Luminary Institute

97: A Whirlwind Reformation

Each of Celeste’s footsteps, no matter how hard she tried, created a slight sound as she set her heel down. Having combat-rated boots with a harder sole just made walking across metal floors near impossible. To her, the sound seemed like bombs exploding, and the worry alone made her hands quiver as a never ending geyser of sweat drenched her palms—no matter how many times she wiped her hands against her combat outfit. 

Under the artificial lighting of the metal box of a gymnasium, though, she managed to ease herself closer than any of their previous attempts. At some points, Nyssa had twitched, sending Celeste’s five guards into battle positions, but not a single attack came flying outward. 

Albion, for one, bit back the urge to comment on this fact to Titus, shaking his head to refocus on the task at hand. He chanted a mantra in his mind, repeating it from the top every time he reached the end. 

A second of delay could mean the difference between a safe distraction and an injury. Just remember the time that you injured mom, Albion. C’mon. A second of delay... 

“She’s close,” Titus murmured aloud, echoing everyone’s thoughts as he used the words to stay focused. “She’s just a few steps away from getting within touching distance.” 

“Yeah...” Conrad crouched down a little more. He, along with everyone else, held their breaths as they watched Celeste take the final few steps. 

One. 

... Two. 

... ... Three. 

“Nyssa...” Celeste reached out, touching the surface of the transforming sphere. She leaned in closer, her voice shaking a little as the reality of Nyssa’s situation registered in her mind. Her next words came out as a whisper, quiet enough for only her and Nyssa to hear. “Come on, wake up will you? I... I... don’t know, I miss seeing you. I don’t know what to say...” 

Nyssa doesn’t feel like flesh. 

That thought dominated Celeste’s mind as she ran her hand over the surface of the ever transforming sphere. It felt more like a river of sand. It felt possible, trivial even, to plunge her hand inward if she wanted—of course, with whatever risk it might’ve brought. 

Can she... hear me? n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Celeste opened mouth once more, but before she could speak, the outermost layer of Nyssa’s sphere began dissipating into the air. It formed a whirlwind of particulates in the center of the room as it began peeling itself like an onion. No wind could be felt in the room; yet it whirled around fading out of existence and blending into the air as it spread further from Nyssa. 

“Do we... should we... do something?” Electra’s hands twitched as Celeste’s figure became obscured in the whirlwind. “Should we extract her?” 

“It’s fine, Angelica left this to us because apparently, even in the past, Nyssa’s episodes of losing control aren’t particularly dangerous to the people around her,” Ryker fingered the knobs on their radio as he spoke. “I mean this one wasn’t particularly bad either, we just needed to send someone she trusted.” 

“But... I guess, I trust Angelica’s judgement,” Electra’s eyebrows unfurrowed as the whirlwind began to change colors: from the fleshy, dirty brown color to a shimmery, iridescent palate covering the entire color spectrum. “Yeah...” 

As for Celeste, she basked in the whirlwind. Her gaze wandered just a little further upward and she spread her arms out, palms facing upward. The wind felt warm, but not hot, against her face as the particulate created a gentle embrace, causing neither pain nor a ticklish sensation. 

It’s refreshing. 

And isn’t that Nyssa?

A black silhouette began taking shape in the center of the whirlwind. Floating midair, it took shape from the head first. Parts of the sphere, after now dissipating to its last small bits, formed the shadow of Nyssa instead of turning to particulate. 

Reaching out, Celeste frowned after she couldn’t reach. It looks like its so close though... She flexed her calves and floated off the ground, inching closer as she kept her arm extended. Her hand, then, passed straight through Nyssa without an ounce of resistance, like swiping a hand through a shadow. 

Huh. Huh? Huh... Okay, let’s not touch... I don’t want to mess up whatever this formation process is. 

After floating back down to the ground, she took a few steps forward and extended her arms. Checking her position a few times by glancing up and down, she positioned herself right below Nyssa and anchored herself in place. Now in the center of the whirlwind, she glued her gaze to the ongoing formation. 

Particles came in from the whirlwind, helping to fill out the last bits of Nyssa’s figure. They helped finish her arms and her legs, and, once a couple minutes had gone by, the shadowy cover began flaking off of Nyssa. 

While the shadowy cover disappeared, giving Nyssa her corporeal form back, her clothes began reappearing. Still in tatters from the fight, they shimmered back into existence from the necklace still around her neck. 

“Oh... uh... hmm,” Celeste murmured aloud to herself as she noticed the sorry state of Nyssa’s clothes. Rips, holes, burn marks, dirty streaks, and creases, it had it all. With a smooth pulling motion followed by a few shrugs, she unzipped and took off the outer layer of her own battle suit. Tossing it on the ground to retrieve later, she floated upward, preparing as the last few shadowy flakes came flying off. 

“Uomph, gotcha,” Celeste sighed in relief as she scooped up Nyssa out of the air. The moment she made contact though, she froze up as a couple of groans slipped out of Nyssa’s mouth. Pausing in the air, she adjusted her carrying position. “Everything okay?”

Some inaudible groans left her mouth before Nyssa shifted and clung onto Celeste, looping her arms around Celeste’s neck. 

Celeste, breaking into a small smile as her shoulders lightened, hugged Nyssa close. Carrying her girlfriend in a princess carry, she came back to the ground, laid her on the floor, and covered her up with the outer layer from earlier. 

At the same time, the whirlwind stopped and most of the shimmering particles disappeared, with the last few floating back down to the ground like glitter after the firing of fireworks in someone’s backyard for new year’s. 

“You all can come now,” Celeste called out to the rest of the group as they relaxed and stood up from their battle positions. “Everything’s fine, it was just a bit of a trippy experience.” 

“How is she doing?” Electra asked as the first to arrive after appearing beside Celeste in a flash of lightning, a movement so fast it seemed near instantaneous. 

“I think she’s fine, she’s just asleep, probably very deeply. The common symptom after losing control of your powers,” Celeste relayed while crouching down to brush Nyssa’s white hair out of her face. “She did acknowledge me earlier so I think she’ll wake up fine.” 

“Good, good,” Electra put her hands on her waist as the others arrived, asking the same exact question. 

Chuckling, Celeste stood back up. “I think she’s fine, she’s just asleep...”