บท 23: Nightmare
Steven looked at the pieces of Crystal Gems scattered across the floor, his eyes trembling.
Suddenly, a spaceship shaped like a hand appeared in the sky.
A gem he had never seen before, armed with advanced technology and a dangerous demeanor, gazed at him.
"Is this all your army, Rose?"
She asked, grabbing his shirt.
Her eyes were filled with a distorted and overwhelming joy, contrasting with the brutal scene around him.
How was it possible? The gems, lost?
Garnet had been easily defeated right before his eyes.
Amethyst and Pearl hadn't stood a chance, even after fusing.
One by one, the people he trusted most were defeated.
By someone he'd never seen before.
Steven could barely catch his breath. What should he do now?
Run? Fight back? Could he even do either?
His fingers trembled with fear.
Two crazed eyes watched him, almost as if savoring his despair.
"I was there, you know? At the first war for this garbage planet."
Steven tried to close his eyes in fear, but a strong hand forced him to look directly into hers.
"I fought against your army. I respected your tactics, but this..."
Her eyes, full of disdain, scanned him from top to bottom as if judging his entire existence.
"This is sick."
Thud.
His body collapsed to the ground.
"Ha... Ha..."
Finally, he could breathe again, but the relief did nothing to ease his worries.
"An obscene traitor like you doesn't deserve the attention of my Diamond."
As she spoke, a strange light emanated from her weapon.
Without hesitation, she tried to disintegrate his body, just as she had done with the other gems.
But Steven remained standing. He was half-human; such tricks wouldn't work on him.
"It doesn't work...?" she muttered, her voice a mix of curiosity and disbelief.
Seeing her momentarily lost in thought, Steven seized the chance to run.
He couldn't think of anything else.
His survival instincts screamed at him to flee.
Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain.
"Blegh"
Blood came from his mouth.
When he stared at his chest a hand was piercing his body.
His mind froze at the sight.
"I didn't allow you to go. Did I?"
Her words were full of sadism and coldness.
His vision started to blur.
He was dying.
'Someone...!'
When he looked around in a panic, all he could see were the pieces of his comrades.
Steven extended his hand into the air, reaching for an invisible friend's grasp.
"Help me-"
Crack.
The last sound Steven could hear was the sound of something breaking.
His skull had been shattered by strong, brutal hands.
Red filled his vision. The pain was unimaginable.
His hands kept trying to ask for help.
But it was a meaningless action.
He was already dead.
*
*
*
Shing...!
A light appeared dangerously from Asha's gem.
The shock was so intense that her disguise partially lifted, exposing the gem as it truly was.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably.
The image of Steven flashed in her mind. His eyes pleaded for help while blood trickled from his head.
'Ah!!!'
Her reason was significantly damaged by the sight.
The images only grew worse.
Steven appeared in her mind, clutching her clothes with bloody hands and his eyes popping out of his skull.
"Why...?"
A voice started playing in her mind, completely beyond her control.
"Why did you do this to me...?"
Blood dripped from his mouth as the world around them became enveloped in a mix of red and black.
His hand moved toward her face, fingers smeared with blood, staining her once pure skin.
"If you didn't exist, none of this would have happened."
'No...'
Shing...!!
A light became stronger, her disguise had been completely lifted and her body went out of control.
"You did it to me, you killed me."
'No, I didn't.'
His hands came dangerously close to her neck, strangling her with all his strength.
"Die."
Cold words pierced her mind.
She felt herself slipping away, her thoughts unraveling into confusion.
Crick—
A sharp sound echoed from her gem, signaling the imminent collapse of her neural system.
The gem had already begun to fracture, but her memories remained intact—for now.
If the cracks reached beyond the operational systems and touched the core where her memories were stored, Asha would be lost.
Her fear would devour her mind before the overload could.
'Ah! stop it! Stop it!!'
Sensing her imminent death, she tried to suppress her thoughts and images.
But it was a vain act.
The image of Steven grew larger, almost as if it were swallowing her entire existence.
It was the end of all her efforts to survive.
