The Revelers (Serial 1)

Act 1 - Chapter 18: Cithara

"I'm not sure what influences this, but these black and white creatures are a common theme. They exist in every single dream I recorded from Ruby."

Milani waves a hand at a nearby angel-beast. However, the holy monster does not notice him. Instead, his hand simply clips through the monster.

"You know it's just a hologram, right?" I say.

"These creatures look realistic — not gonna to lie — and that visor thing reproduced them?"

"Indeed. The Dream Recorder is in its fifth major revision. The picture is more detailed, and it now picks up sound using a sophisticated AI chip. Don't take my word for it, though. My colleagues can tell you all about the results from this wonderful device." I swipe my hand across, getting a wider view of Ruby's surroundings.

Milani points at the distant figure. "Who's that in the blue cloak?"

I let out a gasp. It's her! That woman. A slight chill of intimidation runs through my spine. "That is—" I quickly regain my composure, realizing it's just a hologram and this woman can't do anything to me. "Ruby calls her Mother. Though her followers refer to her as Usurper."

"Does she have a name?" Milani asks, furrowing a brow.

"I'll have to look through my notes, but I don't recall Ruby calling her by any other name besides Mother."

The Usurper appears closer and confronts us, or rather, Ruby, whose focal point is at the center of the holographic projector. This strange woman has a white owl perched on her right shoulder and a black raven on her left. She appears much taller than Milani, standing at exactly 193 centimeters, according to my tablet's holographic measuring tool. The woman undoes her hood, revealing a golden toned face littered with small battle scars. Her eyes are a vibrant green and cybernetic, her pupils shuttering like camera lenses. Her hair, long and wavy, flowing to the side with the breeze, and platinum white.

"Mother," Ruby gasps.

"Mathilde, no need to run, my child." The woman in the blue cloak extends a hand, appearing to caress the side of Ruby's cheek.

"Mathilde?" Milani questions.

"I think that is Ruby's real name," I say. "However, when I call her that while she's awake, she does not respond to it. I'm not sure why."

"Mother, I'm afraid. Where is Ah-ree-zona? Where is my sister?"

"You do not have a sister," the woman answers. "Why does it matter to you? She's nothing more than a hollow vessel. Barbelo has no use for people like her."

"No!" Ruby cries. "What have you done to my sister?"

"Ah-ree-zona?" Milani inquires. "Barbelo?"

"Yes," I say. "Like Ari, but with 'zona' at the end. It's spelled like the US state, but with a different pronunciation."

"Arizona," Ruby mutters and cries. "Where are you? Please help me."

Holographic images shift one direction, showing Ruby's attempt to escape from her mother. However, the shift comes to an abrupt stop upon confronting a hulking white bear-like beast and two black wolves flanking the sides of the ursine menace.

The cloaked woman levitates a few centimeters from the ground and hovers towards Ruby's position. "You should not run, Mathilde. You should not be afraid of The Truth beyond the web of lies." The woman extends her cold pale hand, reaching for Ruby's face.

"Get away from me!" Ruby shrieks.

"We need to wake her up," Milani demands. "This nightmare is too real."