What does it even matter? Rosy seemed to have calmed herself, but I still felt a little in shock at the revelation. Demons are real? It felt strangely nostalgic, but then again, I’ve been chased by demons for most of my life, even if not quite the same. The forest seemed to take on an even more unearthly tone, the darkness of the woods seemed to have grown, its shadows feeling as if they were going to come out and strangle me. A shudder came across my body. God, why am I such a coward? None of this is even real.

Badump

It hurts, my heart feels like it’s going to explode. Those shadows are going to consume me. In my eyes, all I could see was those shadows twisting ever closer. Cold sweat, almost as severe as that droplet of water from the cave started to cover my body. I could feel myself breathing harder. God damn it Daniel get ahold of yourself. You can’t be having a panic attack now.”

The feel of gentle warmth, strangely comforting and somehow familiar; The world seemed to brighten up a little; the shadows retracted as if repelled. “What?” I could feel the warmth on my neck. “Be calm little Daniel.” That voice so calm and comforting could only be Rosaries. “You’re safe now.” It felt so familiar as if this situation had happened before, but that’s impossible?

“Why?” I asked, feeling confused that someone I had just met could be comforting me right now. It felt ridiculous and oddly nostalgic.

The little fae seemingly satisfied that I was in control of myself went back into the air, her face having a gentle, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I’m sure that being comforted by some lark like me didn’t help, but I couldn’t help and try.”

I didn’t exactly know what to say to the young woman; she seemed so gentle and yet so lonely her eyes seemingly holding back some inner thoughts or memories. “Thank you,” I responded to the girl.

“We’re here.”

The other fae had turned around at this point interrupting any more conversation that I could have with Rosary. They flapped around me, their eyes seeming to hold something more then they were willing to tell. But I shouldn’t be so suspicious; if they are all like Dearay and Rosary, then they can’t be all that bad. Some of them seemed to be flapping around near a bush, an incredibly large one in fact. Red fruits and black the size of an infant’s head hung from its stiff branches.

Dearay flapped herself over her face in a calm smile, “Please eat; I’m sure you’re starving.”

Errrrrrr

Before I could say anything, the sharp pang of hunger stuck in my gullet forcing me to eat. My hand grabbed for one of the black fruits. Its sweet smell is reminding me of highly aromatic raspberries. “Wait!” My hand stopped, all eyes stared at the Rosary, the air grew suddenly tense. “That’s a Lupin Bush; the fruits are dangerous at night, they all turn black at night and become poisonous.” The darkness at this point had become almost complete.

“She’s lying human.”

The chorus seemed to have grown irritated, their eyes all bearing down into the now frightened Fae. Some of the fae started to glow again. “None of the fruit here are black human,” One fae responded.

“Why are you trying to poison him?” Rosary responded, her voice meekly responding as if pushed back by the glare of her fellows. “Why are you lying to the human? Do you like watching him suffer?” Some of them laughed as if the idea of watching me suffer appealed to them. “Human don't listen to the Red one. She is only an outcast, a pitiful half-being whom we allowed into our tribe out of the kindness of our leaders hurt. Look, no black fruits are even hanging on the tree.” My eyes looked back at the fruit that I was just about to grab. It was red, strange, “I swear it was black a moment ago.”

Dearay sighed as if exasperated by the situation. “Maybe the light was playing tricks on you.” Something felt so wrong with this situation; my eyes darted back to Rosary, she looked frightened, but not of me. The fae around her had all taken on darker forms, their eyes growing more crimson. I swear I’m seeing strange black things coming out of them. A couple more lights appeared, slightly blinding me for a moment. After my eyes adjusted though they all seemed normal. Maybe the hunger was playing tricks on me, but Rosary isn’t there. I could feel that itching in my head again.

“No!”

That scream, was that Rosary? I started looking all over the crowds of Fae. A chill ran down my back, They ALL were staring at me, their faces giving me a creepy almost sadistic grin.

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“EaT HUmaN, EAT!”

They started laughing maniacally, their bodies and faces contorting into sickly monsters, a lot like the wolf-like beast.

“EaT HumAN! We’Re HuNGrY!”

My heart was pounding like a mad beast; this feels so wrong. The scent of death filled the air now. As if it had always been there. It reeked, how could I not have smelled it before. The bush was covered, not only were all the fruits of the bush black but dead bodies, littered around it in various forms of deformity. Hands hung from branches like macabre Christmas decorations. Was this a nightmare? The itch felt just like before burning in the back of my mind, not quite distracting me from this horror

“Leave me ALONE!” It was Rosary, my eyes found her. A multitude of misshapen fae tried to cover her, their erect dicks and tentacle-like things slithering around obscenely. She was losing her fight as some of the bigger fae now had her almost pinned.

