Chapter 38: The Silver Slime [Illustration] [Animated!]

"Puah!"

Daniel lets out a sharp gasp as he reaches the shore of the lake, the same one he had been dragged down into before. Diving into Anne had been peaceful, but his transition into the lake was unexpected.

He coughs for a bit, more of a psychological response than anything since no water enters him. The sensation is strange, reminding him just how equally strange this place is.

After recovering, he lifts his head straight to find the same plain grasslands surrounding him. Although his memory is vague, he does recall it's been a largely empty yet calm environment.

Well, up until he met that silver being.

"So, this really is a thing," Daniel murmurs, having wished that this place, or whatever it is, wasn't related to Anne. Sadly, it seems his dear slime mother has grown more complicated than he thought.

Sighing, he stands up and shakes himself off the water. The wind that blows helps to dry him off while sending his bare body slight chills.

'Why do I have to be naked here anyways?'

Obviously, imagining himself with clothes doesn't work. As far as he knows, there's barely anything he can control here while his real body remains in Anne.

Speaking of which, he turns back to the waters behind him, reminded that he could see Anne's perspective if he focused for a little bit.

Indeed, a wavy image fades in according to his line of sight. It shows his slime mother in the dark, rubbing her now greatly enlarged belly that takes up most of his bed.

"Hehe...he's already asleep! My baby~"

Normally, he'd be embarrassed by her words, but he finds himself smiling and shaking his head instead. Perhaps he's getting used to his slime mother's usual, warm behavior.

Breaking away from the lake's image, he scans the area with more scrutiny. His first goal is to confirm whether this "dream" is related to his slime mother. That answer is yes, but it's still unclear why. The other is to find out more about that mysterious silver-haired woman that pulled him under and how, if any, she relates to Anne.

He's a little afraid, given how the woman captured him with an unsettling hold...well, multiple holds, but he doesn't remember her harming him...at least in a painful way.

Pausing, he curls his lips to the side. 'This is a bad idea, isn't it?'

Not knowing how to let Anne know to wake him, he regrets not setting a time limit inside of her. For now, he just has to hope for the best. With that in mind, he takes a deep breath and shouts into the distance.

"Hello?! Miss silver lady?"

'This is really a bad idea.'

Despite the reinforcement, his voice carries through the distance. Part of him half-expect hands from the lake to come out and pull him under again. Afraid of the prospect, he distances himself from the shore.

Without a response or reaction, he calls out again, "Can we talk? Hello?"

Once again, nothing. After repeating his call for a few minutes, Daniel is about to give up and maybe risk going back into the lake but then sees something in the distance.

'Hold on, is that...another lake?'

About a mile away, there is another body of water. Daniel isn't sure whether it was there before or he forgot about it, but with nothing happening around him, he makes his way toward it, hoping to find answers.

After fifteen minutes, or so Daniel thinks since he's not sure how the flow of time works here, he reaches the lake. As he moves in close enough to hear the tiny water ripples, various voices mix in.

'Oh love, you're hitting the right spot...ah...ah!'

'What a wonderful piece! I can't wait to add this to my collection!'

'Darling, are you sure you want to study overseas? What's wrong with the art colleges here?'

'Daniel, I know this is forward, but...can we...try getting back together? No, no...I can't say it like that to him. Ugh! Why is this so difficult?'

'Oh dear, you just add a pinch of salt and spread a little pepp-'

'Mom, I need specifics! What do you mean by these vague measurements!'

The voices continue, all in no specific order and at random. It's difficult to focus with the noise, but Daniel recognizes they all seem related to Mary. He can even hear himself in some of them.

As he steps closer, the overlapping conversations become louder and unbearable in his mind, so he tries to close his ears but to no avail. Regardless of how these records spill from this lake, it's certainly not passing through him by sound.

With no other recourse to prevent a splitting headache, the artist is about to leave the area but freezes upon catching sight of a pale nude female on top of a boulder. A wind brushes through the stranger's silver hair as she remains fixed on the receding waters, seemingly unperturbed by the voices within.

'That's...her!'

Or at least, Daniel thinks so. He only remembers that his former captor had silver hair and a gooey body, similar to Anne. That said, if she's anything like his slime mother, she could have changed herself to look more human.

So, as annoying as the voices are, he has no choice but to come closer. With a gulp, he edges near, wondering how this woman is faring under such an environment. His face flushes at one point, hearing Mary's moans when they made love together during college.

He clears his throat, trying his best to ignore the racket. "E-excuse me? Are you-"

The girl flinches, then gasps before he can finish. Suddenly, all the noises of the lake cease. The abrupt reversion causes Daniel to pause and hold his breath. Before he can recover, the lady is about to turn to him but slips further down. She waves her arms in panic.

"Uwah!!"

Failing to keep her sitting, she finally slips off the edge of the rock. The soft thud of her body hitting the sand below adds to the light ripples of the lake.

The artist has to blink a few times, wondering already if this is the same ethereal being that creepily subdued him the first time. In any case, he shakes out of his stupor and quickly runs to assist.

"Hey! Are you alright...?"

Coming around the rock, his voice quickly changes to surprise as he sees the silver-haired girl's face for the first time. Instead of looking hurt, she's already glaring at him while partially melted in some areas. Her underlying shiny and metallic nature is revealed, which adds to the belief she's the same person from before.

'Oh no, she's cute!' Daniel thinks with sweat, taking in her silver eyes and jagged bangs with curl mixes. Then, his eyes follow her ample chest and thin waistline before he retreats back to make eye contact. Before he can open his mouth, though, the girl sucks in.

"Hmph!"

With a pout, she smooths out, further emphasizing his thoughts. The various metallic goo that spilled disappears into her hair and skin, returning her to look more human.

Daniel stares at her in wonder before shaking himself awake, then rubs his neck. "Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to-"

He stops himself, then furrows his brows and growls. "No, wait! You're the one who attacked me before, aren't you?!"

There's no reason to be apologetic for disrupting her dubiously peaceful stage, considering she did far worse, assaulting him when he least expected.

Still, her silver eyes bore into him for a moment as she maintained her firm expression before relaxing. She looks away shamefully.

"I...was wrong, child. I was excited then to meet you for the first time since I'm all alone here. I'm more upset that I displayed such an embarrassing fumble."

Daniel blinks a few times, taking in her soothing, motherly voice. Like the last time he remembers her speaking, there's an odd overlapping tone reverberating into his mind. He finds it a little strange, considering she's talking with her mouth.

Unable to remain upset, he sighs and offers his hand. "Well, um...I didn't see anything."

"Really?" she asks, narrowing her eyes as she accepts his assistance.

"Yes, really. It's nice to properly meet you, miss...um...?"

As the girl pulls herself up, using the artist as leverage, she hums pleasantly and shakes away some sand. There should be more, especially in her hair, but it seems to have vanished...

...or dissolved, if she's anything like Anne.

"You can call me Viviane, child."

Daniel widens his eyes, recalling that name mentioned by Anne previously: 'I heard a voice and an image of a…cloaked man surrounded by green fire within the ring. He spoke a name: Viviane, I think..'

Before he could question further, Viviane giggles.

"But, I'd prefer if you would call me mommy~" she adds with a wink.