My Life as a Protector.

You Found Me.

Time passed quickly as I immersed myself in the intense training with Twitchy and Fly. Each day felt like a marathon of challenges, stretching my mind and pushing the boundaries of what I thought I could do. I didn't know what to call any of these skills yet, but I knew what they were meant to strengthen. That was enough for now. 

Meditation became a daily ritual. I sat still, focusing on separating my consciousness from my body. Fly's teasing remarks about how I salivating at the mouth never failed to break my concentration, but I had to remind myself that he meant well—at least most of the time. With practice, I began to feel lighter, like I was floating away from myself. There were moments when I could almost see... something. A shadow of myself, lingering just outside my reach. 

Reading emotions wasn't much easier. Twitchy was my partner in that exercise, though he didn't seem too thrilled about it at first. I made him put on a blindfold and cycle through different feelings—joy, frustration, sadness—while I tried to catch the waves of emotion coming off him. It was like trying to tune into a distant radio station, the signals faint and flickering, but every now and then, I'd catch a glimpse of something real. His frustrations always came through the clearest. Seeing emotions, though? That took things to a whole new level. I could tell Twitchy was skeptical about this one, but he humored me. As he cycled through the feelings again, I concentrated harder, trying to see more than just his expressions. Then, I started to see faint glimmers of light, shifting hues that matched his mood. When he was annoyed, the air around him took on a harsh, sharp tint of red. It didn't always work, but when it did, it was... vivid.

Reading thoughts was even trickier. Twitchy would sit across from me, eyes closed, thinking of random things—apple, dog, blue—and I'd try to grab onto the whispers of his thoughts. Sometimes, I'd get it right; other times, I'd just get static. But slowly, I started to pick up on his more complex thoughts, the ones he didn't say aloud. That's when things started to feel real. Vocalizing those thoughts, though... it was really hard. Fly liked to join in for this part of the training, making things extra complicated with his endless stream of comments. I'd try to speak his thoughts aloud, and half the time, I'd end up blurting out something ridiculous. Still, I was getting better at it. Slowly.

Telepathic communication became our secret game. We'd sit in silence, sending thoughts back and forth like a twisted game of telephone, trying to keep our conversations hidden from anyone who might be watching. Sometimes it worked, other times it didn't. But each attempt brought me closer to mastering the technique.Broadcasting my thoughts to a group was... overwhelming. Fly and Twitchy would gather with a few others, and I'd try to focus on all of them at once, sending a single message to their minds. It felt like shouting into the wind, but occasionally, I'd see their heads turn in unison, catching the thought I'd thrown out. Those moments kept me going. I never got those people's names, so I'm settling for Rosey Cheeks, Lids, and Fluffy Boi. Real mature, right? 

Telepathic speaking, though—that was the hardest. Trying to speak aloud using only my mind, without making a sound? It was like walking a tightrope, balancing between silence and thought. But each attempt brought me closer to finding that perfect balance.There were the visions, too. Working with Twitchy or Fly to bring their minds into waking dreams. It started simple—a peaceful landscape, a calm ocean—but the complexity grew with each session. Inducing those visions felt like sculpting reality itself. And then there were the senses. I practiced altering the way Twitchy experienced the world, making small changes—a scent that wasn't there, a taste that wasn't real. It wasn't always smooth, but the look on his face when he tasted something out of thin air was worth the effort.It was grueling, exhausting work. But every day, I felt a little stronger. A little more in control. And that was everything.

As for that girl... I never saw her again. Not in a dream, nor in real life. It's strange. I didn't forget, quite the opposite actually. I've been thinking about her. Could that have been me? No, no, no. My life couldn't have been that miserable. She looked nothing like me either. What could that have been? And Paint... I haven't seen him in a while. Maybe... He'll have answers for me. Rosey Cheeks, Lids, and Fluffy Boi all had matching outfits. It was strange. They had an... "Ink-esque vibe." They seemed to know Twitchy and Fly already. It's still weird that they agreed to do something with me. They seemed to have been reported of my existence because they didn't question a thing.

