The azure sky surrounded her body, standing into the air, astonished to find herself stroke by so many mixed feelings, unable to move. “You are not really dead” Shinkuu continued to repeat those words on her mind in an endless loop. She couldn’t think clearly, she couldn’t organize her thoughts, as the anxiety rushed through her body, paralyzing her. Carlo was watching as the girl stood in a shock state after hearing the revelation of the strange character between him and the girl he wanted to save. His rage didn’t decrease a bit, but he tried to actually talk to the person who lock him in the golden cage.

- Is it true? Is she really alive? – asked Carlo with trembling voice.

- Uh? Did you stop barking like a dog, kid? – replied the one who called himself “Mega”, mocking Carlo.

- You bastard… You said you’ll going to explain, so spit it out!

- Alright, alright! I cannot help teasing you, your despair, even if not as juicy as hers, has anyway a good taste! – after a pause in which Mega smiled at Carlo to admire once more the boy’s angry face, he continued – To begin with yes, this girl right here is not dead at all. I made her believe that just to make this place more credible to her.

- You said you create this place… this world, right? – Carlo started to be more curious than angry at the unusual individual before him: the orange messy hair, the painted face almost like a clown, the black eyes with multicolor iris, the weird outfit. Before Carlo’s eyes, Mega was a strange character out of some kind of twisted story.

- Indeed, I made up this myself. Impressive, isn’t? This is like a wide cage I created somewhere in between other dimensions, a white space I could use to create my own… nourishment.

- What… do you mean by that?

- Isn’t obvious yet? You like listened but you’re not using your head, eh? Negativity: I feed on what you call negative emotions: sadness, anger, rage, and thirst for revenge…

- Why me? – asked a feminine voice.

- Oh, you finally snap out from the shock? It took you forever! – laughed Mega at Shinkuu.

- Just tell me… - she repeated with a melancholic and low voice.

- Ah, little lost girl… exactly because this…. wonderful taste! I’ve been always a little picky about the emotions I consume. I was just floating on the air of your world when I suddenly feel something I’ve never felt. Then, I looked down and found you, ready to take your own life. I had to stop you, I had to get my hands in the unique taste of your own suffering! When I got to you, you were lying on the bed, unconscious, so I thought I was too late. But I wasn’t! Ah, such luck I had! I just had to take your spiritual body out of your body and take it here!

- What?! – Carlo interrupted Mega – Are you saying we are, like, in the astral plain without our bodies?!

- Geez, you’re interrupting me! – lamented Mega – Yeah, we are now in a non physical dimension, since this way emotions can manifest in a lot of ways. We don’t have a physical body.

- “We”? – asked puzzled Carlo.

- You said before – interrupted Shinkuu this time – something like not being the first time, but the forty-third… what do you mean by that?

- Oh? You are cleverer than this stupid caged boy! – again, Mega didn’t lose the chance to mock Carlo – As you guessed, this isn’t the first time we met, my dear and delicious treasure. Forty-three is the times we have been doing this little adventure of yours, hahahahahahahahahahahahah!

Bursting in a mad laugh, Mega let his voice echoed through the empty space he created himself. Both Shinkuu and Carlo couldn’t believe what he was saying. To them, it was more difficult to accept that the fact they lacked a physical body.

- Ah! I feel soooooo good right now! And the expression on your faces… priceless! – continued Mega, enjoying teasing the other two – Every time I made you travel through this world I created based in your memories, in order to make you feel those horrible things that torment your existence. Once and once again!

- That… can’t be… - Shinkuu, still shocked for the new truth, fell into her knees.

- But it IS exactly like that! Oh, girl, your despair is truly magnificent! But not worry, after about one thousand cycles, I’ll completely devour your soul!

- Monster! – shouted Carlo! – Let her out of this place at once!

- Haha! And what do you think to do if I refuse? I mean, did you forget who is inside a cage, here?

- Then I’m going to force to free us from here, you bastard!

- Silence, insolent! – with a gesture of his hand, Mega stroke Carlo with thunderbolts.

- Argh! – cried Carlo, suffering the attack.

- Please, stop! - pleaded Shinkuu – Please, don’t hurt him anymore! It’s me who you want, right? Just, leave him in peace!

- Oh, so you worry more about him than yourself? Such a good girl… and even so alone without a friend, haha! Pathetic! That’s what you are!

- Don’t listen to him! – shouted Carlo to the girl – He just want you to make you feel bad to keep feeding on you! He’s just a dirty leech!

- Enough! – again, Mega used his control over the space to summon thunders to strike Carlo – I thought it would be fun and interesting to found out the flavor of your despair mixed together, but I just can tolerate you anymore, kid.

- See? – Carlo, trembling in pain after the attack, called the attention of Shinkuu – He is strong because of your negative feelings. So you just need to replace despair with hope!

- I… - Shinkuu, still kneeling on the infinite space, watched the scene unable to move.

- One more word and I’m going to dispose of you, human! – threatened Mega.

- I don’t fear you! – shouted Carlo with all his strength.

- Then I- Uh?

The cage that imprisoned Carlo until moments ago broke in thousands of pieces, which vanished after a while.