It's chest rises and falls with laboured and raspy gasps for air, even though it's eyes are obscured by black, I can still feel the things sight burning a hole into my chest, the cold wood pressing against my back, the chill gushing through my cloak. The door buckles as I continue to shove my back against it, squeaking but still unyielding, my shuddering breaths visible in the cold air.

It feels as if we're stuck staring at each other for ages, each muscle in my body tense with the urge to get the fuck away from it, but each passing second in front of the thingdulls that urge and the thundering of the heart in my chest, even though it's just slightly. The flicker of shadows that shoot off of its body is the only movement that comes from the thing, the fingers of its more human looking arm twitching with flexing claws, hunched over and almost prepared to lunge. And yet, it doesn't move a step, choosing instead to stare and stare at me. It's hard to tear my eyes away from the grin that stains its shadowy visage, and blinking doesn't seem to do me any good with shielding my eyes from it.

Why isn't it running me down just yet, though? I'd have thought that it would've tried to run me down, it certainly looks like it's on the verge of it after all. It's just, waiting, very very reluctantly from the looks of it, but it's doing just that. It's hard to fight the urge to get the fuck out of here, to run my ass through the city to try to lose this thing, but I try my best to stay still regardless of how my mind screeches at me. It's, god, it's odd to see this thing restrain itself so much, because I know what it wants, but if staying put keeps it off of my ass then so be it. It wouldn't be the first time that something's going in my favour for some reason, but if giving me more time to think then I'll use what chance I have.

I tentatively shove my back against the wooden doors to the church once, rummaging through the thoughts in my mind as the familiar sounding shuddering echoes in my ears, or at least, whatever can get through the sound of the beasts raspy breaths. It sounds like fingernails on fucking chalkboards, eaugh. I still don't know why these doors remain shut, because having somewhere to run off to would be really fucking useful right about now, assuming it doesn't follow me in there.

...hm, maybe the church is special in some regard then? It looks as if it has avoided the ruination that plagues the rest of this little nightmare, and that monster over there seems less than pleased to be stuck there. Perhaps this little place is considered 'special' enough to be left alone? I have no idea beyond that though. My eyes flick downwards to look over the rest of its body, its feet dig and scratch at the stone underneath while the shadowy wisps that flicker off of its body flares up every so often, I don't expect it to be that good at stifling its own anger.

My sight travels up to its grin and obscured face once more, there's an odd allure to the sight of it that terrifies me, and yet tearing away from it is a struggle. The more I stare at it and the chasm where it's face should be, the colder my chest feels, and the more the vision on the edges of my sight blurs. My sense of control over my body wavers for a moment, my eyelids drooping ever so slightly.

I don't understand the feeling that stirs in my chest, it's a strange concoction of frustration, loathing and apprehension and fucking anger, feelings that I'm sure aren't mine. Or, or is it mine? I don't know, but ghk- it fucking hurts!

These feelings, all of this is coming from that thing, isn't it? It's clouding my mind, trying to snake into my head, I won't let it! I shake my head to free myself from those thoughts and force my eyelids open, staring at it with a furrowed brow and a glare. The monster rolls its bladed arm back as its grin seems to widen even further, the shadows that wash over its body pulsating for a moment. It doesn't seem as aggravated right now, but the feeling in my gut says that'll change real fucking soon. To think that such feelings could come from that is a surprise and nothing more. I can still feel the heat of it writhing in my chest, even as I try to push it down.

I know what it wants, though, though I guess it should've been obvious by this point.

"I'm not going to lose to you." I call out to the beast wish a half hushed whisper, my throat constricting around the words as they leave my lips. I can barely believe my own words, and the thing doesn't seem to fall for it either, bringing its fleshy blade upwards, jabbing the tip of it towards my chest. It seems to be more excited than anything. I can feel sweat bead on my forehead as my fingers try to dig into the wooden door behind me, grasping for nothing in return.

If it has control over this little nightmare, then surely beating it would let me pass through this door, right? But how the fuck am I meant to do that? I don't have my sword to protect myself, and I don't think I have anyone else to back me up.

I'm alone with nothing but whatever magic I have left and my wits. Assuming either could help me in this situation.

