The space was dark with a single space of light shining down on me. I slowly rocked back and forth on the rocking chair, staring blankly at the old radio that sat on top of a desk in front of me. The floor was made of marble with the dirt and grime making it look really old. I couldn't see anything beyond 4 meters. Just a vast void.
"On May 11th, 2014, three young boys went missing in Crosswalk County," a male's voice said from the radio. "They were last seen two days ago visiting the local annual carnival. Police reports say that they were a group of friends, but have no idea as to where they could be. Some say that they may have been taken by someone who was also at the carnival, but all we can do is specu-."
*BZZZT!*
The radio suddenly cut off with a disturbing sound and went silent. However, just as fast as it went out, the radio suddenly kicked back on.
But…
"On March 14th, 2015, a giant metal door was found in a dark void with splotches of what looked to be dried black blood. The police did a full sweep of the area, but nothing was foun-."
That can't be true.
I lifted my legs up to my chest, setting my feet right on the chair.
*BZZZUUURRRT!!* "There was nothing there. Nobody was there. Not a single soul."
The voice that suddenly came through was much more distorted and evil, as if he were mocking me.
"When that door open's, you'll wish that you had stayed in here," the voice kept going. "Remember what happens when someone tried to go through that door? Remember? Reeeemeeeeeemmmberrrrrrrrr…?"
*DOM!*
Another bright light in the distance suddenly flashed on. Right below it was the door. The door that was described in the radio. The same door I kept seeing in my dreams.
"Wheeeeere do you think you're going," the voice in the radio suddenly kicked back on again. "I won't let you run."
*SQUATCH!*
"AAAUUUUUUUHHHHHH!!!"
Squelching sounds came from beyond that door, along with a bloodcurdling scream. I instinctively ducked behind the chair, hiding from whatever was lurking behind that door.
"Soooo much running…"
*SQUELCH!*
"GGIUYYAAAAAHHHH!!"
"Run run run…as fast as you can…"
"CRUNCH!*
"AHAHAHYIIIIIHHH!"
"You'll neeeeever escape me…"
*CRACK!*
"I'm…the…boogeyman…"
*WHAM!*
The door slammed open violently, letting out an erupting sound that echoed throughout the void. What lay inside that room beyond the door was a darkness that seemed to pour into the already pitch black void.
*Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!*
Wet, stepping sounds grew closer and closer to the door. The fear that was welling up inside my chest made me breathe raggedly, the blood drained completely from my legs. I felt the urge to puke from the all the darkness around me.
However, my curiosity won me over and gave me just enough confidence to peak at what the sound was-
"…!"
.....
His eyes were nothing but bloody sockets. His lips violently stitched together, forming a vile frown. His skin was pale like a ghost, his clothes damp and torn to shreds, and his hair looked to haven't been washed in weeks. Blood dripped from his dangling arms and hands as he hung upside down from the rope attached to his severed torso. His waste and legs were nowhere to be seen.
It was him. This was the man who I saw crawling out of the doorway. I felt like I was about to cry.
*BZZT! KSHHHHHH!*
The radio suddenly kicked in yet again and…
"0…3…1…4…0…4.....0…3…1…4…0…4…"
The weak voice of a man came through the radio and began saying numbers slowly. As he repeated them, I noticed the pattern.
031404.
"...…."
The man's voice suddenly stopped speaking. The body that was dangling upside down was gone along with the door and the light above it. I found myself alone with the radio and the chair, rocking myself with my arms holding onto my knees.
…
…
…
"…Hiro?"
My eyes shot open from the sudden voice that echoed through my ears. It sounded like a female's voice, but it was so faint I couldn't figure out if it sounded familiar or not. I quickly looked around to find myself in the Temporary room with Xylvia sleeping right next to me in the bed. The stump where my left leg used to be still freshly sore.
"Stupid fucking dreams…" I cursed under my breath.
I don't understand. Why does that door keep reappearing in my dreams? And that man again. And what was with that voice I heard through the radio?
"…Boogeyman…"
I don't remember. Did something happen and I just forgot? And those numbers. 031404. What was that about?
I realized that my whole body was covered in sweat. I started to feel really embarrassed since Xylvia still had her arms wrapped around me with her head pressed against my chest. I wanted to quickly wake her up and find a change of clothes, but that was probably not gonna be easy.
