Chapter 255 – A dog house and a dog

Noah has appeared in total darkness. This was a surprising but nonetheless a familiar feeling to him. Although it’s been a while since he saw it like that, this was the way his mind realm looked before he used his other skill to paint a visual world all around it. However, there was one slight difference, there was no light from the comment section that always welcomed him.

He looked around, or at least he thought he did, as he had no clue if something changed with his intention to move. This world had no typical laws of physics and he felt no weight or force that his body utilized. Pitch darkness enveloped him, no sound, no sight, no weight, no sense of touch, he just floated in the void.

“Hello?” Said Noah finally breaking the silence with his voice. “Ugy? Yuko?” Shouted Noah but there was no reply. “Where the fuck am I?” There wasn’t even an echo, his voice was simply dimmed down and disappeared as if swallowed by the black void. He wasn’t even sure that he actually spoke. Maybe he imagined it and only talked in his head? How could he be sure?

“Wait, my body…” muttered Noah patting himself with a pat pat sounds. “Fuuh. I am whole.” He said with a sight finally reassured that at least he had a body.

“Ok maybe I can try this…” he muttered and the next moment a small light appeared at his index finger lighting up his hand extended in front of him. “Good it works. Now that’s better.” He said with a small sense of relief. Just like he learned to do in the past he used his mind painter skill intuitively, not relying on the system and painted a small light

Lifting his hand and sending more force into the light, now lighting up his whole body and grass a few meters around him, where light from his lit finger could reach it.

“Good now…” Started to say Noah but a sudden sound startled him. It sounded like an animal growling in the distance, sending chills down his body.

“What was that?” He muttered, sending more light into finger and pointing it around himself, sending light in a beam into the distance, but all he could see was complete darkness, and a flat empty field with short grass that looked identical no matter where he looked.

“Grrrr WOOF!”

“Ouch! Fuck! You fucking bastard!”

Came the growl once again, followed by a familiar voice swearing at it in reply.

“Yuko?! Is that you?” Said Noah.

“Plush bastard! I’ll kill you! You and that whore! You are both dead! Aaaargh!” Swore Yuko, shouting somewhere in the distance.

Noah ran into the direction of her voice and as he moved, ground seemed to fly under his feet as if he traveled in whole leagues with his each step. Gradually the darkness around him receded. The moon and the sun became visible, lighting up the sky and ground. Soon he saw a familiar place. His vast lake that he painted in the last month. From there he finally knew where he was going.

He ran further and finally saw the peak of the mountain at the horizon, followed by the tree tops and then slightly later the house. In a split second he traveled the distance reaching the place and stopped at the porch of his house finally sighing in relief.

Noah hurriedly entered the house and walked into the main room finding Yuko sitting on the couch tapping her spider feet nervously on the floor and chewing on her nails.

“Oh, Noah you’ve come! Good. We have to go! Let's go!” Said Youko jumping up and tagging at his hand.

“Wait. Go where? Where’s Ugy? What the hell is going on here?” Asked Noah confused.

“He’s right where he usually is. Just as he's been for the last fifteen minutes.” She said pointing at the armchair. “Anyways, we have to hurry. Don’t waste time with him.”

“Just hold on. Explain what’s going on?” Said Noah walking up to the armchair and finding Ugy’s plush bear body sitting there without any signs of life in them, frozen in place like a toy. “Ugy? UGY!” Said Noah shaking the plush bear but it gave no response.

“He’s fine. You did well to restart him, he’ll come out of it soon…I think. But anyways this is the problem, Noah. He’s going to wake up soon. We have to get there before he wakes up.” Said Yuko urgently.

“Go where?” Asked Noah

“Dog house. I can’t pass the dog. Maybe you can. Let's go! "said Yuko, dragging Noah outside.

“What dog house? We don’t have a dog house. I did not paint it.” Said Noah following after her. “And dog? What dog?”

“Well, you may not have painted it, but someone did. And this someone has been very successful in hiding it from you so far, so move it before he wakes up and hides it again.”

Noah’s eyes went wide from hearing what she said.

They entered the forest and after passing a few bushes they came out into a small clearing where a small dilapidated wooden shed stood.

Noah stopped in his tracks after seeing.

