Beneath the Surface [Yandere Creature x Reader]

Chapter 18 - A weird Reason

I pulled my hand back at the last second, a sudden clarity cutting through the creature's hypnotic influence.

No

I can't just blindly trust this being. I need answers first.

"I... I need time to think," I stammered, backing away from the creature. Its expression flickered between disappointment and intrigue before it nodded, fading back into the shadows of the cavern.

As I made my way back to the surface, my mind raced.

They didn't just leave me here for no reason.

It has to be connected to this creature.

But why?

What do they expect me to do?

I remembered the young woman I had spoken to earlier. Maybe she could provide some insight. After all, she seemed to know more about the situation than she had initially let on.

I limped through the abandoned camp, my casted leg a constant reminder of my vulnerability. Eventually, I spotted her near the edge of the clearing, gathering some local plants.

"Excuse me," I called out, trying to keep my voice steady. "Can we talk?"

She looked up, a hint of a smile on her face. "Of course. Come, help me gather these herbs. We can talk while we work."

As I awkwardly knelt beside her, she began showing me which plants to pick. We worked in silence for a few moments before I gathered the courage to speak.

"So, I know it's a shapeshifter," I began hesitantly, "but how come you guys-"

"Act normal?" she finished for me, her eyes never leaving her task. "I mean, we've known about it for generations."

I blinked in surprise. "Generations? But then, why was it in that weird glass cage?"

She paused, considering her words carefully. "Maybe you should ask it? But also, I don't think you're asking the right questions."

Her cryptic response frustrated me. "Yeah, mainly I'm wondering why I'm stuck here and the people I trusted most are gone," I said, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

The young woman looked at me then, her eyes filled with a mixture of sympathy and something else... knowledge, perhaps? "Your people, they see the world in such limited ways. They fear what they don't understand, try to control it. But some things can't be controlled, only understood."

We finished gathering the herbs in silence, her words echoing in my mind. As we stood, she placed a gentle hand on my arm. "The answers you seek are here, but you must be willing to see beyond what you think you know."

With that, she turned and walked away, leaving me with more questions than answers. I made my way back to the camp, still limping from my fall, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts and theories.

What did she mean by 'the right questions'?

What am I missing?

As I approached my tent, I noticed something on my makeshift bed that hadn't been there before - my journal. The one I thought I had lost in the cavern days ago. I rushed over, flipping it open with trembling hands.

There, on a blank page, was a message written in handwriting that wasn't mine:

"The truth is not always what we expect it to be. Sometimes, to understand, we must first unlearn what we think we know. When you're ready to ask the right questions, I'll be waiting. - Your Guardian"

I stared at the message, a chill running down my spine. The creature had been in my tent, had access to my most personal thoughts and observations.