I looked out the window and saw that the sun was getting close to rising above the horizon, so I figured it was probably fine to just go back to sleep and worry about everything when Xylvia wakes up. I just hope that I don't end up dreaming something terrifying again.
Warm, bright sunlight was beaming through the window and onto my shut eyelids. I instinctively stretched out my arms as I sat up, yawning tiredly as I let relief wash over me for not having dreamt a bad dream again. I noticed that the usually pair of arms wrapped around my back were missing.
"Guess she's awake." I said to myself.
I spent a bit more time in bed stretching and rubbing the grogginess out of my eyes until finally climbing out of bed and exiting the room. I still reeked of sweat, so I wanted to make a quick stop into the shower before I did anything else.
"…uhh…"
How am I gonna get there?
Suddenly, the mirror glowed a little before Xylvia emerged from it, the shards of glass returning back onto the mirror after she appeared.
"Sorry if I kept you waiting," she said, painting like she had ran somewhere. "You were asleep when I left, so I figured I had enough time."
"Enough time for what?" I asked.
"Umm…that's a secret." She smiled.
Well that's suspicious.
"So what do you wanna do," Xylvia asked me. "I can help you out with anything you need."
"Umm…"
I really needed a shower, but…
"I think I can do this myself," I said to her as I threw of the blankets and set my only foot on the floor. "It can't be too hard. Just keep myself balanced and…"
Within seconds, I already found myself falling over and hopping to the wall to keep myself up. I was able to avoid face-planting, but still struggled to keep myself from wobbling. The only way I could keep myself upright was by leaning against the wall. And on top of that, my right leg was already getting tired. I could sense Xylvia's eyes leering at me from behind.
"Hiro, please just let me help you." She said.
I could feel my right leg beginning to stumble. I quickly hopped backwards and let myself fall back onto the bed, sighing with disappointment. When I looked up at her, she looked really concerned with me. I simply sighed again and blushed…
"I…really don't think this is necessary." I whispered quietly to Xylvia, my face burning from embarrassment.
"Quit being stubborn Hiro," Xylvia said, flicking me on the head. "Just shut up and let me help you."
"Yeah but…being carried like this…"
Xylvia ignored my last sentence. She just smiled happily as she princess carried me to the bathing area (cleansing room). I could feel everyone's stares shooting straight at me. I quickly shielded all areas of my vision and just cried internally.
"Hiro, you're down a leg. Nobody's gonna make fun of you if that's what you're worried about."
"You say that, yet I'm kind've thinking otherwise."
"If you don't believe me, then uncover your eyes and look around."
"No thank you! I'm good just like thi-H-Hey!"
Xylvia somehow moved her tail over to my hands and pried them both off my face with surprising ease. I quickly shut my eyes to keep from looking at the people staring at me.
"Come own Hiro, please just open your eyes." Xylvia moaned.
"No…just…n-no…"
Everyone was staring at me. I could feel it. They all think I'm weird. That they shouldn't be around me. Just please…leave me alone…
A bright light was shining straight at my face. It came from the darkness that surrounded me. The chains rattled with the shackles as my hands moved to shield my face. I can't remember the last time I've seen light.
The light suddenly started to grow closer to me, growing brighter and brighter. I found myself suddenly falling to the floor and backing away as quickly as I could until I had hit a wall. I tended up, pressing my back and head as tightly against the wall as I could, trying to make as much distance as possible.
*pet*
I felt something grab my shoulder. A…hand? Yes, I felt their fingers. This person had their hand gently pressed onto me, with enough of a grip to hold me upright.
"Hey…kid…"
A man's voice.
I still didn't want to open my eyes.
"Hey…"
"…you alright kid?"
The voice suddenly changed. Instead of sounding scratchy and a little older, this one sounded a little more calm and younger.
"He's just scared of everyone staring at him." Xylvia said.
Woah… What just happened?
"After what happened yesterday, I'm not surprised that a lot of people are a little on edge right now," the young man said. "From what I'm looking at, I think yesterday might've brought back some bad moments from his past."
"You really think so?"
"He's a Summoned right," the man asked. "There's no telling what kinds of memories are buried into that kid's head. I don't even think he knows about them. Must've been something really bad."
Bad memories? I…can't really recall having any. I mean, going to college and living in that village wasn't really a great time, but I don't think anything really bad ever happened to me.
"Do take care of that kid," the man said, his footsteps taking him farther away. "The Corruption inside him is only gonna make it worse."