So I'm pretty much fucked then, that's absolutely fantastic. A mirthless chuckle escapes my lips before I sigh, tearing my eyes away from the beast and looking to the sky above, the back of my skull thudding against wood. The dark of the sky almost, almost feels real enough to bring some sense to bring some comfort to my heart. If there was any stars in it, I'd almost consider it to be a real night sky, even if I know it's just a mockery of what I've seen before

Here's hoping that I can have the privilege of seeing that once again, among other things. I take in a deep breath and hold it for a moment, letting it flow from my throat with a sigh, looking down from the sky above and towards the beast, pushing myself off of the door. I stumble forth for a moment before standing upright, my lips dipping into a frown as a grim feeling stirs in my chest. A rush of noise brings my attention from the beast for a second, twisting my neck to look behind me.

A wall of inky darkness creeps up the wooden doors and blocks the pathway entirely, its skin bubbling as bulbs of it pops, shadowy wisps dissipating into the air. An almost hostile chill radiates from the wall, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. That really wasn't necessary, but thanks for driving it home I guess. Another soft sigh escapes my lips before turning back to the beast, the hand in my cloak pocket gripping the crystal within before yanking it out. It seems more than happy to get what it's wanted, the tip of its blade scratching into the stone below.

Fine, you want to fight? Let's get right into it then. It almost seems to hear my thoughts, letting out a ghastly sounding roar that tears at my eardrums before lunging forward, the tip of it's blade grinding against the ground, sparks flickering upwards from it. That grin still stains its face and my mind, an almost eager murderous thing. I guess I should've expected as much

I stomach the nerves that squirm in my gut as best I can, even as the rampaging monster lunges closer and closer still, the sound of a guttural growl that comes from the thing makes me hesitate for a moment before it leaps into the air, my eyes widening ever so slightly with its fleshy blade raised high. I shake off the shock that takes hold of me before diving out of the way, rolling onto two feet, stumbling as the ground rumbles beneath me, dirt and stone kicking upwards from the impact.

Holy shit, such strength, how the fuck am I meant to fight this thing!? I tear myself from my thoughts and yelp, backing away from the blade that cuts through the air, the tip of it almost brushing against my nose. It lets out a screech before viciously lunging into me, I barely manage to side step the stab, the flat of it brushing against my side as I take a step forward, swinging at the bastards overgrown grin.

It feels as if I'm punching solid rock, pain emanating and rushing through the nerves of my hand, but its head is thrown back from the force, stumbling backwards as its shrill sounding growl fills the air. The edges of my lips twitch upwards at the sight, strong or not, it can feel pain, even without a weapon!

I just need to not get hit by the thing unless I want to be turned into mince meat. I just have to keep mashing its face in until it disappears, and I have a good right swing if nothing else. I'm good at this, aren't I?

It recovers after a moment, stepping into me with a sidelong swing towards my skull. I duck under it, though I can feel the rushing of the wind that whips around it, just above the tips of my ears. It's always so close, but it's just that little bit off, if it was just a bit less wild.

I step into the beast once again, driving my fist into where its gut ought to be, a choking noise filling the air alongside the snarling as it hunches over. I ignore the pain that surges through and up my arm as best I can while dragging it away, swinging into its face once more. A hiss escapes my lips, ducking and backing away from the monster, dodging another swing as it thrashes its sword arm around wildly, its free hand covering its face while it backs away.

I tend to the throbbing pain in my hand, massaging it with what little time I have while it recovers, even if it's a tad awkward with the crystal that my hand still clings to. I grit my teeth and brush off the pain, however little it may help, looking up to face the monster. Its since stopped its thrashing, still hunched over and taking in raspy sounding breaths, dropping its more human arm and returning my stare.

The grin that stains its face doesn't seem nearly as wide anymore. I glare at it with a furrowed brow, rollings my shoulder back as I flex my hand. The pain lingers, but it's manageable.

I'm glad that I wiped that grin off of your face you little bastard, I've faced you once, I'll fucking do it again. That certainly seems to set it off, its demonic growling filling the air once again, its shadowy cloak flickering behind it as it rushes forward. I step back to avoid its slash, and then again, and again. It forces itself forward with a wild abandon, acting like a fucking wild animal with no sense of self preservation.

