I stared at Isaac blankly.
"I don't want that. That means a demon is really sealed inside me. Which side is he from? My father or my Ma?"
"I don't care," Isaac replied, flat on the floor, eyes already drooping. "Just make sure that demon doesn't take over your body, or we're all screwed."
But then he paused, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Then again… is it really a demon, or just an evil spirit?"
I bolted upright. "Oui! Oh no. No. No. No. No. No. Stop your nagging. I have a feeling that once you start, I'm gonna hear it for the rest of my life."
Isaac tsked, then finally closed his eyes. "Fine."
"Oui..." I collapsed next to Rona. She hugged me tight and muttered, "No worry. I'll punch the daylight out of you if something like that happens."
I crept a few inches away. "That's... so reassuring."
I turned my back to her and sighed, thoughts spiraling.
Lyndall can't be the demon child, right? The story's too close, but... Ugh! No more thinking. I'll just ask Lyndall myself. That's better than spiraling into paranoia.
I shut my eyes and let the darkness come.
Seconds later, I opened them.
And Lyndall was there, staring at me with those round, unblinking eyes.
Not this soon. I shut them again, pretending to sleep. Maybe he'd vanish if I just—
WHACK.
"Ow!" I clutched my face. "What was that for!?"
"You're a fool, aren't you?" Lyndall glared, voice sharp and cold. "You already know I'm a demon, yet you still slept like there's nothing wrong? How dare you insult me! You Git!"
I blinked. "You're really a demon? That demon from the story?"
"Of course I am. Do you fear me now, child?" His eyes glowed red, power humming behind them like a silent storm.
But I ignored the aura and raised an eyebrow.
"Oui? I'm a git? I didn't know I'm a game currency."
Lyndall paused. "Game currency? Git means fool! What is your brain made of—no, wait. Don't answer. I don't even want to know."
I rolled my eyes. "So what now? You gonna take over me? Break the seal? Go full world-destroyer?"
Lyndall scowled. "That was the plan. But seeing how I'd have to control a twit, my brain might poof off before I even get that far."
"You and Isaac are two peas in a pot. Always insulting people. Sourpuss." I pouted.
"Enough talking. Go talk to your Master already." He snapped his fingers, and the world dissolved like smoke from a burning page.
Zzzt.
Zzzt.
The next place was pitch black—but not silent. The air crackled with an electric hum, a thousand insects buzzing in my ears. My hands flew to cover them. "Hey! Have you ever heard of noise pollution!? It's killing my ears!"
Click.
The lights blinked on. Exposed wires dangled from the ceiling like metal vipers, some alive and dancing with current. Others lay coiled along the ground, twitching like restless snakes.
A wire whipped down from above.
Zap!
"Whoa!" I jerked to the side just in time, hair standing on end.
"Oui…That would've fried me..."
"That would have, imp."
The voice cut through the static like a blade. Gruff. Familiar.
I turned around—and flinched. "Master! Don't scare me like that. I almost died from shock!"
"Hmph! These days, kids are fragile. Back pain, muscle pain, heart pain, mental pain... pain this, pain that. Tsk, tsk!" He casually walked through the sparking chaos and plopped onto the ground. "Now come here, imp. Tell me your story. This Master of yours has been dying of boredom."
I scurried over, far away from the electric wires.
"You're lucky, imp. Not every Master waits day and night just to hear a story."
"I'm touched. Truly."
"Alright. Start your tale."
I took a breath, ready to speak—
"WAIT!" Master's face twisted into horror. "Where's my popcorn!?"
"...What popcorn?"
He leaned into my face and screamed, spraying me with spit.
"No popcorn!? How could you listen to a story without popcorn, imp!? That's like asking me to live without a heart! Unthinkable!"
I wiped my face. "Do you think they give popcorn to kidnapped children?"
"Did ya ask?"
"...Why would I? That's common sense."
"So you're saying your Master has no common sense?"
My hands went up in surrender.
"Bah. Whatever." He plopped back down like nothing happened. "Start the story, imp."
Talking to Master takes years off my life.
I sighed, then told him everything—the dungeon, the Ravonsac Wild Boar, the mimic chest, the worms, the shadowy figures, even Looney and Monica Jr. Master listened with glowing eyes.
Once I finished, he grinned wide. "Well, ain't that exciting? Got your heart pumping, ay?"