Xylvia began walking again.
"Hiro, has anything bad ever happened to you?" She asked.
"I…don't think so." I said.
"I don't think that's true. I mean, you're saying that you're scared of yourself, you think you're untrustworthy, and you think other people are making fun of you right now."
I can't remember. When I try to go back farther than when I moved to Tokyo for college, I can't remember anything else beyond that. It's like a mixture of white noise and static.
*SSLICK!*
"HIYA!"
Something wet suddenly slides across my cheek. My eyes instantly shot open and saw Xylvia smiling with her tongue sticking out, with her little fang poking out from the bottom of her mouth.
"Did…you just lick me?!" I asked her embarrassingly with my hand covering the part she violated.
"Ehh…I'm not sure," she said, playing dumb. "Maybe take a look around and find out yourself."
"…"
As soon as I turned my head, I realized what she was trying to do.
"Told you nobody was looking at you weirdly." She laughed.
Everyone was simply minding there own business, whether they were talking with others, heading to grab food, or signing papers at the front desk. A few people stopped by to thank us for saving them the other day. They all still covered their ears though, but that was an entirely different issue.
"Everyone sees you as a hero Hiro," Xylvia said to me, chuckling a little probably because of how similar they sounded. "There's no reason to be afraid."
"Yeah, I know," I agreed. "I just don't want people seeing me differently."
"I mean you are missing a leg, so there isn't really anything you can do about that. You may need help here and there, but I don't think it'll be that big of a problem."
Xylvia continued carrying me over to the door that led to the bathing (cleansing) room. I thought back to what that young man said about the corruption inside of me. I remember what Zig said about it to, how it'll continue to get into your head until you lose to it completely. And the way it does that is by using your own trauma against you.
But how am I supposed to fight against something that I don't even remember?
"You really don't remember?" Xylvia asked.
"I guess not," I shrugged. "I just never really thought about it because my life was consumed by studies and work all the time. I mean, I can recall vague moments from before that, but not a lot."
When Xylvia reached the door into the 'Cleansing Room,' I grabbed onto the handle and pulled it open as she backpedaled a bit. I was met with a full blast off transparent steam that made my face feel wet and sticky. I felt extremely hot with the high temperature seeping into my clothes. I suddenly found myself panting a little bit, quickly working into a sweat from all the heat.
It took me a minute to realize that this place was pretty packed. Of course, with this city being populated by mostly Felinians a lot of the normal sized stalls (at least normal in my standards) were being occupied, but there were a few half human half lizard or half lion or half wolf people who went into the more larger stalls. I do find it really cool how the architecture of this place works. This entire place has so much diversity to it; an incredible work of construction.
And it's literally just a bathhouse.
"U-Um…pardon me."
I heard a familiar voice coming from behind Xylvia and I. When we both turned around (more like Xylvia turning around with me still in her arms), we were shocked to find out that it was the same woman that I first said hello to. Short cut brown hair that was soaked and shiny from the water, a few freckles on her cheeks, cloudy grey eyes, around 140 centimeters tall, and a towel draped around her neck.
"…!"
I shot my head upwards to avoid seeing anything else. I went a little too fast though, cracking it in the aftermath.
"You ok Hiro," Xylvia asked, shaking me a little. "I heard something crack."
"Stiff neck is all." I answered.
The woman's towel was barely covering her chest. I was able to stop my eyes from going any lower thankfully.
"Well, it's nice to see that you're ok," Xylvia said to the woman. "We didn't really have the time to make sure everyone was ok after what went down yesterday."
"From what the guardians said, everyone managed to make it out in one piece," the woman said. "That woman, I believe her name was Catherine, had suffered the most from that spear she got impaled with. Her son had been beaten to near death as well, but they both are fine thankfully."
I got news from the doctor yesterday, but that's still reassuring to hear.
"Hey, Hiro was it," the woman then asked me. "At least, that's what I did hear."
"Yeah, that's my name," I said to the ceiling. "I don't think I ever got yours though."
"It's Siren. And I'm sorry if I upset you when I covered my ears in front of you."
"Oh, well I was caught off guard by it, but I'm not upset with you."
It's probably because I'm looking at the ceiling.
"I just…don't really know where to look." I said.
I felt another wave of heat flush across my face. Being truthful about it was probably the right move, but it's still really embarrassing.