“How dare you defy our leaders’ will! For that, we shall punish you and force you to be our toy!”

Rage, like hot steam, seemed to fill my still frightened body forcing it into action. Without thinking, I grabbed fruit from the tree and threw it at the mob. “Leave her alone!”

Some of them escaped, but others too slow to avoid it got crushed by the dense black fruit. Taking that moment of confusion, I grabbed Rosary and started running I didn’t have time to think, no clothes, no weapons, only a lone, frightened red fairy in my hands. What the hell was I going to do?

I ran, the forest seemed to be coming alive, lights blinked here and there. “Gehehehehe,” Wild screams of exhilaration came through the air, warping the very air. Fae came from everywhere it seemed, tiny tentacles blasting out piercing and ripping my skin. “God damn this hurts!”

“What’s happening?” The little voice asked from my hands. I didn’t even have time to process what Rosary had said; my aching feet were on fire, the forest seemed to be attacking me on its own as branches suddenly seemed to be right in front of me. The first time that I was running here, I had a hard enough time just protecting myself, and now I had to try to make sure that I didn’t crush rosary.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck! Blood sprang out from both old and new wounds as I ran. The pain was hard enough to deal with, but then there was that damn itching. “What the hell!” I exclaimed in frustration and pain, “Shit branch!” I ducked right in the nick of time as yet another branch narrowly missed clotheslining me.

“Watch out!” Rosary exclaimed

“Huh?” Another branch was in front of me just as I had finished straightening up from ducking

Crack

“Uuuggaaa!”

Right in the windpipe, I flew backward, the tree branch having succeeded in clotheslining me in the neck. I let go of Rosary, as I clutched at my neck choking. I almost blacked out, the only thing that kept me from it was that constant itch in my head.

I lay on my back, just barely keeping my consciousness afloat. “G__ up __niel!” I was having a hard time hearing. My head throbbed, my body ached, am I going to die? Would dying be so bad?

It’s not like life has been very pleasant. A warm feeling enveloped me, “Daniel! You need to get up.” It was Rosary, her little voice frantic and frightened. Why hadn’t she just left me behind?

“Paint Daniel.”

It was the mysterious voice again, but what the hell kind of advice was that?

“Gehehehehe.”

The swarm of fae like beings had caught up. I pushed myself up frantically. “This way Daniel.” Rosary had started flying on her own I followed her even as each step seemed to be growing harder and harder. Blood oozed from all over.

“Awooooooo”

The sound of a baying filled my veins with ice. The wolf-like creature stood there far too my right. It looks like it had found me.

“NooOO hE’s OuR PreY!!”

Some of the swarm started after the wolf-like being, enraged by its appearance.

“HuNGRy”

I couldn’t even tell what was saying what. I ran, as fast as I could, following after Rosary my life possibly depending upon it.

“Impose your will,”

The voice in my head spoke again, damn if that doesn’t sound crazy, I don’t know what would. “Oww!” Fresh blood sprayed from my right hand as black tentacles pierced my skin. “Where are we going Rosary?”

“Soon! Just run.” I didn’t know how much farther I could run. My knee buckled and I just barely was able to stop myself. Then I realized that the forest was thinning. “Up there, Daniel!” The forest cleared to snowy plains? It didn’t make any sense. There was a clear boundary of the forest with absolutely no snow and plains covered in deep snow. But I didn’t have time to think instead I pumped forward until I jumped into the cold. Immediately the cold shriveled me up in more than one way. “Why here?”

“Turn around,” Rosary said. Doing as she said I turn around. Fae crowded the line between the two places. It was so bizarre watching the hoard be repelled. “Why?”

“Because crossing the border would mean war with the Faceless One.”

Before I could ask what she meant by the Faceless One the sound of howling filled the air, the Great black beast had arrived, its eye staring intently at me. “He MuST DiE!”

But it hesitated at the border, as if unsure how to proceed.

“Impose your will, give in to the urge.”

The voice again, and with it, the itching felt like it would take over, an urge more potent than even the hunger.

“Permission is granted, my children.”

The voice, seductive and yet cold came from the forest itself, and like a broken dam, the black beings surged forward. Rosary went white in fear as her only plan for safety was dashed

“IMPOSE YOUR WILL!”

The voice urged, as if frantic. The urge took over, even eclipsing the depths of despair and fear that I was now feeling. Like with the painting the world grew slow. The blood that oozed out of me soon became my paint I was now just a receptacle all feelings going into the bloody picture in the snow. The world distorted, and darkness came back to my consciousness.