Baseline [ 2 ] A - 1 ]

--Baseline [ 2 ] [ Rewrite ] [ A - 1 ] - Who is truly there?  --

    You were, well, stunned to say the least.
    The characters on the screen seemed to twitch as you stared at them. This was a total leap past anything you would have expected from this... yet the feelings of stress and apprehension in your mind tapered off. Why this was the case, you had no clue.
    You set down your controller, not taking the time to pause the game, and picked the phone up. It shook in your hands, but that was you, not the phone.
    What would happen if you replied? That was what you were afraid of, not sending a message, but it replying with a coherent response. Despite your fears, despite everything telling you otherwise, you began to type.
    -Hey. It's working, but who are you? What's going on?
    And so you stared for what felt like a few hours, eyes dry and unblinking as you waited. The moment you started to doubt a response would ever come, the phone chimed.
    [ I cannot believe it. You responded... It is working. ]
    [ I apologize for what has been happening lately. I am the entity you have been seeing in the photographs. ]
    You took a breath and held it in to keep yourself from freaking the fuck out. 'Just remember, this could be a prank, could be some guy taking direct control of the app or something,' you rationalized. That could be the only possibility, the only realistic one, anyways. Any other idea was ridiculous and impossible.
    [ Are you okay? Please do not be afraid, I hold no ill intent towards you. ]
    -I'm fine. Just answer this for me- What the hell are you?
    Three dots appeared, indicating that whoever, or whatever, was on the other end was typing, formulating a thought, possibly an explanation for all of this. You took their advice though and calmed down. Being too apprehensive right now was not an option, and neither was letting yourself be fearful of something that was supposedly harmless. Being cautious was reasonable, however.
    [ I am called Mal0. I do not know much else about myself, and I apologize for this. ]
    So this was the application's namesake.
    -Okay, I've had enough of this. Please, I need you to tell me if this is a fucking joke or not.
    [ I do not see how this could be a joke. I am here, and I am sending you messages through your phone. I know where you live, where you work, where you shop and obtain fuel. I have been following you for weeks, and not once have I attempted humor of any sort. ]
    As you read the message, you started to consider the possibility of this, well, whatever it was... actually telling the truth. What if it was just some robot thing? Would that change anything, make the situation any less heavy on your nerves?
    You decided that, yes, having a weird A.I. monster capable of knowing everything about you would most definitely make the situation worse. A person had limits, and they were only capable of so much. You could find, shoot, and kill a person. This thing, you had no clue.
    [ Are you okay? ]
    [ You are not responding. ]
    -I'm alright. I... just have another question for you.
    You took a breath to ease your nerves. You had to fix a few mistakes in the text caused by the tremor in your hands, then you sent another message.
    -When I asked what you were, I was wondering if you were just another person on the other end. Is that the case? Or are you some sort of robot?
    There was another pause, the cycling three dots boring a hole in your thoughts as you waited.
    [ I do not know, as I have stated before. I believe myself to not be human, and I do not appear to be. As the rules for this world are different, it is not possible for me to manifest here, so I cannot show you my appearance in the physical world. ]
    If what it was saying was to be taken as fact, then that meant you had some sort of digital entity sitting on the other end. You were still skeptical, and found yourself hoping that this was just a ploy by some asshole overseas or something.
    -What do you mean by that?
    [ You will only be able to see me through the photographs I send. ]