"Ohh, I see now," Xylvia said as she walked over to the area where you deposit your clothes. "Hiro, take off your boots and tunic and I'll go and walk you over to a stall."
"W-why?" I asked.
"Just do it."
Xylvia then set me down on the floor next to the hole where all your clothes go. I decided to just play along and took my shirt and shoes off and tossed them through the hole. I didn't actually know this thing could wash shoes. Xylvia then carried me over to an empty shower stall.
"Just wait here for a moment." She said, closing the door, the sound of her footsteps tapping away from the stall.
Am I supposed to start showering now? I guess I could, but this is kind've the only pair of underwear I have. Never really had the time to go shopping for some yet. I wonder where the stores in this city are?
*Click!*
My door suddenly swung open and-
"Cleansing shorts!!!"
Xylvia was holding a pair of what looked like trunks that were pale white in her hands, all while being completely naked.
"What are you doing," I exclaimed, turning myself to face the wall. "At least Siren had a towel on! You're not even trying!"
"Wanna take a better look?" Xylvia asked me.
"What?! Are you trying to make fun of me, or are you just-!"
Even though I was frustrated, I still did what she asked and turned around. Whether it was my temptation or the heat of the situation, I did so anyways. However, when I did…
"Gleam told me stories about you Summons talking about how unique we are," Xylvia said. "I'm not really sure since I've always thought it was just normal, but I'm gonna assume this is one of those unique things."
Where her breasts were was actually a coat of fur that wrapped around her chest and back, the same color as her ears and tail.
"These Cleansing Shorts were around during the last Summon, in case we had any new ones come around soon," Xylvia continued. "You can put these on who you don't have to worry about others trying to check you out."
Wouldn't say that's what I'm worried about since everyone in here is covering their ears, but at least I have something to wear.
"Put these on and I'll be back to help you." Xylvia said as she handed me the shorts.
"Help me? Wait, what are-!"
"I'm gonna help you cleanse obviously. Can't do it on the floor cause you'll just be sitting in dirty water. And if you try to stand, you might end up slipping. Let me know when you put them on ok."
She then closed the door, giving me a bit of privacy. I took off my boxers and before I put the shorts on, I wanted to make sure…
Yep, she's got more down their than I do.
Why do I feel like I lost something?
"So you guys just…don't have anything covering you guys?" Xylvia asked.
"Well, we're usually in private most of the time when we show-err 'cleanse,' so we don't really worry about needing to be covered." I answered.
"That's so weird! I remember one time I tried cleansing without being covered and when I walked out of the stall, my tips felt like they would freeze off!"
"It can't be that bad." I chuckled.
I mean you do get cold whenever you leave the shower, but I never felt like my nipples were gonna freeze off. Or maybe that's just a woman thing?
Xylvia was helping me keep my balance as I was washing myself. She also helped point out what products I should try using. The shampoos and bar of soap all smelled like strawberries.
"How come you've got fur on your arms?" She asked me.
"That's just hair, and it can't grow like yours can." I chuckled.
"What about your stick?"
I nearly burst out laughing when she said that.
"Is that what you guys call it? A stick?"
"No, but that's just a less…provocative way to say it."
"Fair enough. Yeah, it grows down their to. Again, nothing like yours though."
"Hey! This isn't how it looks naturally! It's just the fur that I use to cover it!"
"Mhmmmmm…"
Weird. I never saw myself as the type to joke like this. Am I just more comfortable around her?
"Alright, prove it then!" She suddenly said.
"…huh?"
"Take off your cover and I'll take off mine! We'll see who's right."
She sounded confident, but the blush on her face made it obvious she didn't really want to. Or maybe that was the steam?
"Easy pass on that one," I said to her. "I was just joking around."
"Well I'm not!"
She suddenly reached for my trunks and began pulling them down. I quickly grabbed onto the top of them and pulled up.
"Hey, would you cut that out," I exclaimed. "I was just joking!"
"Come on! Just let me see," she pleased. "I've already got took my fur off, so the least you can do is comply!"
"I never asked you to do that!"
The thought of her underpart being completely exposed made me blush extremely badly to the point where my face felt a little itchy. And a part of me did kinda want to comply just for the joke of it, but I still thought that she was just putting on an act. And I really didn't want to buy it just to end up making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
The unfortunate thing, however, is that I only had one arm available to keep my trunks on because the other was around Xylvia to keep balance, while Xylvia had both of them for free while also having the strength of a lion.
