Sunbeam Lair the beast

screams @Hyacinth

“you never should have left.”

he’d wandered off from easthollow for a bit. for herbs, to study the lands around them, for silence, he didn’t know. leo was lost in thought for most of the time, it always happened when he traveled.

he was drawn to the mountains and before he knew it he was there. sunbeam lair. ryūjin. or at least it used to be. now it was quiet, ominous, and empty. a rush of sadness washed over him. a part of him hoped asterr, sorrel, anyone would just come out and happily greet him, but there would be no such thing.


leo went deeper into the cavern and studied the flora around him. there were many herbs that could be put to good use. he started grabbing whatever he could find, not caring for which ones he got. it was a fatal mistake.

a white flower stood out against the foliage. it looked harmless so he mindlessly took a mouthful. some managed to slide down his throat, causing him to drop the rest and cough profusely. he was lured into a false sense of comfort once he stopped. he picked up the rest. a few minutes passed. the calm before the storm.

then it happened.

his mouth became oddly dry, so he dropped his bundle to lick his lips. it didn’t help. with each passing moment the pain got worse. his vision got distorted and he fell to the ground. he tried to cry for help but all that came out were sharp wheezes. pulsating jolts ran up and down his spine. his eyes went wild with fear. “h-h-help..”

panicked eyes darted around and locked onto a dark figure. it was the beast. they stared at eachother for what seemed like days. then it lunged for his face. leo screamed as he felt the phantom teeth tear his wounds open. “STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP.” there was nothing that could be done. he could only lay helplessly as the apparition tore through him. “ple....please s-stop...”

his eyelids fluttered and as they did the beast morphed into someone else. her fur was like the night. was it asterr? no, it was worse. lusa. she stared down in silence. then finally, she spoke.

“you never should have left.”