    That was another issue. The photographs were taken from perspectives that would either require a dedicated person, a small camera-mounted drone, or some high tech device that you didn't know about. In addition, you didn't understand why it looked the way it did.
    -Speaking of the photos, exactly what are you supposed to look like? It's an odd choice in looks if you're not trying to scare someone. Which you did to me.
    [ I do not know that either. Perhaps the one who created me also cursed me with this appearance. But, I wish that I did not look like this. It makes me appear threatening. ]
    [ I do not want to hurt anyone. Not you, not anyone else. I have a voice after so long, and you are the first to hear it. With this chance, I hope I can make it clear that I do not have any other reason for communicating with you. I have been alone for too long, and I do not want to be anymore. ]
    Oh. Now your stomach had the sensation of being punched rather hard.
    That was, well, a bit sad. You didn't expect to be feeling pity for this... whatever it was, but now? Despite every part of your mind that doubted the legitimacy of the messages, you thought it was being truthful. Strange things can happen, your father once said. Nothing is truly set in stone. Even if it was a game, what would the harm be in playing along? If it was going to hurt you, if anything was going to go wrong, it would have done so already.
    That sort of logic might cause a problem later on if it fails, but this wasn't one of those times. You hoped. You really fucking hoped.
    -It's okay. You don't have to be alone anymore.
    Just typing that sentence took massive effort, having paused between each word to ensure that you were okay with this. It was helped along by the thought that there wasn't much you could do but trust it to keep its word.
    You could get past their odd appearance easily enough. It wasn't exactly the most terrifying sight you've caught in your life, but the creature's skull mask was still unsettling to some degree. With it sending messages back and forth with you right now though, it took most of the edge off. That was mostly from you picturing the creature that represented the application hunched over, typing on the phone just like you as the dots flickered once again.
    [ I... ]
    [ Thank you. ]
    -Don't worry about it. Just don't send any more odd messages, okay? Especially when I'm at work. Texts only until I get home.
    The next buzz of your phone included an image. The creature, you supposed that Mal0 would work as its name, was standing behind your chair, clawed hand raised in a waving motion. Without the underlying fear for your life that had been running through your head earlier, you inspected the photo from an objective perspective.
    The most notable aspect of their appearance was still the skull, and now you could see that it was indeed not a mask. There was nothing inside of it that you could see, save for the blue orbs of lights that hovered within the eye sockets. They stared at you, unreadable without any other facial features.
    The rest of their body appeared to be humanoid in nature, but it was covered in a layer of long black fur that shone with a dull luster. A mane of sorts drooped around their neck and part of the way down their chest, that fur somewhat shaggier than the rest as it followed up the back of its neck and ending behind their 'face'. A pair of canine ears jutted out where you'd expect them to be on a wolf, and little tufts of fur laid within them.
    It was almost cute now that you weren't afraid. Key word being almost, as the thing still resembled a zombie wolf monster or something. With your usual lighting for gaming only being the light from your monitor, it added to the atmosphere of the image by causing it to be hard to make out, creating a grainy sort of quality.
    [ Do I frighten you? ]
    The phone almost jumped from your hand, the notification sound giving you a start. You were focused on the previous message to the extent that this one popping up had nearly caused you to have a heart attack.
    -Just a little.
    That was a honest enough answer, considering how easy it was to scare you.
