RECONNECTION

R3

Tora's POV

Watching her as she walked away I couldn't help but wonder what caused that feeling of familiarity. Nothing surprising happened after that, there were a few red level incarnates even fewer supernaturals but a lot of humans. Once it got to my turn I walked up to the mirror wanting to quickly get it all over with. Standing in front of the mirror I was lost in the white smoke-like appearance that it had up close.

"Anytime today"

the professor said. I could clearly hear the impatience that laced his voice. Taking a deep breath I raised my palm and laid it flat on the mirror. Staring at it intently for almost a full minute, nothing happened. I turned to the professor with an inquisitive look. He just raised an eyebrow in reply as he grunted in disgust. Seems someone has a strong dislike for non-incarnates. Already I could hear the murmurs that were beginning to rise.

Feeling the stares of the other students boring holes through me I put removed my hand from the mirror and took a step back. Although I had vowed not to allow this event to deter my future, it was still a bit disappointing. Not like I wasn't used to the feeling already. As I turned to walk away from the mirror a loud reptilian roar emanated from the mirror immediately putting me in attack mode.

Swiftly turning around, I was already in an attack stance with my katana in hand. Watching the mirror intently I began to wonder what was going on.

"Everyone get back. We don't know what's going on yet. BOY! Get away from the mirror right now!"

At the same time, I both heard the professor and didn't hear him. With my gaze still locked on the mirror, I took a step backward.  As if that was what it had been waiting for, the mirror shot out tendrils of black smoke toward me. The darkness from the tendrils seemed to spread both in and out of the mirror.  The entire mirror took on a black hue as more tendrils shot out. All of them moving toward one target. ME.

Immediately after I slashed at the first tendril I realized something was terribly wrong. My blade passed through without any friction. I couldn't cut it. I began to dodge them. With footwork that had become second nature to me, I started avoiding the tendrils. However, they got faster with each passing moment. It almost felt like the darkness was agitated that I wouldn't allow it to touch me. As I dodged a tendril that was aimed at my mid-section, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Immediately I jumped to the side as a huge blast of flames seemingly thick like lava shot past me towards the mirror. The professor had shed his coat and his arms were covered in flames up to his elbows.

"Boy if you don't want to turn into ashes in seconds, you better run".

His flames that were thrown before seemed to have been absorbed by the mirror. He shot another blast at the mirror only for it to be swallowed again. The surprise could be seen clearly on the face of the professor. It took one of greater power to absorb the flames of a dragon.

Getting pissed at the lack of results from his attack, the professor started to gather a ball of flames above his head. Instead of raising his hands he folded them and looked at the mirror as his pupils turned golden. The ball of flame thickened as it started to burn hotter and hotter. So this was the power of a red level incarnate.

Turning to run I stumbled as I felt something latch onto my right leg. Looking down I saw one on the tendrils had latched itself to me and began pulling with a strength that was unbelievable for substance with no mass. With a speed that was faster than I could imagine I was drawn to the mirror. The moment I came in contact with it, all the tendrils that were scattered everywhere wrapped themselves around me.

Struggling was futile, but what made the situation more hopeless was the moment I came in contact with the mirror was the exact moment the professor's fireball was launched. The professor's eyes widened as he realized the gravity of the situation but nothing could be done. However, at the last moment, a pulse emanated from the mirror pushing everyone back and instantly putting out the flames. Darkness was the last thing I saw as I was pulled into the mirror by the tendrils.

The sensation of falling from a great height was all I felt for what seemed like hours. Though it could have been mere moments. Finally feeling myself slamming down on what I assumed to be the ground, I opened my eyes and saw that light was radiating off the white marbled floor I had landed on earlier.

Standing up and looking around I saw something in the distance. It clearly stood out like a speck of dirt on this patch of immaculate purity. Walking towards it I wondered what it was and what was happening currently. I had half a mind to believe that I had gone mad and was hallucinating, and another telling me that my life was about to make a drastic 360-degree turn. As I drew closer, I realized that they look like thrones. Correction, they were thrones.

Quickening my footsteps I hurried to where they were located and saw four stone individuals sitting on the thrones that were also made of the same marble as the floor. They sat in a semi-circle and their eyes seemed to follow my every movement. Looking closely at the statues I was a bit awed at their beauty.

There was a tiger beastman with braids that extended to his waist. The other was a man in a wizard's robe, it was adorned with bones that closely resembled that of humans. The next was a man who looked like a traditional Japanese royal. He was dressed in a white gown and his hair was packed beautifully on both sides of his head. He was adorned with beads and nothing else except for the red cloth tied on his waist, however, he held onto a spear so firmly that I could almost see veins from the hands of the statue.

The last was a Japanese samurai donned in amour and a kabuto helmet. He seemed vaguely familiar.  Instead of seating back on the throne-like the rest, he was leaning forward while holding a sheathed katana in front of him while the wakizashi was still strapped to his waist. I was still wondering where I knew this particular individual from until I heard a voice that startled me saying

"At last we meet incarnate"