Amais basked in the momentary respite, still unsure whether this was a dream or not. He was confused, to say the least but he wasn't about to complain. The vampire he liked lay beside him, her cold fingers running through his hair, gently wiping the tears from his flushed face. He was extremely embarrassed right now, though; how could he not be? Thirty minutes ago, he was a sobbing mess in front of the girl he liked; even if the reason was justifiable, it didn't make the feeling any less miserable.
"Hmm, you're embarrassed," she said, sighing dramatically. "Oh, so pathetic. What a crybaby you are," she teased, pulling him closer, smiling when he frowned and only then showering his face with kisses, much to his surprise.
"Does that make you feel better?" she asked teasingly, looking down at his blushing face and laughing softly. "You're so strong now, Amais. You've certainly grown too and it's only been around a week. And just so you know, crying doesn't make you weak, you know," she said simply.
"Still... it's just that," he muttered to himself, but she grabbed his cheeks, looking at him, annoyed.
"Enough of that. I hate pride in a man. You should know that for our next date," she said bitterly, and he simply nodded, making her smile.
"Now you get to stay here. Isn't that a nice reward?" she asked playfully after a moment, glancing at the boy her age.
"Yep," he chirped honestly, making her laugh as she pulled him closer again, her arms wrapping loosely around his neck.
"Do you do this with all the guys you meet?" Amais asked curiously.
She laughed. "Only the special ones," she teased.
A spark of jealousy flickered in his eyes at that, which only made her chuckle slyly.
"You know, Amais, that was my first kiss too," she admitted, making him blush even harder at the realization.
"R-Really?" he stammered, and she smiled brightly.
She straddled him, covering her mouth with her hands as she looked down at him with feigned shock "You didn't know?" she asked, with false innocence, before then uncovering her lips to reveal a wide, mischievous smile. "You want some more?" she asked, lowering herself and nuzzling her face into his chest.
"This is unfair," he murmured, bashfully looking to the side.
"Oh but life isn't fair, Amais," she said wistfully, nuzzling her face into his neck. "If it were, we wouldn't have met each other," she added honestly with a smile.
"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.
"Don't worry about it," she said with a laugh, grabbing his cheeks.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better," he murmured, avoiding her eyes. She leaned in closer, her red eyes locking onto his grey ones.
"Good," she said, finally getting off him. He sighed in relief but he also missed her touch. She stared ahead, tiredly watching the fire.
"So, uhm, how'd you get here?" he asked curiously.
"Same way you did through that nasty portal. It was a sham; nobody expected that shadow," she muttered, visibly annoyed. Amais scowled at the memory of that thing.
"So you've met it too, then," she said with a small smile. "It was so brutal, so vicious a demon. I couldn't even scratch it," she said dolefully. "But at least it allowed for more adventure. Stuff like this is normal for me." She smiled teasingly. "Want to go on our date through this terrible labyrinth?" she asked playfully.
He looked at her and nodded.
But alas, fate had other plans. That bastard.
Above them, the water began to rumble violently. Elentera sighed tiredly.
"So, you happen to know what that might be?" he asked, curious.
She smiled. "I made a few friends while in the water," she laughed right before a tentacle yanked her upwards. Her eyes went wide as she was pulled into the sea above.
Amais just stared, shocked by what he had seen, frozen for a moment before jumping after her into the dark water.
He was surprised by how easily he shot upward, matching her pace.
I'm flying, he thought, kicking his legs.
He began swimming like a torpedo through the water. His eyes adjusted to the darkness somehow, his pupils dilated, and he could see everything clearly now. His old body would have seen nothing down here, but now, he could see it all and his mouth fell open in awe as he laid eyes on a giant.
IS THAT FUCKING CTHULHU? he thought, staring at the mass of tentacles like shadows in the dark. It had six orange eyes glowing from the silhouette, which loomed impossibly far away, spanning endlessly into the deep. Despite its size, he couldn't see it clearly; it was too vast. He wouldn't stand a chance.
It was unfathomable that such a thing had been lurking here this whole time without him even knowing. But then, through the dark, he spotted Elentera in its grasp, reaching her hand out to him. Without thinking, he grabbed her, which, in hindsight, wasn't the brightest idea because the colossal creature yanked them both instantly.
He shot under the ocean bed like a ragdoll, coughing as water filled his lungs before suddenly... stopping.
Why am I breathing? he thought in a daze. He was dead; he didn't need to breathe anymore. He still needed to adapt to being undead, but right now, all he could think about was Elentera. He tightened his grip on her hand, searching her face for any sign of injury.Her red eyes met his, and she smiled warmly. He sighed inwardly in relief.
But she was still trapped; the tentacle wrapped around her like a vise. He tried prying it open with his hands, but it was too strong. So he resorted to something else. His teeth, harder than diamonds, sank into the tentacle. Even as the beast thrashed and swung him around, he refused to let go. He bit down harder, tearing through the thick flesh. Finally, he shredded it apart and immediately descended with her, his hands firmly on her shoulders.
A tentacle came crashing down toward them, and without thinking, he shoved her downward, shielding her. She looked up at him, startled, just as another tentacle snatched him instead. Great, he thought bitterly. Another hellish adventure.
But before the nightmare could continue, a blade shining like the moonlight itself sliced through the tentacle with ease.
Stunned, he looked up to see the girl wielding the blade laugh, her eyes gleaming with wild mirth as she grabbed him. Together, they swam quickly back into the maze, water rushing past them.
He fell on his back with a thud, though it didn't hurt much, while she landed gracefully on her feet.
"That was a fun little adventure," she laughed.
"You made enemies with that Cthulhu?" he asked, half in disbelief.
She just laughed again and shook her head. "No, I thought it was something else," she said honestly, her smile wide. Amais's horror only grew at the casual statement.
This hellish place truly had no limits for some random tentacle to just come like that and sweep them up.
He looked around; bones littered the maze around them. Somehow, he was back in a familiar place.
"Huh. I've been here before," he said honestly.
"Oh, that's good! Then you know how to get us back, right?" she asked brightly. He nodded."Perfect! Also, come here," she said, motioning him over.
He tilted his head curiously but obeyed. Suddenly, her lips brushed his cheek, giving a sweet peck, and he flushed bright red.
"Thanks for saving me," she whispered.
"Y-Yep. Thanks for saving me too," he mumbled, still flustered.
"No problem," she said with a smile, grabbing his hand and letting him lead the way deeper into the maze.
"So, does the giant sea monster taste good?" Elentera asked, grinning mischievously.
Amais immediately shook his head, looking like he might gag at the thought. She snickered softly beside him.
Meanwhile, in another section of the maze, a particular moose walking alongside an alien in what looked like white armour had stopped in its tracks. The moose looked up at the water, its eyes gleaming with fatigue, as it had felt a disturbance and huffed in exasperation.