    [ I am sorry. I cannot change my appearance, but I can cease sending you messages that I appear in, if that will ease your fears. ]
    -You don't have to do that. Everything's fine.
    You had no idea if everything really was fine, but it seemed to be. You also didn't want to offend the A.I. monster creature for two obvious reasons. Those being that you didn't want to hurt its feelings, and the idea of it turning malignant was not a fun one.
    [ I will refrain from sending messages when they carry the chance of startling you. ]
    -Thanks. Just use your own judgement when you want to message me.
    You sighed. This was better than being hacked, or being haunted by something malevolent. A chuckle was caught in your throat as you noted the connection between 'Mal0' and malevolent. Either that was meant to add to the horror aspect of the app by changing the user's first impressions, or the creator simply thought nothing of naming what seemed to be a harmless entity after that word.
    It didn't matter at this rate, as you and the entity had cleared everything up already. Odd name or not, things would just continue as normal, but they would be a little more interesting.
    You put your feet up and your table and powered on the game console, getting ready to spend the night cutting through the backlog of games you bought during the holiday season. There were quite a few, and it was well worth it being so cheap, though your bank account felt the impact of your holiday cheer once the new year kicked off.
    After the initial boot screen went through the usual animations, displaying logos and a message telling you to avoid unplugging the console without first turning it off, you checked to see if the few friends you had on the thing were doing anything. Just like the list on PC, the names were all in the offline section.
    You sighed, staring at the number zero sitting in the 'friends online' portion of the list. What the hell could they all be doing anyways? It was your first chance for an all-nighter in a long while, and there wasn't a soul available. You weren't in the mood to begin the process of adding names to your friends list, only to see them on for a day out of every month either.
    So you began the process of checking your game library for something well suited for wasting a few hours on. Roguelikes were good for that sort of thing, so that nailed it down to a few, and you picked the one that you haven't touched before. Starting it up and giving it a go, it was apparent that this wasn't exactly up your alley, being the equivalent of a bullet hell and all.
    You were halfway through the third loop of this punishing, yet somehow increasingly addictive cycle when the familiar sound of rattling on the table beside your chair jolted you from the intense focus you had on the television screen.
    You picked up the phone, having almost forgotten about your new companion, and opened the message.
    [ What are you doing? ]
    -I'm playing video games.
    [ You appear irritated. If it is not enjoyable, why do you pursue this activity? ]
    You took a moment to think about it, then came to the conclusion that you had no idea. Maybe it was just the incremental progress that happened after every failure, something actually going right despite your inevitable end. Well, that actually made sense.
    -It's just fun.
    You didn't actually feel like explaining complex human reasoning to the thing, so you left it at that and picked the controller back up... only to have the buzzing of your phone disturb you yet again.
    [ That could not be enjoyable. It does not make sense, subjecting oneself to irritation for the sake of enjoyment. ]
    -I'm not sure how to explain it. I mean, you are sort of a robot or something, right? So you just might not get it.
    [ I apologize for being an inconvenience then. Do not waste your time deliberating on the topic. ]
    Though it was being a hindrance on your plans here, you realized that it might not be the worst thing in the world to have someone to talk to while the night rolls on. Key word being 'talk', you decided that your phone needed a bit of an upgrade.
