Night's Warmth

Chapter 12 - Void

(Earlier)

...

What's this? I'm in a dark purple void. I can't move. I can't speak or move my mouth. I can only hear. I can only see. I can only feel. I feel like I'm floating in this void. I hear an echoing frail voice of what I assume is a young woman.

"Siku... Siku.. utirvut.."

I'm filled with confusion and even fear. I mentally ask: Why am I here? How? When? Where? I then hear the voice speak again.

"Inuk ilingnik ikajuqtuq. Uvanga Siku, talikik atarnajunnavit."

W-What is this voice even saying? She keeps repeating the word "Siku..." But.. her words eerily have a tinge of familiarity, almost as if I can understand her..

"Tupallirit.. Iqqummalirit!"

"Gah!"

I suddenly wake up and my body flinches. I find myself sweating, with my whole body covered in it. I look around and realize it's already noon judging by the sun's brightness stabbing the bedroom windows.

...

Where'd Alex go? I get up from the bed and I notice a note laying on the table next to the bed. I pick it up and read it.

The note reads:

"Hey Gab, I headed out to the university for classes. Don't worry about breakfast, I left some food in the fridge for you. Feel free to help yourself to anything. I'll see you later! - Alex"

I smile at the note and set it back down on the table. I stretch my arms and legs, trying to shake off the grogginess from my sleep. As I make my way to the kitchen, I can't shake off the strange dream I just had. It felt so vivid, like I was actually there, hearing that voice calling out to me.

I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Dreams are just dreams, right? There's no point in dwelling on them. I open the fridge and grab some leftovers, deciding to focus on the present instead.

After heating up the food, I sit down at the table and start eating. The food tastes good, but my mind keeps wandering back to the dream. Who was that woman calling out to me? And what did she mean by "Siku"?

I shake my head again, trying to push aside the thoughts. Right now, I need to focus on eating and then maybe I can figure out what to do for the rest of the day. After I'm done eating, I wash the dishes.

Hmm.. While Alex's away, I should clean the whole cabin; That way I can repay his kindness and everything he has done for me. I tidy up the kitchen. As I put away the dishes and wipe down the countertops, my mind drifts back to the strange dream I had earlier. Despite my efforts to push it aside, the memory of the echoing voice calling out to me lingers in my mind.

I can't shake off the feeling of unease that the dream left me with. Who was that woman? And why did her words feel so familiar? It's like I've heard them before, but I can't place where or when.

I sigh, feeling frustrated with my lack of answers. Maybe I'm just overthinking things. Dreams are often just random images and sounds thrown together by our subconscious, right? There's no need to read too much into it.

With a shake of my head, I try to clear my mind and focus on the present. I clean around the cabin. Despite everything that's been happening lately, this cabin has become a safe haven for me, a place where I can escape from the chaos of the outside world.

Feeling a sense of calm wash over me, I decide to try spending the rest of the day relaxing and unwinding. If I remember correctly, there's a couple of bookshelves next to the bedroom door. I walk to the bedroom and spot them. Wouldn't hurt to read some of Alex's books, right?

I look at the collection of books he has. There are mangas, almanacs, and some university books about psychology and some medical topics. I look at the bottom of one of the bookshelves and see a bright cover amongst the rest of the row which mostly have dark colors on their covers. I pick it up and move and sit on the bed.

I turn to the front cover and it's a manga of some sorts. It has a large beastman and a young human male holding hands.

Hmm..

I read through the contents and find out it's a gay romantic manga, with the two characters often being intimate with one another. I start to feel a little bit weird reading it so halfway through the manga I closed it and put it back on the bookshelf. I walk back to the bed and lay back on it as I face the ceiling.

"Well.. that was weird.." I mumble to myself.

I never thought Alex was into gay mangas. Plus, the love interests in the mangas that he buys are probably all beastmen. Does that mean he's gay? I've never seen this side of him before...

Wait.. what if I stay with him longer he might get attracted to ME? I mean, I'm also a large beastman, which maybe suits his type. What about MY sexuality? My past is still blurry, so I don't know if I was straight, gay or bisexual back then..

I suddenly slap myself in the face.

"Stop it Gab. Now's not the time for overthinking your sexuality. We've got other important issues." I yell at myself. I take a deep breath to calm myself down. I then realize that I might have overstepped some boundaries. I facepalm myself.

"Damn it! I was so bored that I accidentally invaded Alex's privacy by reading books that he probably doesn't want others to read!" I groan.

What do I do when he comes back? I should calm myself down and act like nothing ever happened. Yeah, I should do that later...

I then suddenly hear the front door open and hear a muffled voice through the bedroom door.

"Gab, I'm back!"