Trick recoiled in shock as he observed thousands of red dreadful aura, flowing within thousands of what seemed to be the souls of the audience that formerly watched the Trick show.
He hadn't found Oneiros, instead what appeared to be the thick mist of essence coursing within the room was a collection of people within the woeful nightmares.
'Dang it! Dead end.' Trick's senses immediately whistled out of the room, racing to other ends of the castle in a haste.
His senses sped hurriedly, searching any and everywhere void essence was felt. This desperate search was because—
Trick knew he was nearing his limit. After all this was the first time he intentionally tried to even sense the essence of void beasts himself.
'Move, move, move, move...WE NEED TO FIND HIM!'
'We need to stop him from punishing people with nightmares, cause if we don't th—' Trick's thoughts were abruptly cut short as he dropped onto the ground, his search ending in futility on the part of finding Oneiros.
"Hmm?" Astravan voiced out, his reading being interrupted by Trick's collapse.
"You okay kiddo?" His master asked casually as he walked unhurriedly towards Trick, the child remaining seated on the floor and heaving in large breaths of air.
"Huff, huff." Trick's eyes were firmly shut as he continued to catch his breath.
Finally reaching Trick, Astravan took a moment to observe him, stroking his ashy beards in thought once more.
'Of course you'll be completely worn out after that, just being able to sense void essence in that manner is impressive on its own.' Astravan's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a surprising sight. The once weary child had jumped back to his feet, dressing his backpack behind his back.
"That was really cool!"
"Who knew I was so amazing." Trick's eyes gleamed with astonishment, reflecting the magnanimous degree of excitement that radiated from within him.
"Master, sensing energy really is awesome!" Trick yelled aloud in elation as he moved closer and closer to his master.
"Alright Mr Amazing, were you able to find our void beast?" Astravan chuckled gleefully, tucking his little book firmly into his suit's pocket.
As if an entire lemon were squeezed into Trick's mouth, Trick's face took a sour look, his formerly joyous expression being replaced with one of pure disappointment on hearing his master's question.
"E…m, not really, the amount of dreamers within the castle were just too much."
"Hmm, I see." Astravan shut his eyes for a moment, holding unto his chin in thought.
"So he's spreading fragments of his energy all around in the dreamers, while suppressing his to prevent us from finding him huh?" Astravan voiced out his thoughts as he opened his eyes, directing them towards Trick.
"BUT—" Astravan gave a momentary pause, his face stretching out with a cunning smirk.
"No one can completely suppress their energy."
"And no matter how hard he tries to spread it out, his main essence will always be more distinct."
Trick's eyes glistened in hope under his master's speech as he waited expectantly on what exactly his master had planned under his sleeve.
"So what does your plan involve Master?!" Trick asked ecstatically, watching his master smirk in elation.
"Not what kiddo, who." Astravan seemingly corrected Trick, causing the boy to stare at him with a lot of questions spurring within his mind.
'What does he mean by who?' Trick wondered in thought for a moment before a crazy idea hit him.
One that didn't quite sit well with him.
"No!—" Trick's eyes bulged in protest.
"Don't tell me!" He yelled in objection at his master, who continued to nod in affirmance despite the child's disapproval.
"That's right Trick—" Astravan lifted his arm into the air before pointing a finger at a disrought Trick.
"We'll have to call for Athan!"
As though a cloud of misfortune spawned atop his head, Trick's mood immediately dampened, causing temper to sway into frustration.
"No, No, No!" Trick yelled into the hearing of his Master, the latter holding onto his ears to prevent them from falling off from the child's ear bleeding screams.
"We're definitely not asking that vile bunny for help!"
Astravan then elevated his arms, trying to weather the storms of Trick's rage with more soothing words.
"Come on kid, I know Athan can be a pain sometimes, but he's not all bad."
Immediately, Trick's face creased in annoyance, as a myriad of terrible memories all spear headed by the cynical rabbit flooded his mind.
Ever since Trick lived with his Master, there were two prime things he experienced; one was the unconditional love poured upon him by his Master, and the other was…
The unreasonable hatred his master's rabbit, familiar, spirit or whatever plagued him with. Even till now, Trick didn't know what exactly Athan was, all he knew was that the rabbit seemed to despise him with the entirety of his being. And for no explainable reason at that.
"Didn't you see what that evil bunny did to me during the show?!" Trick asked his master while shaking his head in disaffirmance for the idea.
"Bunny kid?" Astravan hastily covered up Trick's mouth, reminding him of the dangerous path his words were now treading on.
"That's the one thing Athan hates to be called."
Wiggling his head violently, Trick then finally freed his lips from the covering of his master, paying deaf ears to Astravan's cautious warnings.
"So what if he hates to be called that." Trick stubbornly replied back at his Master, increasing the tone of his voice as loud as he could, till the sounds of his voice transformed into a deafening shout.
"That's what he is—"
"A BAD RABBIT!"
Trick yelled aloud, a satisfied grin finally spreading across his face from releasing most of his pent up emotions.
BUT…
It would have been better for Trick to have gulped down those pent up emotions, along with a side of 3 nuclear war-heads—
Than to have said what he just did.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A RABBIT KID?!" A thunderous yell emanated from the innards of Astravan's hat, before the hat began a horrific elevation, revealing a pair of eyes that glowed with purple fury clothed within the darkness.
In that instant feeling the ground tremble beneath his feet, Trick immediately felt a cold chill fill the air as his body started to instinctively shiver, every cell of his body screaming one thing at him.
BOY, YOU'RE SCREWED!