A while earlier, before the two parties met, somewhere in the abyss;
Miyu, who carried the unconscious Ren on her shoulders, walked alongside the young boy through an endless corridor.
It had been awhile since they entered through the portal into the abyss but the corridor they walked in hadn't changed at all.
The floor was covered in a diamond pattern, which was black and red in color, the walls were all plain white adorned with paintings of all sorts and except for the companions footsteps and breathing, nothing could be heard.
They had no idea how long they walked by now but Miyu suddenly stopped and Michael bumped into Rens back due to that. He looked past Miyu and his eyes met the golden shimmering ones of a cat, that was sitting in the middle of the way in front of them.
It's long fluffy white and grey fur swayed softly in the light wind that occasionally came through.
The cat intently stared at the three untill it turned around and walked off into the corridor. It made a halt after a few metres to turn around and Meow at the group.
"I think it wants us to follow" Michael said and Miyu walked ahead in response. The boy followed suit immediately and the cat continued in it's tracks.
The animal led them through a maze of tunnels and corridors, each one was spookier than the last.
There were several times the party could chose a path, yet it seemed the cat led them through the safest ones.
There were all kinds of paths, some were pitch black with no trace of light at all, others were giving off weird noises and voices, giving Michael the creeps as he clung to the sleeping Reveries arm in fear. There also was one, that was so distorted the members didn't even know where up or down was and to top it off, it moved as well. They thankfully didn't have to take any of these paths in the end and followed the cat.
The squirrel that had joined Miyu back in the caves, walked alongside the cat and had some idle chatter with it. It was a weird sight to behold but none of these animals were normal to begin with, so neither of the two party members thought anything of it.
Miyu wondered who this cat was and why it helped them but she had a guess already, she would only need to confirm it.
They continued their way for awhile, until they arrived at a door. The cat scratched on it's surface and Miyu opened it without hesitation.
The party plus pets stepped through it and were shocked what they came through on the other side.
It was a big mirror through which they stepped. They ended up in a fancily adorned victorian styled bedroom and Miyu seized the chance to lay Reverie down on the soft bed. The girl immediately sunk into the sheets and pillows and made herself comfortable in her slumber. Miyu covered her with a blanket and turned back to Michael, who inspected the entire room with big round sparkling eyes.
He had never seen so many dolls and plushies in his entire life, especially none that were so weird and bizzare looking. He remembered Mr bunny though and wondered where he was. Looking through the shelves , the boy couldn't find the talking bunny plush at all.
Miyu approached him from behind asking what he was looking for. When the boy explained, Miyu looked around as well in wonder.
By the time her eyes fell back on the big bed, the two animals already cuddled up on her. Miyu was right about the cats owner, she slept right there. Smiling softly she turned back to the boy, speaking in a calm manner to him.
"We should rest. It's unclear when we will get a chance like this again, so we should take it. Also it seems like there's more than enough space in that bed over there , for all of us." she pointed to the pile of covers Ren slept in with a giggle.
She didn't exaggerate at all, the bed really was big enough to let at least five people sleep in it. It was unclear why it was so big but the exhausted party members didn't care at that time.
Michael gave up on his search for the bunny plush and ran over to it. He took off his shoes and drowned himself in the soft covers of the bed.
Miyu sat down on the bed as well, as she watched the kid falling asleep in an instant. She decided she would rest later and just keep watch for now. She knew this place was safe, but she also knew there was someone behind that mirror waiting for a chance to strike. She knew who was in that mirror but she decided to ignore it and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
No matter who would try to harm her friend, she would kill them without hesitation. She swore so a long time ago and she swore to herself now as well, as if to never forget about it.
In the corner of her eye she watched the shadow in the mirror disappear and breathed a sigh of relief. Even if she were to face off against that being, she had no chance at winning. She was glad the shadow decided to give up for now and leaned back against one of the pillars, that held the canopy atop the bed.
She had no Intention of falling asleep, yet her body didn't listen and she fell into a deep dreamless slumber.
"My, my, having a slumber party here of all places...What does my lady think she's doing?" the low voice of the bunny plush spoke, as he entered via the mirror.
" 'She' certainly is not amused with this but I guess it can't be helped now..." he continued in a rueful tone ,as he watched over the sleeping companions.
He turned his attention to the cat and addressed him.
"It was you ,who led them here, isn't that right?"
The cat didn't react, simply because he didn't care about anyone ,except his owner. The bunny knew that and sighed. He wished at least someone would listen to him for once but he gave up on that thought, the moment it crossed his mind. Exhausted he turned around and took a seat on the couch below the shelves. He decided he would take watch over the party and protect them for now until the girl would woke up again. With that , his focus turned to the mirror in which a shadow could be seen occasionally hushing in and out of view. He knew what this being wanted and he wouldn't let it have it's way. Not yet at least, he thought and gave it a warning look. The shadow flinched and vanished again.
The mirrors view changed into a dark scenery, with three people sitting around a bonfire. The bunny knew the figures in the mirror and he resented them more than anything. If it weren't for 'her' he would have killed all of them by now, but he knew it would make both 'her' and the sleeping girl opposite from him sad, so he let them live.
His anger was especially strong against Vincent, that man not only tried to kill her but he was the biggest snake of them all. Sooner or later he would have to get rid of that human, the bunny thought and closed his eyes in an attempt to calm his mood.
He turned his attention back to the sleeping girl and her companions and watched them quietly from opposite the room.
"It won't be long anymore it seems..." he whispered one last time before the silence filled the room then.
-to be continued-
A/N; I won't be home tmr so no new chapter then, see you on sunday and stay safe!♡