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Hunter always had trouble finding sleep. Do the bags under his eyes say enough ?
But that was in the Demon Realm where he had to push himself to some uncommon lengths, at times, to prove his value to his uncle- No, to the Emperor. Hopefully - he hopes - their temporary stay in the Human Realm's will help soothe his frazzled composure. In the Noceda's residence, Hunter sleeps on a made-up bed on the basement's floor while Gus has the couch. To be honest, the mere floor isn't the worst surface to sleep on with a mattress. Sure, his own bedroom at the Emperor's Castle had a thicker one and he'd piled up cushions on cushions to make a comfy headrest - which notably turned put to be bad for his neck.
Tonight's another night spent counting the minutes clocking away.
"Hey, Hunter !" Gus calls, peeking from between the load-bearing pillars of the basement.
The blond-haired boy goes, "Mmm ?"
The illusionist jumps through the wooden poles, landing on the couch.
"Night-night !" He chides before pulling his blanket up to his chin.
"Oh, yeah. Night-night." He parrots, amused.
Hunter turns off the lamp before making himself comfortable in his sheets. Imitating his friend, he drifts off to sleep.
.
.
Hunter feels like his bed turned grassy. Or maybe it did ? He opens his eyes, soon blinded by a bright light. Wincing, he blinks a couple of times before sitting up, he felt heavier than usual. What- Where am I ? Around him, an endless amount of colorful trees were standing : big and small, tall and short, curved and straight, there were a lot of kinds. Bushes were covering some trunks and hiding roots. The land underneath him was thriving with mesmerizing flowers. As he gets up to explore more of the area, he realizes that he was wearing his old Golden Guard uniform.. the ivory hooded cloak, the yellow tunic- His eyes go wide. He immediately pulls off his cloak along with the pauldron he used to wear, throwing them onto the ground in a loud thud. I'm not the Golden Guard.. not anymore.
Suddenly, he notices the bushes in front of him rustle.
"W-Who's there ? I've fought terrible threats, show yourself !" He warns, clenching his fists.
He stares ferociously at the bushes. The only answer he receives is a squeak. Huh ? He drops his hands. Jumping through the shrubs, a squirrel appears in front of the young boy. Hunter observes it carefully, crouching down. This wasn't a regular squirrel, he notes with surprise, it was a Palisman ! The wooden rodent had a red coat with a white belly, classic. As if exposed, heads back to where it came from, disappearing into the dense forest.
"Hey ! Wait up !" Hunter calls, running after the Palisman.
The blonde boy jumped over the hedge, following the squirrel Palisman who swiftly crossed the territory as if for the hundredth time. Well, Hunter had done worse than racing through an unknown forest. So this was just another test he was familiar with during his time training to join the Coven Scouts. In an ultimate leap, Hunter landed in a glade, similiar to the one he was in earlier. But instead of flowers, this clearing was full of Palismen. All over the place : ground, bushes, trees, sky ! Hopping, scurrying, flapping.. The Palismen were minding their own business, some of them stopped near the newcomer, watching him inquisitively with a tilt of the head before leaving. This wasn't a simple forest, it was a Palistrom forest ! That explained the lively bark colors. Hunter felt this warm sensation spread through his limbs. He felt happy there, among Palismen. He could feel his lips curl upwards, content.
But..
It was all a dream, wasn't it ?
The blond boy's smile weakened. He couldn't help but dread the worst. He never had such a dream, a real dream : peaceful and refreshing. I should make the most out of this, he thought. And without reconsideration, he began strolling around, taking in the scenery, greeting Palismen scampering about.
He wished this dream to last forever.
.
.
Hunter doesn't know exactly how long he's been wandering the Palistrom woods. But recently, he's sensed a shift in the atmosphere. The trees' coats became darker, the sky he could pinpoint through the leaves was almost nightmarish. He gulped in anticipation. By the looks of it, he could tell this wasn't going to end well. Asudden, the cries of a small creature reached his ears. Alarmed, Hunter immediately bolts to the sound. He nearly tripped thrice because of the reduced visibility the air offered him. When he stumbles across two Palistrom trees, he spots a cramped wooden figure at the foot of a sapling. It was the squirrel from earlier.. injured.
"Oh Titan !" He exclaims, rushing to the wounded rodent.
Hunter makes sure he's careful when he cradles the Pal in his hands, and his heart - Galdorsone - sank. The poor squirrel was leaking its essence, its blood.. It had a broken front paw, scratches all over its body and a maimed eye.
"What happened to you ?.." He asks, not really expecting any answer.
The rodent gives a low squeak, but Hunter doesn't understand it. It was just flopped in his hands, gazing around miserably. In a heartbeat, the worn stare of the Palisman turns into a terrified expression, wild in the shake of its pupils.
The witch goes, "Huh ? What's wrong ?"
