Archie was sceptical about this healing method that the child talked about. 'What kind of medicine will heal these large wounds?' He asked, the child looking at him as if she was blaming him for not knowing. "It's a drink. In this world, if you can bring drinks into it, they heal your health. I'm not sure if you'll get the reference, but it's like a healing item in a video game. It's not based on the rarity of the drink but on how much you enjoy it. If you hate something expensive, it's a waste of money, but if you love something cheap, it's an elixir of godhood. That's the simplest way I can describe it besides going 'Taste = Good = Heal Better." The child explained to Archie.
'I think I get it, but why is it like that? Would value not equal effectiveness?' Archie questioned, confused. "This world is a world inside your mind. It's like a world of your cognition, manipulated by both sides. My innate nature is one of evil, so this house is formed in nature's likeness. If you think something will alter this world, you can try to change it. You'll need stronger willpower than me to do that, though." The child further told him, pricking their finger with their scalpel. A black liquid poured from their shadowy digit like it was a tap. They then drank a small amount to heal their cut, stopping the stream. Archie was amazed by it. However, he was distrustful of its black colour.
"Drink this." The child told him, pointing it towards him. 'What does it taste like?' Archie pondered. "I can't tell you, so shut up and drink it." The child commanded him, shoving the liquid into his mouth. The black, almost blood-like substance poured into his mouth. As soon as it hit his tongue, he realised it tasted like diluted blackcurrant concentrate. That stuff tasted good, so he drank it, hoping that it wasn't laced with poison.
Archie looked down at his chest, watching his body heal in front of him. The cuts that were in his flesh were visibly healing. It was almost like he was rewinding time simply by drinking that liquid. "My blood contains a chemical that connects to your brain to make you taste your favourite drink as of current. This makes it easy to heal people, although you're the first to swallow my blood. The only other person I've seen in this nightmare spat it out." The child admitted, causing Archie to look at it with shock. 'Why? if you told them it would help them, why wouldn't they drink it?' Archie asked in confusion. "I don't know if I'm being honest. It feels nice to know there's someone who trusts me." They responded, their shadowy body walking around Archie's room, which was strangely empty. "They passed away when they tried to sit up to attack me. Their organs fell out of their chest, and he died soon after." The child recollected.
'Yikes. Are you sure you're okay after watching that happen?' Archie asked, trying to imagine it in his head, but he couldn't picture it without seeing it. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was expected. Now, onto what I healed you for. You wanted to make a deal with me?" The child responded, a chair manifesting behind them so they could sit down. "Yes, I did," Archie confirmed, sitting up and feeling his organs move slightly forward. 'You described my body as a canvas, so what if I helped you obtain a canvas?' Archie asked, his mouth unmoving.
The child leaned forwards, hands interlocked as they used the backs of their hands as a platform, balancing their elbows on their legs. "Now, how would you do that? After all, I'm a being inside of your head, and I can manifest anything I want here. I could create an infinite amount of canvases with an infinite amount of paint, but I don't." The child explained as a paintbrush appeared in their hand, pointing it at Archie. 'That eliminates the value of your work, right? After all, once I'm gone, that artwork is gone too. Would you not like your art to be shown to the outside world, where you can improve with the criticism of other artists?' Archie shot back, shocking the child. "Continue." They commanded him, and he followed their order.
'If I allow you to take over my body when we enter the real world so that you can paint, would you help me get stronger?' Archie asked, and after a few seconds, caused the child to burst out laughing, wiping a red tear from their right eye. "Oh, you must be kidding! Do you think it's that simple? It's a long and annoying process to take over someone's mind! I'd honestly be scared if you possessed the ability to trade consciousness with another." The child laughed, Archie looking at the child with an unimpressed expression.
'If I could offer you a deal like that, would you be willing to become my ally?' Archie pondered, shocking the Night Terror. "If you could make a deal like that, or even something similar, every Night Terror would want to be your ally. Despite what most of them do, they hate being trapped in your damn nightmares. They take their anger out on you since we can't interact with any other Night Terrors, except for rare instances where the fabrics between Night Terror nightmares get broken, but that's too much of a rare thing to worry about." The child replied seriously, wondering why he was offering such a thing.
'I can tell that you're a powerhouse of a Night Terror. After all, you altered my perception of my entire house, read a poem from a book that caused me to almost die and even healed me back to a healthy status. You'd be an invaluable ally.' Archie told the child, who stared him in the eyes. 'I will find a way to allow you into the real world. Be it as a separate entity or one based on my own body.' Archie promised the Night Terror with complete seriousness. The child was stunned, looking at him with an incredulous expression, quickly turning it into a smile. "Alright then, you have a deal. I'll become your ally to bolster your strength just as long as I can paint." The child told him, extending their shadowy hand. Archie assumed they wanted a handshake, so they grasped hands and shook on this deal. The child turned into a small white orb of light. It floated towards Archie, who watched it as it passed through his forehead, not making it out the other side.
[New Ally Obtained!]
[Ally Name: Alexis]
[Congratulations, Wordless Warrior! You Have Befriended A Night Terror!]
[Reward: Automatic Status Enhancement]
[Reward: Allies List]
[Congratulations, Wordless Warrior! You Have Befriended A Powerful Night Terror!]
[Reward: Unique Skill {Unlisted In Normal Night Terror Drop}]
[Reward: Automatic Status Enhancement]
[Skill: Allied Forces LV1]
[Allied Forces LV1: Allows the Wordless Warrior to summon ONE {Can Be Upgraded} Ally from their Allies List. This Ally CANNOT attack humans unless another skill permits it. They ARE allowed to support the Wordless Warrior or whoever he directs them to through buffs of any kind.]