*THWIP!*
I quickly crossed my thighs to hide it, which looked weird with only one leg. When Xylvia turned me around to face her…
"…You don't have one?" She asked.
"I hid it you idiot!" I screamed at her. "Seriously, why did you-…"
I completely lost focus when my eyes shifted downwards, oblivious to the fact I had uncrossed my thighs.
"Woah, I can't even see it." I said out loud unintentionally.
When I said that, I noticed Xylvia's eyes shifting between our groins. After several minutes of gaze shifting, her entire face went red and she went sliding down to the floor. I nearly lost my balanced, so I leaned over to the wall. Carefully making sure that I didn't slip.
"Hey, it not that serious." I said to her.
"It's…kind've embarrassing though." she admitted.
I knew it.
"That's part of the reason why I was telling you to stop. I knew you were just putting up an act."
I swiped my boxers back from Xylvia and carefully sat down to put them back on.
"Besides, you can just shave."
"Huh? Shave? What's that mean?"
That kinda caught me off guard, but this is a different world. I guess it's not that surprising that they don't know what that is.
"You can just cut the hair off. You have claws right? Just be careful not to cut yourself."
Xylvia looked down at her groin and got her claws ready…
"NOT WHEN I'M IN HERE!!!" I exclaimed, waving my hands wildly at her.
Xylvia thankfully listened to what I said and retracted her claws, letting out a disappointing sigh afterwords.
"What now?" I asked after I finished putting my boxers back on.
"Is it weird," She asked. "Having a lot of hair? It probably is back in your world."
This conversation was starting to make my head ache, but I guess it is just her curiosity. She could at least be a little bit more situationally aware, but maybe she's just comfortable around me?
'You don't creep me out.'
Maybe she really does mean that.
"People in my world have their preferences, but I don't think it's weird," I said. "And you shouldn't think it's weird either if you don't even know what 'shave' means."
That drew a smile out of her.
"If anything, I think it makes you look tough."
Her smile grew a lot more after I said that. Though I kind've regretted saying that after realizing how weird that sounded.
"Weeeeell, I do try to keep myself ready whenever I need to fight." Xylvia said flexing her arms.
"Gloating now are we," I chuckled. "Anyways, you shouldn't care about what I think. I still don't know really anything about this world, so I've got no right to call anyone out on something."
"Hey, it's not gloating if I'm telling the truth!"
"You're gloating the truth then."
Xylvia chuckled from that answer.
She then stood back up and put her fur cover back on. She then helped me back up and kept me balanced as I washed myself. I was still a little weirded out from the fact that there was girl watching me shower, but I quickly just shook the thought out of my head and finished up.
"Hey, you wanna feel?" She suddenly asked.
"Hmm?" I tilted my head as I scrubbed the last of the suds off of me
"My fur. You wanna feel it? It's a little wet, but it should still feel nice."
"Is this another one of those friendship things in this world?" I asked.
"No. This is just a way to say thanks. Plus, I doubt you ever felt fur like this before."
"C-Can't say I have."
I scratched my cheek awkwardly. I didn't see any bit of embarrassment on her face. I guess she just genuinely wanted to thank me. Albeit a weird way, but I guess I'll just play along. I'd rather not start another weird conversation.
I raised my hand and placed it on her chest.
Woah…she was right. I've never felt anything like this before.
"This really is soft," I said. "Like each strand is silky."
I could also feel her heartbeat. It wasn't racing. A nice, calm beating rhythm.
"It almost doesn't feel like fur."
"It's also kind've odd that you chose to touch my chest of all places."
"…"
I don't think I've ever moved my arm any faster than at this moment when I shot it right back down to my side. What the hell was wrong with me?! Out of all places I could've felt, I chose her chest?!
Xylvia burst out laughing.
"Look at your face! Hahaha!!!" Xylvia laughed as she pointed at me.
So that's what I felt…
I felt a blush filling up my face.
"*Pfft!* Hahaha!!"
Xylvia started laughing while pointing at my face. I just rolled my eyes and took my red face out of the stall, grabbing a towel on my way out and leaning against the wall to make sure I didn't slip.
"Hey, wait," Xylvia called out, still chuckling. "Im the one that said to do it! I'm not mad. That was just really funny!"
My face was still red, but I couldn't hide the smile on my face. As embarrassing as that was, it was pretty funny…I guess. I wish she was a little less explicit with the way she joked around with me.