Breathless

 “Truck-sama…”

“Kun!” rectified the group in unison.

Debuu-ni smiled sheepishly. It had made that same mistake more than a few times, now, but the four teens were always there to catch it and remind the bug that the chain of command of yore applied no longer. Shaking its face and little pompon tail all together vigorously, Debuu-ni regained its composure.

“Right. Obviously, none of this is a coincidence: Truck-kun has been sending his bestiary after you to impede your reawakening.” it continued. “Once you're all in possession of your powers and united against him, he knows you'll be harder to stop.”

There was a low hum outside the House of Still Waters; the wind was carrying on with its usual dance as the night grew long. Inside, the conversation around the fire pit was dire, but needed. Marcel and Jin were focused on Debuu-ni's words; the latter seemed to have gained in confidence these last few days, while the other had been more withdrawn, maybe anxious. Lu was still only half present from her own ordeal, but fighting against herself to stay sited upright and pay attention. Inês was very much present. However, she had remained quiet most of the night.

“Luckily, we've managed to get two out of the four of you in fighting shape!” said Debuu-ni. “We're already halfway there! Now, we need to stay vigilant and not let Marcel and Inês out of our sights; it doesn't matter if they're sleeping, chilling, or taking a bath!”

“I'm right on top of that!” exclaimed Jin excitedly.

“One more thing.” said Debuu-ni in a quieter tone. “I didn't tell you this after I got back because I didn't want to scare you, but don't stray too far from me.”

The group looked at the bug with a puzzled look.

“What do you mean?” asked Marcel.

“When you're near me, I can protect you. Not just directly, from the creatures sent after you, but also from this world... from his tricks.”

There was a weighted silence. Outside, the wind kept on howling, but the House of Still Waters stood strong.

That night, there was darkness. Then, there was light. Inês woke up just in time for school; she'd have to rush if she didn't want to be late again. She stormed through the bathroom like a tornado, not even checking herself in the fogged up mirror. She grabbed a toast she'd finish on the way and ran down the streets of Porto. School was mundane; the hot, vernal sun turned the classroom into a vivarium, but a gentle breeze managed to seep in through all of the broken windows. She spoke with friends in the hallways and at recess, but nothing was said in particular; it was like the words went past her. The hotness got difficult to bear, so she went to spill some water on her face. The mirror in the bathroom was all fogged up, also. She tried to catch a glimpse of herself, but no matter how much she passed her hand on it, the condensation wouldn't budge. She proceeded to her conservatory lessons; violin, first, then singing. Everything went all right with the violin, but she felt under the weather for the singing part, so she just sat out and listened. Her chest was heavy. Maybe there was something in the air? The walls in the theater were all mushy and stained yellow with water. She tried to get her dad to come get her, but there was no answer. When the call ended, she could've sworn she caught a glimpse of something in her screen. Maybe it was her mind, playing tricks on her. Maybe she just needed to close her eyes for a second.

That night, there was darkness. Inês opened her eyes to an empty theater. The pitter-patter of the water drops was incessant. There were puddles on the floor, now. She went to get up from her seat and got dizzy; she had to catch herself. She tried her phone again, but there was no answer. Strange, she thought. She used the flashlight since the overhead lighting was minimal. The scores of puddles reverberated the light like photophores. She could catch her reflection as she went over them; a blackened silhouette hung from her face. A blackened silhouette hung from her face. Inês kneeled down and looked in horror: a tall, lanky man, with a long face, skin and a robe the color of an abyss, hung from her face as he breathed the life out of her. Her eyes widened and her pulse shot up. What could she do? She tried to push the thing away, but she couldn't feel it on her, she could only see it reflected. She saw its chest rise and fall quicker as hers did. She got an idea; she inhaled deeply through her nose, closed her eyes and stopped. The world stood still. She felt a shift. There was a burning sensation, like she needed to breath, but she knew she couldn't; she wouldn't. Her chest tightened; she felt something brush against her shoulder. Her head was light; she couldn't control parts of her body. She wavered and opened her eyes; in the puddle, she saw that the man wasn't hanging from her face anymore. She breathed a euphoric release. The world regained its sharpness.

Inês got up from the wet theater floor and looked around, her phone still in hand. She could feel that she wasn't alone. There was a scuffle between the rows of seats. She hurried in the other direction, to the stage. She didn't know if it would work, but she had a plan. She climbed the stairs in haste. She heard something behind her. She ran quicker. In the wings, there was a fire alarm, she punched it. The red button detonated a strident tone throughout the building and poured dirty, stagnant water everywhere. The stage overfilled with thick puddles. She could see it clearly now: it was center stage, the tall dark monk, hunched over, with a traitless face and a reptile's tongue. Her phone fell. A primal scream burst from her core. The flashlight flickered as the phone turned and twisted to the floor. A deep quake shook the building, but Inês stood grounded. The creature stayed still as the ceiling caved in on it. She stepped forward and opened her mouth. She sang a note; it was perfect.

That morning, Inês woke up to a packed house.

“What is it?” she asked in a half-voice.

Lu was right next to her, staring worriedly, Marcel and Jin were on her other side, circumspect, and Debuu-ni was sitting in her lap, its pompon tail quivering.

“Oh, and you're here too.”

The innkeeper was in the corner of the room, a pleasant smile on her face.

“You've been making strange noises all night!” said Lu. “First, like you couldn't breath, then like you were screaming… And it was impossible to wake you.”

Inês took a breath. She told them the whole thing as they listened with increasingly troubled looks. Debuu-ni reflected before speaking up.

“Truck... Kun must've sent a kurobōzu after you. They attack in dreams, so he knew you'd have to face it on your own, without any of us at your side.”

It looked up at her apologetically, its red eyes welling with tears.

“I'm sorry I couldn't be there to protect and guide you." it sobbed. "Luckily, you're very capable of taking care of yourself!”

“Must be nice, getting your powers back in a dream battle!” grumbled Lu. “You didn't even have to get your hands dirty.”

Inês brought her into her lap and tossed her around.

“Oh, really?! I almost died, you little smart-ass!”

Lu hugged her tight as she said that. Debuu-ni looked on with a bittersweet smile.

“I have to tell you something.” said the bug.

“What is it?” asked Jin.

“Everything.” it said ominously. “The whole story… from the beginning.”