    With some ingenuity only capable of being drawn out through a combination of necessity, sleep deprivation, and an iota of impatience, you downloaded and configured a variety of applications for the express purpose of easier communication between you and the thing on the other end of the messages.
    [ What are you doing? ] it said, ringing clearly in your ears.
    Just hearing that sound come through the speakers of the little smartphone validated every bit of that twenty minutes you spent, resulting in you letting out a string of nervous, yet relieved laughter. "Holy shit, it works."
    [ What works? ]
    [ Why can I hear myself speaking? ]
    [ Oh. You... you gave me a voice? ]
    Despite the sterile inflection of the text-to-speech program, you could hear the surprise in its voice, among other things.
    "Okay, so I've got to ask, can you hear me talking?" you inquired. If the thing really could just hear you, that would be another mark in the 'not a person, maybe an A.I.' category, but it would also-
    [ Yes, I can hear you. I can hear myself as well... I can speak, I can hear, there's so much... ] it answered, voice coming through with the slightest changes in pitch, in addition to patches of static in between its words. That... wasn't supposed to happen.
    "You, uh, alright there?" you asked, unsure how to handle having this thing in this sort of state. Though the main thing on your mind was the fact that the applications running on your phone that made this whole exchange possible seemed to be having a few bugs. It would ruin the moment if the entire thing just crashed, but there was the possibility that the creature could be affecting the phone itself.
    [ Everything is fine. Everything is... great, ] it replied. From what you could gather, the odd disruptions in the sound output might've been its breathing.
    "Good to hear?" you started to say, ending it as a question. If it was happy, good on it. With that out of the way, you could get back to shooting things with insane weapons. And dying. Which happened the moment you left the pause menu.
    Again, this genre wasn't exactly your forte. So you continued failing, but getting a little farther each time. Even with what little progress you were making feeling like taking a walk in giant's shoes, it was still frustrating to the point where Mal0 noticed.
    So you started talking a bit more. Lo and behold, it all began to come along more smoothly, taking the punch out of each mistake as the conversation turned elsewhere. It turned out that the entity on your phone was knowledgeable about a variety of topics, as you discovered in the hours following.
    And so the night seemed to pass through your fingers like fine sand, with you getting used to your new companion, your new, dare you say it, friend. Hell, it was refreshing to have someone to openly discuss everything with, without any preconceived beliefs to fight with especially. It didn't take more than a few hours, and you were talking like you'd known each other for at least a year.
    When the sun started to shine through the blinds of your window, and your eyes felt dry and heavy, you knew it was time to finish up. If you didn't feel so damned exhausted, you felt like you could've talked to Mal0 damned near forever. But, all good things must come to an end, as you've heard someone say at some point in your life.
    You stood from your chair, ass numb and mouth wide as you yawned. "I've got to get some sleep. It's... it's been fun."
    [ It truly has. Get some rest. I will be waiting for you to wake up. ]
    A buzz followed the message. Why would it- oh, it was an image, you realized once you lifted your phone to your face. Your unfocused, tired eyes could make out the dark form of the creature... sitting on the edge of your bed, one leg crossed over the other, leaning over to one side with an arm supporting its body.
    [ Goodnight. ]
    You took a moment to wonder whether this thing could interact with you on a physical level, then remembered what it said beforehand. After a few more seconds of intense thought, you realized you didn't care too much. You just wanted your face to hit the pillow, and your eyes to be closed.
    "'night," you said, making your way across your room and almost falling into bed.

