Chapter III
Unreal reality
Is it death? Is this empty void really the end of everything? Strange... He would rather have thought of death as a cold black hole where all of what he had ever been would just be... Forgotten? Why is it warm, then? Warm, and soft... He feels safe; safe as he hasn't been for a so long time. He wants to stay here. Forever. But... That light... Why does he feel that he needs to reach it? Reach the light... Reach it...
Wake up!
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'Hey, take it easy, little child. Your wounds aren't fully healed yet, you shouldn't move too much.'
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His eyes can barely be opened, his whole body hurts. All of what he can see is blurred beyond being recognizable. His head is spinning, and he feels sick this previous sensation of comfort suddenly torn off from him. The voice he heard was only a feeble whisper from an unreachable world yet so close, but so far at the same time... A slight tingle runs through all of his members while unconsciousness is calling back for him. It's so tempting... And then, everything goes into darkness again.
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oOo
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Two days. It's the time they waited for him to wake up. Two long days where he lay in the darkness of his mind. Hearing nothing. Feeling nothing. Almost lifeless. It took its toll on him, what had happened. But they didn't know about it. Yet, they took care of him selfless. Two days... Before the light finally came back. Before he finally woke up.
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'Come on, open your eyes. I know you can do it.'
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A voice... It was familiar, even though he couldn't remember where, or when, he heard it before. Her owner was worried, but her presence was reassuring. He really wanted to open his eyes, but it was hard. She took his hand into hers, encouraging him. And, slowly, he awakened.
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'Welcome in the real world, Sleeping Beauty.'
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She was smiling the way a mother would be to her child, but her eyes betrayed the tiredness of having being watching over him for the past two days. She was happy. And so was he. A small blue scarf was tied around her head in a way he thought childish, but nice on her. Then, she put her hand on his forehead.
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'You still have a fever, I will bring you some ice. Just wait a minute.'
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With this last sentence, the woman stood up and went out of the room, leaving the now awaken boy alone. He watched her go, but didn't pronounce a single word. He was alive and, since the last thing he remembered was to fall in a freezing river, it was a miracle. The youngster couldn't believe he didn't drown. Indeed, waking up in a warm bed was the last thing he would have ever thought possible when he lost consciousness. He felt incredibly grateful to this skeleton woman to save him, because he knew she was the only reason of him not being dead…
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Wait, a skeleton?
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… Well, maybe he was dead after all. None of this could be real! How would it have being possible anyway? Waking up in warm bed, not even with a single scratch... Yeah, definitely too good. Having said that, she was pretty nice for a reaper.
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'You're wondering where you are, aren't you?'
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The voice surprised him, but he was happy to hear it again: he would finally know what was going on. He would finally have answers.
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But... Do I want them?
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Maybe...
Maybe I'm just afraid.
Afraid to be dead...
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'Is my appearance disturbing you? Worry not, I wouldn't be offended if it was the case.'
'N-No! That's not it. Y-you looks perfectly fine! I'm just... Just…'
'What's wrong?'
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He couldn't take it anymore! This fear... It was eating away at him! He had to know! But…
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'I don't want to be dead!'
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He broke down.
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'You're not dead, my child.'
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And he cried all the tears of his body. If they were tears of a fear kept inside or tears of an immeasurable happiness? He couldn't tell. They might have been both, but he didn't care. A relief... That was exactly what it was. He was ready. Finally. He was ready to hear his answers.
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'My name is Myriad, and I think I have a lot of things to explain to you. Or, should I say... A myriad of things?'
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oOo
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'So... We're in the Underground?'
'That's it.'
'And... Humans sealed monsters here almost a thousand years ago?'
'With the barrier, yes.'
'And you need seven human souls to break it.'
'I wish there was another way... My husband used to work on this, though, I have no idea if he's still trying.'
'Your... Husband?'
'Oh... Yes, he is the royal scientist.'
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They had already talked for about half an hour, and their conversation kept going. The human boy was eager to learn always more about monsters, magic, souls... Everything was so fascinating. Myriad related how she found him lying on the shore, almost dead of hypothermia. He was badly injured, and it took her two days to heal him. Even though, he was still weak and it was a miracle that he was alive. The boy wasn't the first one brought by the river, but the others rarely survived and the only one who did disappeared after a week. She told him about the history of monsters and how they ended up trapped underground, prisoners of a magic spell. She told him about their king's resolution after the death of his children. She told him how she abandoned her position as the head of the Royal guard almost nine years ago, only to leave for a self-imposed exile far from New Home after the murder of the first human who fell while she was the captain. She told him everything he had to know...
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'Sans! You're awake!' A young skeleton exclaimed while running into the room.
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… Except a little detail.
Yes, I like anaphora :)
By the way, there will be OCs in this story because I can't avoid them... Though, they will not be important characters (except for Myriad, who will... well... You'll see). Also, I'm sorry for all the puns which will be in this story... Sans is a pun master, not me. Well maybe I am, but not in English then ^^ (let's face it, I didn't get any better with time… Though, my English teacher's face when I told her I knew so many spices for puns was priceless XD )