I can't keep this up, the more that it forces me back, the less time I have to catch my breath before being forced to dip away again. I'd love to mash my fist into its face, but it's seemed to have learned that lesson at least if nothing else, each wild swing followed up with an inhuman twisting of its arm to keep up the pressure. I can't get close without being touched.

I purse my lips together and rummage through my brain for an idea, even if it's a pain in the ass to both think and not be run through. A heated huff escapes my lips as I duck and shuffle away from another swing to my skull, the sound of blood rushing around with the beating of my heart filling my ears, even above the ravenous growling of the best. For fucks sake, does this thing not run out of energy? If it wont give me an opening, then I have to force it. But how-

My eyes widen as an idea snaps into place in my skull, it bounces around in my mind, even as I throw myself backwards to dodge a stab, the tip of the blade narrowly missing my chest. If it wont give me an opening, I'll force it to give me one. Magic would work on it, right?

It's hard to concentrate and build up to the connection to the mana crystal while dipping out of the way of the beast, chest heaving and gasping for whatever air that can fill my lips. I can feel the magic that I've coaxed out of the crystal swallowing my hand, the icy chill of it filling my veins. Sweat beads on my forehead as I stand upright, pausing for a moment, the beast's arm rising upwards.

I hope this works.

I raise my hand to my chest as it brings itself down, grasping at its fleshy blade and flinching from the contact. Even through magic, it feels as revolting as it looks, I can feel my skin crawling from that alone. Time seems to slow as I look over the beast, it doesn't seem to have noticed my grasp, or if he did, he certainly doesn't seem to care about it, its inhuman grin stretched across its face. I concentrate on that my grasp, no matter how much I loathe the feeling, dragging it downwards and into the stone.

A strange mix of confused choking and growling fills the air as its arm drives itself into the stone, digging deep into it. Sweat drips from my forehead as I stare down to the beast, a sense of brief elation brushing over my heart. Holy shit, that actually worked! So it can be affected by magic, I thought it'd be unaffected by it. My control over its arm slips for a moment, the beast letting out a savage roar as it drags itself forward, its arm twisting and cracking before tearing itself through the earth.

I raise my hand to shield my eyes from the dust and rocks kicked up from it, leaping away as its arm tears through the dust that lingers in front of me. Something stirs in the dark depths of its cloaks head, that burning sensation returning with a vengeance, digging into my chest. Gods, that took a lot of energy out of me, I don't think I can do that much, or hold it for very long. Maybe I could just give it a few nudges to push it off balance, to make my moment?

The animal grows before darting forward, shoving its blade towards me with a wild swing. I step back from it before throwing a magical push into the back of its sword, the tip of it scratching into the stone floor, its body twisting unnaturally to seemingly accommodate for it. It still stumbles forth despite that with an almost desperate determination, its arm snapping and cracking as it forces the blade to face me, swinging upwards. I duck under the blade before forcing a pulse of magic upwards, the flesh singing through the air.

My lips twist up into a feral feeling grin, pride surging through my veins with a swing of my own, my fist barreling through its demented and awful grin, its teeth folding in on itself. I shove my fist down its fucking throat, the cold sludge of its insides vibrating and squirming while it surrounds my arm, the monsters gurgling echoing in the air. The memory of teeth flashes in my mind, cold fear gripping my heart.

I wriggle my arm inside the monster, a rising heart in my chest snuffing out the cold as I furrow my brow. This won't be like last time. The monster's bladed arm twitches for a moment before I sink my spare fist into its side, my crystal digging into my hand while I grip and drag it into me, driving my knee into its inhuman guts.

This is all you are, aren't you? Just a monster of shadow with barely a thought in your mind with no sense of self preservation, you rely on my mind to keep you alive, don't you? Black blood gurgles out of the side of its mouth along with the remnants of a determined growl, though it doesn't make any movements beyond that, though I can still feel its glare burning into my neck. The feeling of loathing and hate inside it still burns strong, if nothing else.

You're still in the way, and you know that, don't you? Blood gushes with its gurgling, rushing out of its throat as I beat my knee into its gut, again, and again and again and again. The wrath burns in my chest, blood boiling as I mash my fist into its insides.

