A few minutes into our departure, Asha broke the somber silence, "How is your stomach?"

I frowned, "Mostly healed, still tender though. It's weird that it isn't fully healed, especially since its blood was so powerful. I mean, those Hel-hounds I killed let me heal a torn off arm."

Eliara narrowed her eyes at the hole in my robe, "I sense some foreign energy where the wound was. I think it's inhibiting healing?"

I grimaced, "That's not good."

"No, it isn't," Asha agreed, "Let's hope inhibiting healing is all it does. Either way, we need to purge that crap."

"Well, I doubt a juice cleanse will help. I can feel a strange connection to this energy. It's trying to spread, but my body is keeping it contained. If it was either of you that were hurt by that thing..." I trailed off, anger bubbling in my chest.

Silence took hold once again as we continued our trek home. I wanted to continue, but my wound was draining. I soon grew too tired to continue and needed to rest. This let Eliara to eat some rations and Asha go hunting.

I decided a nap was what was best while I tried to deal with this stupid wound. Its still faster than human natural healing, but it wasn't the supernatural healing that I had began to take for granted. I grumbled with a grimace on my face as I lay down in the tent the girls set up for me.

While Eliara had teased and cautiously flirted with me before the hospital, I could tell it was mostly a weapon to her. A stilletto that allowed her to prod me, whether it was to analyze my reactions or get me to let my guard down I had no clue. Now, however, something she saw in my reactions to what that monster did seemed to humanize me to her. She was a little more open and genuine towards me.

I chuckled that she was still a little prickly to Asha, "Haha, it hurts to laugh."

I heard Eliara outside the tent, "Then maybe the injured fool should not laugh."

I countered, "That isn't helping, snark makes me laugh too."

I heard exasperated chuckling then settled in. Eliara then spoke up once more, "Did you notice? Back at the hospital?"

"Notice what?"

There was a pause before she continued, likely hesitant to want to return to that horrible image, "Some of their clothing, they were people from Veru. Not many, but they were there. Likely travelers who were caught outside during the merge. They probably stumbled across the hospital seeking refuge or answers, only to find a slow death."

"Ah, I think so. I guess I didn't give it much thought compared to the... you know."

"That's just it, it was clear on your face that rage and sorrow you felt was for every victim of that creature, not just those of your world. You... have empathy that extends to those you don't know, that you shouldn't even care for. I can understand your concern for those that originate from your home, I am no different, but even I was more angered to see Veru natives tortured than those of your world... Does that make me callous?"

I thought for a moment, "No? Maybe? Everyone's a bit callous. I thing I see where you're coming from. You see something closer to an undead than a person and can't help but have the assumption that I wouldn't care for the living, or any care I do have is just a facade. Am I close?"

I could hear the sheepishness in her voice, "Maybe a little. But I saw your heart break upon seeing that little girl. If you can fake that, then you'd be the greatest actor of any world."

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I chuckled before letting out a groan and clutching my stomach. With a touch of concern in her voice, Eliara said, "Now go to sleep. I do not need angry at me for keeping you from rest."

I concurred and closed my eyes, drifting to sleep on the crackle of fire and Eliara's soft breathing.

I blinked. I think I did? It felt like I did at least. I couldn't tell since all around me was darkness. No that isn't right. It isn't darkness as in the lack of light, it's the lack of everything. As if trying to see out of my elbow. Nothing existed. At least, nothing except myself and an eerily familiar energy.

My surroundings were drenched in the tar-like energy that saturated my wound. I flinched as remembering the injury seemed to bring it to existence. I glanced down to my stomach. Despite there was no light, I could clearly see my body. A thick, black fluid flowed from the wound like the world's most disgusting waterfall. At if fell, it dissipated into a black fog that melded with the nothingness around me.

I was finally coherent enough to question where I was, the pain bringing a bit of clarity. Okay, think Victor, I was talking to Eliara and then went to sleep, and now... I was somewhere? Nowhere?

I snapped my head to my left, I heard a slithering, I just know it. Or maybe my right? No, many somethings were in the dark nothing. In the... the Void. "Oh shit." I muttered, however, no sound left my mouth.

I felt something touch my leg, yet when I looked down I saw nothing but my appendage. Something slick was definitely sliding across my skin. I shivered in disgust. This is worse than your feet touching something in the ocean.

I jerked my leg away and sensed more than felt, everything freeze as if something unfathomably massive was shocked to see another being move. Now it was my turn to freeze as I felt the attention of whatever was out there lock on to me. I sensed... curiosity and amusement.

I finally understand how the people in Lovecraft's stories could go insane at the mere glimpse of Cthulhu. I couldn't even see the thing and I could feel my mind smoldering on the edges.

The echo of an echo reached my ears; my mind? It was a soft and feminine voice but just beneath was the cringing sensation of wriggling maggots infesting a corpse. "Oh? And what do we have here?"

With no sight other than my own body, I still could tell something was reaching out to me. An alien hand larger than any galaxy was encasing me. I needed to get out of here, yet there was nowhere to flee, no ground to provide traction. Even if it were, how does one escape a being of such mind boggling scale.

I looked down, feeling a strange tug in my gut. My breath caught in realization. That corruptive residual energy the Matron left in my wound. It was connecting me to this place, to that thing.

I grabbed at the sludge trying to pull it out of me, I pulled and pushed trying to purge the infestation from my being. Nothing was working, I couldn't even touch the black fluid. Remembering how similar it was to the Phylactery's power, I bared my fangs in a vicious grin, "Fine, if I can't get rid of you, I'll devour you."

I reversed my efforts, trying to pull in the energy as I would blood, the primal hunger within licked its chops and drank greedily of the oily substance. Power filled me and my surroundings flickered between the impossible nothingness and normal blackness.

I heard a slight disappointed, "Tsk," as the hand clenched right as I returned to reality and I flew up gasping in a cold sweat. Shivering, I felt at my now healed gut and sighed.

The tent flap flew open as a concerned Eliara and Asha peeked inside, "What's wrong?" asked Asha.

I shook my head, not exactly remembering what happened. I could only recall something like a woman and a sense of nothingness. "A nightmare, I think. Something like a fever dream? That energy is gone and my stomach is healed up."

Eliara still looked a bit worried, but Asha sighed in relief, "That's good. Do you think it faded?"

I shrugged and noticed the daylight behind the ladies. "What time is it?"

"A touch past sunrise, we were just about to check on you. You seemed pretty restless all night, but we didn't want to disturb your sleep," replied Eliara.

I nodded, "Restless is putting it lightly, whatever it was, I'm still shaking. I bet it was clowns."

Asha rolled her eyes, "Right, he's feeling better. Help us break down camp. We should make it back before noon, especially without your dead weight."

I exited the tent and stretched, reveling in the lack of pain, "Hardy har, I'll remember that. You'll get the sniffles and act like you're dying and I'll be 'Oh, poor baby Asha. It's not like you have a hole in your stomach.'"

"Vampires can't get sick."

"Really? That's sick!" Asha rolled her eyes but didn't deign to reply to my pun. While a confused Eliara tried to understand the joke.