The Awoken Souls Of The Abyss

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As the fallen man slowly regained his consciousness, he heard several beings, whispering. They didn't sound like the voices he usually hears when he dies. Way more... alive? He didn't move just in case he could use the element of surprise at any moment. They sounded agitated, like someone just declared that an entire episode had to be redone. Henry remembered all too well the day that had actually happened.

"Should we, you know... help him?" A soft mutter was heard, they sounded like a human. "I don't know, should we???" Another responded, seeming rather rude to the first. Before the two could start anything, a third one stepped forward. "You are so immature sometimes, Apollyon! Mel, you brought us all the way here, so of course we're gonna help."

The animator felt two pairs of arms grab his wrists and ankles, carrying him to who knows where. He still couldn't see a damn thing. Should he try to communicate with these creatures? "Inkfuuuuur, can you carry them for me? Please?" The human, could feel the person the other called 'Apollyon' losing their grip on him. Inkfur sighed, switching places with the other to not get into any arguments. Their hands, which were paws covered in fuzzy fur, felt out of place. Not even Boris got fluff, just a silky body. "I wonder if he's dead-" As the dog-ish being put their thoughts into words, they quickly got interrupted. "Don't even think about that! I definitely saw him breathing when I got there!" Mel suddenly sounded confident, catching the man off guard. He raised his eyebrows and blew his advantage of being considered unconscious. A loud gasp escaped Apollyon, who didn't carry him and therefore had the capacity to focus on the human. "Drop him!" They exclaimed, not sounding phased whatsoever. "No, we're almost home! I mean, as a last resort, we could eat him-" Mel gave Inkfur a slap across the face. It wasn't strong, but the furry got the message.

...

"Oh goodness, they look horrible! What happened?!" Foxia, a kind Lost One with a yellow flower crown, asked. Mel responded, after they safely put Henry on a camp bed. "We don't know, they didn't tell us. Can you bring me a towel?" The Lost One nodded, making her headgear almost fall off. A few minutes passed, however, they eventually managed to give back Henry's ability to see. He felt so relieved to not have gone totally blind, he straight up hugged the Lost One, who squeaked in surprise. "U-uh, you're welcome?" He quickly let go of Mel when she said that. She didn't have a mouth, but if she did she'd be smiling awkwardly. "What's your name?" The Lost One slightly tilted her head, making her long wavy hair dangle. After a moment of perplexed silence on the man's behalf, he slowly sat upwards stretching out his hand for Mel to take it. "I'm Henry. You know, the enemy of the state so to speak?" He tried to be funny. The joke didn't land, but the realisation hit the woman like a brick. "Wait... You're THE Henry? Henry Stein?! I only heard rumours about you! Wow! You're actually real! The man in the flesh! What brings you down here?" She said, violently shacking the poor guy's hand. "Holy crap! Guys! You won't believe who got down here!" Oh boy, the human thought and scratched the back of his head.

The reactions ranged from underwhelming (Apollyon) to straight up getting on their knees in awe (Foxia). Inkfur just shrugged and went back to building weapons. "Foxia, I think you can get up from the ground now." Mel suggested to her friend, making them stand up and salute. She chuckled at the display, but Henry got 'You're the chosen one' vibes, which made him cringe. Some people in this hellhole really need to realize that he's not that special or that he's evil for that matter. He suddenly remembered what got him into this situation in the first place. "Have you by any chance seen a moody teenager lately?" The man was hoping to reunite with his feathered companion. How long did he even lay unconscious after the fall? His drifting thoughts were interrupted by the answer to his question. "Yes, I see them every day." The Lost One pointed at Apollyon, who was currently busy building a pyramid made of empty cans. Henry shook his head and tried to visualize what Kim looked like. "No, he looks different. He has wings, a glowing halo and a black and white suit... Are you sure you've never met him?" Mel put her head sideways, a common habit it appears, narrowing her yellow eyes. "Well, I don't really keep track of the wanderers around here..." She put a finger on her chin, tilting her head to the other side. "But I'm sure he'll end up here eventually! After all, this is quite the hotspot!" The Lost One spread her arms, whilst talking about their hideout. She was obviously trying to make the human less worried. "Thanks Melanie, however I don't think that's going to be the case. For all I know, Kim could be dead already..." For a moment, the woman's pupils widened and she looked like she just swallowed a frog. "Oh. I'm sorry for your loss-" Mel stopped herself mid sentence. "Well, most likely... I'm sorry, but you know better than anyone that the chances of survival are low up there... We're currently on a level that is so uninteresting to the two 'overlords', as I like to call them, that neither bother to bogart it!" Man, once she starts to really spill the beans, she's not stopping.

"Thank you for your help, but I have to get up there again." The man pointed to the ceiling, determined to find his buddy and kick some other angel's ass. "Well Mister, you're in luck. Because Inkfur needs a new supply of batteries from Level P." Apollyon crossed their arms, leaning against the entrance's door frame. Meanwhile, Inkfur wrote something down in a journal, which seems to be his personal diary. "Are you sure you don't want to rest a little longer?" He asked, not looking up from his book. "No, I can't rest. Not now." This loop was different. Henry had a permanent ally. He had... hope. He can't just lay down and let this hellhole turn back to what it was before!

(Credits go to anap2009, starring as Foxia, the Lost One with the flower crown.

Real_ink_demon, who is Inkfur, the lanky dog-ish looking Lost One.

And lastly ACursedDemon, who personifies as Apollyon, the immature teen who happens to wear a suit.

And lastly ACursedDemon, who personifies as Apollyon, the immature teen who happens to wear a suit

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Thank you three for letting me put your characters into this chapter! (⁠◡⁠ ⁠ω⁠ ⁠◡⁠))

Thank you three for letting me put your characters into this chapter! (⁠◡⁠ ⁠ω⁠ ⁠◡⁠))

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"Remember me?"
"Yeah, me neither..."

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