My Muse || READER X RAY || The Promised Neverland

🔒 My Muse || Chapter Forty Six

I was the child of the traitor James Ratri and the cattle Josephine. 

The necklaced flashed brightly and when my eyesight recovered I was back in the cave. Gilda and Don were holding my hands, tears in their eyes. "I'm- I'm okay." I said, pulling away from their grasp. "I-I'm fine." The necklace had fallen onto lap. The gem's lavender hues faded away and the cobalt galaxy returned. My hands were fine, if not a little bit sweaty. 

"Did you see it?" Mujika asked. 

I nodded, grimacing. "In order to save my family... All of the cattle children in this world... I have to reforge the promise." 

"You mean, us, right?" Ray asked from behind me. I wanted to say yes. But my bitterness returned as easily as it left. "Why don't you go check on Emma, or something?" My voice was cold, Don and Gilda noticing. 

Ray rolled his eyes. "I don't know why you're being like this." He scoffed, annoyed with my attitude. "I've noticed your silent treatment. You haven't even looked at me since the snake pit."

"Me? Not looking after you?" I wheezed, whipping around to glare at him. Holy shit, did I have something to say. "Oh, I've been looking, I've been fucking looking alright. Every time I turned around after that damn snake pit you want to know what I was looking at?" I mocked him in a sing songy tone. "You and Emma acting like it's your fucking honeymoon! How long do you need your god damn hands on her hips?" 

"You're joking." He scoffed. "You're joking, right?" 

I glared a "fuck no" at him. 

He tried to hold my hands, but I pushed them away. "You're giving me the silent treatment because you're jealous? y/n, it's just a misunderstanding, Emma and I-" "Were sleeping like a cute little couple holding hands for three days straight while I was sick and alone." The fire in my stomach had died down, and sadness consumed its spot. He was frozen, shocked by what I'd said. "Mujika told me. You only visited once, on the first day. The rest of them you were cuddled up with Emma." I wanted him to apologize, to explain, literally do anything but look at me with that guilty face. 

I got up from my seat. "Thank you for telling me about my mother, Mujika." My hands trembled, clutching the small pendant to my chest. Tears welled up in my eyes. "I'm not feeling well, so I think I'll take a nap." 

I didn't have to forget love. It forgot about me first. 

Instead of going to my cave room, I wandered around the tunnels until I found my way outside. The entrance to the tunnels was hidden securely by a loose tree root. You had to shove it aside and squeeze your way in, or out in my case. Sonju was sitting next to a nearby tree, sharpening that spear again. "I'm pretty sure it's suited to kill already." I called, crawling out of the tree. Sonju laughed. "I know. I'm just bored." 

Crickets chirped around us, the forest we were in had again morphed with distance. If I wanted to protect this family, I had to be able to feed them first. "Sonju, can you teach me how to hunt?" The demon pulled his lips back in a smile. "Why would you want to do that?" He asked, slightly amused. I saw down next to him, breathing deeply. The night was so beautiful. 

"I want to live. I want to escape with my family, and make a world better suited for humankind." He shifted, moving the spear away from me. 

"To hunt means to kill, y/n." 

I chuckled, pulling a small yellow flower from the ground. "I've been hunted before. I know I was meant to die. I just didn't know it until now." 

"Mujika told you? No- She showed you?" 

I nodded, twisting the stem in my hands. The flower followed my movements. Tears welled up in my eyes again, one falling onto the flower. 

"Our lives are cursed. Us cattle children. Born to be killed and bought to be sold. How do we get out of this mess, Sonju?" 

He patted my head, his hand the size of my face. "Your parents started the renewal together. I think it should be ended the same way."

"Together..." I whispered. Demons aren't bad company. 

"It's dark, y/n." Sonju stood up, ushering for me to follow him. "I'll teach you how to hunt tomorrow. Bright and early, little one." He lifted the root for me. I jumped inside, smiling. It felt like a massive weight was lifted off of my chest. "Thank you for listening, Sonju."