Reincarnated as a Mutt

Chapter 21: When Tragedy Strikes, They ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

   You are alone, child.

   You are weak.

   You are ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

   And you. . .

   Carlos blinked his eyes. He had woken up to see Eiko still sleeping, cuddling against him with a faint smile. What was that dream? He tried to recall the details. The red images. But he couldn't remember even a single word. Did he dream at all? No, of course not. He simply woke up because he no longer required rest! Though why couldn't he get the uneasy feeling off his chest?

   He stared at the sleeping kitten. She was at peace. Reunited with someone she longed to be with. Although he initially planned on leaving her behind out of harm's way so she can live a normal life, deep down he was touched and couldn't help but smile. Though he would never admit this to anyone.

   Eiko's eyes opened. Her eyes met the pup's. His eyes widened in horror. Her once blue eyes had turned into a sickening, jaundiced, red. The veins in her eyes burst, copious amounts of pus leaked out into a river trickling down her chin as patches of fur began to dry and fall off from her body. Skin began to pull and rip, falling off and revealing maggots and centipedes wriggling underneath her body. The skin of her face melted off, revealing rotten flesh and ligaments blackened. Black sludge oozed out from her pores, exposed flesh, and eyes. Her jaw became unhinged, widening to an impossible degree as black sludge poured out like a flood, and rows of jagged, unproportional, and rotten teeth that came to life had stretched out to him. Tendrils of black fiber-like muscles protruded out from her body, and out her mouth, inching towards Carlos. The tendrils twitched, barbs of bone jet out and squirting out foul blood. The tendrils wrapped around the pup, ensnaring him and digging into his flesh, drawing blood as he whimpered. "MaStEr!" the kitten hissed in voices not her own. "W̷̪̮̐̿ẹ̸̈́'̶̩̗̏̚l̶̪̙̎l̵̒ͅ ̵̝̥̉ș̷̲͐̽e̴͎̺̊e̶̬̋̊ ̶͉͇̀y̸̘̒̈́ǒ̷̤͛u̸̩͑͆ ̵̠͌s̸̥̓ò̵̙o̸͚͌͑͜n̷̟͘.̴̼̮͋" Eiko howled before leaping at him.

    "Aaaaaah!"

   Carlos screamed at the top of his lungs, his body bursting into blue flames as Arcanic Arms manifested and slashed at their surroundings, destroying and pummeling anything nearby. His eyes flashed a crimson red before settling down to their original color as Carlos blacked out. Only a few seconds passed before he came to, seeing his surroundings being reduced to rubble and ash. In front of him was Eiko, standing there worryingly as Serpico and the others quickly joined her.

   "Master, is there something wrong?" Eiko asked, her voice soft yet held strength. "Was it a nightmare? Did someone attack you?" Carlos blinked and pondered. Why did he scream? Why did he lash out? Was it a nightmare? Carlos blinked and, for a brief moment, saw Eiko in a monstrous state. His eyes expressed worry and fear. He blinked. She was normal. He had forgotten. Nothing happened. There was no dream. There was no fear. Nothing had happened. He just made a fool of himself. The pup apologized, "Sorry. Guess I hit my snout in my sleep. No need to worry." Yes, that was it. There was nothing dangerous. Nothing at all. He was just being a fool. Just how embarrassed he felt, words could not describe. Though, he didn't feel any aching feeling on his snout. . .

   Eiko was still worried, but gave him a faint smile. "Okay, but if you need anything I'm here." Carlos blinked and nodded, the others dismissing themselves leaving him alone. He was partially touched with her words, but felt belittled too. The pup sighed and stood up, stretching and yawning adorably despite his wishes. Though in the corner of his eyes he swore he saw someone there. A cloaked figure with partially red designs. When he looked over, it was nothing more than a mossy boulder. "I need to sleep more often," he muttered. "Grinding and researching sure is taxing."