Chapter 24 - Nephis tells a story.

[A/n: Where was I this entire time, well, I have boards, sorry. I wouldn't want to justify myself further and Yeah... I'm sorry for like the two people out thier waiting for this chapter. At this point, I just want to write this story cuz it's fun. I get I am a bad writer and all but alas, yeah. I just like to read and write I guess. Well anyway! enjoy the chapter!]____________________________________________Asher slowly bent down, clutching his head. He tightly shut his eyes while blocking his ears with his palms. Nephis frowned, kneeling to his height as she asked, "Ash, are you okay?"Asher didn't respond—he couldn't. Never in his life had he wanted to curse his flaw more than at this moment. Why? Why was this happening to him? What had he done to deserve this?"No…" he stuttered, tears finally budding—not from fear, no, but from self-pity. "I am not fine," he finished, struggling to fight against the lump in his throat.Nephis sighed before offering a solemn smile. "You know, I had hallucinations in my first nightmare as well." Asher didn't react, yet Nephis continued, "I was transmigrated into a little girl living an ordinary life with a wholesome family by a lighthouse." She looked down at the vast expanse of the crimson labyrinth. "It felt unreal, you know? Being able to live an ordinary life without any worries." Her eyes narrowed."It was too unreal."She knelt beside Asher, their shoulders practically touching as the sunrise highlighted their contours. Nephis clutched her knees, resting her head on them. "I started having hallucinations. I watched my younger self grow up, watched the little one's parents age. I went to the city, applied for middle-income jobs, met a handsome man…" A small blush crept onto Nephis' cheek as she buried her head into her knees. "...had kids..."She paused awkwardly. "You get what I mean, right?"There was no response.Nephis felt a tick of irritation on her temple as she restrained herself from slapping Asher.She was sharing an emotional moment with this bastard. Even if he wasn't in the best of moods, couldn't he at least reply?"I wanted to stay in my nightmare forever." She paused again, waiting to see if Asher would respond. When he didn't, she continued. Oddly, she smiled."My grandmother used to say, 'You have to light yourself on fire... to reap the blessings of the fire.' So that's what I did. To put an end to my hallucinations, my nightmare… I poured a barrel of oil on my head and lit myself on fire."She finished just as the sun slowly crept upwards, shining directly on them. They sat there in silence for a few seconds.Finally, Asher spoke."Neph…"He slowly raised his head from his knees, bringing his trembling hands to his face. "What I'm seeing isn't a hallucination. What I'm hearing isn't a hallucination. What—"Nephis grabbed Asher's hand with hers, her warm, doll-like hand stopping his from trembling.The world went silent."Uh?" He gasped inaudibly as he saw Nephis' palm holding his. The distant screams of creatures vanished. The unnatural fluctuations of gravity disappeared. The breathtaking crimson labyrinth behind Nephis was gone, replaced by a black void.Nephis smiled at him—albeit awkwardly."It's fine," she said softly.Asher's pupils constricted. A familiar emotion built up inside him, threatening to spill over. Tears burgeoned in his dehydrated eyes.He gritted his teeth.Violently shaking his wrist free from Nephis' grasp, he stood up and pointed at her, his expression twisted with unfiltered hate."What the fuck is fine about this?!"What he felt at this moment wasn't love or sorrow.It was anger.Why couldn't she understand what he was trying to say? Why was she acting like he was mentally unstable? He was the only one here with a somewhat sane mind. All three of these monsters were going to grow up to be psychos.Not him!Nephis frowned. "Asher, you're losing it," she stated firmly.Asher clenched his fists until they turned white. "What do you know about how it feels?" He pointed at the distant sky. "Something out there is coming for me, Nephis. Something is happening to me! People don't dream in the dream realm under normal circumstances. Some unholy creature is looking for me, wanting to kill me, eat me, or gods know what! But guess what?! The gods are dead! So no one knows what the hell is happening to my miserable ass!"Nephis listened silently as Asher continued his rant."Why the fuck do you think I'm hallucinating? I'm not. Remember that damned bird's erratic behavior? It all started back then. This realm wants me somewhere."Asher froze.He glanced at Nephis, who was simply staring at him with an unreadable expression.Taking a deep breath, he tried to control his emotions. He turned to the morning sun, his face contorting with turmoil. His emotions were still getting the better of him."A voice keeps whispering in my head, Nephis. It says things like: 'Where are you?' 'Found you—'"His eyes widened in panic as he grabbed Nephis' hand tightly.Nephis immediately sensed Asher's unease. "What is it, Asher?" Her voice sounded more like a statement than a question.Asher looked at her, his face twisting into a strange smile. "I guess I'm better off hoping these things are hallucinations," he said, gripping her hand tighter.He looked down at the ridge. It was a long fall. His mind calculated scenarios at abnormal speeds as he stared down with uncertainty.He stood up, Nephis following suit."But… I can't ignore these voices in my head. I can't help but think of them as warnings."Nephis raised a brow but didn't comment. After all, in his rant, one thing was valid—no one could dream in the dream realm under normal circumstances.Asher took a deep breath."You know what the voice just told me?" He paused, sensing something with his [Gravitic Resonance]."Found you…"He jumped—pulling Nephis with him.She neither yelped nor panicked. Instead, she stared at Asher with a cold, determined eye."Don't kill me," she said, positioning her body in a streamlined form, summoning her golden rope as backup.Asher sniffled, holding back his self-pitying tears. "I'll try not to."He pulled the gravity around them up to slow their fall.Nephis finally asked, "What are we running from?"Asher gave a dark smile. "Look east."Nephis looked up, her gaze locking onto a massive shadow approaching from the distance. It was familiar. Very familiar.Her frown deepened. "It's that fallen creature," she stated, understanding what Asher was hinting at."Did it find us?" she asked."For now, no. Swing us into the bone ridge. I'll help."Nephis didn't hesitate. She flung the golden rope, her grip steady even as her heart pounded. Asher's vesture coiled around it, softening the strain, forming a hook."It'll hold shape for about five meters," he added. "Keep that in mind."Nephis nodded, eyes sharpening. The rope latched onto a jagged bone, and with a fierce pull, she sent them swinging through the skeletal remains of ancient beasts.Asher pushed himself to the limit, focusing all his strength on levitating them just enough to keep their momentum fluid. Then—"I can feel it," he whispered, voice tight. "It just reached where we were."Nephis' expression darkened. "We have to move faster."Asher clenched his teeth. He didn't like what he was about to do, but hesitation would get them both killed."Don't squeak," he warned.Nephis barely had time to process his words before—Gravity vanished.Her stomach lurched as they plummeted.The wind roared in their ears. Bone spires flashed past. Asher twisted gravity in rapid bursts—left, then right—dodging obstacles like a nightmarish dropper game. His muscles burned. His vesture flared—cushion!They hit. Hard.Nephis sucked in air and bolted left."You are definitely not elegant at this," she muttered.Asher barely got to his feet before his [Gravitic Resonance] screamed.He looked up.The damned thing was circling above them."...Fuck my life."