I groggly stirred from my slumber and sat up. The surroundings had turned into a large dining hall full of gilded furniture and utensils. "Where am I?"

"My room dining hall~" A familiar sultry voice answered my question. My head turned to the end of an empty dining table where a large throne loomed over everything.

The figure sitting in it was 10 feet tall with dark skin but incredibly malnourished with thin limbs and sunken cheeks. I could see her ribs underneath the torn and worn dress she wore.

The long silky black hair she had went below her shoulders while long pointed ears poked out from her hair. Her eyes were white orbs that glowed softly in the dim room. "You're the one who told me about the marble things."

"I'm happy you remember me~" She got up from her throne and walked over to me. I should have felt wary or scared of the towering figure, but I wasn't. I felt relaxed at her presence, safe even.

She offered me her hand and took it. I was pulled to my feet and guided to the seat next to the throne.

I sat down, still confused about so many things, but only one question came out. "Who are you though?"

The slender giant laughed as she sat on her throne and passed me a plate of spaghetti that didn't realize was there. "Call me Tanny, My friends call me that."

"I was your friend? No, wait, I wasn't just asking about your name." Tanny smiled as she ate her own plate of spaghetti that showed up when I wasn't looking at the table.

"Marri, you're not ready to know who I am, but how about I tell you about how to do something important instead? Enjoy your food first, though." Tanny took another bite of spaghetti savoring like it was the first thing she's ate in weeks.

I wanted answers, but It was hard to turn down the offer of food. It tasted heavenly, and I lost myself eating the noodles. We ate in complete silence with the only sounds being our forks clinking against the plate.

When I finished my plate, I looked up to Tanny to thank her, but she was gone. I looked around the room for where she went and found her waiting at a large bowl. "Come on, it's ready now~"

"Why a bowl?" I got up and walked over to Tanny as she plunged her hand into the bowl.

I couldn't see the bottom as after a point, it was just darkness. "What are you doing?"

I watched Tanny pull a green ball of fluff the size of a golf ball and cradled it for a moment before giving it to me. "This is?"

"The first step on your way to save this place~" I turned to her, wanting a more understandable reason, but she just grinned.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Holding the ball of fluff felt I had a cloud in my palm that weakly tried to get away. I could vaguely tell what it wanted, which was concerning. "What do you want me to do with this?"

"Just like with 'marble', you need to claim it by swallowing it."

I stared at the ball and brought it to my mouth, debating if I wanted to actually listen to that. "Do I have to eat it?"

Tanny tapped her mouth. "You need to taint it with yourself, and your stomach completely consumes it and deeply changes it to be stronger."

"I need to taint it? Couldn't I just..." I bit my lip until it bled and kissed it, smearing it with my blood. A mark of indigo lips dyed it. Seeing that it worked, I let it go back in the bowl.

It vanished down the bowl, and Tanny blinked at the scene. "And why did you do that instead of just swallowing it?"

I stared Tanny in the eyes. She was puzzled and not upset at my choice. "It didn't want to be here."

Tanny paused at what I said and started laughing as she walked back to her throne. "Alright, I don't know what that's going to do to them, but it's your journey~"

"Them?" A twinge of dread ran up my spine. The world started to get brighter at my stress.

Tanny took her seat on the throne and took a long drink out of a chalice. "You can't be so hard on us. You need to go through this eventually."

My mind ran through who it could have been, but it felt obvious that it was either Momona or someone from full moon. "I don't want to hurt someone nice like this!"

"This is a step you Have to take. It's time to see what your choice did~" Tanny gave me a tired smile and waved as I woke up.

...

The pleasant taste of meat flooded my mouth and told me I did exactly what feared. Who is it?

I opened my eyes and saw Momona's long grey hair, and my fangs were firmly lodged in her jugular. I can only hope I didn't kill out right.

Momona tapped my back weakly and tried to push me off of her, which wasn't happening without me choosing to. She's alive! I need to find something to stop the bleeding before I remove my fangs, or she'll bleed out.

My angel tentatively stepped into my line sight. She was conflicted and guilty for letting me do this. An idea came to mind when I looked at her. Come over here. I need your help to stop the bleeding.

She perked up when she knew that I was awake and listened to me.

Momona squirmed against my fangs, and my palate twitched in response, pulling a bit more blood out. I was holding it in place manually, trying not to drain anymore out, but it was like holding a sneeze, and I had to do something before yanked out something else. Shop, buy clotting gel! From my angel!

My angel opened their mouths, and the black circle that appeared over my heart was in its maw. Why does it have to be there?

I plunged my hand down her throat and pulled out several pads that had had the gel on one side.

I got ready and tried to pull my fangs out. I clenched my palate, trying to drink whatever was in it, but I just shot it back into Momona.

Blood spilled out of my mouth as my fangs finally pulled free from her. I slapped the gel pad on before she could bleed anymore. "Haaaa haaaa."

Momona put a hand to the pad and took shaky breaths. She looked at me and all of her blood dripping down my chin with an unknowable expression. "I'm so sorry. I-"

"Well, that sucked." I blinked for a few seconds before a weak laugh built in my chest that escalated to a full-scale laughing fit that she joined as well.

It was only a minute or 2 but it felt nice to just laugh. I took a long, deep breath and focused on Momona again. "I'm sorry that I did this. What can I do to help you?"

"There's a yellow button on my desk. Press it and grab the green potion from the thing that pops open. Also, get my phone." I got up and went grabbed the thing, as I tried to remember what a phone was.