"You're asleep," I uttered, and looked at the motionless body of Alice. She groaned and moved to the side as I poked her cheeks. Alice did not mind my pestering at all. "You know, you're very adorable when you do that."
I couldn't help myself but smile at her. If people found out that I was staring at a defenceless girl, they might hail me as a pervert. But I did not mind if they called me one. I had no intentions of doing anything particular to Alice.
All I wanted was for Alice to remain with a smile on her face, even if she was asleep. She almost reminded me of myself. It was the person who had not given up on life.
She cradled her make-shift pillow like a baby. Although the cushion was not the fluffiest, Alice still felt delighted. It was showing on her face and her silly smile. That girl craved company, and the pillow provided that warmth.
"We will talk later, okay?"
I left the mattress and went to her desk, hoping to fiddle around with Alice's things. I knew I opened the temporary stove and preheated the bunny we caught a while ago. It was the ripest time for me to do that, given that the owner was still asleep. If she called out for my actions, I would just tell her I stumbled upon the desk by accident.
My orbs strolled down the messy board filled with strings, pieces of cotton, fabrics, and a frame lying around. I glued my eyes onto the coloured painting of two people and a younger version of Alice. The lovely family smiled at the artist painting the scene. I knew since my lips curled upward.
"It must have been Alice's parents," I murmured, and lifted the item in my hands. "These three really look like royalties to me. I bet there were princes and princesses she had met from her lifetime. I'm jealous."
All three of them wore exquisite dresses not even my uncultured eye could miss. The king had a crown nestling on his head. The queen also had hers resting on her head, but with an original design. Alice did not have one since she was still a young child.
"Detroit, guns, and a war. What is happening in this world?" Although Alice told me everything she knew about this place, I did not experience them myself.
It was strenuous for me to absorb every tiniest detail that Alice had explained. One second I was on Earth. The following day, I became a puppet. These happenings were a cosmic mess, and nobody could give me an answer.
It was as my soul had wandered in an unexplored world apart from mine. I did not know my purpose. But right now, Alice may lead me to that goal.
I locked my eyes and stared at my hands. It had a skin for wool, instead of those from humans. It was burdensome for me to look at my reflection, as I saw no glasses in the cave. But the stones that gave a blurry mirror were enough for me to peer through my image. If it were not for this suit, people would recognise that my body differed from them.
"How ironic that the world that dictated my life made me a puppet here on another planet," I told myself, and sat on the chair.
There was no point in me idling around about my previous life. What I had experienced was not even delightful from any angle. I suffered a lot and had nobody that could call as a friend. Even my damned job took away my only opportunity to live.
"Maybe this place isn't as bad as I thought it could be," I said.
I looked around and observed the cave. Was this really the place that I wanted to end my life? If someone could ask me that question, I would answer them with a straight face.
Yes.
I just want to be in a place that I can call home.
As long as I was with the girl, everything around me would become alright. I did not care about hunting rabbits all day and night. The cavern was even more gigantic than the studio I rented back in my life. I did not need to eat, defecate, or even worry about my health.
Life would become a blissful sail if I stayed here with the girl. But I knew Alice needed something more.
'We are inside a den of freaking bats. That one bat we saw caused a problem for us. If thousands of them appeared, we might not survive their attacks,' I thought, and schemed a plan.
This world had magic roaming around in our bodies. I could also control mana in my surroundings. I did not know why, but the wild energy came rushing through my materials.
Alice could discharge bullets made of fire. It was a fireball, a classic projectile known to all games and fantasy stories. I had never expected to see one of those with my own eyes.
But the two of us were no match against the bat, not until I blew it up into pieces. I used the same spell it threw at me against the fiend. My body even froze on its own from fear and dread. It was the first time that my spine shivered in fright.
"I did not want to die." Those were the words I remembered when we came face to face against such a monstrous beast.
If I had not done that, we would lie on the ground, turned into sand.
But I still did not know how I conjured such a thing. It was as if my body already knew about using magic. When I was on the battlefield, the bat hurled an ominous ray of light. My hands moved on their own and charged the obsidian beam towards the bat. I ended up killing the monster.
[Welcome, Kamen Matsouka.] A sudden voice made me stand up from my seat.
I thought the monsters had finally breached the cave. It can happen anytime, but today was not that day.
"Who are you?" I asked, and rummaged through the cavern.
[I am inside your head.] The automated voice answered my question.
After the reply, an azure window popped in front of me. It showed the current image of myself as an anatomical figure. I slid my eyes to the side and addressed all my identification in this world. It showed my current name [Mask], my race [Puppet], and my master [Alice].
[You have unlimited magic in your vessel. However, you can only produce spells if you understand their components.]
"Then how could I throw the [obsidian beam] to the bat? I did not know the materials the bat used against me?" I wondered. If the mysterious voice proved correct, I would not produce such a destructive spell.
[You have one ability that you can use as a puppet. [Phantomime]. This spell allows you to mimic any abilities thrown at you, but you need your mind to understand those spells.]
"But I didn't!" I shouted. The details became confusing the more I learned this information.
But the automated voice replied no more. It became silent and did not give me an answer. I could only guess that another spell had activated by itself during the battle.
A sudden groan disrupted my train of thoughts. I gazed towards the bed and found Alice screaming in terror.
Alice's voice quivered, while her lips rattled inaudible sounds. A cascade of waterfall drifted from her eyelids as she mumbled the words inside her dreams. But I could not hear a thing from what she had said. I leaned closer to her face and listened to Alice's voice.
"Mum… Dad… Court Magician?" Alice screeched once again. Every word that came out of her mouth became louder.
All those names were foreign to my ears. But I knew I needed to do something and wake Alice up. Alice was experiencing a nightmare.
"It was all my fault…." Alice whispered.
Her body dushed my hands back. She wiggled like a fish that gasped for air. Blaring wails fled from Alice's mouth as she tried to escape from something I did not know.
"Wake up, Alice! Wake up!" I called out for her name.
I reached for her shoulders once again and gave her a tight embrace. Her name continued to flow out of my mouth. After a few seconds, her body stopped shivering. Alice's hands made their way towards mine as she peeled her eyes open.
My fingers could not feel a damn thing, but I knew what had happened. Alice had a fever. The reddish skin tone showing on her face told me everything. I rolled up the blankets and covered her body.
"Thank god you woke up! You scared the strings out of me! I think you have a fever. I can't feel using my hands, but your face is burning up! I'm no doctor, but I can tell if you're sick or not."
My hands reached out for the pocket-sized table and placed it above the blankets.
I shuffled from the bed and headed towards the kitchen. I picked up a steaming bowl and placed it in front of Alice. There was a table already prepared on her chest. All she had to do was to take a spoon and digest its content.
(Author's Notes: Dushed is a word- dush (third-person singular simple present dushes, present participle dushing, simple past and past participle dushed) (transitive, UK dialectal) To strike or push violently; (of an animal) to strike with the horns; butt. (intransitive, UK dialectal) To fall violently; dash down; move with violence.)