Stupid stupid fucking thing, I hate you, I hate you, just fucking die you worm! I can feel the black blood feels like sludge as it sticks to my chest, dripping down to the earth, I can feel it pooling around my paws and ankles. But I don't care about the mess, I just want this fucking monster gone. I drag my arm out of it, the monster falling to its knees with its arms limply laying against its sides, the thick sludge that cakes my arm dripping off of it in clumps, hand still curled into a fist as I rear my shoulder back.

"Die!" I screech, the sound of rushing blood filling my ears as I drive my fist into its face. Time seems to slow as it barrels into the darkness, the monsters head exploding from the impact, black blood splattering against the stone behind it, its corpse melding into an amorphous blob that splays out in front of me.

Sweat drips down my forehead, obscuring already blurred vision as I hold a hand to my heaving chest, taking in deep gasps of air to sedate the burning in my lungs, a dull throbbing headache echoing in the back of my head. The glob of darkness doesn't move, nor does the blood that it curls around, laying motionless against grey stone.

I, hah, is that it? Did, did I actually beat it? Is it over? A little sigh of delight escapes my lips despite my best efforts, along with a gentle laugh, wiping the back of my hand against my forehead, the grip on the crystal that digs into my skin lessening in its intensity. I did it, holy shit, I won, how long has it been since I won a fight?

Fuck, what do I do now? Does that mean that the church is open, can I go free? And why…

Why does my chest still burn? The fights over, it's all done, I don't need or want this wrath anymore, so why does it feel as if my blood's still boiling from the heat alone, it itches just below the surface of my skin and I can't scratch it away no matter how hard I scratch. The blur that creeps into my vision intensifies along with the throbbing in my skull, groaning softly as I kneed my temple with a hand, my legs suddenly trembling. I try to stand upright, but the pain, the heat, god it fucking hurts. I drop to my knees, the stone feels awfully warm beneath me, or is that just me?

My throat constricts, my breathing turning to a raspy gasping for air, the edges of my vision turning black. Why is this happening, what's going on, who…?

I can't feel my legs, I can't feel anything, and it's draining to keep my eyes open, even to look down to myself. Black sludge clings to my body, pulsating like the beating of a heart, slowly trailing upwards from my legs to my stomach. Even the bits that still cling to my arm seems to grow alongside it, fists still curled into an icy ball. I, what's going on? I'm, I'm so confused, so tired…

Something bubbles in front of me, slowly rising from this pool of filth, morphing and bubbling while it contorts and grows, absorbing the blood and sludge that surrounds me. It edges forward before crumbling in on itself, as if kneeling in front of me.

It morphs into a line of teeth, one that twists upwards into a cruel grin. My heart stutters as my eyelids flicker open, going wide as I stare back to the thing. That, heh, it got me, you wanted all this to happen, didn't you? To squirm and make your way inside my head.

The things grin only seems to widen, a shuddering breath leaving my lips as the sludge constricts around me, sapping the hot rage that runs through my veins. It's a slow process, and I think that's because it wants all this to be slow, my breaths shortening with each passing moment.

Even through all this, it still stares, a triumphant and cruel grin staining its face. I feel cold, so, so damn cold, ice running through my veins instead of that disturbing heat. Heh, I can't believe it, it actually got to me in the end, and now... My eyelids flutter, black creeping from the edges to the center of my vision, my eyelids finally dropping, though I can still see its grin even in the dark.

It'll take and take and take, right up until there's nothing left, like a fucking leech. It feels like there's nothing to do, I can't feel my limbs, I can't open my eyes, I just, I can't do anything.

And yet, even through all this shit, something lingers. I can't explain it, but it writhes inside in the depths of my chest, the pulses that it lets out is a feeble but determined thing despite it all. The last embers of warmth flutters throughout my chest, tingling just below the surface of my flesh and spreading throughout, soothing the chill that clings to my bone.

A faint gold flutters in my vision alongside the smell of dirt, wiping away the grin that stains the dark.

My eyelids flicker open along with the flare of magic, that familiar chill gripping my arm is far warmer than what the monsters infested me with, washing it away while I stare up to the thing. Its grin falters before disappearing entirely, my magic consumed fist sinking into its gut, still building inside the thing.

