"The only thing... That stayed with me... The only ones on my side... I'll definitely... Definitely..."
With warm eyes, Yarnha stared at the whispering Monster.
His hatred was real.
So was his anger.
But it wasn't directed at her.
Yet, it was spilling.
She had spilled it, by messing with his Soul.
Of course, it could be said that the substances that made up the Mists used by Yarnha had only influenced his brain.
But was there really much of a difference?
To the Spirit, there was none.
She had opened a door that should have remained closed.
Took off a Seal that should have remained on that door.
And now, whatever was inside, is about to spill out indiscriminately.
Yarnha let out a sigh, before raising her arms to the side.
"Who am I?"
"I'll kill you. I'll definitely kill you. I'll make you suffer, and then... I'll definitely-" The Monster whispered as he approached rapidly.
"Who am I?" Yarnha repeated once the Monster stood three steps away.
The Monster's eyelids started twitching.
Its heartbeat increased.
The trembling that had ceased picked up.
"You were about to... Take them from-"
"What's my Name?"
The Monster clenched its fists.
"I'll-"
"What's my Name?"
"N...Name?"
Yarnha took a step closer.
"What's my Name?"
"You're... Yar... Ra... Ra..." The Monster's shuddering hands moved towards its skull. "Name... Your Name is... You are...!"
The Spirit stared while the trembling Monster stuttered, seemingly unable to find a suitable answer.
'I've used the Forest's Mist so many times but... What is it?' Yarnha asked herself as her right left rose towards her chest. 'This feeling... I never felt this way. Could this be...'
"You are... You are... Rav... Yar..."
'Guilt?'
"Why is it... I can't... Your Name is... Your Name is..."
Slowly, Yarnha's hand rose.
Quietly and gently, the hand lay on the Monster's shoulder, and its shuddering ceased.
"What is... Your Name?"
The Monster's confused eyes lay on Yarnha's face.
Its lips parted, but it took a couple of seconds before words were uttered.
"My Name... Is Mark."
"Mm." The Spirit nodded. "It's a good Name."
The Monster stared with its right eye half closed.
The pain brought on by the Mist's Effects made it feel like a nail was going through its skull.
"You're angry, aren't you, Mark?"
The Monster didn't respond.
"Your hatred and anger... They're strong and, I'm sure, justified. I do not know what or who was taken from you but... Am I really the one you are angry at?"
The Monster's face grimaced.
"Am I the one you hate?"
"I... I don't..."
"Forget about my Name. Forget about who I am, or who I am not. Mark," Yarnha gently pulled on the Monster's shoulder, so that it would turn to face her. "Do you want to kill me?"
The fog seemed to start lifting.
"I didn't take from you, Mark. You can tell, right? I am not your enemy."
The Monster's vision was becoming clearer.
"Who am I?"
The Spirit could tell, which made her lips slightly curl up.
"Say my Name, Mark."
"You're..."
The Monster's shaking had ceased.
The darkness that had taken hold of its eyes faded.
"Yarnha."
"Mm!" The Spirit nodded cheerfully before chuckling. "You know..."
Yarnha slowly moved her hands.
"For a Monster..."
Her hands rose.
Yarnha couldn't help but feel this way after the conversations they'd had until now.
"You don't act very monstrous."
The Monster's body froze at her words.
Gently, Yarnha lay her palms on his cheeks.
Something clicked inside the Monster's brain.
Its hand suddenly took hold of the Spirit's thin wrist.
"What are you-"
Squeeze-
The darkness that had faded emerged once more.
Indeed, it had emerged. Because it hadn't faded in the first place. It had simply retreated.
"Agh...! Mark! MARK!" Yarnha shouted as her left hand hit the Monster's shoulder multiple times.
The Monster squeezed the wrist it had taken hold of further, until it broke.
"AGHH!"
Only then, did the Monster let go.
Yarnha hurriedly stepped back.
She took four steps back, before stumbling and falling to the ground.
The Monster slowly stepped forward.
The Mist's Effect had been calmed down temporarily.
But it had been awakened.
By what exactly?
One, by the familiar sensation of being held the way Yarnha held its face.
Two, by the words she had uttered.
Words the Monster had been told.
Words he had uttered.
A Dark Corrupting Spear appeared in the silent Monster's hand as it took another step forward.
'He's... Used to it...'
By this time, Yarnha understood.
She understood why the Mist didn't have an effect on the Monster the way it had on the Dark Elf or the Moonlit Feline.
The Monster was used to this.
Used to the limits between dream and reality, illusion and truth, being blurred.
Used to its own brain and Soul playing tricks.
Its Tolerance for such occurrences was high.
So high, that the Monster's brain didn't need to force the body asleep for such occurrences to happen.
'Your visions of horror... What... Are they...?' Yarnha couldn't help but wonder.
The visions of horror she had shown so many as they lay defenseless, now, fueled the Monster standing in front of her.
'Looks like this is it for me. But at least...'
The Monster's dark eyes were locked on her.
'He's not looking in the Forest's direction.'
With a heavy step, the Dark Corrupting Spear was brought closer to her.
'A new Spirit will be born to protect the Forest. I hope they'll be better than I was...'
The Monster raised the Dark Corrupting Spear up.
Yarnha's ear twitched.
With a somber and gloomy look on her face, she stared at the Monster.
'That's how much you hate him, huh? The one who took them from you. How sad... And kind... What...'
The Monster brought the Dark Corrupting Spear down.
And just when it was about to pierce through Yarnha's body,
Woosh-
'A beautiful Monster...'
Clink-
The Monster's eyes widened with confusion, as the Dark Corrupting Spear came into contact with the ground.