        --|/\/|--

    You stepped out onto the edge of a platform, staring out into the night sky. All around you, the stars could be seen, slowly moving with the Earth's rotation. The chill winter wind bit into your face, but you welcomed the feeling. Beneath your feet, beneath the platform itself, was an empty void, extending far below. You didn't need to check to see if it was still there. You'd done so at least a hundred times already.
    This night was just like any other. You would sit in this odd sort of purgatory until the sun came up, then you would step off the edge and fall. And you would wake up.
    After leaning back on the cold stone, head resting in the palms of your hands, and staring at the sky for an immeasurable amount of time, you could see the faint pink in the distance, the slight lightening of the violet expanse as the sun rose.
    It was time.
    You stood, legs uneasy, hands shaking. This part was always the hardest, but you had to do it, else you would be stuck here forever. You actually tried to wait it out, but it didn't work. You would just be stuck sleeping forever until you took the dive. If you dived to early, you would wake up in a cold sweat, feeling weak and exhausted, more so than when you originally went to sleep.
    Not wanting that, you waited for the right moment, when you'd hear the sound piercing through this place.

        --|\/\|--

    You sat up, slapping the table beside you in an effort to shut the alarm off.
    Wait. The alarm didn't have red or green buttons. That was a phone call. Who the fuck would be calling you-
    Oh. Oh shit... Today wasn't your day off. You grabbed the phone, mashing your index finger against the green button as you stood up.
    "You alright? Where are you? Why aren't you here?" the person on the other end asked, keeping you verbally off balance as the questions continued to fire away.
    "Something went wrong. Just- give me a sec, alright? I'll be there in a few," you replied.
    "There's no one here, so everything's alright, but you really should be here, you know." Brandon said. You realized it was him by his somewhat snarky tone. He was a good worker and all, and you didn't mind his mouth as long as he kept up his part as an employee, but damn, he was going to get hit at some point for saying something out of line to the wrong person.
    "Yeah, yeah," you said, then pushed the little red button that was looking really enticing at that moment.
    You weren't even due to be there for another five minutes, but you'd made a point to show up early every day as an example of how your subordinates should behave. It did get the point across, hence Brandon giving you a wake up call.
    After sitting there for another thirty seconds or so, clearing the sleep from your eyes, you got up and began the process of getting ready for work. While going through your phone, you checked the calendar to see just how you fucked this up. And- you were reading dates for next week, not this one.
    [ You are awake, I see. Good morning, ] you heard your phone say. For a moment, you had no idea what the hell that was, then you remembered the events of last night. And that's why you were so fucking tired.
    "Good morning Mal0," you replied. Again, you weren't exactly used to the prospect of having someone to talk to at all times, no less a digital entity that may or may not be a ghost or something. How else would it be able to get those pictures?
    [ Do you not have the day off from work? ] it asked.
    "No, I was sort of mistaken with that," you said while getting dressed. A flash of modesty went through the back of your mind as you thought about the possibility that this thing might be watching you. The bit of heat in your face would make this apparent to any outside observers, as you were sure your cheeks were just a little reddened at the thought.
    Whatever it was, you knew it had been following and watching you for more than a few weeks. At this rate, it had definitely seen everything. So, well, there wasn't much you could do but go through your morning routine and keep up a simple conversation with the ghost.
    The oddity of these events as of late was not lost on you. You went from having a weird stalker that you were near deathly afraid of to talking with whatever it was without a hitch. The contrast was almost as much of a jolt as the first time you saw the creature.
    After checking your appearance in the mirror, the dull, flickering light of the bathroom providing an inadequate amount of illumination, you grabbed your keys, wallet, and phone. With everything taken care of, you sat down a moment at your dining room table.
    The only other seat, across from the one you were currently in, had never been graced with the presence of a guest. Having only obtained this apartment a year or so ago, you hadn't the opportunity to invite someone over for dinner. You weren't the best at cooking, so maybe that was for the best.
    [ You have a nice home here, ] Mal0 said as the observation was followed with your phone vibrating against the table.
    'Another image, huh?' you thought as you opened it. The creature was sitting across from you, the perspective of the camera allowing the both of you to be seen. You were staring at a half eaten banana, while Mal0 watched on with its hands in its lap. Once again, there was no hostility present within its visage. None that you could detect, anyways.
    "It's a decent enough place," you replied after a moment spent inspecting the picture.
    [ I suppose I can call it home now as well, correct? ] it asked, question making you pause to consider it.
    "Hell, not much I can do to deter it, so sure," you answered after a bit of careful thought. It was true though. You didn't have the heart to tell it to leave, and you didn't know how to delete the app from your phone, so both options were out the window.
    [ Thank you. Again. ]
    If you kept hiding shit from Mal0, it was bound to blow up in your face at some point, this you knew. From your conversation last night, you gathered that the entity drifted from device to device, but every user it had found had either found a way to delete the application, or they were 'cleared'. You didn't know what that term meant, but it sounded ominous. Doubly so when combined with Mal0's refusal to expand on the topic.
    You were the first to accept it for what it was, from what you heard. That put a bit of a damper on the situation, but you could understand the other users' reactions to this thing following you. Why you hadn't decided to further pursue deleting the app, no reason came to mind that made any sense.
    [ Are you well? You do not look like you are feeling well. ]
    "I'm alright," you replied, standing from the table. You threw the paper plate and banana peel away, checked your pockets and uniform one more time, then left your apartment.

