"I wish he could open his mind willingly. Then, I could offer him to use my astral body instead of just absorbing him, which would harm his spirit," mused the Prince aloud. His habit of muttering under his breath was familiar to me, even though I couldn't currently see him now I vividly could imagine his focused face.
"The heart desires what it desires, sometimes playing hide-and-seek with sanity," that demon soul interjected his unsolicited opinion interrupting the Prince's mumbling. But, surprisingly, no response came.
"You could at least conceal your culinary experiments; your secrets are laid bare!" Being demoted, but still brave to continue teasing the superior. Pathetic…
"Go to Hell, I have nothing to be ashamed of, especially in front of him!"
The conversation truly was revolving around me, yet I remained silent, an observer.
"Hey, Servant Yu, you're no slouch. Why bother with problems when you can just wait for someone else to solve them! My bad, my bad! I underestimated you! You're genius! The Prince expects nothing from you, but happy to do everything for you!" remarked this demoted bastard, his voice accompanied by faint applause and laughter.
At this very moment my consciousness blurred, and I felt myself sinking or dissolving—perhaps, Abyss, I thought, but not, just something similar. Yet, I felt discomfort as if I was resisting something, and since I had been dependent on circumstances before, nothing had changed now too, I could only resign myself to it.
***
"Oh, Gods, the Writers of Fate really love a good plot twist, and now especially at your expense, my Prince. Your misery's drama is so captivating, I can't even look away."
"Would you shut up a little, aren't you tired of your own grumbling? So annoying…" snapped the Prince, definitely irritated. "Your incessant chatter might scare him away, leaving him bewildered."
As I listened, I sensed a shift. The familiar voices—the Prince and that Demoted God—held new layers. Had I forgotten something, fallen out of reality, or merely dozed off?
"My Prince," the Water Master persisted, "some desires are like the wind—felt but never captured. Will he thank you for this? Even I know why he left the Heavens, though your family squabbles never concerned me. And yet I know!"
I suddenly felt awkward, because this demon's knowledge was clearly not about my impeccable reputation…
"Well, you finally did it! You've upset him…" the Prince suddenly proclaimed, and his calm demeanor surprised me. "You know he's like a child, always incorrigible," he continued. "His temper simmers like a volcano, always on the brink of eruption. So I beg you, at least now, mind your words!"
And then, compelled by an inexplicable urge, I spoke to convince the Prince wrong.
"I agree, my reflections are naive, revealing my fears and mistakes sometimes, but my temper is less volatile than yours." And to my undeniable horror, the moment I spoke my voice mirrored the Prince's.
"We're doomed… Celestial Stars, we're so doomed!" the Water Master declared, his eyes chillingly fixed on me. His eyes…
*Thx for reading.