"If you do stuff, I'm kicking you off the bed", I warn the taller person as we climb up the stairs.
He tilts his head to the side. However cute he acts, I won't accept anything but his acquiescence. With a body language that screams this thought, Obrecht reluctantly pouts.
"You don't love me anymore." He slumps on the railings.
"Oh? And why is that?"
"Because you don't want to do the same stuff I want to do." He looks up at me, acting like a kicked puppy as he hugs the railing.
I sigh. This face has just got to be a cheat. This is cheating!
"Just… Does it really have to be…now?" I whisper, not brave enough to look him in the eye. If I did, I might have seen the myriad of expressions going from sadness to satisfaction to happiness in a span of a second.
"Alright. We'll do it later." He grabs me and puts me on his shoulder. "When there are no hindrances nearby", he softly adds.
"What?" I couldn't hear the last part he had said. The sight of stairs gives my heart a little jolt, momentarily taking my attention as I clamor to grab him for useless support.
"Nothing~ I'll sleep on the outside of the bed."
"Mm."
Settling in, we clean up and brush our teeth before scurrying to bed. It should be well past midnight. I yawn, the excitement in the day well gone. In the coolness of that evening, after reigning in Obrecht's restless hands, sleep finally, lightly, embraces us.
Hours later, dark slender veins climbed up the bed and gently attached itself upon my skin. The person beside me turned to his side and hugged me tighter in his sleep, unaware. Unknowingly, my breathing changed as I slowly enter a meditative slumber.
The tiny blotted wisps quietly appeared and vanished simultaneously in the room. By early morning, the shadows cleared themselves up, quenched.
A little dark mass quietly stared at the faces of the people steadily breathing on the bed. It stood there for an hour. If there was an active memory stone recording in the room, it might have captured something akin to a ghost haunting at 2am.
Unfortunately, neither was there a stone, nor was it a ghost.
Getting bored of staring, the little dark mass slipped through the walls and fell down from second floor ceiling, like a horrifying black water leak on the ceiling. Dripping down to the ground, it ran to the kitchen, looking at the utensils and mimicking the same movement I did when I was cooking last night. The little mass was too small to reach the counter, therefore, half its body was enveloped by more shadows and mounted upwards until it could stand higher.
After having made the main body cultivate while sleeping, it felt rejuvenated.
Lady Amani wasn't entirely accurate, or maybe she didn't see the need for an in-depth explanation. Though emotional energy indeed gives way to cultivation energy, he wasn't quite particular which emotion gave positive results in cultivation, because people have varying temperaments. Although the most usual times that gave results were either from strong emotions caused by big stimulations, or the opposite; tranquil and quiet meditation.
Every night, the little dark mass wanted to roam more places. Although it loves the main body and its favorites person, Obrecht, being bored is still a big issue. Thus, extending the main body's range of ability was a must.
Without realizing that my capabilities have grown, I output the power that I think I have. In the end, my limitations are all psychological, and never physical.
The one to credit for it was busy roaming house to house, like a wondering mole. Thus far, the houses looked similar, with small heights and limited rooms. Yet at one house, the amount of rooms reached two digits, with a handful of hidden ones.
Pleased, the little dark mass swept under every object's shadows, jumping from one dark place to another; one at a time, then two at a time, until a storm of small shadows simultaneously circled the walls and jumped about the room like energized little slimes.
Creeeaaak—k—kk
It stilled at the sound of creaking. Curious, the little dark mass slipped to the bottom crack of the door. A grass-haired man had just closed a door behind the shelves, the heavy books putting a strain on the metallic hinges. Carrying a bare little illumination stone in his hand, he passed by the rooms. If he had stopped to look at one particular door, he may have noticed that the space between the floor and door was a void, darker.
The little dark mass stared at the man. He knew this man. He'd seen him with three others before. When he left, the curious little dark mass slithered below the bookshelf.
The room inside was wide, brimming with various swords and sparkling jewels on display. There were a few invisible treasures here and there, but the little dark mass could not be fooled. As long as the object had a physical body, complete with its own shadow, the little dark mass could sense it instinctively. Much so was the invisible sword coated with a familiar residual fragrance.
Coming closer, it saw an exact replica of Obrecht's sword on the right. It would have been perfect, along with the size and weight, but pressing the little crystal didn't seem to work, nor does another sword pop out. Dare to fool it?
As Obrecht was its favorite person, it happily accepted its mission of 'fetching' the real one. Black gobs rose and swallowed what seemed like empty air to the naked eye.
Later that morning, I wake up, not knowing how I managed to survive yet another night being squished so badly by Obrecht.
"...Can't...Obrecht—", I say while tapping his shoulder, his head burrowed by my neck and shoulder as if it's his favorite spot. "Ob, wake up?" The only answer I got is Obrecht rubbing his face on my shoulder.
Like a feline…
Bleary eyes look up at me and together, two blank faces continue stare at each other, with the former more dazed than the other.
Obrecht, "…"
"…What?" I try not to smile. The person who smiles first loses.
A slow smile blossoms on his face.
Okay, so maybe the first person to smile won't lose. Ugh, so early in the morning and my heart takes a critical hit, I cry inwardly.
Obrecht stands up to head to the bathroom when something snags his foot. He trips, then uses the momentum to roll over elegantly, as if dodging a low kick. He finishes his stunt with a low fighting stance; fists up, knees slightly bent, face still half-asleep.
"Pfft—", I cover my mouth with the back of my hand.
He looks around, confused. 'Where are my opponents?' was clearly plastered on his face. I start laughing louder at this, falling back on the bed. Unhappily, Obrecht eases his stance and treks over to the bed. Midway, he stops and mumbles about stepping on something cold.
Noticing him crouching, I wipe away the few tears lining my eyelashes and crawl to the edge of the bed.
"Ha… what is it?"
Obrecht picks up something I can't quite see, his eyebrows dipping. I stretch a hand to feel something smooth and sharp at the edges. Surprise takes over us as we cross gazes. This is clearly Obrecht's sword turned invisible! Wasn't it missing? Not that I'm complaining, but how did it suddenly appear here?
I've always slept half-aware, with my power sensing my surroundings. If there was someone else entering our room last night, I would've clearly felt them come and go.
"Do you think this is a prank", I ask him.
He shakes his head, not sure.
"If this is made from the same nectar I know, then eventually it should wear off but we won't know until when." I rub the substance on my fingertips.
"It's fine. I'll just carry it on my back."
I raise an eyebrow. "Even in your sleep? You're going to hug your sword to bed?"
Faced with an implied 'your sword or me' question, Obrecht's face drops as he genuinely struggles for a moment. Then, he gently puts his sword back down and comes over to sit on my lap despite having a larger build. He gives me a suffocating hug, humming like a heartbroken little child coming to seek comfort with his mother.
Laughingly, I pinch his soft earlobes, making sure he knows I'm just teasing him. "Since you don't want your sword anymore, I can have it right? I am lacking a sword", I say the last part like I'm honestly considering it.
I flinch when he gently bites my shoulder.
"Alright, I'll stop, I'll stop", I laughingly say.
He leans back, and I look at the face of the man I love. The corners of his lips lift eventually as he places a kiss on my forehead.
I can get used to mornings like this.