent a wave of panic through the remaining Seers. Their confidence, already shaken by the overwhelming illusion, now crumbled completely.
In the real world, Boss Mira materialized in front of me, her sudden appearance causing her to stumble slightly.
Tak! Her high heels nearly caused her to lose her balance.
Seeing her about to fall, I instinctively reached out and caught her hand, steadying her.
"...Thanks," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes met mine, a mix of gratitude and vulnerability flickering in their depths.
"...You seem to know how to do it, huh?" I asked her, a knowing smile playing on my lips. I had secretly created a rule within the illusion that anyone who surrendered would be transported back to the real world, and it seemed she had figured it out.
The other members of the Unveiled Family approached us, their expressions a mix of curiosity and concern.
"Let's take her to Dove," Yolan suggested, her voice firm.
"Better than being trapped in that fake world..." Boss Mira sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. The experience had clearly shaken her, the fear she had felt all too real, even if it was just an illusion.
With a nod of agreement, we escorted Boss Mira back to the WRA building. The journey was silent, the weight of the recent events hanging heavy in the air. Upon arriving, we found Dove waiting for us in her office, her expression a mix of surprise and concern.
"Who is this?" Dove asked, clearly not recognizing the woman I was escorting.
I still held Boss Mira's hand, guiding her gently into the office. "Her name is Mira, their boss... the leader of the Seers," I explained. "She surrendered... I think she's valuable since she knows a lot of things."
Dove's eyes widened in surprise. "The leader of the Seers?" she echoed, her voice laced with a mixture of disbelief and intrigue. "But why would she surrender?"
"Duh, I didn't want to die in that fake world this Imaginary created," Mira said, rolling her eyes.
A flicker of amusement crossed Dove's face. "Tell me," she said, her voice firm, "give me the full context."
Mira sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "So, we were hiding, doing our business," she began, her voice resigned. "When you guys found our place, we decided to move to a warehouse we rented for our meetings about you. But somehow, you guys found us... then the fight broke out, and the Imaginary showed up. He imagined a new world or something, then teleported only the Seers inside. I saw a vision of the future that if I surrendered, I would get out and not die there."
Dove nodded slowly, processing Mira's explanation. "I see," she said, her voice thoughtful. "So you saw a vision of your own death, and that's what prompted you to surrender?"
Mira nodded again, her gaze averted. "I may be a Seer, but I'm not invincible," she admitted, a hint of vulnerability in her voice. "I value my life, and I'm not willing to throw it away for a lost cause," she sighed. "I still have a daughter to care for."
< Chapter 192 > Fin.