"He was three inches deep inside only to find out they wore the same birthmark that labelled them as relatives. And so our man here picked up his trusty shovel and started beating the living shit out of this Gorbag fellow's testicles," relayed Shinichi. His finger directed Rinko at the chubby devourer, who was holding his hands apart as though he was carrying a monster-sized grapefruit. "His balls swelled up like that."

He turned to Rinko who sat dumb on her seat.

Shinichi continued: "Of course, Gorbag was causing a ruckus, yelling and screaming as his peck was continuously demolished until it was red and beyond recognition. So, Shatrat's momma hears the noise, barges into the room, and Gorbag yells: 'Mama! Help me!'. They weren't just distant cousins, they were half-brothers!"

Rinko winced. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm simply translating."

"Then why is the topic so obscene?"

"Don't try to make sense of it, Rinko. You'll only hurt yourself. Just smile and laugh at the locals."

"But you!" Rinko raised an accusing finger at him. "How did you learn to speak their tongue?"

Shinichi's lips slowly curled. "I'm smart," he answered simply. His finger tapped his bottom lip playfully. "I consume knowledge very easily."

Shinichi spent years wandering the planes of the world. Six hours spent everyday doing nothing but observing these strange creatures. Eventually, he'd learned to decipher their language and even speak it himself. Now that he had a companion (as unexpected as it is), it was the perfect opportunity to flex his skill.

"Enough of that," Rinko waved her hands to brush off the previous conversation. "You say we're dreaming… but this feels too real to be a dream."

"Perhaps dreaming isn't the right term here. Think of it as though," Shinichi looked up as he searched for the right words. "...your soul left your body and now it can freely traverse the world without the physical limitations. And the world itself…" His eyes darted to the devourers in the tavern. "...it is quite complex. Not limited to the human world we're used to"

"W-what?" whimpered Rinko. It was a bit perplexing to see the usually quiet girl so rattled. "Why should I believe you? This might just be a vivid nightmare inside my head. You could just be another person in my dreams whose presence is a bit stranger than usual."

"If this was a dream, why would you even be dreaming of me getting defiled in the first place…" Shinichi muttered.

"What was that?"

"I said, what you're saying is true. There's no reason for you to believe me," repeated Shinichi. "We'll only truly know if this is an ordinary dream or not once we wake up."

Their attention was diverted as the sounds of grunts and falling mugs filled the air. Shatrat was roaring angrily. He pushed at his drinking partner before throwing furious punches into its stomach.

Shinichi squinted his eyes. It then lit up as he grasped the situation. "The guy drank Shatrat's pint."

Rinko squinted her eyes as well. It then widened in confusion. "But, but, that wasn't Shatrat's at all--"

"It's not about whether it is correct, it is about asserting dominance."

"What kind of bullshit excuse is that?"

Shatrat whipped out a shovel and drove it into the other monster's skull. It dropped on a table, which collapsed at its weight. Blood dripped down the wooden floor.

Rinko stood up from her seat and took two steps back.

Shinichi sighed as he eyed the scene. "That blood's gonna take forever to clean. Do you know that a mana consumer's blood is the most stubborn thing in existence?"

Rinko didn't deem that a reply.

Shinichi coughed into his fist. "Want another change of scenery?" he asked.

Rinko nodded shakily.

A change of scenery for Shinichi meant going back to where the tents were set up. Irish laid sleeping near a smouldering fire that was spreading ashes into the air. Zero sat next to him, her head bobbing up and down as she tried to stay awake. A couple metres away was Shinichi's desecrated body. The buttons of his shirt were ripped open, the skin beneath the black markings turning into a bluish hue as the heat slowly left the night.

Irish's snores echoed through the woods.

"They left you to freeze to death," commented Rinko.

Shinichi stilled and watched the sleeping duo impassively. He shook his head. "Want to see something cool?"

"So far I've just been scarred for life, something cool would be a nice change of pace."

Shinichi kneeled next to Irish, hands ominously hanging over his head.

"Wait, wait, you're not gonna murder him, right?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "As much as I want to, I can't even touch him right now. Moreover, he's a mana consumer, I'm not. Strangling him would only break my fingers."

"Oh."

Shinichi returned to Irish. "Take a look at this."

His hands slowly descended into Irish's face. Rinko gasped.

Rinko yet again was instilled with surprise. From the very first time she's seen this man, although his temper was short around Zero, he's shown nothing but stoic politeness to her. Yet she never expected him to exhibit such awe in his slightly widened lips and eyes. His hands landed on Irish's cheeks, not his neck. His touch never truly reached Irish but the slow caress of his fingers as if it was brusing through Irish's warm flesh, as though it was fragile glass, she couldn't point her finger at what it was but it was an uncanny familiarity.

His eyes became crescents as his face wrinkled into a sweet smile. His eyes seemed to become a person of their own, developing their own tongue to speak words that only humans should know. "How could such a beautiful creature exist?" they said. "How could one being look so precious and perfect?" The warmth and tenderness was almost… maternal.

Irish continued on oblivious, unaware of the two gazes intently trained at him, tucked into the comfort of his sleeping world.

"Irish is unruly. His pranks can be cruel and his demeanor is rude. But his journey has just begun. He's still learning and growing. And I'll be there to nurture him until the very day we must part."

From where Shinichi's hands hovered over, it started to emit a silvery glow. It captured Irish's head, slowly swallowing his hair, his eyes, and his gaping mouth. Eventually, all of it was consumed by the light. It grew stronger, turning blinding enough for Rinko to cast her eyes aside. Shinichi's gaze was unwavering, always filled with wonder.

There was pride in that gaze.

"In a way, he is like my child," finished Shinichi.

A ball of light was floating on top of Shinichi's open hands. The light was dimmer yet strong.