"You mean stopped. Is that all you got from it?"
"Nah. Also found out my student has shitty luck." He burst out laughing, rolling across the ground.
"...What if I die, Master?"
The laughter stopped.
"Then ya ain't fit to be my student."
"That was fast. Ouch." My chest tightened.
"What? Did the cable zap ya?"
"...Forget it."
"Got questions, imp? Ask away."
"Okay... Master, do you know about Rona's parents?"
"Bah! How would I? I never met that brat."
"But you said you know everything in our first meeting—'If not, I'm a dimwit,' remember? Is Master a dimwit then?" I smirked.
His eye twitched. "Ugh, ya little—Fine! I'll find out next time. Ask somethin' else."
"Yay! Thanks, Master! So, the third game—"
"Ah, so ya already planned this. Sneaky little fox." He snorted. "Good. Always be three steps ahead of your enemies."
"Yes, Master."
"The third game's something ya suck at. Badly. Once ya see it, ya might just wanna give up."
"...Monsters again?"
"Nope. Only you are bad at it."
"...Wait. Don't tell me it's a maze."
Master clapped. "Bingo. Ya nailed it, imp! Master is proud of ya." He patted my head.
"...It's too late to give up now, right?"
Master grabbed my arms. His eyes sharpened.
"Don't give up, imp."
I waited for words of encouragement.
"If you do, who's gonna tell me stories?"
"...This is about my life, not your entertainment!"
He tilted his head, expression unreadable. "And?"
I massaged my temple. "Oui... I think I'm getting a headache."
"All I can say is, good luck, imp. Ya gonna need it."
I hesitated.
"Master... About my parents—"
He cut me off. "Nope. That'll cost ya, imp. Pay up."
"What?! You're so calculative, Master!"
"Welcome to the adult world. Oh, and one more thing, since ya been a good imp." He leaned close. "If ya go blind… rely on your other senses. Don't waste a sec. Or ya might just see flying heads. Gwakakaka!"
"What does that even mean?"
"You'll get it when you're there. Adios, imp." Master turned and walked into the shadows.
"Wait—Master!" Fog curled around me like smoke from dry ice, creeping in, swallowing him whole.
"Welcome to the adult world, imp. Oh, and before ya go, here's a little tip since ya have been good. Remember, if ya turned blind, rely on your other senses, imp. Don't waste a sec or ya be seeing flying heads. Gwakakaka," Master crackled.
That laugh again. Half-mad, half-serious—and somehow, worse than either.
"What do you mean, Master?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Ya get it when ya there. Adios, imp."
Master stood up and waved lazily, already turning his back.
But something was wrong.
The ground beneath me vibrated slightly. A low, eerie hum buzzed through my feet, rising into my bones.
And then the fog came.
It crept in like spilled ink on white parchment, rolling in silently from every direction.
"Huh? What're all these fogs?" I swiped at it, but my hands sliced through air. The more I waved, the thicker it became.
A cold chill curled around my legs. The temperature dropped. Visibility vanished.
"Master!" I called out.
His silhouette flickered in the distance like a dying flame. I squinted, tried to reach him—
"Be careful, imp. Don't—"
Don't what?
"Master! Don't what!?" I shouted. Panic gripped my chest like a vice. "Say it!"
I bolted forward, sprinting after him.
But he was gone.
No footsteps. No sound. Just endless, suffocating mist.
I froze. "What the—"
Crack.
Something snapped to my right.
I turned.
Too late.
A sharp noise cut through the fog like a bullet.
Something—some thing—was flying straight at me.
A blur of shadow and motion. Too fast. Too sudden.
I instinctively raised my arms, but my body wouldn't respond fast enough.
Move!
I couldn't.
All I could do was close my eyes and brace for the hit.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Gasp.
I jerked up with a strangled breath, heart pounding like it was trying to break out of my chest.
My hands gripped the rough sheets beneath me.
The cold sweat clinging to my skin had already soaked through.
"...Huff... Huff..."
I pressed my hand to my forehead.
It was burning.
That ceiling above me... I knew it.
I'm back, I thought.
The room. The stone walls. The faint murmuring of sleeping kids nearby.
But my heartbeat hadn't calmed.
Whatever had come at me in that fog—it almost felt real.
Too real.
"…Damn it," I whispered, voice hoarse.
The dream might have ended.
But the game hadn't even started yet.