The world dissolved into a haze of green and gold, the sounds of the forest fading into a distant, muffled hum. I was so tired I felt like I was melting into the mossy ground, my bones dissolving, my thoughts scattering like dandelion seeds in the wind.
The next thing I knew, I was back on the plain of black glass. The sky was still the color of a ripe eggplant, and the silent, armored figure was still standing there, a solitary point of darkness against the weird, pulsating light. This time, I didn't walk toward him. I simply stood.
He also stood.
He wasn't looking at me, but I could somehow...
I knew that he saw me.
That he was aware.
He simply stared into the sky. Like he was watching the sun. Or watching some kind of slow moving star that I couldn't see.
The silence stretched, a thick, suffocating blanket that smothered all thought and all breath. I wanted to run, to scream, to do something, but I was frozen, a prisoner in my own mind.
Then the figure raised a gauntleted hand, and a single, perfect circle of light appeared in the black glass in front of him. It was a window, a portal into another place. Through the circle, I could see a forest. A normal, ordinary forest, filled with trees and sunlight and the sounds of life.
The figure stepped through the window, and the world around me shattered. The black glass broke into a million pieces, and I fell, tumbling into an endless, screaming abyss.
I woke up with a gasp, my heart a frantic drum against my ribs. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. I was still on the mossy ground, the dampness seeping through my clothes. Angus was sitting beside me, his face a mask of worry. The demon king was nowhere to be seen.
"Violet! You're awake! Thank the Goddess!" Angus chirped, his wings fluttering nervously. [You were having another bad dream! You were whimpering! It was very sad! (｡•́︿•̀｡)]
"...Where is he?" I asked, my voice a rough whisper.
"The Demon King? He said something about 'inspecting the perimeter' and then he just... vanished," Angus said, looking around nervously. "He's very sneaky! Like a ninja! A very grumpy, naked ninja!"
[ (｀・ω・´) 🥷]
He simply sent that text. Like it was a reflex.
I'm beginning to think his overuse of those 'DMs' to say things he could perfectly well say out loud are simply because he wants to use those things.
If I were more awake, I'd probably have a cutting comment for that.
Maybe.
He was the only friendly face around me, after all, even if he was hapless and possibly at least part of the reason I was stuck on this world with such an aggressive 'weapon'. If only for moral support - or a sounding board - it'd be best if I didn't scare him off being too testy with him.
My stomach rumbled, a loud, embarrassing sound in the quiet of the forest. I realized I was starving. The thought of food was the only thing that could cut through the lingering dread of the dream.
"Did you find any berries?" I asked, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.
"Berries? Oh! Right! The berries!" Angus flew over to a nearby bush and plucked a handful of small, dark purple fruits. He held them out to me, a triumphant look on his face. [Ta-da! Forest snacks! I'm not sure if they're poisonous, but they look really pretty! (☆▽☆)]
I stared at the berries. They were a deep, dark purple, almost black, and they glistened in the fading light. They looked delicious. They also looked like every single berry in every single "Don't Eat This In The Woods" survival guide I'd ever half-watched on a video streaming service while procrastinating on doing laundry.
"I'll pass," I said, pushing the berries away.
"But... you're hungry!" Angus protested, looking genuinely hurt. [I risked my life for these berries! I fought off a very aggressive squirrel! It was a whole thing! (╥﹏╥)]
"I'm sure you did," I said, my tone flat. "And I appreciate the gesture. But I'm not eating berries that might make me grow a second head. I've had enough weird magical stuff happen to me lately."
"I don't think they'll make you grow a second head," Angus said, popping one of the berries into his own mouth. "See? I'm fine!"
He chewed for a few seconds, then his face went a little pale. He swallowed hard. "Maybe... maybe a little tingly," he admitted. "But not in a bad way! In a... fun way!"
"...They're poisonous, aren't they?" I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
"Maybe just a little bit?" Angus offered, a weak, hopeful smile on his face. [It's a learning experience! For both of us! (°□°)]
I'm...
I'm certain he didn't just try to poison me. That wouldn't make sense to begin with but also...
Well.
I hadn't known Angus for long, but the idea that he didn't know the difference between edible and poison berries made sense to me.
I reached up and pat his head. His hair was about as soft and fluffy as I expected his wings to be. "Don't eat any more, okay?"
"But I'm hungry too! And there's nothing else!" Angus whined. "This forest is very poorly stocked with non-lethal snacks!"
"I'll find something." The demon king's voice, a low, bored murmur, cut through our exchange. He stepped out from behind a massive oak tree, as if he'd been there the whole time. He held a dead rabbit in one hand, its neck broken with a clean, efficient snap.
[Oh my god! (O_O)] Angus's text box appeared, the little angel icon looking horrified. He didn't send any more.
I just...
Stared at the rabbit. Then at him. "You can't magic something up that isn't cute and fluffy?"
"I cannot fathom why I would bother to do such a thing in a forest full of prey. You wanted food. You have it." He tossed the rabbit at my feet. "Cook it. You are too pathetically weak to consume it raw."
I stared at the dead rabbit. Its fur was soft and brown, its eyes were wide and glassy. It was very cute. And very dead. "I don't know how to cook a rabbit."
"Then you will learn." He said, a statement of fact. "Or you will starve. I have no interest in the outcome of either." He leaned against the tree, crossing his arms. "The choice, as they say, is yours."
He was...making it clear what he thought of my competence.
And he was right. I wouldn't know the first thing to do with a dead rabbit. I'd never even cooked a steak on a grill without it being either burnt or still mooing. And I'd definitely never cooked a thing that still had fur and organs in it.
But...
I was starving.
And...
Before I had to think further of it, Angus collected it. "Poor little thing..." He cooed. "I'll make sure you're delicious, okay?" He started to prepare it, humming a little tune that was probably supposed to be cheerful but sounded more like a funeral dirge.
It was dark by the time the rabbit was cooked. The fire Angus had managed to conjure—after three failed attempts and one that resulted in a small puff of rainbow-colored smoke—cast long, dancing shadows through the clearing. The rabbit was... edible. A little charred on the outside, and surprisingly dry for something that had at one point looked juicy.
But I can't exactly judge the preparation quality of a meat I've never had before.
The long silence was finally broken by the Demon King himself. "How long shall you hide your dream?"