Truth is stranger than fiction

Tiredness from the long journey got to me as I gave in to Morpheus's arms rather quickly. Even the hard surface of the ground didn’t bother me. A sweet dreaming time was awaiting me.

I didn’t remember much from my dream, only that it was pleasant and relaxing. It stopped at some point, probably due to me waking up suddenly.

I felt something caressing my cheek. Knowing in reality no one would do that to me, I opened my eyes to find the culprit.

I thought I’d be a goner at the same moment. Couldn’t tell if I was really awake or my imagination went wild and swapped places with a horny adult woman.

I’ve never been attracted to men but, holy fuck, I felt tingling in my body. Mostly due to shock but who wouldn’t be after seeing such an embodiment of lust.

No homo, just admitting the dude looked way better than me.

One look could impregnate me, it was that piercing and sensual. Alluring. His face was getting closer to mine. Maybe if I was gay, I’d actually let things happen?

But I’m not. It won’t work on me the way it should on others.

“What the fuck, man!” I pushed the man away from me in both shock and disgust. Weirdly, he was dumbstruck as he couldn’t say anything to explain himself. “Taking advantage of people during their sleep, huh, pervert?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Now playing dumb, huh? Pretending you did nothing wrong?”

“Wait, wait, wait!” He looked really confused. “It seems like you were talking in your sleep!”

“Huh?” Finding any excuse from this situation wouldn’t help him.

“Believe me or not, but you were. With a sleepy voice, but still. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even try anything, I’m not a pervert.”

As my rusty brain warmed up, I noticed I knew him. It was no other than the guy which ass I should have kicked out of my carriage long ago.

“Youu! YOUUUUU!” Immediately he rolled his eyes upon hearing that, like a child scolded by their parents. “I knew you were sus!”

“Did you really?”

“Shut up!” I needed a few seconds to calm down, otherwise I’d just kill him. “Tell me, what is your plan?”

“Plan? What plan?”

“What do you want from me?”

“What do I want from you?”

“Listen, you little shit, don’t bounce on my nerves any longer or your ass will bounce off from this place.”

“W-wha-, you aren’t even listening to what I’m saying!”

“Because you’re bullshitting me!”

“And how do you know that?!”

Our little quarrel was interrupted by a small inhabitant of this forest. It was a round gray mouse the size of a woman's fist standing on its two legs. It pulled my leg to get my attention. It started squeaking horrendously, while waving its little fist, almost like it was pissed off because we were too loud and woke it up.

I didn’t speak squeak language so I couldn’t tell.

“What does it want?” I said to myself.

“To be more quiet.” the man answered, leaning head on his hand and sitting crossed-legged.

“You speak squeak language?”

“I don’t, but I understand more or less what it’s saying.”

“Okay... Anyway,” I turned to the mouse, “I’m sorry for the disturbance we caused. We will be quieter.”

It nodded and with the death gaze tottered back to the forest.

“Man,” I thought, “imagine being scolded by a mouse.”

After a few seconds of disbelief, I turned again to the man. “You have a minute.”

He sighed and started, “As I have already said, it seems like you were talking in your sleep. I’ve had a normal conversation with you and couldn’t tell if you were really sleeping or not.”

“What did I say then?”

“I mean, it was mostly OK, mhm, or other one-word responses.”

“That’s not really convincing, you know?”

“What am I supposed to say? You were clearly giving me signs and didn’t mind that I flirted with you!”

I didn’t believe him. I just didn’t and couldn’t.

I couldn’t believe I was okay with that!

Surely this sly fox had to be lying. He seemed genuine when explaining himself but that could be a play for him. Putting the blame on me to clean himself from the accusations since I was unconscious. But Horse would have reacted to his bad intent, yet for reason he hadn’t.

“Bud, was I really talking through my sleep?” I asked Horse.

Being an intelligent creature, he looked away and didn’t even neigh.

“H-Horse?!”

“See? Even he can’t deny that.”

“Oh, shut it already!”

I’ve never been so ashamed of myself than that night. I had to go and talk through my sleep for some reason without having any idea. The worst part was I had no control over what I was saying.

That’s why I avoided alcohol. I preferred to have full control over myself, and not regret the things I did while being drunk and had no recollection of it whatsoever. I’ve seen way too many people getting involved in situations from which they couldn’t escape – and only because of that horrendous liquid and its influence on the human body. As well as those who stuck to it and let it ruin their lives.

Like my mother.

It corrupted her mind, she kept slowly losing herself.

You can’t change the past, you just have to accept it and move on. Hence I stopped thinking much of it, or rather erased it from my memory.

“What's done is done, don’t think much of it.” said a stranger. “We can forget that anything has happened here.”

“Fair.” I responded.

“What’s your name, if you don’t mind telling me?”

“Now you think about that?” Honestly, I couldn’t care much about it. “Mikado.”

“I’m Ma’Reen. Sorry for the late introduction, it slipped my mind.”

If I’d heard correctly, it wasn’t a human name, at least not given to humans in the lands I know.

A thought crossed my mind when I started to think about his potential origin.

“Ma’Reen, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Are you a demon?”

“Where did that come from?”

“Just answer.”

After a few seconds of silence, he replied, “Guess you already know that, but yes. And no, at the same time. I’m a cambion.”

I’ve heard this term somewhere, probably when I was still living on the Earth. “Child of a demon and a human.”

“Oh, you know this term? That’s a surprise. But yes, you’re right. My mother was a human, while my father was an incubus. I inherited a lot from him, hence you can’t tell the difference between me and other demons.”

"Being annoying is your difference." I thought. “I see. So you decided to do your incubus work on me?”

“Huh? No? I already told you what happened. Stop picturing me as a pervert! You want me to be one or what?”

“God, no!”

“Gosh, you’re annoying.” He puffed his cheeks and crossed arms.

“Speak for yourself, you idiot.”

“I just want to get to Calena. That’s all I care for.”

“To see your friend?”

“Yeah.” he got visibly upset. “She’s really dying. I want to say goodbye to her until it is too late.”

“Right.” I said, snuggled down in my sleeping bag. “Better go to sleep, we need to wake up early.”

“Eh? You will still take me to the city after that?”

“We’re departing at dawn. I won’t be waiting for your Lordship.”

As I turned to the side, I heard a quiet joyous humming. I could only shake my head in disbelief, I didn’t understand this guy at all.

I only hoped this humming won’t provoke the bugs to throw a late night party.