Forgotten, but not broken

Chapter 6

-The Next Day- (Day 3 since the disappearance of 12 from SDM)

-12's POV-

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„You're a monster! A monster!"

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I awake. Slowly preparing myself for the incoming pain...

...

...

...huh?

The pain is... gone...? How come? It greeted me each and every day ever since I slept in this hideout, getting worse and worse each time I woke up.

But not today. Today I feel... nothing. Well, a bit dizzy... But that's nothing compared to what I felt yesterday evening or night. Can't recall what time I managed to fall asleep or pass out from the pain.

Perhaps... perhaps it truly was the fish, which gave me several days of hallucinations. Can you hallucinate yourself in pain? I imagine it could be possible. After all... it seems anything can be possible if I recall what I've witnessed these past days. Vampires, fairies, youkai... magic...

It shouldn't surprise me anymore if that single fish I ate that day was a magical fish. Maybe there are different species of fishes which make you so high, you'll start to fly and drown at the same time upon consumption or touch and so on. Maybe I was lucky there, then...

Either way, I should start getting to work. It's so bright in this small cave that I can see everything perfectly clear. I guess I woke up late again and it's probably past lunch time. ...But the hole is sealed... How could light get in...?

Eh, don't questions things. It seems logic doesn't really work here in this world. Trying to find some logical ground could just make me waste precious time.

I push away the leaves and sticks out of the way with ease and crawl out of the hole. Not really paying attention to the surroundings. I keep thinking about... a dreamish nightmare I had...? I can't recall it precisely, but I vividly remember something. I don't know what it is, though.

I, shortly after getting out and standing up straight, snap back to reality.

I look up to check on the sun, so I can get an idea on how late it is. Sadly, it appears the sun cannot be seen. Yesterday, it was a bit cloudy. Today, there is nothing but clouds covering the sky.

It's possible it might rain soon or in a day or two. I should find a better place to live before that happens. I really don't want to spend an entire day in a hole, just so I don't get wet and have my clothes soaked and possibly get a cold.

Well, today I actually planned to finally try and get to the human village. If the fairy maids didn't mess up and brought the corpse remains as evidence of my passing... I shouldn't worry about running into any more patrols! Phew, finally some breathing space...

As I brush the dust off my clothes and reach for the yellow necktie Flandre gave me to fix it a bit because it got a little loose... I notice something... rather concerning...

My... my skin...

My skin is pale.

This shouldn't be something unsettling, but this is an unhealthy shade of pale. Main issue is, it wasn't like that yesterday. Why would my skin suddenly turn pale? Maybe I'm dehydrated? No, don't feel like it. Maybe I was bleeding and didn't notice and lost too much blood? No, I would have noticed right away and would feel worse.