Nothing.
That's all you remember of your past. That's all you know about yourself, and hell, that's probably all that you will ever be in the future.
Or so you thought.
Unfortunately, life has an annoying habit of putting those around it in for a w...
"Yes sir," you grin, getting back into character as Lloyd's second in command for his army of darkness, taking the male by the hand as you activated your teleportation skill. Deep down, you were slightly worried that you might lose him while you use your powers as you had never beamed somewhere with a person that couldn't use the space element before, only having transported inanimate objects and Dart who, as the elemental dragon of Void, had no problem getting there herself.
Your worries were quickly torn down when your feet made contact with the snow, making a soft crunching sound as Lloyd gripped your arms tightly, slowly opening his eyes as if he was scared about what he'll see. Looking around in wonder, he let out a surprised gasp as he ruffled the snow, almost unconvinced that this was actually Jamanakai Village when he stood in the blazing desert mere seconds ago. Chuckling at the kid's antics, you dug your vehicle out of the sleet, only the top of the van visible due to the sheer amount of ice that had built up over a day.
Unlocking the sliding door, the two of you headed inside with Dart wrapped around your neck, the dragon who was still disguised as a snake letting out a wide yawn as she slithered off your body and onto the couch. Looking around in awe, Lloyd ran around your home like a headless chicken, taking in every aspect of the camper with fascination.
"Calm down, kiddo," you chuckle, pulling out some ingredients from your cabinet and some sauce, "Let's have dinner first. How do noodles sound to you?"
"Yeah!" the boy cheered, throwing his hands in the air as he leapt onto the sofa Dart was sleeping on, throwing the 'snake' into the air as she lazily opened an eye and glared at the kid who disrupted her rest.
Smiling, you boiled a pot of water and added spices to the water, waiting for large bubbles to appear in the water. Snapping the noodles in half and placing them in the skillet, you stirred the soup, waiting for it to finish cooking while you fried some side dishes. Once the four portions of food were finished cooking, you plated them on ceramic platters before placing them on the dinner table.
"Whoa! This looks super good, Miss- I mean, (y/n)!" Lloyd exclaimed, picking up a pair of chopsticks to eat with as you woke Dart up. Sitting down in your seat opposite the boy, you placed your hands together, whispering "Itadakimasu" before picking up your cutlery and digging into the meal as your dragon followed your example.
"Who's this other plate for?" the human that still had his hood on asked between bites of food, gesturing to the serving that was quickly cooling in the icy temperature.
"...My teacher," you replied, focusing on your dinner as you hoped the male wouldn't pry any further.
"Really? But there's no one else here." the kid remarked, looking around the van from his seat as if worried that someone was going to pop out of the shadows.
Unsure of how to respond without seeming rude, you decided to keep silent, trying to seem unaffected by the child's inability to sense the change in atmosphere. "...I know..." you end up whispering, feeling your appetite drop faster than the temperature outside.
"Then why do you keep leaving food out?"
Suppressing the urge to snap at Lloyd for him to back off, you let out a sigh as you leaned back in your chair, using the mediation technique your sensei had taught you to regulate your emotions, only to feel your spirits dampen further at the thought of your missing guardian. It wasn't until the sound of cutlery snapping echoed within the walls of your van that you found that you were gripping the utensils so hard that your knuckles went white and they broke under your grasp.
Suddenly finding the cosy confines of your camper suffocating, you got up from the dinner table and pushed your serving of food towards Dart who looked at you with worry and uncertainty. Giving her a reassuring smile that did little to quell her worries, you muttered "...I'm not hungry" before heading to the shower on your left. Grabbing a nearby towel off the rack, you locked the door behind you in case the boy or your dragon followed you, just wanting a little alone time.
Taking off your surprisingly clean clothes, you threw them on a chair along with the towel and stepped into the stall. Turning on the hot water, you felt the warmth wash over your contrastingly cold skin, not sure whether it was chilly from the snow or that your blood had literally run cold from hearing about your missing teacher. Sure, you already knew that he wasn't with you, but being it being told to you by a kid no less ripped the old bandage off the fresh wound much harsher than you expected.
Letting out a loud sigh, you crouched down and simply let the flowing water wash over your skin, watching it wash away the grime that coated your skin after the day's fiasco. Wishing that the liquid could wash away your worries in the same way, you sighed again, absent-mindedly tracing the various imperfections that littered your body, ranging from the callouses that covered your palms and feet to the scars you got from your teacher's harsh training. Standing back up, you grabbed a nearby bottle of shampoo and furiously lathered some of the soapy liquid onto your hair, not wanting to use up all the hot water or think about your missing sensei any longer.
Standing still, you watched the bubbles flow down the drain and disappear from your sight. It was at times like these when the haunting silence seemed to latch onto you, forcing your mind to think of all the unpleasant scenarios that may happen in the future or have happened in the past.
You hated this.
You hated this wild goose chase you were leading as you roamed the land in search of your teacher who probably didn't even want you to find him. But you hated the thought of losing him — losing the life you have — even more. Perhaps you didn't want to find him so that you could reunite but were rather motivated by a fear that encompassed you. A deep, striking fear that dug its claws into you the harder you tried to shake off.
So you didn't. Instead, you obeyed its every command in the hopes of being free from its tearing talons. It was a parasite that latched onto you, draining you of your identity and motivation with each passing second, pulling you down from the light that would destroy it. It prevented you from becoming something, anything, whispering deadly little nothings that dripped with a sugar-coated venom under the pretence of 'saving you', of 'keeping you safe'. But no matter how sweet a pretty poison tasted, it was still deadly, and your mind was gulping it down like water, growing dependent on the lies the parasite fed you, leading you towards your inevitable destruction...
Author's note:
Thank you for reading this new chapter. It was 2626 words long and I hoped you enjoyed it. There will be more fluffy Lloyd x Reader moments in the next chapter, so look forward to it :) See you in the next one.
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