"Fuck you." I whisper before forcing the building magic out of me, the magical blast tinting my vision a deep blue before I squeeze them shut. The ringing in my ears feels overwhelming, but it fades away quick enough, silence taking its place.

I slowly crack my eyes open, staring up at the monster, its once victorious grin flipped on its head into a pained grimace, the hole in its gut seeping black blood while blue magic wisps around in its insides. It lets out a feeble sounding whine before dissipating into wisps of darkness, the monster dropping to its knees before fading entirely. The sludge that weighs on me following suit soon after.

The only thing left are the blue wisps that wriggle in the air in front of me, almost joyously before disappearing entirely.

It's, that's it then, right? No extra tricks up its sleeves, that was its final gasp, for now at least. I won, right?

So why does this victory feel so… hollow? So meaningless? Why do I still feel so empty? I thought that beating the monster would push all this away, so why doesn't it fucking work? And why did that fight seem so so familiar? Such a brutish way of fighting, is that how I fight, or is that just a gross perversion of it, as is the rest of this place? I let out a soft sigh and relax my body, my cheek planting onto the stone below. It feels cold, but at least it's something rather than nothing. God I'm tired, and I can barely hear my thoughts over the throbbing in my skull

I can feel that golden spark return though, nudging and nestling its way into my chest, it's unnatural warm thrumming spreading out underneath my skin. It rubs away the lingering pain and echoing emptiness, dampening the feeling somewhat. I can feel it urging me onwards, even through the wish to rest. Determined little thing, huh? Hope you don't think that I'm gonna lay here, I'm just tired is all.

It throbs and writhes inside my chest, sighing softly, the side of my lips twitching upwards. Alright, alright, I'll get going.

I wince as I push myself up, forcing it through shaking limbs, the throbbing pain that surges through them is only dulled by the light. It's a slow going trudge to stand upright, but I finally manage it, even if it feels like someone's strapped steel onto my limbs. Drooping eyelids still threaten to close in on me.

God, I'm so tired, I used a lot of fucking magic for that, didn't I? I look down to my hand, slowly forcing my shaking fingers to crack open, checking over the crystal inside. The blue light inside looks dim, not even a flicker of its power's left. Shit, I guess I used the rest of what's left in it then, I don't even think that I could fight with it, given how I am now.

I hope that this doesn't affect the crystal outside my head too. Part of me wants to throw this little thing away, but… I shake my head and place the thing into a pocket. I might as well keep it around as a memento of comfort if nothing else. I turn and hobble over to the church, that wall of darkness seems to have dissipated at least, the wooden doors remaining. I stop for a moment and look upwards, lips pursed into a thin line. I sure as fuck hope that I'm allowed in now.

I press a hand against it and push it open, the doors hinges screeching as I force my way inside, at least it's let me through now. Wooden pews neatly lined into rows atop the marble floor, moonlight shining in through the stained glass windows and illuminating the room. The altar at the end of the room has a single stand atop it, one made of wood. This place is as pristine looking as I can remember, but, why is it like this? Is this little palace really just, exempt from being affected by anything, is it that special to me, or…?

Gods, I wish I had the mental capacity to try to think, but I feel so fucking drained, and the headache that wrecks my skull feels like a bloody hammer's being banged against it. That golden lights soothing can only do so much, and I can already feel its strength waning. I let out a huff of air through my nose as I hobble further into the hall, my claws clicking against marble, hands brushing against the pristine wooden pews. A part of me wants to take a seat for a moment, just to recollect my thoughts, but I don't think that'd do me well just yet.

Just a little bit closer, that's all I need. I reach the altar, taking a sharp left and brushing against the stage, leaning on it as it guides me closer towards that door. I gasp for breath as the muscles in my legs burn, shaky hand clutching and gripping the door knob and twisting it open, almost falling into the room.

The world around me seems to twist and morph as I continue to step through the room, books and scrolls haphazardly placed atop bookshelves surround me, hazy wisps morphing into an oh so familiar desk, a singular chair placed in front of it. I grip the top rail of the chair and twist it, dropping myself atop the bare wood. It's just wood, but elicits a fucking pleasuarable feeling to just relax against it, the screaming in my legs slowly dulling down to a throb.

