Did You Miss Me?

The world was normal again; there were no more vibrant colors blinding his vision.

Only two shuddering figures lie huddling against each other in fear of the baby before them.

As they discovered a change in the monstrous form of the child, both Theef and the newly transcended Barter's Ruler both sighed in relief.

'I thought I was going to be eaten for a second there,' the thought plagued both of them.

They wanted to invite their friend to join their manly hugging session, but they were still quaking at the thought of what just happened.

"You actually did it you crazy bastard."

The pauper was the first to break the silence, his voice like a gentle breeze.

"I did it," Theef asked while still holding onto the pauper for dear life.

It was at that moment that Theef's eyes spun like crazy as his chimera form was unleashed for no apparent reason.

"HAHAHAHA! But of course, I single-handedly solved the problem like nothing little pauper. When will you finally realize the true might of your captain."

In an instant, he killed the vibe with his typical behavior splashing his spit all over the place.

"Careful!"

As the acidic saliva corroded the ship, the pauper created a layer of gold over the floor.

"Control yourself Theef! Else this ship'll be covered in holes before we even arrive at our destination."

"My bad, my bad," Theef scratched the back of his neck while shifting back to normal.

"Anyways," he started, "What's wrong with Null?"

"Null?"

The pauper turned to the baby who know somehow appeared even scarier than before.

His eyes were upturned inside of his skull as the left one continued to trickle with blood.

And to top it off, he still had a maniacal smile on his face.

'Eughh,' the ruler was mildly disturbed.

He wasn't sure how to feel about Theef's nonchalant behavior despite the seemingly important circumstances.

"Has he done that before?"

"What? No, of course not."

The concerned ruler then asked, "Then aren't you worried?"

"About Null? Pfft," Theef was about to go into his typical spiel about friendship and bravery.

However, due to the sincerity of the pauper, the answer he received was the truth.

"Every waking moment he isn't in my sight I feel terrified these days."

The sudden bomb of truth befuddled the clueless pauper, "But then-,"

He tried to gain some sort of understanding but was interrupted.

"If it were me in his place, how worried would you be?"

Theef's eyes narrowed with judgement.

The next words the pauper spoke would determine his next course of action.

"Not at all," he replied briefly without hesitation.

A hazy orange aura lit up Theef's body for his honesty, "Then you're formally welcome to the team."

His hand was extended to which the pauper clasped onto without question.

"We don't have to worry about the other, we just gotta have each other's backs in the end."

"And who saved whom from certain danger just moments ago?"

"I did; and I vaguely recall you agreeing with me."

"I never did anything of the sort," the pauper scoffed, "Even after gifting my precious greed to you. Tsk. tsk."

Theef couldn't refute the sarcastic pauper despite his growing hatred for gold.

'I am strictly non-hypocritical.'

Theef had to remind himself extra so as to not make a fool of himself.

Every time he became a hypocrite, he lost a battle against himself.

It was a sort of grounding method that helped the loner get by on his own.

So, he just gave up the fight beforehand because now he had teammates of his own.

Now all he wanted to do was smile for their sake. And smile he would.

"Just look at him," Theef joked, "If even Null's smiling why should I be concerned in the slightest."

"Hehehe. You guys and your optimism," the pauper was getting riled up the longer he grasped the hand of his equal.

"Our optimism is what keeps us alive despite the precarious nature of our actions wouldn't you say?"

"Hmm," the pauper was amused at first, but upon hearing Theef's words he was lost in thought.

The same couldn't be said for Null however, for he was lost in mind.

.....

Inside Null's mind space he was standing on a small boat floating on a murky lake engulfed in a dense fog.

It was a scene all too familiar, yet while in this illusion Null was confused.

"Where am I?"

As he tried to peruse his obstructed surroundings, the boat began cruising through the foggy lake.

'Shit!'

Null dropped to the rear of the small boat as the sudden movement knocked him off balance.

"That was close."

He said leaning over the back of the boat while facing the rippling water.

'What the-,' all of a sudden Null jumped.

While peering into to water, what should have been his reflection was replaced by a blood-red doppelganger.

As it noticed Null's reaction, the doppelganger smiled eerily.

"What the fuck is happening to me! Why am I back here!"

Null had evidently realized his whereabouts but could not understand why he would be brought back at a time like this.

'Is this some trick of that vase's spirit?'

Noticing how the scene was exactly like how it was before, Null had felt a peculiar inkling that caused him to reenact the course of events.

It was a strange occurrence like the first time, but this time there was something else to it.

Something odd might have been happening outside of his awareness, but for Null life was about the moment.

If something bad was to come, then so be it; he wasn't one to sweat the small stuff.

If something good was to come, then so be it all the same because as long as there was no bad, Null could be at peace.

So, when he sought to recreate the artifact spirit, his thoughts only contrived to get a sort of reaction that he could work with.

He did not concern himself with the bloody figure in the water because it did not actively attempt anything.

But as he finished clearing the last bit of fog and the same scene transpired as the new spirit came to be.

And so, Null hopped out of the boat and admired his work.

The giant mass of soul soothing water coalesced into the massive face once more.

A giant smile literally brightened the world around him as he stood before the artifact spirit.

"Did you miss me," its thunderous voice boomed in Null's ears once more.