A Tale of One Deviant (Book One)

Chapter 53: Let Me Introduce You...Nope

Morning rose the next day.

Chord had awakened during the middle of the night and I decided to make her eat again, since I had no clue what Adoray fed them while they were there. She went munching at a Tyugo, something akin to a orange.

After a while, her eyes drifted shut, and then it was just me again.

Anthem was obviously tired and just decided to sleep the whole night through.

So, I listened to the night. There were many places open this late, like in the dark parts of the city and some taverns very far away. I listened to the people having fun, suffering, sleeping, contemplating what they will do the next day.

Everything, everything.

Nothing, nothing.

I don't know if I ever drifted to sleep, the night was monotonous in my cold, big room above the covers. The curtains swayed from time to time, the closed windows unable to keep out the imaginary draft I had swirled into being with a little magic.

I had a lot of time to think, and ungratefully my thoughts swirled with the draft. They carried places I didn't want them to go, places I would rather not remember, places I knew would never leave me alone.

My thoughts dragged towards people.

People I'd left behind, people I had failed, people who'd left me behind.

Myself.

I had hurt myself, as others did. There were places inside me that I refused to explore, so Takuya and Kaya stayed away from them as well.

My soul, soul guardians, houses, and everywhere I've been so far didn't even scratch the surface of what was inside of me. There was still the parts of me that represented...other things.

My Vampire, my Dragon, my human, and my "honorary Demon."

They were all parts of me too. Places I dipped a toe or a finger into sometimes, but not places I'd ever fully immerse myself in. I had no idea what would happen if I did that, and seeing the tendencies I had whenever I used those traits, I didn't want to find out.

All I knew was that my soul, as Kaya, went to a dark place. A room-no, a cave-with nothing in it. You couldn't see the floor, once it blended in with everything around it. The only thing you could see was the beginning of a deep red pond, split into two like they were oil and water side by side. The right was the Vampire, the left was the Dragon.

One was red like blood, the other the shone of scales from a mighty black beast.

Both felt like thick paint, if you touched it the surface was still smooth and unbroken. If, however, you broke the surface, the liquid would stain your hands, your feet, your head and anything else. It would crawl up your arms and try to pull you in like a siren.

If you ever pulled back, it would come with you and try to reconnect you to the other side. It does not make a sound, not a wave or lapping water. Just silently, caresses your cheek and leads your hand like a lead weight back down...

There were times I agreed and left my hand wallowing in that right pond, like with Knight.

For the Dragon side, that was too wild. Only the tip of my pinky finger was stuck in that one. Never put the head close to either of them, for sure they would show hidden strength and pull you in.

I was there, right now. Staring at the pond, passing the time by. I never come here too often, just to use some senses or stir up a little species to distract anyone looking for a little human girl.