But in the meantime, I had to keep going. The training wasn't just about getting stronger—it was about understanding myself, about unlocking parts of me that had been hidden for so long. And every time I pushed past a limit, every time I tapped into something new, I felt a little closer to that understanding.

One evening, after a particularly grueling session, I found myself alone. Twitchy had already left, and Fly had disappeared somewhere, probably off causing trouble. I sat in the stillness, letting the exhaustion wash over me, when I felt it again—that sense of something just out of reach. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but it was there. A pull, like I was being drawn somewhere.

Without really thinking about it, I let myself follow the feeling, letting it guide me. It was like being on the edge of a dream, everything hazy and surreal. I walked through the halls, my footsteps echoing softly, until I found myself outside. The night was cool, the air crisp against my skin. I looked up at the sky, the stars scattered like dust across the darkness, and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

And then, there she was. Standing at the edge of the courtyard, her back to me, the girl from my vision. Her silhouette was barely visible in the dim light, but I knew it was her. My heart pounded in my chest as I took a step closer, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Who are you?" I called out, my voice echoing in the quiet night. "What do you want?"

She didn't turn around, didn't acknowledge me at all. Instead, she began to fade, like a shadow dissolving into the night. Panic surged through me, and I hurried forward, but it was too late. She faded, nothing but a memory.

The courtyard faded into the background as I stood there, staring at the spot where the girl had vanished. Something in me knew I couldn't just let her slip away this time. I took a deep breath, gathering my resolve, and then closed my eyes. I reached out, not with my hands, but with my mind—trying to connect to that lingering presence she always left behind.

And then, I felt it. 

A soft, almost imperceptible pull, like a thread brushing against my consciousness. Without thinking, I latched onto it and pushed forward, letting the world around me blur into nothingness. Suddenly, the ground beneath me shifted. The cool night air was replaced by warmth, and when I opened my eyes, I was no longer standing in the courtyard. Instead, I was somewhere else entirely. The sky above me was an eerie shade of violet, streaked with long, wispy clouds that seemed to shimmer in the strange light. The landscape around me was otherworldly—vast, rolling plains of silver grass that swayed in a breeze I couldn't feel. In the distance, towering structures rose up, their sharp, angular shapes cutting through the horizon like jagged teeth. 

I took a step forward, the ground soft beneath my feet, as if I were walking on something that wasn't quite solid. Everything felt surreal, like I had stepped into a dream that wasn't entirely my own.Then I saw her again—the girl. She was standing on the edge of the plains, her back still to me, but this time, something felt different. She wasn't fading away like before. She was solid, real, as if this place belonged to her. 

I didn't hesitate. I walked toward her, each step echoing in the vast emptiness around us. As I got closer, I could feel a strange energy in the air, like the entire landscape was pulsing with some kind of life force. Finally, I was right behind her. Slowly, cautiously, I reached out and touched her shoulder. The moment my fingers brushed her skin, the world around me exploded in a burst of light and sound. I was pulled forward, violently yanked out of my body, and everything went black.

When the darkness faded, I was somewhere else again. This time, I was standing in a narrow alleyway, the walls around me old and crumbling. The air was heavy with the scent of rain and rust, and faint, distant noises echoed from the streets beyond. A strange, unfamiliar city stretched out in every direction, its towering buildings casting long shadows over the dimly lit streets.I looked around, disoriented, my heart racing. This place... it felt real. More real than the strange plains I had just been in. But it wasn't anywhere I recognized. How had I gotten here? And where was the girl? Before I could gather my thoughts, a voice spoke behind me, soft and familiar.

"You found me."

I spun around, and there she was, standing at the entrance of the alleyway, her eyes wide and filled with something I couldn't quite place—fear, hope, maybe both.

For the first time, she was facing me.