BENDY AND THE DEMON'S APPRENTICE

Chapter 15

Immediately, when I hugged him, the Ink Demon began to hug my back, wrapping his arms around me. This might have been the first time he has ever felt a true hug like this in a long while. It was comforting. He felt this warmth of the hug in his entire body, and he was enjoying it.

"...I am glad we met, Ink..."

"... I am glad we met, as well. Truly. No one has ever shown me such unconditional kindness, or such unconditional trust. Especially at the level that you have. Your compassion is unmatched."

He would now rest his head against my shoulder, as he kept his arms wrapped around me.

"You make me sleepy again."

I giggled with a smile. The Ink Demon chuckled and smiled as he heard that he was making me sleepy by just being by my side. But it wasn't the case. This dream... ugh.

"... perhaps we should rest a little bit longer then. So your sleepiness can set in. And then we may rest peacefully by one another’s sides, without a care in the world… just enjoying this peaceful rest, and each other’s company."

I nodded, being relieved not to be kicked out of his room, but to be here in case the Dark Puddles would attack again. As he held me tightly with his arms wrapped firmly around me, the Ink Demon spoke into my ear.

"... you are safe by my side. No Dark Puddles shall touch us, for as long as we are together. So there is no need to worry."

"...can I be honest?"

The Ink Demon would nod his head in confirmation. He was prepared to hear whatever I would say, whether good intentions or not.

"... Sure. What is it that you wish to say?"

"...I had a dream... this night... it was... a hard time to connect the information I got. And ... I don't know if it's real..."

The Ink Demon stared at me. He seemed to understand my concern. He would hold me a little bit tighter, wanting to comfort me.

"...Go ahead and tell me what happened. I am listening."

"Well ...this dream was happening at the beginning when I was little. Suddenly it timeskiped to the moment when I was older. I was in my parents room... and it looked like from 10 years ago. Because it was a dream, I checked the forbidden shelves my paarents'didn't allow me to check into. In one of them I found something. And now I have no idea if that is real or just a simple ream and I'm just exagerrating. I am... concerned."

The Ink Demon looked curious at me on waht I have discovered from my parents room. The forbidden shelves must have intrigued him. But at the same time, the dream feeling like a memory... was worrying me.

"Could you tell me what you discovered from the forbidden shelves, exactly? For such details can be concerning, as you have said."

I was gonna be brave. Maybe he'll be there for me. Make me feel better like I did for him when we first met. So I spoke the truth.

"... I... I...", I stuttered.

I was nervous. I felt like I could just ran away and hide. I took deep and slow breaths to calm myself down.

"... I found out that... I'm adopted."

The Ink Demon stopped breathing momentarily as I told him this information I got. He remained silent for a few minutes, before he spoke with a kind and gentle voice, one that was filled with concern for me.

"... Why should this be bad news? Your parents still love you and care for you, do they not?"

"Yeah but... why would my biological parents leave me? I love my parents that were with me from the start, no doubt about that. Still... it just makes it even more weird and concerning."

Silence. The Ink Demon seemed to be deep in his thoughts, thinking about this situation. He noticed how emotional I got from getting back to this information, let alone know this.

"... That is certainly troubling news for many reasons. But... you are still loved by your current parents. You are still wanted. For they chose you. They must have had a good reason for adopting you, correct?"

"But I wasn't chosen. Someone put me and knew exactly to which family I should go. As if they... I don't know... felt not responsible for me? I just want to know... who they were."

The Ink Demon seemed somewhatb hesitant in the moment, as if he knew something.

"What is it?"

Another minute of silence. This was getting old. And it was clear as day, even without his facial expressions, that he knew something about this case. Something and he wasn't going to tell me. Maybe he thought it would ruin something between us. Our bond. But honesty is the thing that keeps the people trustworthy.

He then spoke: "Are you sure you want to know? This may be something you do not wish to learn about. Some people are better of not knowing the truth."

"I want to know. I somehow feel like I can trust you... and... have some kind of connection. So please... tell me.", I asked, pleading.

With a worried tone, he said: "... You really should know the truth. So I shall ask you one more time: Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, just please tell me."

He sighed  and said the first sentence. And that was confusing what he said.

"You have no mother..."

I stood still. What is he talking about? No mother? How am I alive then?

"What? What do you mean by that? How?"

He was reluctant to tell me more. He wished no harm. But now the milk was spilled. I needed to know. He mustered uo his courage to tell me further, asking me another question.

"Do you wish to know how you were born? For how you were conceived?"

The way he said it I started to think about it. Was I an alien or what the hell was happening?

"Yes, of course."

"... Very well..."

There was a short silence before he spoke up again.

"You were in fact not born from two parents. For your birth was not a result of pregnancy. Instead you were created. You were brought to into this world not by a mother and father, but by the Ink Machine... which you know was designed to replicate life itself. You were the result of the success of the Ink Machine for the perfect creation. And the machine had no need for a parent. So you have no mother."

I was spechless. How? Is that why the ink came this fluently into me? I'm an ink being? But... there was something missing.

"... But what about my dad? You said nothing about him. Does that mean I have no father as well?"

He stayed silent, not daring to say a word.

"Tell me, please. What are you hiding from me, friend?"

He started to be stressed.

"Well..."

"Why won't you tell me straight up?"

He came with his face very close, his voice back to his demonic one.

"Beacuse (Y/N)... I am your FATHER."