Pure of Mind and Sharp of Knife (Male Reader x Female Creepypasta)

Umbral Reckoning

Gasping for breath between fits of laughter, I accidentally inhale the blood sluicing into my mouth. I heave and cough, kneeling down when my body refuses to bring itself together. All the while, Nightmare laughs at me, inundated with so much blood that her white hair has been dyed completely black.

"Hadst thy fill of ichor, Skulker?" she looks down at me, flicking blood from her hand onto my shoulder.

Falling from my high of blood and battle, I lick my lips clean, "I could go again," I stand up, grunting at my splintered arm, "but at least we're in our territory now. The others made it out, right?"

Nightmare nods wordlessly, and I look around, an eeriness hanging between the shadowy trees.

"I thought you were going to kill me," I admit, glancing up at Nightmare's lofty self.

"I was," she rumbles, killing any connection I thought we might've had, "Ally beseeched me to spare thee; harming thee would harm Ally withal."

"But she cares about the rest of the mansion too," I note with suspicion, "and killing someone like her mother would hurt her as well. You even tried that when we freed her from Zalga's corruption."

In an unnaturally coy way, Nightmare looks away from me and huffs, "I am coiled to shrift that Ally's feelings art worrisome. I understand not where her attachment births from. In her orbits, thou art meant to live, methinks."

"For what?" I shrug.

Nightmare growls to herself before turning away, "Enough o' thy ceaseless inquiries."

"Nightmare!" I shout, grabbing her arm, "I can't let you go back like this."

"Oh?" the demon faces me, "And what wilt thou do to stop me? My key holds firm."

I try to pull her closer, only to end up bringing myself up to her instead, "If we can't pull your key anymore, we'll have to kill you."

"Thou threatenst me?" Nightmare's grin widens.

"I'm pleading here," I say, softening her offended gaze, "Killing you means killing Ally, and I know you don't want that. I'll bet she doesn't want you getting hurt either."

Nightmare rips her arm away from me, "Thou hast a sharp tongue... fine. Just this once."

Nightmare shrinks and cracks and pops. She slumps over on her feet, her arms dangling beside her. Her fingers twitch. When she stands up straight, Ally's blue eyes blink back at me, dominated by disbelief.

"You... Nightmare..." Ally brings a hand to her head, wincing at an apparent headache.

In shock, myself, I explain, "We came to an-"

"Hey!" a raspy male voice shouts behind us.

Ally and I turn around to see the fake Toby limping toward us.

"The mansion..." he coughs, "Bring me to the mansion. I survived! So... bring me... to the mansion!"

Having half a mind to kill him anyway, I nod at Ally, "Nightmare can explain. Take him."

Wishing to have a moment of silence in solitude, I leave Ally to escort the new blood back home, instead cringing at the growing torment in my forearm.

"Skulker!" the boy barks for my attention.

I stop, waiting for his complaint.

"One day," he growls with spit in his words, "I'll kill you."

Hearing the fidelity to his declaration, I finally face him, and only now do I see the wrath in his eyes. It's different from any I've seen. Zero's anger stemmed from pride – the sort of frustration you'd see in a sore loser at the end of a race.