The Sleeping Darkness

2. The Mansion

Something was off about it though, it felt too real, too nice to be just a simple dream. He would prefer to dream about the past anyway, not about some weird fluffy place with plant perfume all over it.

It smelled really, really strange.

He decided that maybe he should open his eye and see what kind of scene would house him this time, and upon doing so, and a moment to adjust to the new lighting, the first thing he noticed was that the wall was pitch black (so he concluded he lay on his side) and the room was tinted in some weird, orange light. And he definitely wasn't underwater anymore!

He stirred a little, his tail felt strained. Did something happen to it? He was under the impression that the Wadanohara in the waking world looked after it.

"Hey there, slow down. Finally going to wake up, eh?"

Oh sweet oblivion, no. If he had to be stuck in a dream, he didn't want to be stuck with that person.

Not after she suggested to fry him.

He moved only his eye to see who was talking, and he was right. Chlomaki was sitting in more or less ratty chair in a corner far away from him (he was thankful), sans hat but with a large tome on her lap. It looked somewhat familiar to him, but he didn't really care.

"No going to talk to me? After all, you're in my house, you could at least say 'hello' or some other pleasantries. Ah, whatever. Slept well?"

He groaned. Did he really have to hold a conversation with that witch to wake up? And why in the world would he dream of her. On the other hand, part of him was grateful for such a calm dream, even if that meant he would miss the next visit of Wadanohara.

His heart started beating stronger with the fear of being forgotten, or not being able to see her again. He was hopeless. Maybe dying would be in order at some point.

"I want out, wake me up already," he sighed almost inaudible, feeling like he hadn't used his voice in far too long. Which wouldn't matter, his real voice had not been used at all and soon he would be back in his cell.

"Hate to break it to you kid, but you are awake already and this is no dream," Chlomaki closed the tome with a loud thump , before carelessly throwing it on the floor and walking up to him, "Should mention, you have been here for weeks already, albeit you were a little lost in La-La-Land. How you feelin'?"

So he wasn't in the dungeon anymore? He had gotten out? How? And how was this witch even alive, hadn't she been in Deep Sea Town when the Sea of Death attacked? What about Wadanohara..?

His heartbeat was picking up and yes, he was quite sure he was panicking and hyperventilating. He could suddenly feel pain from sores and bruises he had never actively perceived, and his head was hurting.

"Obviously not so good. Well, time for some shut-eye, am I right?"

What was she even talking about? No, he didn't feel well, he felt like he was dying, and like he was dying at a rapid pace. And now his eyelids also started to feel heavy. Maybe he was going to die. At least he had been free for five minutes, that must be a negative record.

He still heard the witch mumble stuff - or maybe she was talking normally, but he was fading out of consciousness far too quick to understand what it was. Within mere seconds, the world around him had gone dark again.

He didn't really know for how long he was sleeping again, but sometimes, he would wake up sporadically, not fully aware, his vision would be blurry and unfocused, and he noticed that usually, he wasn't alone. The was another witch in the room, and Chlomaki was usually there too. He didn't know the other one, but she obviously took fashion advice from the cat-witch, as she was all clad in black. She was doing things with her hands, and he never heard her talk.