The world below…looked entirely unremarkable.
Once the Skinwalker realized it was trapped, Noble had anticipated it would do what it had done in the Jade Palace—go wild. At that ti, it was only because of the quick work of the Saints that the monster had not collapsed part of the ancient castle.
Here there had been no Saints to stop the chaos.
Destruction should have devastated the land, decimating everything in sight.
Yet the streets looked pristine. Every house was sat exactly as it had. The bushes in front waved softly in the breeze. The few trees dotting the parks were standing proudly as they had for years.
The streets were immaculate, without a speck of dirt or debris cluttering them.
The people moved around like ants on the thoroughfares. It was lunch hour, and so n and won were going about their business, trying to get errands done before rustling their workday.
Restaurants were filled with hungry patrons. Sowhere an alarm bell sounded to indicate that math class was back in session.
Everything looked entirely ordinary.
But that is not why Noble stifled a scream.
As soon as she broke through the clouds, her emotional radar ca within range of those on the ground.
The feelings of one vessel had been oppressive.
But a million?
Noble gripped her head. She felt her mind start to shatter. The emotions pressed upon her consciousness, threatening to crush her soul and rip away her sanity.
'Noble? Noble!'
'Hate! So much hate!' Noble continued her silent scream.
It was unlike any Nightmare Creature that she had yet encountered.
'Listen to the sound of my voice. Block out all the rest. Focus!' Jet's last word was spoken with urgency.
Opening her eyes, Noble realized why. "Oh!" she squealed.
The four people were coming toward the earth much faster than planned. They weren't floating to the ground. They were falling!
Noble adjusted to focus on the three others with her. She cared about them. She wouldn't let them splatter on the street!
The realization was what she needed to dispel the panic rising in her. She slowed the fall of all three of them until they were hovering once more.
"Sorry about that!" she whispered.
"Are you kidding! That was the most fun I've had in years!" Chip's grin nearly split his face.
"All's well that ends well," Coy seed a little shaken, but he forced a smile.
Jet put her finger to her lips and then pointed to a large green space at the edge of the city. Noble aid them for the location and set everyone on the ground.
Pantomiming, Soul Reaper pointed to the n and then to the ground. They would stay while Noble dropped her off at the right location. Then the floating Master would return and take them with her to rescue Lonzo and Teran.
Jet would get ready at the Mayor's ho and wait for the Masters to get in position as well.
Things were peaceful in the city just now, but there was no guarantee they would stay that way. The Saint would make a ruckus before removing the two governnt officials, hopefully drawing attention away from the second rescue mission.
Jet, sadly, could not go to both places. The diversion would have to be enough.
Leaving the other Masters behind, the two won took off around the periphery of the city. Jet ran, while Noble hurried along beside her.
If they ran into trouble, Noble would lift them over. However, the edge of the barrier was left untouched. The only person that seed to notice them was mowing his lawn. He raised his hand, waved, and went back to his work.
Behind the pleasant smile, Noble felt how badly the man wanted to murder them. Yet he continued on like he had no care in the world. It was unnerving.
'That was creepy.' Jet suppressed a shiver.
'They are just going about living the mundane lives of the people that were taken. But why? Why are none of them trying to leave?' Noble wondered.
'I don't know.' Jet frowned. 'But I don't like it.'
When they got to the right spot along the edge of the city, Noble lifted Jet into the air. The Saint turned to a ghostly mist, causing Noble to almost lose control of the Soul Reaper's form.
Thankfully Jet was light and could almost fly on her own in her Saint Transformation.
The mist blended with the sky, shielding her from any of the Skinwalkers that might look up. They might still be able to sense her, but at least they wouldn't be able to imdiately see her when looking up.
'I'm almost there,' Jet communicated through the mory.
Noble wondered how the Saint was using The Other's Voice without a physical body. It didn't matter as long as it worked.
'Can you sense them?'
After searching her imdiate vicinity for danger, Noble closed her eyes and let her emotional sense expand. Unlike before, when her senses were overwheld, she blocked out all the hate and looked for anything that contrasted with that emotion.
Like a focused beam, she sent her detection in a single direction, lowering her essence consumption and the amount of noise.
It took a mont but Noble finally nodded.
'I found two emotional signatures. They are huddled together underground below where you are hovering. I've never t the mayor before, but since we haven't gotten a call from anyone else, I believe it is them.'
'They aren't vessels, then?' Jet asked.
Noble checked a second ti. The two people were very close together in the center of a building and terrified. Noble couldn't drain her essence too much. She released her hold on the emotional beam.
'Unless the Skinwalker has found a way to mask itself completely, they are still human.' The professor confird.
'Then we did the right thing by coming here. Thank you for helping get them out.' Even through her thoughts, Noble could feel the Saint's relief.
'Good luck,' Noble lowered the mist slowly until she could no longer see.
'I've got it from here. Release!'
Noble relinquished her hold on the Saint.
'I'm in place. Now hurry!'
'I will.' Noble dismissed the mory behind her ear.
At the distance she was traveling, it wouldn't be any good anyway.
Noble retraced her steps, working to avoid the man cutting his grass as she skirted around the boundary. Her mind was still trying to process what she was seeing. Nightmare Creatures were acting like humans!
Why?
No answer that Noble could co up with was sufficient. And the few that made the most sense chilled her to her core.
Noble hadn't used her Bread Crumbs when leaving Chip and Coy, but she hadn't needed to. All she needed to do was find the boundary until she reached the park again.
It sounded simple enough.
But Noble still needed to check to make sure the n were safe and sound. As soon as she thought the n were in range, she felt for them.
To conserve her essence, she sent a pulse of her perception in every direction looking only for Chip and Coy's emotions.
They were fine. However, sothing else was not fine. Noble froze.
Her eyes opened wide.
'I have to go back!'
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