“What is this shed doing here?” He muttered confused looking at the exact same shed that once stood behind Theressa’s mansion.

“See? I told you there was a dog house here. This plush bastard has been craftily hiding it from you.” Said Yuko. “But be careful. There’s a dog inside that did not let me in.”

“How is this a dog house? This is shed for garden tools from behind Theressa’s mansion. The one I first appeared in when I just came to her mansion.” Said Noah.

“Umm, what?” Yuko said, surprised. “What are you talking about? This is clearly a dog house.”

“No, seriously, why are you calling it a dog house when it's a shed?”

“Could it be that we perceive it as two different thi….” Said Yuko, suddenly stopping mid sentence as some kind of realization downed on her.

“Ofcourse. That little son of a… He put an illusion on it so that I can’t see it’s true form. After all, I was the one who dragged you into that shed back then. I would have realized what’s going on if I saw that shed so he covered it from me.”

“What?” Said Noah.

“In your mind's realm things may be quite symbolic. Like you have to lay down on the bed in your home to dive deeper into your mind realm. You use TV to watch things, you use the couch to rest your mind and reduce fatigue in exchange for sleep. And this thing it’s also symbolic. There’s a reason it exists as that shed here in your mind realm. That little weasel put an illusion on it so that I would not see its true form. This is the connection point from that time that I opened to get you to that Theressa’s mansion.” Explained Yuko.

“Connection point?” Asked Noah.

“It’s a long story to explain right now. We don’t have that time. Let's get inside before it disappears. Ugy’s been hiding it from you this whole time. If he wakes up he’ll hide it again. This is our only chance. Go in.” Said Yuko, pushing Noah toward the shed.

“Wait, you said there was something in there. Some dog?” Said Noah taking a few steps before turning his head to look back at her, finding that she took a step back instead of following after him.

“Yeah, quite a ferocious one. But you can do it, I am sure of it.” Said Yuko, “Fighto!” She said clenching fists in front of herself in comical encouragement.

“This is not helping.” Muttered Noah, stretching out his hand to the door and opening it.

What met him was total darkness as if the inside of the shed rejected light coming from the outside.

“Grrr” came the low growl from the darkness.

“Good doggy.” Said Noah taking a step closer and stepping into the shed

Six red eyes opened in the darkness within. A maw full of fangs each the size of Yuko’s index finger, appeared next as something in the darkness bared its sharp teeth. Making Yuko shudder.

“This thing…” Said Noah

“Is fucking huge.” Mutter Yuko.

“Is so cute.” Added Noah a second later, crouching down and patting something in the darkness.

“Noah what the hell are you doing?! Be careful!” Said Yuko with worry.

“Careful of what? This little cutie?” Said Noah with a laugh.

“Are you delusional? Its jaw is bigger than your head!” Said Yuko.

Noah looked around finding nothing other than a small doggy. Well not even a full doggy, more like a big puppy. It sure looked strange with those creepy six eyes but not that scary, to make Yuko so afraid. His eyebrow rose as he looked at her strangely.

“Maybe you are the one delu…” started to say Noah but was interrupted by a voice.

“She perceives me differently from you, boy. And if you pat me again I’ll bite off your hand.” The voice said.

Noah looked at the puppy with surprise before standing up and taking a step away from it.

“You can talk…” Said Noah.

“Noah, we’re in your mind's realm. The only thing alive here are Nightmares like me. That thing is one of us.” Said Yuko.

“Fuck.” Said Noah slowly backing away from it. “Did Ugy free another one? But I banned him from doing it. He could not…”

“You don’t have to fear so much, boy. This is but a trace of me. A leftover part I’ve lent you. It has been here this entire time.” Said puppy walking in a circle before laying down, and yawning before putting its maw on the paw, staring at the door and Yuko who stood outside the shed.

“I sealed all the nightmares." Said Noah.

“All?” The dog asked. “Or just those who did not get away in time?” The dog said

“You are one of the two escaped Nightmares." Said Noah. “How did you get back?”

“I am not here actually. As I said, this is but a trace of me. A fragment that I left in that plush toy bear’s hands. He is your system as I know.” The dog said.

“Fragment? Why would you leave a fragment to Ugy?” Asked Noah.