She would die-
[Stop]
An androgynous voice, strikingly similar to her own, echoed in her mind, its tone devoid of emotion.
With it, all the visions suddenly lifted.
Her hands stopped trembling, and reason returned to her mind.
After the storm, all that remained was her black and immutable vision, as it always was.
'...?'
The first thing she felt was confusion.
What had just happened?
The last memory she had was in the bathroom.
Priyanka was cleaning her body with her shameless attitude.
When she analyzed her surroundings, she realized she wasn't in the bathroom but in a room she had never seen before.
Her body lay on a bed.
She was wearing a cute pink pajama that she would never dare to wear in her whole life.
Many plush toys were scattered across the room.
The room was entirely pink.
It was so agonizingly girly that her mind froze.
'What the hell?'
She used Appraisal again, but the scene before her remained the same.
Asha repeated the same behavior mindlessly.
She only stopped when a familiar plush appeared in her mind.
A pink teddy bear.
The same one Priyanka had given her in the hospital.
Her hands slowly approached the plush and grabbed it with both hands.
'...'
If "it" was there, it meant Priyanka had brought her to this eccentric room.
Now, thinking back, she couldn't remember exactly what had happened after Priyanka cleaned her body.
Had she fainted from the stimulation?
Who faints from getting excited?
There was no way she had acted so stupidly in front of Priyanka.
Shing...
A faint light appeared from her gem again.
Two hands firmly hid her eyes, as if trying to conceal her shame.
It was a shame she was blind to everything but her thoughts.
'Ah!!'
Screams of shame permeated her mind.
The images of Priyanka wiping her body with a clean face kept popping up again and again.
Every time something strange was triggered in her mind.
'I'm trash.'
She couldn't completely control her mind.
Every time she tried not to think about it, she found herself thinking even more.
In an attempt to forget this shame, she analyzed her body.
'...The disguise is gone?'
Her breathing, heartbeat, skin, and the simplified fake organism were all gone.
All the automatic functions had disappeared.
Instead, her gem seemed a bit more shattered than usual.
'Dangerous.'
When had it happened? Had Priyanka noticed her true appearance?
Before anxiety consumed her mind, Asha calmly analyzed the facts at hand.
There wasn't anyone around, and she was just sleeping peacefully.
If her shape and heartbeat had been revealed in the bathroom, Priyanka would never have left her alone.
She would have immediately taken her to the hospital.
Because that was the kind of person she was.
The chances that Priyanka had discovered her appearance were very low.
With this conclusion, the light from her gem finally returned to normal.
'Let's fix it.'
Asha hated wasting time.
The first thing she did after her realization was to fix her body.
If anyone had seen her with green skin and a gem embedded in her forehead, she didn't want to think about what would happen next.
The process took only a few minutes.
It wasn't hard to fix everything; it was just troublesome.
She needed to be completely focused on it.
Asha was already impressed by the focus this body was able to manage.
In her past life, she had suffered from terrible ADHD.
No matter how much she tried to concentrate on something, her focus would disperse after a few minutes.
Her grades had been extremely poor, and she had suffered greatly because of this condition.
But this body didn't have any of those problems.
It had its advantages and disadvantages.
Thanks to this sharp mind, she could survive in the abandoned world, come up with solutions she would never have been able to before, and even control her body after losing her senses.
The downside was the strange collateral effects.
Sometimes she didn't feel like herself.
She had to deal with a strange curiosity she had never experienced before, childish behavior, and subtle reactions to her traumas.
In the end, nothing was free in this world.
She decided to accept this as the price for her new life.
At least she was alive.
It wasn't exactly like before, but everything was better than death.
After some minutes of total focus, her gem was successfully restored to its previous state, and all the basic functions were reprogrammed.
'Phew~'
It was strange to say, but she felt far more comfortable with her disguise than without it.
In her gem form, she felt exposed.
There was no discomfort with her current appearance.
Humans are adaptive beings, after all.
Well, she wasn't human, though...
Asha suddenly felt an uncomfortable sensation in her chest.