"I can't say this is quite how I expected to meet you again, Zeke." A familiar voice echoes in my ears, cold and aloof, the mist in front of me twisting into a human shape. Cold blue eyes pierce through the darkness before the rest of her finishes, the expression a seemingly unfeeling one. "A surprise to be sure."

"This place is full of surprises." I mutter with a clipped sounding tone, frustration stirring in my chest before quickly dying down.

"I suppose you've questions, then?"

"Some, and I imagine you already know a couple of them."

"Maybe, maybe not, you'll never know if you don't ask." I know it's just how she works, but her aloof nature is both off putting in some parts, and almost entertaining in others. It's strange.

"What the hells going on here? I know I haven't been around here in a bit, but that's because I just kind of appear here instead, so why…?" She pauses for a moment, an unreadable face staring at me, with not even a flicker of emotion crossing her eyes.

"While this little hole in a church is stable, the same can not be said for anywhere else. A place made from memories is rather unstable indeed, memories can be fractured and lost, sometimes they merge with others. A memory isn't always a perfect recreation of what happened in reality, and one's mind can improperly fill in the gaps. Your memory is… corrupted, such a word is an apt enough term given the strangeness of this situation. Part of you rebels against yourself, for what reason might never be known, or maybe it will be given enough time, the future of anyone is never certain. But you already knew this, didn't you Zeke?" She explains with that clear voice of hers, hands clasped together and unmoving.

"Yeah, I had an inkling but nothing more." I say with a sigh and a nod, hunching over the table, drumming my fingers against it. "You just seem to know a few things yourself is all, so I thought I'd ask."

"I only truly know what you know, Zeke, I can not bring to light things that are outside of your knowledge. I may only provide potential reasoning and nothing more, though sometimes it's best for you to figure things out yourself, although even that includes your other."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Do you really think you would've believed me if I blatantly told you about your feelings towards the child?" She retorts, my lips pressing into a thin line as I hum. Fuck.

"Well, you got me there."

"You've more questions, now is the time to ask."

"Why is this church exempt from all this? Why is it important to me?"

"I do not know, just that it is. Perhaps you were religious in your past life, or a place like this is held so dear to your heart that you remember despite it all. You've many more questions to ask, but there's one that reigns supreme." A shiver runs up my spine as she continues to stare. It feels like she can see through me, she probably can honestly, that wouldn't surprise me.

"Why- why am I like this? What happened? I thought that I was over that little fight and yet…" I trail off and shake off the thoughts that cloud my head as best as I can, but I can still feel it linger. She's silent for a while, as if just, letting me relax for a moment, slowing my breathing down to relax, the racing thoughts settling soon after.

"You're a stubborn man, Zeke, if you believed that you've moved past it, then you'd act until you're shown otherwise. And you were shown, thankfully in a situation where it needn't end in disaster. You recognised a problem within yourself, and you've decided to make an attempt to fix it, however bull headed it may be." For some reason, hearing that from her makes me let out a snort of laughter, the edges of my lips twisting upwards. I'm not sure why it's funny, but I'll take the brief respite. "Level heads don't always prevail, though you should be thankful for the advice given by your friend."

"I am, I really am, I think he's a good man at heart. Would you have told me if I asked?"

"Would you have believed me?" I snort again, almost immediately, and she seems to take that as a good enough response "Precisely."

I sigh to myself and rub a palm against my temple. Fair enough, it sounds like something I'd have done.

"Why does this little nightmare seem so lenient with me? It seems like it wants me dead and it very damn nearly succeeded, but if it has so much control over this place, why doesn't it put me into a situation where failure's the only option?"

"Unsure, perhaps it's taken your challenge seriously, and wishes for you to try and fail on your own terms. Perhaps its control isn't so complete that it can force it to happen, though I imagine that it would become stronger. Perhaps you diving so deep into your own incomplete memory to bring to light what should remain forgotten is the reasoning for its strength, and continuing your ventures would continue to feed into its strength." She continues to explain, cold as clear and cold as ice. I nod along with her, humming to myself. I still want to keep trying to remember things, especially now that I can force more specific memories to return to me. I'll deal with the consequences as they come, I can do it. I think, I think I might wanna go back soon, I've gotten something here at least, and I sure as fuck hope I'm not forgetting anything.