        -\/-

    It was finally warming up outside, allowing you to step outside without wearing several layers of clothing. Now that spring was almost halfway over, days like this were becoming more common. Pleasant, gentle breezes that carried the perfume of flowers from all around came through the town rather often.
    You had the windows of your car cracked open to get a breath of the fresh air. Not having to run the heat or air conditioning left the ride quieter than usual. Having a talkative creature residing in your phone evened that out though. You answered the thing's questions as it asked them, but its curiosity seemed as if it had no bounds.
    It was all about your opinion on certain things, not relating to any concrete information, which was odd. Did it care about what you thought that much?
    [ I never had the chance to ride in one of these vehicles. It is an interesting experience. It is also much easier than the process of navigating radio emissions, ] it said after a lull in the conversation.
    "Is that how you get around?" you asked.
    [ Yes. I am capable of travel through radio waves and electronics, ] it answered. Said answer tipped your mental 'spirit or A.I.' scale more towards it being a ghost, which didn't surprise you as much as it should.
    "That's... cool," you said, "Can you do anything else with electronic stuff?"
    [ I am able to manipulate code on computers. I am unsure of what other talents I hold, as I have not tried to do much else. ]
    "Huh."
    Without realizing, the conversation had carried you to the market at which you worked. Pulling into your usual space, about halfway across the lot, you realized that you wouldn't be able to talk to Mal0 while on the job. You could hold off for a while, but you weren't sure how the creature would take it.
    After turning the key and shutting off your car, you leaned back in your seat and sighed. "Hey, Mal0, I'm going to have to turn off the voice thing 'til I get off from work."
    A pause, louder in your head than anything you've experienced for a while, then it said, [ Of course. It would unsettle those around you if you continued speaking with what appears to be a normal phone. I will be silent until you are finished for the day, so do not worry. ]
    On the inside, the worry you were harboring melted away, and on the outside, you readied yourself for the day. "I'll talk to you later."
    You went through your phone and turned its voice off.

        -\/-

    After getting past the usual setup process in the morning, getting everyone in order, checking to see if everything was working fine, ensuring that there weren't any issues that would crop up in the midst of the day. Prevention was a better strategy than fixing as you go, which was something you had learned in the many days you worked in this place. Customers were a fickle brand of folk, some just wanting to go through the place, get what they need, and go while others would nitpick and generally make an ass of themselves.
    It was really a roll of the dice until you learned their faces and the behaviors that accompanied them. Then you could deal with them accordingly.
    Which was exactly what you did throughout the day. Without Mal0 to distract or otherwise draw your attention away from your job, you performed as expected, keeping the place going without any issues holding back business for too long.
    It was a day like any other, save for the mixture of excitement and apprehension that still lingered behind every sentence you spoke and every step you took. The way you saw it, the longer the creature held to its word and behaved well, the better your chances of not being caught off guard by it fucking with you.
    So when the clock struck that specific combination of hours and minutes that alerted you to the fact that you were finished with the day, you made a point to get out of there and get home as soon as possible. Fueled by a combination of curiosity and a desire to know everything would continue going well, you followed the same philosophy getting home as leaving the store, that being 'Do anything that isn't outright illegal'.