'Let's do something else.'
She didn't want to dwell on those feelings.
Asha was fully aware that many emotional problems remained unresolved inside her.
But they were so overwhelming that she felt if she tried to tackle them one by one, she would go crazy.
She spent her time analyzing the room.
'Not bad...'
At first, it was strange, but despite the vibrant colors, she couldn't deny a simple fact.
It was peaceful.
And warm.
The room seemed filled with Priyanka's consideration.
The bed was perfectly organized, the plush toys arranged by size and material, and even the clothes she wore were infused with good intentions.
Asha rarely had time to truly rest in this world.
She seldom enjoyed good quality time alone.
There was always something to do or worry about.
People discovering her identity, finding a means to escape, a way to keep from going crazy with pain...
Thinking back, so much had happened.
Had she really endured it all?
Asha was impressed by her resilience.
In her past life, she was a 22-year-old man who played games with online friends and watched series without particular threats to his life.
Well, it wasn't an easy life all the time.
She had to work, deal with strange loan sharks pursuing her dad, and take care of her grandma, who was in poor health.
'Grandma...'
A topic she had avoided thinking about until now.
'Will Grandma survive without me? Who will pay for the hospital bills? Will they leave her to die?'
Asha didn't have real-life friends; if she wasn't there, her poor grandma would be completely alone.
Many years had passed since she came to this cartoon world, but she still couldn't overcome those worries.
'Thinking about it won't resolve anything.'
She thought, strongly suppressing her overflowing emotions.
Maybe it was because she was alone in a peaceful place that her mind was spiraling into melancholy and worry.
'I need to focus on the present.'
It was cold to say, but her previous life was gone.
Her grandma also wasn't part of her world anymore.
The hospital wouldn't just leave her to die.
Surely, her grandma was living well.
She was a strong woman, after all.
'It hurts.'
Her chest was aching.
Asha wasn't able to feel any physical pain, yet it still hurt.
What was happening? Why was she feeling this way?
'Is it another collateral effect? What a troublesome body.'
Asha convinced herself that this pain must be due to her condition.
What could she do to resolve this problem?
The image of Priyanka's sleeping face appeared in her mind.
The last time they slept together, Asha had never felt so good.
It was just a nap, but when she woke up, her thoughts felt clearer, and her worries had diminished.
'Sleep. I should go to sleep.'
If she slept, she wouldn't have to think about troublesome things.
When she woke up the next day, she would be calm enough to reflect on her situation and devise measures to avoid it again.
Yes, she just needed to sleep and resolve everything tomorrow.
Asha stopped her thoughts and tried to sleep.
'...'
Some minutes passed, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't sleep.
Was sleep this hard to achieve? It seemed so easy in her past life...
The more she tried to rest, the less she could.
'There must be a condition to do it...'
What had she done before when she had successfully slept for the first time?
She had been in a bed like now.
Instead of lying down, she had been sitting.
Asha moved her body, trying to recreate that same situation.
She still couldn't sleep.
Was she forgetting something?
The image of Priyanka reappeared in her mind.
She remembered Priyanka lying on her lap, sleeping with a tired face.
Maybe one of those "conditions" was having someone resting in her lap.
As no one was around, she needed to improvise her own way.
The peculiar teddy bear appeared in her mind.
'...'
With trembling hands, she held the teddy bear and placed it on her lap.
Again, she couldn't sleep.
Her hands started to caress the plush with awkward movements.
She had done the same with Priyanka.
When she did it with her, she felt somehow "full," but with this strange toy, all she felt was discomfort.
'This won't work, will it?'
Two hands hid her eyes again in a vain act.
Inside, Asha knew it wasn't the position or the way she caressed "someone."
The situation wasn't the answer.
She needed Priyanka.
With just her, she would sleep like before.
'No.'
Asha didn't want to admit she couldn't do something as simple as sleeping alone.
Priyanka had taken care of her all day; what more could she want?
She also had her pride.
Priyanka was a married woman. She had a husband, a daughter, and a job to handle.
Adding something else to this equation would be a burden to her.
