I close my eyes as the feeling of hopelessness and desperation washes over me. This is exactly how I felt when I was the Demon Queen's captive.
I look around. Everyone has food in front of them.
"Where do I get food?" I ask.
Han turns.
"You use your coins to buy food from the system. Buy what you can afford".
I nod distractedly.
"System, I would like a pound of steak".
The System starts loading my order. Everyone is staring at me in shock. Is it because I am ordering an entire pound of beef?
A plate of beef appears in front of me. Meat keeps my demon form in top shape. I am not a cannibal or anything as diabolical as that. Necromancers need to eat more meat than anyone else.
I dig into my food. Han hands me his cup water. My steak had cost 22 total coins. I just hope that I still have enough to upgrade my weapon. I have not been upgraded to the next level as it seems.
I did not complete the task alloted to me. The last thing I need is to be turned into a killer.
There is a commotion at another table. A white haired woman picks up a knife and slits her neck. Blood gushed out from the slit profusely.
No one tries to help her to my surprise.
The System appears above her and shows a deduction of coins from her balance and a countdown. As soon as the countdown ends, the woman opens her eyes and stands up.
So people are not allowed to even die?
"Please kindly return to your vaults in preparation for your next nightmare.
Everyone around me rises. I immediately rise as well.
They start moving in line to their respective rooms.
I go to mine. As soon as I enter, I see Fang. My heart stops beating for a full second.
She takes me in with her gaze. I size her up as well. I can barely recognize my former body. It looks darker and less beautiful.
"I was afraid I would never see you again. Your absence weighed heavily on me".
She disappears in a puff of purple smoke and appears right in front of me.
She caresses my jaw.
"You have become weak". She mutters and squeezes my jaw painfully.
I refuse to show any weakness. I act unfazed.
"Who was that human with you? I saw the look in both your eyes. Did you tell him who you really are? Did you tell him that you are mine? Only mine?"
I gulp but say nothing.
She cups my breast with her adorned hand. I avoid her gaze.
"Did you miss this? Why are you always so pretty? All your forms are alluring to the eyes. You make me want to fuck you in all your forms".
I stop breathing.
She pushes me down on the bed.
"Your demon mentor would be here soon. I don't have much time."
I had not even realized that there was a bed in the white room. It must be a recent addition.
I know better than to run or to fight her. She loves it even more when I put up a resistance. There is no one to help me.
She leans over me.
She had mentionned something about a human. Does that mean that I had been in Earth after all?
She unties the lace of my robe and opens it. My body is bare to her view. She dips down and kisses the juncture of my thighs. I force myself to keep still and not wiggle.
She goes even farther and kisses me there. As she does, a memory floats into my mind. I have done this abominable act before, but with someone else. The memory seems very pleasant, which means that I enjoyed it.
There is a knock on the door.
Fang hisses like a snake, protruding her long tongue.
What had she intended to do with her tongue?
"I will see you soon". She says and disappears.
Then, the door opens.
A man with a tail and large claws comes into the room. Demons can take semi- human forms at will.
"12095A, I am your mentor". He says.
Why do I even need a mentor? Is he supposed to coach me on how to kill, or how to die?
"My job is to help you increase your rank".
"I thought you are here to teach me about this place".
"The Grim System has that job. Ask it whatever you want to know".
"Why are you here to help me increase my ranking?"
"It is not my position to reveal such details. I have drafted a few manuals I would like you to read".
He materializes a few scrolls and hands them to me. I take them and open the first one.
"When would the nightmares end?"
"Can we focus on more important things?"
I decide to rest my case. Strategies, that's all the scrolls contain.
"What happens when I increase my rank?"
My mentor just stares at me blankly.
"You unlock more powers. Since you are not in the mood for a lesson, I suggest that you read what I have handed you. Your next nightmare is in two hours. Study it carefully". He says and leaves.
I stare after him. Nothing seems to be making any sense anymore.
Why is the demon queen keeping all the gifted people in the continent in an endless game?
I can only wonder what life is like in the continent now. What atrocities has the Emperor bestowed on them?
I open all the scrolls. Each of them contains a different strategy.
There are tasks to complete to gain extra time or extra coins. There are dual nightmares. You can share a nightmare with more than one person if you all enter the same portal.
Is that how Han and Arigana were in the same nightmare?
Two heads are better than one. I would love to join them, just for my own survival.
What they don't know is that, I have learnt how to open portals.
That is my ticket back to Earth.