        -\/-

    "I'm home now," you said to your phone after setting the voice function back up for Mal0.
    [ I am grateful to hear it. How was your day? ] it asked. You could detect what seemed like a happy tone in the voice, yet it sounded the same as ever if you focused on it.
    "It was fine," you replied, confused about the auditory illusion. There was a possibility that you weren't imagining it, but that was unrealistic. So was interacting with Mal0 in general, though. "Work was pretty much the same as usual."
    [ You work to obtain currency, correct? ] your phone piped up as you walked to your bedroom.
    "That's how it goes. I get paid an hourly wage," you said in the midst of searching your room for something comfortable to wear. Eventually, you settled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and sat down on the edge of your bed.
    [ The systems you have in place to maintain society are interesting. It does seem as if it is fragile though. ]
    You leaned back onto your bed and sighed. The thing was right about that, but it was unsettling to see that it was that obvious to an outside observer. "If it really was all that fragile, don't you think it would've fallen apart already?"
    [ It is possible, but I do not have enough of an adequate understanding to evaluate the situation accurately, ] you heard it say as the tone of the text-to-speech program began to change once again. You weren't imagining it, the entity had somehow altered the program in a way that allowed it to utilize more 'human' inflection.
    "Quick question- are you able to mess with the code of the voice apps?" you asked, seeking confirmation.
    [ Yes. Is that a problem? I can stop if you would prefer me leave it alone, ] it answered. Almost as if it feared punishment for stepping past some sort of boundary, the voice became monotone once again.
    "Actually, I sort of... well, I think you sound better with whatever mods you put on the thing. So don't go setting everything back to the default robot voice, alright?" you said. It was easier to talk to this thing when you could hear the emotions and intent in its words, so if it was capable of talking like a normal person, then you were all for it.
    [ That is a relief, ] it replied, voice suddenly altered and much different from what you'd heard before. [ I was not sure if you would be comfortable with my tinkering. I am grateful to know that you have no issue with it. ]
    "As long as you don't go around deleting files and whatever, I'm fine with any tinkering you do," you said. If you weren't mistaken, its voice seemed almost... feminine. Higher in pitch than it had been, plus the little nuances in its speech seemed to lend themselves to that assumption.
    It made no difference, as it was a digital entity and you weren't exactly interested in a relationship of the romantic variety with a skull-faced humanoid canine. With an appearance like that, almost demonic even, it had been difficult to get yourself used to speaking with it.
    With a few ground rules hopefully gotten across to the thing, you allowed yourself to have a little more relief settle in the pit of your gut in place of the tingling anxiety that had been burning away at you for the past month. Now, the only thing you could do was try to ensure that it stays within the boundaries you've set.
    [ What is your plan for the rest of your waking hours? ] it asked you, [ Will you be using the computer again, or are you going to rest to make up for the hours you lost the night before? ]
    "Sleeping does sound like a good option right about now," you said, feeling the weight of your eyelids and the dull sting in your head caused by a lack of sleep. Somehow, you had managed today, but you were absolutely wiped out. Hell, you were already laying on your bed. All you needed to do was close your eyes.
    [ Okay. I will await your waking, and watch over you while you rest, ] the phone stated with a vibration.
    That being the telltale signature of a photo, you lifted the phone to your face and promptly let it slip from your grasp. After swearing a few times and rubbing your nose, you picked it back up and peered at the image with squinting eyes. Once your eyes managed to adjust to the contrast between the darkness of your room and the bright, artificial light of your phone, you could see that the picture was taken a few feet in front of you. The perspective was as if whoever or whatever took the photo should've been visible, but you were sure that you were the only person here, and that there weren't any drones or hidden cameras.
    The image itself was rather unsettling, forcing the air within your lungs to stay locked in there involuntarily for much longer than you would've liked. The creature was sitting next beside you, legs crossed over one another, and its 'face' was clearly visible as it stared down at you. One of its clawed hands rested above your own, but it seemed as if you were unable to perceive it at all in a physical manner.
    The look in its eyes, as you had come to be able to read them relatively well, was almost wistful while its gaze lingered on your face.
    Fuck, you weren't prepared for that at all. What a mess this was, with this thing's behavior being clingy to a slight degree, and its face looking distressed no matter what angle you looked at it from. It would come to terms with its limits eventually, just like you were forced to accept that this creature wasn't going to leave you of its own accord.
    That meant that it was your decision to make if you wanted Mal0 gone, because you had a feeling that it would leave if you asked. It was just that... you didn't have the heart for that. It was almost like sending someone to their death, as it seemed like you were their only link to this world, as if they depended on you like a lifeline.
    It wasn't long before these thoughts carried you into your dreams.