Asha tried to sleep harder again.
She attempted to stop all her thoughts, deliberately reducing the flow of ideas and simulating a sleeping mind.
She was perfectly mimicking a sleeping state.
It was such a perfect act that she was doing everything but sleeping.
She wanted to cry from frustration.
Maybe it had been a stupid idea from the beginning.
People don't sleep just because they want to.
She needed to relax, but she couldn't.
What could she do?
'I...'
Would she try harder again and fail yet again?
Hadn't she realized how meaningless her actions were?
'...I will just stay awake tonight.'
She had been awake for years without a single nap.
Gems didn't need to sleep, either.
Asha focused on her thoughts.
She had brainstormed in the car last time.
Maybe she could think of some solutions to her situation if she let her curiosity run wild like before.
With those thoughts, she dove deep into her mind.
Several images appeared in her mind.
The image of a familiar hospital.
An old woman was smiling kindly with her sharp and stubborn eyes.
She always would show the same face every time she was worried about her health.
'Grandma... No, stop. Think about something else.'
The first try had been a failure; perhaps instead of an open topic, she needed to restrict herself to a single subject to ponder.
'Let's think about what happened until now.'
She decided to dive deep into her memories.
It wouldn't require much creativity, and perhaps she could think about different perspectives with a calm mind.
She woke up in this world in an abandoned kindergarten.
When she arrived, she cried a lot because of her grandma—
'Damn.'
Her heart started to hurt again.
Images of her grandmother flooded her mind, almost as if torturing her.
Her chest felt tight. She wanted to cry, but no tears fell from her face.
'I'm tired. Make it stop...'
Her mind began filling with pessimistic thoughts.
She felt out of control.
She hated to admit it, but she needed help.
Before, she could appreciate this introspection time, but now it just seemed like torture.
The only person who could alleviate those feelings was Priyanka.
But no matter how much she thought about it, waking her in the middle of the night for such a trivial matter seemed so...
Embarrassing.
'It's okay; we're friends.'
For the first time, her thoughts started to encourage her actions instead of denying them.
They were friends. Asha believed the bond they had wasn't superficial enough to be broken by a single shameless request.
'We even bathed together. What else could be more shameful than that?'
Without realizing it, Asha's hands were already reaching for the wheelchair beside her bed.
'Aren't we total best friends? And maybe she is still awake, so why not?' she thought while pushing her body to the wheelchair, almost as if possessed.
It was very hard to move her legs, but she didn't have any problems with her arms.
This wheelchair had buttons that allowed her to move on her own.
'And this body is cute, isn't it? If I say it nicely, wouldn't she just accept with a smile? No one would get angry at a smiling face.'
She had practiced expressions before. She seemed like a sociopath smiling, but if she tried to put her soul in it things would be different this time!
Without a hint of hesitation, Asha pressed the button.
She couldn't care less about her pride.
Asha only focused on moving to her room.
Before her, there was a closed door.
It was Priyanka's room.
Gulp.
She had come this far, but upon arriving, she felt nervous.
However, she wasn't the kind of person who would act so hesitantly.
She had already come this far; why was she hesitating now?
'Just do it!'
Tok. Tok.
Asha waited a few minutes, but no answer came.
'Is she sleeping?'
A wave of sadness filled her mind.
If Priyanka was sleeping, what could she do? Go back to her room?
Asha's hands started to tremble from fear.
Subconsciously, she had developed a resistance to returning.
'Let's try again. Maybe she just didn't hear that.'
Tok! Tok!
Creek!
This time, Asha didn't have to wait long.
Priyanka opened the door with a sleepy face, her hair a mess.
Her clothes were rumpled, and some saliva leaking from her mouth.
'Pft...'
The sight was so unbelievable that all of Asha's worries vanished at once.
The organized and composed Priyanka had some bad habits when it came to sleeping.
She was so cute.
It was the same in the hospital.
Her eyes were drowsy, shaking slightly.
Asha picked up her old notebook and opened it with both hands.
It was dark everywhere; that's why she had written the words very large for Priyanka to see.