“This was the agreement. Freedom for a part of my powers.”

“Agreement?” Noah asked, surprised.

“Why do you sound so surprised, boy. Did you really think he only made an agreement with that spider woman back then? He had an agreement with all three of us. We did not escape, boy. We were let out by you, but it was his ploy to do it. Did you really think all the nightmares would so easily give up their contest over your body back then, leaving you in this spider woman's care?” The dog’s voice said with a smirk.

“Haven’t you found it strange? There are a lot more meaner, scarier and dangerous things under that mountain of yours, boy. So why did none of them try to fight over control of your body with her back then? The answer is that they had no chance against the three of us, so they meekly backed off. And that’s how you survived being engulfed by nightmares, boy. Had we all gone against you, when you so stupidly released us, you’d stand no chance back then.”

“Back then maybe not, but now I can seal you whenever I want.” Said Noah.

“Good luck with that. But as I said, boy. I am not here. I am merely transmitting my voice and presence through this fragment of mine. Unlike the losers left behind, we are free thanks to your little plush friend and we are free to do whatever we wish. But it is you who we should thank for unleashing us in the end right? Thank you, boy, for bringing us to this world. It has been quite boring in the chaos. Seeing the light of the living world once again after so many years is incredible. We’ll have a lot of fun destroying this world.” The smirking voice said.

Noah stared at the dog with clenched fists in anger before taking a deep breath.

“Shut the fuck up, mutt!” Said Ugy’s voice from behind the Yuko making everyone turn.

“You finally woke up.” Said Yuko with anger.

“User, please come out of that shed. That thing is very dangerous it...”

“That little bastard is quite a crafty one. I wonder how you got such a sentient system? It never happened before in any other worlds I’ve been to. At least not to such a degree of sentience. But anyways, if you walk out, he’ll hide this shed from you once again. Don’t you want to see what he’s been doing here in secret? I’ll bet you will be surprised.”

"I said shut up and get out!” Said Ugy to the dog.

“User this is…mmmmm” Ugy started to say something to Noah but Yuko stepped on him smacking his face on the ground. “Don’t listen to this plush bastard Noah. The dog is right, you have to see what’s in there. But you must tell me what’s in there. Tell me what he's been doing there. I must know!” Said Yuko, hatred seeping into her voice as she stared at the plush bear struggling under her feet. Noah found she was in quite a strange state. Agitated? Or maybe more like extremely jealous. Yuko always seemed overly possessive of Ugy to the degree of craze. In the comment section they called it yandere. So what the hell triggered her jealousy this much?

“Let’s go together, this dog can’t stop us.” said Noah.

“I can’t stop you. But this girl is another matter. She can’t come.” The dog said, standing up to its feet.

Yuko stared at the huge silhouette of a dog in the darkness that’s been staring at her this entire time, while Noah seemed to look and talk with something unseen to her.

“It is right, Noah. It looks like only you and this plush bastard can pass through that dog, but I can’t. Its presence seems to be completely different to me than it’s for you.”

“You are both nightmares.” Said Noah.

“She is just one fragment. While I am already two. I am an order of magnitude stronger than her. She stands no chance against me.

“Two?” Hissed Yuko glaring at Ugy with even more hate as she stepped on him even stronger.

“Why won’t you allow her to enter?” Asked Noah.

“Precaution. My fragment is sealed here. One day I intend to get it back. Getting it stolen by another nightmare is not in my interest. I can’t stop you from passing, but I can and will make sure that she is not getting inside.”

There were a lot of things that Noah did not understand from the dog’s words, but he would get his answers from Ugy and Yuko later. Right now he needed to see what Ugy was so carefully hiding behind his back.

Noah turned and walked into the darkness of the shed, disappearing from Yuko’s view.

“Fuck!” Muttered Ugy laying on the ground unable to lift himself under Yuko’s feet.. “You ungrateful, fucks! After all I’ve done for you, this is how you pay me back?”

“What have you done for us? You merely did what benefited you and so did we. But now that I am free, the game has changed. You and us are on different sides. And once we regain our power, we will come to take back what’s ours. So why would we allow you to solidify your power?” The dog said, disappearing from view as if it dissolved in the darkness.