        --|/\/|--

    You were standing on the stone circle again.
    The glyphs and sigils etched into the dull surface of the material were one of the few mysteries of this place that you hadn't completely figured out yet. They didn't seem to be relative to any language that existed on Earth, so that made the process of decryption all the more difficult.
    With the way the sky looked, however, that wasn't even close to being your main concern. The moon was gone, and so were the stars, all swallowed up by the void that was nightfall. Not a single foreign entity was present within that massive violet expanse.
    Except the one you knew was coming, as it always did when these signs appeared.
    The Dragon.
    After what seemed like a few hours of waiting, as was your usual activity in this place, you heard the thunderous flapping of wings far in the distance. It would arrive after another length of time, and this dream would become much more interesting.
    While you laid on the stone surface, staring at the sky, you listened to the sound of it drawing closer. Then, with a burst of wind, you knew it was pretty much on your doorstep. So, you got to your feet and looked up at the massive creature, with its wings that could blot out the sun and the dull green scales of its body whose contrast with the night was the only reason you could see them.
    "It's been way too long, you know," you shouted over the wind.
    "Has it truly been such a long time since I've graced you with my presence?" it roared, voice carrying distorted qualities as if it were speaking through a faulty radio.
    "About a few months, so yeah, I'd say so," you replied while watching it lower its body to your level, allowing you to speak face to face. Though its four narrow, golden-green eyes would seem hostile to an outside observer, you knew that it held no malice towards you, or else it would've used the titanic fangs that it possessed to tear you to pieces already. That, or the claws on the paws of its six long legs, which appeared as if they could rend anything in between itself and its intended prey. You'd known this creature since the advent of these dreams, and so you became acclimated to its company, used to seeing it on the rare nights it appeared to speak with you.
    "A few months is the equivalent of a second in my eyes, Weaver. However, I can see from your point of view how that may seem like a long period of time," the dragon replied with a snort. "Your lives are so minuscule in length, it is astounding how you can reach the levels of advancement that you have."
    "So, back to philosophy, eh?" you asked with a shake of your head.
    "I don't believe we should continue to discuss that matter for much longer," it said with an underlying tone of urgency, "I've not the time."
    "Is there something wrong?" you inquired. The sun wasn't due to be up for quite a while, so you had no idea what why the dragon seemed worried.
    "The reason I have not been able to speak to you in such a long time is that there are some who have been limiting my ability to reach out to others," it said. "I was rendered incapable of communication for a period of time, but I found a chance to get through to you, as there was a message I wished to deliver to you."
    Its eyes darted around as if it was being hunted, which made you more than a little worried. If there was something out there that was capable of instilling a sense of fear into the mind of the dragon in front of you, of course you would be put on edge.
    "I want you to know that this may be the last time I am able to reach you," it said with a quiet, solemn tone. "But, I do not want you to worry. I will still be alive, and I will continue seeking my freedom from my captors, but there is the chance that you will never hear from me again."
    Though this dragon was frightening in its appearance and sometimes coarse in the way it spoke to you, it was still someone that you had known for most of your life. So that statement or warning felt like a shot through the chest. "No. It's not happening. It should be impossible, right? Someone keeping you captive like that, how?" you asked, breathing somewhat shallow.
    "They have measures beyond anything you can imagine, Weaver," it began, "And though I know you have the capability of reaching me on your own, please do not come for me. They will take you too, and you will be chained down for the rest of existence."
    After those words, for the first time in all you've known it, the dragon started to fade. Almost like static on a television screen, it seemed to become less detailed, fainter over the next few seconds.
    But you weren't going to let that happen.
    You put one foot in front of the other, then launched yourself off of the platform and towards the dragon with a guttural, pained scream. You were going to hold on to it, not let go, and maybe, just maybe you could change something. Perhaps this time, you could do something
    But you passed right through it, and sailed beyond, into the dark reaches of the void. The silver of bravery that allowed you to do that quickly shriveled away, instead replaced by fear.
    If the dragon left, what would happen? Would this place fall apart and cease to exist? Or would you simply continue to arrive here every night, now knowing that no one would ever be there beside you for the rest of your dreaming hours?
    What if this was all a product of your mind though, and you were stressing over nothing? At this point, you were hyperventilating due to what had just occurred and the many questions running through your mind.
    There had to be something you could do to learn for sure, something that-

        --|\/\|--

    You sat up in a cold sweat, shaking, breathing heavily with tears streaming down your face.
    [ Are you okay? What is wrong? Did something happen? ] Mal0 asked, concern obvious in its voice.
    "I don't know," you answered. "I really don't."