[CAN WE SLEEP TOGETHER?]
Asha hid her awkward smile behind the notebook.
Priyanka looked at her without moving or saying anything.
This only made Asha more anxious.
After some uncomfortable minutes without a response, Priyanka quickly moved without hesitation.
She lifted her body from the wheelchair and held her in her arms.
Her actions were subtle, but at least they didn't seem like a refusal.
Priyanka wasn't alone in the room; Doug was there, too.
Noticing Doug through her Appraisal made her feel a deep sense of embarrassment.
Someone else saw her asking Priyanka to sleep together.
Her dark history seemed to thicken.
Again, Priyanka paused, seemingly saying something to Doug.
Her face was serious, while Doug wore a smile.
It didn't seem like anything serious; what were they talking about?
When they finished, Doug picked up his pillow and left the room, still smiling.
'What? Why is he going?'
Doug suddenly left, leaving just Priyanka and Asha in the room.
Was it her fault? Maybe Priyanka had confused her movements with fear and told Doug to leave.
She quickly held her clothes, trying to express her feelings to Priyanka.
Her notebook had fallen to the ground, so the only thing she could do was show her intentions this way.
Priyanka usually was good at reading her body language; that's why Asha believed she would understand.
Unfortunately, she couldn't have been more wrong.
Priyanka's face was filled with complex emotions as she looked at her.
Whatever she was thinking didn't seem good.
Asha tried to convey her feelings through her body again, but it seemed futile.
Priyanka hugged her even tighter.
'...'
What on earth was she thinking with that expression?
After some minutes in that strange position, Priyanka gently placed Asha on the bed.
Asha decided not to think about anything else.
She would apologize to Doug and properly explain things to Priyanka later.
With her mind made up, all the weird feelings vanished.
She curiously analyzed Priyanka's room.
It was big but simple.
There was a wardrobe, an air conditioner, and some carefully arranged portraits.
The bed was enormous, too.
In her past life, Asha had been very tall. Her feet would almost reach the corner of the bed.
But now, no matter how much she stretched, her feet wouldn't touch anything.
It was like a huge bird's nest.
By her side was Priyanka, who was hugging her body with her arms.
Priyanka's hands were a bit rough, like those of someone who had worked hard.
Asha liked people who put effort into achieving their goals.
Priyanka was the perfect example of that.
She wasn't arrogant, just a woman who exerted herself in everything she did.
Initially, she seemed serious about everything, but she also had a very cute side when sleeping.
Cute, serious, lazy, and diligent.
It was amazing how those contradictory words suited Priyanka so well.
But if there was something Asha liked the most about Priyanka...
It was her arms.
They were full of kindness.
When Priyanka hugged her, a feeling of safety filled her heart, soothing all the stress and fears she had.
Asha never realized how good it was to be hugged by someone else.
She wasn't really into hugs.
But when Priyanka did it, she felt different.
Asha hugged her and caressed her hair.
Small hands patted Priyanka's head like a mother bird caring for her chicks.
Every time Priyanka treated her so kindly, Asha always felt the desire to reciprocate those feelings.
She couldn't feel anything. Not the warmth of her body, not her scent, or anything else.
Just her kindness.
'It's so good...'
Finally, her mind was free from those images and worries.
Little by little, her consciousness began to fade.
Something that never diminished was the grip of her hands.
Her hands clutched Priyanka's clothes as if she would never let go.
Priyanka's hug didn't weaken, either.
It was full of maternal love.
A deep and pure feeling she had never experienced before, even from her grandma.
'A mom...? Not bad...'
A small smile appeared on her face before she could realize it.
In those kind arms, nothing could scare her.
Those were her last thoughts.
Asha was already deeply immersed in her dreamland.
*
Author note
I'm surprised by the attention it received. We were ranked on the main page of scribblehub and appeared in the first 25 most well-ranked stories of Webnovel. Thank you for the strong support, dear readers. Some people give power stones every day.
PS: This chapter has 3800 words (and 21.8k characters). I was very inspired.
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