My Muse || READER X RAY || The Promised Neverland

🔒 My Muse || Chapter Forty Three

I felt a tear slip down my face.

And then I felt nothing at all. 

I still heard the voices though. They were echoing so distantly, starting to fade away. 

"I can't guarantee that she'll do anything. I can only gift her the chance to become what you want her to be."

"Do you think she can do it? For all of us cattle children? "

"I don't know. But the feeling that I find people forget most often... Is love. She'll have to remember that if she wants to change this world."

The voice became softer, whispering next to my ear. She trembled. 

"y/n. Never forget love. Mama loves you. Papa loves you. And everyone you meet will love you too."

The voices were gone. I felt myself falling backwards into an abyss. I couldn't open my eyes. My body was so heavy. The wind whistled past my right ear. I was falling to my doom. "Shit!" I screamed, jolting upwards. My chest heaved up and down, sweat running down my neck. "Hah, hah," I tried to regain my breath, looking at my surroundings. I was alone. In a cave. My lantern was beside me, two luminescent glowing plants replacing the fire that should have been there. 

A half eaten bowl of soup was laying next to me, still steaming hot. I settled down, noticing the compress on my lap. I was being taken care of. "My ear!" I whispered, touching the left side of my head. A clean gauze replaced my old one, soaked in blood. Something felt wrong. "How long have I been asleep?" I muttered to myself. 

I didn't notice the woman who stood at the far back of my cave room. "About three days." She smiled. I froze in fear, immediately noticing her feet. Demon feet. Large, irregular, of a dark hue, sharp pointed toenails ready to rip someone's guts out. "I'm not going to kill you." She walked towards me, kneeling by my side. If I hadn't seen her feet, I would have thought she was human. Her skin was pale blue and her hair a soft purple. She wore a white layered dress, her horns barely peeking out of her twin braids. She wore a mask over the top half of her face, two vertical eye slits as the only decoration. Her voice was soft and sweet. "Hi! My name is Mujika!" She held out her very humanlike hands. I shook them hesitantly, giving her my own name. "I'm y/n..." Fear coursed through my veins. "Mujika do you know where my friends are?" Her lips parted, giggling. "They're preparing dinner. Would you like to come?" I nodded. She helped me up and led through the maze of tunnels. 

I heard children's laughter echoing in the maze. I sighed in relief, unstiffening my posture. "So they are safe." 

Mujika and I walked in silence, only the rattling of the lantern emanating from us. She asked me a question, out of nowhere. "y/n, I don't really know much about humans. I've only observed them from afar. In your clan, what position does the red haired girl and the black haired boy hold? Are they your parents?" God, I wanted to laugh so badly. I pinched myself quickly, pushing the giggles back into my stomach. "N-No, we're all siblings." I replied. "Just one big family." She let out a puff of air, letting her chuckles out. "Is that why the green haired girl and the tall boy kept visiting you? They were concerned for their family?" 

"Yeah." I smiled. "Did the black haired boy ever come to see me?" 

Mujika tapped her chin, thinking. "Once. On the first day." 

I clenched my fists, hoping I wouldn't have to here what I thought I'd have to. "Where was he?" 

"With the red haired girl. Just like that!" Mujika and I entered another room, pointing at Ray and Emma sleeping side by side. He was leaned against a wall, while Emma was snuggly nestled on his shoulder. Their intertwined hands were on her lap. I clenched my fists, another searing pain slashing through my chest. I continued to follow Mujika, giving Ray one last glare. A wall of vines separated Ray and Emma's cuddle room from the others, who were digging into a large feast. In the corner of a room, an abnormally tall, yet also very humanlike demon was being given a bowl of stew by Gilda. "You can always have seconds, Sonju." She said. "Thank you." The demon replied, holding the bowl to his mouth. 

"Gilda? Don?" I said. In all their commotion they didn't notice me enter the room. 

"y/n!" The green haired girl shrieked, running into my chest. She wrapped her arms around me, tighter than a rope. "A-Are you okay? We missed you so much? Never overwork yourself like that again!" Alphabet soup poured out of her mouth as Don joined the hug too. "I'm so glad you're okay." He trembled. The fire in my stomach was subsided by the comforting hugs from Don and Gilda. "I'm so happy you guys are okay too." 

They sat me down in between them for lunch, the male demon introducing himself. 

"Mujika, Sonju." I asked, swallowing a bite of tender meat. "How come you two, as demons, can eat this? Isn't it human food?" Mujika smiled, Sonju chuckling to himself. "You're perceptive, aren't you?" He slurped his stew. 

Mujika softly took a sip from her spoon, recalling her own story. "I was once called The Blessed Blood." Her smile turned into a frown. "But that 'Once Upon a Time' was so long ago."