I don’t think the journey back will be any safer than the journey here. We’re exhausted, low on feed, and… I feel ‘it’ looking at us. God, have you forsaken us?
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Kai and Barhm watched Darky eat all the different types of food with a shocked expression plastered on their faces. “He has quite an appetite, huh-” Kai said as the beast licked its dark snout, an unclear, hazy smile barely appearing through the ever-changing void. “Do you think he has a stomach?”
“Well-” Barhm said with a slightly annoyed tone. “I’d know if you weren’t here.”
“Haha, yeah- I wonder when did you grow a conscience?”
“Just shut up, go away if you don’t have anything better to do.”
Kai shook his head and chuckled. “Alright, alright. I’ll stop teasing. But yeah, I should go…”
“I wasn’t actually serious-” Barhm glanced at Kai, a slight surprise hidden in his voice. “But yeah, sure.”
“Haha, look at you-” Kai cleared his throat, stopping mid-sentence upon noticing the boy’s cold glare. “Well, uhm, I- yeah. Haha.” He rushed toward the exit and phased through the wall as quickly as he could. Onyx followed closely behind him. The moon shone brightly on the almost empty sky, surrounded only by clouds and a few brighter stars. The cold air blew through the dark alleyways, carrying various smells and sounds, spreading and scattering the story of a bustling town.
Kai walked calmly, taking in the familiarity with a tinge of nostalgia. He sighed. How much longer do I have to live in this city? I’ll need to leave for Lustra soon… and I need to get ready; I need to reach the next level at least. With that goal in mind, he decided to take a detour. For the first time in a long time, he walked through the busier streets. People filled the road, bars, and every other corner. Kai gulped. Such a large crowd made his heart race and palms sweat, and the constant looks he got from his appearance, and the large white wolf trailing behind him, didn’t help his case.
Despite all that, he pushed forth. The strange encounter he had with Raymond lingered in the back of his mind. Even though the latter part, when they were inside his necklace, managed to help calm his nerves, he didn’t feel safe. That bastard definitely sent someone to follow me around. I need to prove I’m trustworthy, or at least, not dangerous.
And so he walked, scanning his surroundings and trying to ignore the burning gazes focused on him. Eventually, his eyes widened upon noticing a bar a short distance away. It didn’t stand out in terms of appearance, or drinks, or anything else for that matter- Besides the amount of clientele. Compared to other bars in the area, this one had a fourth of the amount of people sitting down and drinking.
Kai immediately rushed toward it and sat down, leaning back and letting out a light sigh. Now, he didn’t know why there weren’t as many people, however, something - namely a man walking toward him with a smile that only wished people the best - told him he’d soon find out.
He straightened his back.
“Greetings… uh, sir.” The man said, his accent sounding foreign, yet familiar. “What would you like to order?”
“Uhm…” Kai looked around for a menu, however there didn’t seem to be any present, and the man didn’t give him one either. “I’ll have a glass of water.”
“We don’t serve water here, sir.” The man said, a tinge of annoyance hidden within his voice.
“A beer?”
“No, we don’t have beer either.”
“Uhm, what do you have then?”
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“Red Wine, White Wine, Rosé…” The man began listing a myriad of different wines, the names of some Kai couldn’t even spell the names.
“So, what would you like to order, sir?”
“I’ll take… Red Wine, then…” Kai said, quite unsure of himself. I didn’t even know they had wine in this world, but I guess it makes sense…”
He looked around as he waited, and noticed the rest of the clients staring at him. Their gazes differed vastly, and so did their expressions. Some of them looked at him with interest and curiosity, whilst some seemed more intrigued than anything. Regardless, Kai quickly made himself as small as possible and waited for the man to come with his drink.
However, he quickly realized something - How the fuck am I supposed to drink it… I can’t just pull out a straw to drink wine… Although, just as he finished that thought, the man returned with a glass in hand. It was a wine glass, just like the ones he’d seen on earth, filled halfway with a beautiful red liquid. Its texture almost seemed mesmerizing, and Kai found himself gulping despite his distaste for alcohol.
The waiter put the beverage down without as much as looking at Kai and left him and Onyx alone. The boy simply stared at the glass, as did the others watching him. An awkward atmosphere quickly filled the air, and even the bystander stopped to see what was going on.
Uhm… Kai gulped as he looked around, noticing the couple dozen glances focused on him. What’s going on?
“What’s going on?” A light whisper mirrored his thoughts, coming from the seemingly mesmerized crowd.
“A young fella ordered a glass of wine and now he’s staring at it.”
“... So why are we staring at him?”
The crowd fell silent, and some looked at each other, then shrugged their shoulders. “Well, those other guys stared at him first.”
“But why?”
“How am I supposed to know? Let’s go, I feel self-conscious now.” A couple of people scattered, however, some still remained, curiously watching Kai’s next movements. He took a sniff of the wine, and a wave of dizziness immediately washed over him. His head fell forward and he swallowed, his heart racing as blood rushed through his veins. His pupils dilated, and, as he looked around, the world around him turned red.
Cough
He turned his head toward the source of the sound - An old man, rather, a demi-human whose body resembled that of a deer, save for one leg which belonged to a human whilst the rest of his body was a mix of feline and bear. The old man stared in shock at Kai, whose gaze seemingly penetrated through his soul. The demi-humans eyes turned blank for a second, however, they quickly returned to normal as Kai turned away.
What the fuck? He screamed internally and stared at the wine, before biting his lower lip and grabbing the entire glass as he sat up. Then, making a run for it, he rushed back through the remote alleyways, making sure he lost everyone. Except for that annoying bastard’s rat. However, he knew nothing could be done about it, and he had more important matters to tend to.
Tchk He clicked his tongue and rubbed his temple, doing his best not to inhale too much of the strange liquid. However, the more he did, the more his vision reddened and his senses went haywire. Almost like poison, it infiltrated his body and messed with his internal functions.
Eventually, Barhm’s wall greeted him, and he instantly phased through before rushing into the lab. The boy, whose head leaned on the table, with loud snores escaping his mouth, woke up in a hastened fury.
“WHO DARES TRESPASS- Oh it’s you?”
“Yes, Barhm, I need your help. Here, this thing is weird, smell it.” Kai said, handing the wine over and getting as far away from it as possible.
Barhm rolled his eyes, but indulged Kai, and took a quick sniff. Then another. He even took a sip after confirming it was wine, and, much to Kai’s surprise, nothing happened.
“Have you finally gone insane?” The boy asked, putting the wine to the side. “This thing is fine.”
“No, I swear it isn’t! Put it under the microscope, there must be something!” He said in a pleading, almost desperate voice. Eventually, Barhm sighed.
“Fine, I’ll do it. Waking me from my sleep just for some cheap wine-”
Barhm walked over to the device and extracted a drop from the glass, then put it under the microscope. He yawned as he peered through the lenses, however his nonchalant attitude faded.
“What is it?” Kai asked from outside the room.
“Uhm, I don’t know, but it’s not just wine in here. You should come back later, I’ll do some tests.”
“Alright…” Kai said without any protests. However, just as he was about to phase through, he bit his lower lip and turned around. Closing the door separating the two rooms, he lay down on the couch and let out a heavy sigh. No way I’m going outside right now…
Onyx let out a low yelp and sat his chin on Kai’s stomach, his tail wagging from side to side as he and Kai locked eyes. “Heh…” The boy chuckled and patted his companion’s fur. Onyx’s soft strands brushed past his fingers as his hand sank into them, and, slowly closing his eyes, fell asleep.