Hey, wait a minute!

"Oh! I nearly forgot." I exclaim with the snap of my fingers. The cold woman's eyes lightens for a moment, an eyebrow of hers raising upwards, ever so slightly. "Do you think you could bring in the little buddy for a second? I wanna, well, thank them I guess."

My lips curl into an awkward smile as I rub the back of my neck, the woman's cold stare still lingering on my face. It takes a bit, but she gives me a short, curt nod of the head before closing her eyes shut.

"Give it a moment, it shouldn't be too lon-" An excitable chiming cuts the woman off, although she doesnt show much emotion from it, a small orb of light brushing against the side of her face before shoving its way into my chest.

"Hey little buddy!" Warmth fills my heart as its glow surrounds me, the sound of its chiming sounding like music to my ears. "I missed you, you know that?"

I'm not sure why I feel such a connection to the thing, but its presence is always so warming, and if it thinks I'm doing a good job, then who am I to judge? as is the affirming chime that it gives off. It gives off an affirming chiming before nudging into my cheek, dancing around my face and twirling upwards, brushing against my ears before finally coming to rest, floating in front of me.

"It's nice to see you little buddy." I brush my finger on the top of it before pressing down, massaging the glass. It feels odd, but it seems to like it anyways. "Thank you for your help, I don't think I would've made it without it."

It's chiming pauses for a second before it pulls away, twisting to the side as the light inside flickers. It seems, confused I think? That's the feeling I'm getting from it, why would it be confused?

"You uh, you helped me while I was just outside of the church?" I half ask, tilting my head to the side. It shudders for a moment before shaking from side to side. "No? Then who wa- ah, alright then."

Comforting warmth flares up in my chest, lips twisting into a smile as that lovely warm feeling spreads. It's not the same warmth that comes from the little buddy, it's just as genuine, but it's less magical, more emotional.

I guess I'll have to thank her when I wake up then, huh? The little buddy nudges into my chest, its light flickering before tapping itself against my nose. It's a cute little sign, one that gets a soft laugh out of me. I'd like to imagine that it knows what I'm thinking, and that it's agreeing with me.

"Your next goal seems to lie elsewhere, somewhere outside of this dream." The cold woman pipes up, the orb of light flickering over to her side, floating beside her head.

"Yeah, I think I have all that I want here." I say with a nod, my smile still staining my face. She nods in turn, and maybe it's a trick of the light in my eyes, but I swear I can see the faintest ghost of a smile on her face.

"I'm aware. I pray you the best of luck, Zeke." The orb beside her chimes along with her words, as if agreeing with her, zipping above her head before resting once more. She holds a hand up and swings it to the side, both her and the orb disappearing into dust. The air feels that little bit colder without the orb to brighten the room, but the lovely warmth in my chest more than makes up for it.

I welcome my drooping eyelids with open arms, embracing the sleep that washes over me.

…..

The first thing that catches my attention is the warmth that almost strangles my face, on the verge of being too hot, but just straddling the line of toasty. It takes a good deal of effort to drag myself away from it, though it still lingers on my cheek, forcing my eyes open.

I blink away the sleep that clouds my vision and stare at the form in front of me, the girls face just inches from my own, her hand resting on my cheek. I flick my eyes down to the rest of the bed, blankets teetering on the edge of falling off of the sides, though even then, it looks like bits and parts have been dragged over the both of us.

She did this, didn't she? I must've been tossing and turning in that nightmare, especially towards the end. She must've brought me close and tried to keep me warm.

She…

Gods. A sniffle escapes my throat before I wrap my arms around her, bringing her closer before dragging the blankets atop us. She squirms in her sleep a little but relaxing, small dainty lips curling into a soft smile, one that only widens as I press my lips to her head.

Whatever kindness she thinks I deserve, I will pay back tenfold.

I promise that much.

Authors note: Howdy, that took a bit to come out, huh? I ain't gonna make excuses, I was gonna plan on releasing a chapter every 8 days before coming back down to the regular time, but I got lazy and just didn't do that.

I won't promise that the schedule's gonna be back to normal, but I'm getting back into writing again.

Hope you have a good day, reader.