Soon after, everyone started talking at once.
Not talking to me.
Talking at me.
Questions flew from every direction, fingers pointed, eyes narrowed, whispers overlapping until I genuinely felt like some kind of attraction in a very poorly managed zoo. If I had fur, I was fairly certain someone would have tried to poke me with a stick by now.
I raised one hand and pinched the bridge of my nose, already feeling the beginnings of a headache forming behind my eyes.
"One at a time," I said calmly. "Please."
That, unsurprisingly, did absolutely nothing.
They kept going.
Louder, even.
Thankfully, Nephis eventually raised her voice—just a little—and the room quieted almost instantly.
Of course they listened to her.
Not me.
Naturally.
I frowned slightly.
What did she have that I didn't, huh?
Before Gluttony could take that as an invitation to list every possible answer in excruciating detail, I muted him.
I wasn't in the mood.
Nephis turned to face me once the noise died down.
"Alright," she said evenly. "Let's start with the simplest question. How did you end up like… that?"
She pointed at me.
Not subtly.
Not politely.
Like I was some kind of specimen.
I resisted the urge to bare my teeth.
Well, I did have to explain it. Just… not the real explanation. There was no universe in which I was dumb enough to reveal that Sunny's blood had caused all of this.
"Oh, you know," I said with a shrug, forcing casual into my tone. "The usual. I messed with the wrong Nightmare Creature and got burned for it."
That should be vague enough.
Nephis didn't look convinced.
"And where did this Nightmare Creature go?" she asked. "What did it look like?"
I paused for half a second.
Then shrugged again.
"Not a clue. It attacked me and flew off. As for its appearance… I think it kind of looked like a dragon that was on fire."
Gods, that was a terrible description.
Why couldn't I think of something better?
I waited for suspicion. Doubt. Pushback.
Instead, everyone nodded.
…Wait.
What?
"Thank you," Nephis said after a moment. "I'll let everyone know to keep an eye out for it."
That actually worked?
Nice.
Then Effie raised her hand.
"Will you always look like that?"
I considered the question for a second.
"Well, I could probably heal most of it," I admitted. "But I doubt I'll ever look exactly like I used to."
Effie grinned and raised her hand again.
"Go ahead," I said, already regretting it.
She barely managed to get the question out through her laughter.
"So um—did your entire body get burned?"
I nodded, slowly.
"And does that include your CO—"
Caster moved faster than I'd ever seen him move before and clamped a hand over her mouth.
Ah.
Effie had just been saved by Caster.
I wouldn't have killed her, of course. I was strangely attached to her. She was the first person I saw when I entered the Dream Realm, and without her I probably wouldn't be alive.
That said.
I made no promises about psychological torture.
Now, did I know how to do that?
No.
But I could learn.
After that, the questioning shifted. Less personal. More practical.
I became a glorified map.
I explained the layout of the Dark City, pointed out where the most dangerous Nightmare Creatures lurked, which buildings mattered, which ones were traps, and which streets you never walked down unless you wanted to die horribly.
By the end of it, we even settled how I'd officially join their cohort.
The downside?
I'd have to stay here.
For a month.
Without leaving.
By the time it was over, I was completely drained—physically and mentally.
"What do you mean by drained?"
Ah.
There he was.
Our favorite unfunny symbiote.
"Yeah, that wasn't really an answer, Al—"
I sighed and muted Gluttony again.
Not today.
At the moment, everyone except me and the blind girl had left to hunt for food for those in the outskirts who had sworn loyalty to Nephis.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling, already bored.
Then it hit me.
Feltan's library.
I had at least two hundred books there I'd been meaning to read. I remembered exactly where it was. I'd visited from time to time just to make the days pass faster, but I'd never actually read it properly.
Decision made.
I stood up.
"So where are you going?"
Cassie's voice nearly made me jump out of my skin.
"AH— I mean—um—I was just… going for a walk?"
Totally not scared.
Cassie tilted her head.
"Oh? And where are you walking to?"
I sighed.
I could lie.
But honestly? I didn't feel like it.
"I'm going to a library to grab some books," I said flatly. "I need something to pass the time."
She tilted her head again.
"But you're supposed to stay here."
I narrowed my eyes.
I knew exactly what she was doing.
"What would it take for you not to snitch on me?"
Cassie rested her hand on her chin, pretending to think.
"Alright," she said eventually. "You read them to me when you get back. I miss reading, and I'm curious how Dream Realm books are."
…That was it?
"That's fine," I said. "I'll read you your bedtime stories."
She pouted.
"Don't bring children's books."
I chuckled.
"Fine. I'll bring only smut."
Cassie blushed instantly.
"Hey! Not that either!"
It was fun teasing her.
Maybe joining this cohort wouldn't be so bad.
I'd have Sunny and Cassie to mess with, Effie to banter with…
Nephis, though?
I wasn't sure yet.
And how could I forget?
I could also bully Caster.
Truly, endless entertainment.
"Well," I said, pulling up my hood, "I'm off."
I waved at Cassie—despite the fact she was blind—and slipped out.
About twenty minutes later, after taking a longer route because fighting Nightmare Creatures would have been… noticeable, I reached the library.
I gathered every book that caught my interest, stuffing them into my storage Memories until I had over a hundred.
Still had room.
After a moment's thought, I grabbed a few questionable ones.
Purely for academic purposes.
And teasing.
Then I headed back, arriving moments before Nephis returned.
When she entered, I was sitting in the same chair she'd left me in, legs crossed, sipping tea.
She opened her mouth—probably to ask how I got the tea—but Effie stopped her with a shake of her head and a small chuckle.
"It's not worth asking with him."
Rude.
But… fair.