Before he can even process anything, he feels a familiar hand touch his shoulder. Soon followed by a way too famous voice..
"Hunter." It goes. "I see you've found me a Palisman."
The latter was quivering in Hunter's hands. And the boy himself, who was too bewildered by the situation, was utterly frozen. How come he appeared out of nowhere ?.. I didn't feel watched.. He remains silent, shielding the squirrel. The man continued his speech.
"I had been looking for it. What a squirmy worm, managing to get away from me after what I inflicted." He gives a weak laugh at that. "Either way, you found it for me so I'll gladly take it now !"
Instinctively, the boy shelters the Palisman even more in his hands, bringing it to his chest. He slowly gets up. He doesn't dare peek at the man who was still intimidatingly standing behind him. At least Belos had dropped his hand, lifting a load from the young boy's mind.
"Well ? What are you waiting for, Hunter ?" He orders, "Hand it to me."
If he had a heart, it would be going a thousand miles an hour : he didn't know what to do, what choices were offered to him right there and then ? All he knew was that.. no matter what, he was not going to give the Palisman to Belos. Hunter closes his eyes for a second. He takes a deep breath and holds onto the squirrel dearly. Then, without a warning, he breaks into a run. The witch didn't look back once, he only thought about escaping this nightmare as fast as possible. This is all a dream, this is all a dream.. He repeated to himself. But the dread was making him uncomfortable. The further he dashes, the fewer trees there are. It's like the woods were fading away, giving way to a dense darkness. He slows to a stop, panting, his only light source the dripping essence of the poor Palisman in his hands. It doesn't take long before a low growl startles the young witch. He squints through the dark area, looking for the threat. And..
There.
He catches glimpse of it. Of them.
Those blue glowing eyes in the dead of the night. Oh no.. Hunter gulps, taking a step back.
He makes out the large humanoid figure coming at him but he barely catches sight of the limb that sweeps his legs. Hunter grits his teeth as he hits the ground harshly. Taken aback, he had dropped the Palisman. Before he can reach the squirrel, black claws make themselves known to snag the injured rodent. Hunter freezes. He looks up, shaking.
"I'm disappointed in you, Hunter." Belos says gravely. "I hoped that you would assist me. I just gave you a second chance."
The creature makes eye-contact with the young witch. With no words exchanged, the mass crashes the Palisman in its grip. Belos absorbs the squirrel's essence before dropping the lifeless body at Hunter's feet. The boy quickly hoards the rodent, feeling nothing but coldness. He had failed to protect it.
"I'm so sorry, little guy.." He cries, stroking the squirrel's face with his thumb.
There's a heavy shadow standing menacingly behind him, he knows. Hunter hears the sludge drip, the teeth clank, the claws sharpening. He feels the neon blue eyes on him. It's all a dream.. He thinks. You're not real, he wants to yell.
But..
It feels too real.
"Farewell, Hunter."
The witch closes his eyes, readying for a blow. The last thing he will remember from this appalling dream-to-nightmare.. is the sensation of talons stabbing him.
.
.
"Hunter !"
The latter jolts awake, grasping his blanket. Gus is kneeled next to him, eyes full on concern. Flapjack appears behind one of his shoulders, his functional eye alert. The cardinal bird immediately flies off and nuzzles against Hunter's chest, chirping happily.
"Are you okay, Hunter ?" Gus asks, a furrow to his eyebrow.
"I.." The boy starts, pausing and staring at the Palisman nestled so close to him. "Yeah.." He huffs, petting Flapjack.
"I'm glad." The other witch breathes, visibly relieved. "What happened ? It looked like you were having a really bad nightmare.."
When Hunter peers at him, unpleasant pictures of a moving sludge flash in his spirit. He remains silent.
"Ah ! Sorry, I didn't mean to pry !" The illusionist draws back, fumbling nervously.
"No, don't worry ! It's just.." Hunter purses his lips. "Belos was in it.."
Gus doesn't add on. Instead, he shares an empathic look with the golden-haired boy. Quietly, he scoots closer and opens his arms sheepishly. While Hunter still doesn't really understand this gesture, he leans into it nonetheless, accepting the solace brought by this hug. Humans have interesting ways of comforting each other, but it works.
"I'm glad Flapjack woke me up." Gus says and the little bird preens. "I think he wanted to wake you up from your nightmare but didn't manage to, so he called me to help out."
Hunter can't help but smile at this statement, he cradles his Palisman closer. Thank you, Flapjack. He feels his eyes itch from an unforgettable memory : the one of a defenceless squirrel he couldn't save in the end. He wants to tell his friend about how frightened he felt in the last moments of his nightmare, how helpless the situation was. But he barely voices anything, merely a wheezy sigh.
"Forget the man." The illusionist reassures. "The Collector got rid of him, we're safe in the Human Realm."
Hunter hopes his dream never becomes reality.