“OPAL! You had me h-hysterical, child! I was nearly in tears! And I don’t have tear ducts! You’re going to make my feathers fall out at this rate! What do you have to say for yourself, you little RRRRRASCAL?”

My mentor’s voice could stop a bullet train dead in its tracks when they’re calm. When they’re upset, though… I can feel my ears ringing already. The kittens wake up and start to mewl, which causes the puff of feathers in front of me to grow even puffier. My mentor’s cheek feathers redden, and they bow rapidly to the many-armed feline, “OH! I am so, SO sorry! Tiriatsu, please excuse my r-rudeness. I was not aware your offspring were present. Are they alright?”

My eyes widen to a comically large size as the feline (who I can only guess is called Tiriatsu - Peeps has never been good with names) nods, “It is not a trouble, Feathered One. Their health is passable - your apprentice’s magic healed the worst of their injuries when they vanquished the Stain.”

Peeps looks shocked. They look over at me, and then to Tiriatsu, “R-really? I hadn’t thought… it shouldn’t be possible, not yet…”

Tiriatsu motions to its children, “Their magic is strong. I imagine they assisted your apprentice’s casting, despite their young age. They seem quite compatible, so if you wish…”

The feline looks at me, “I can give you my blessing. They’ll aid you once they come of age - they like you, afterall.”

I stare back blankly. I… have no idea what the feline is talking about, and my headache isn’t doing me any favors. I look to Peeps for help, only to see the yellow bird struggling to hold back tears. Now even more confused, I stare at the feline. It stares back, then chuckles once it realizes what is going on, “Ahh, has your mentor neglected to inform you on the matters of companionship? Worry not, I will set you straight.”

The feline waves one of its arms, and the lights dim. With the low light, I can make out both the faded constellations moving across the ceiling, and brighter, more defined silhouettes dancing above them. Tiriatsu clears its throat, “Now…”

The silhouettes still. I can decipher a human-like figure, a cat with a star on its head, and a fluffy creature that looks suspiciously similar to Peeps. I turn my head to look at Tiriatsu, and they continue, “Mortals, companions, and deities of the veil. They are all bound together in complex and interesting ways. Mortals are chosen by deities who wish to mentor them. Deities seek out mortals who are perceptive to the dreamscape’s power - who understand the veil, their home. But companion creatures, those borne of a deity’s blessing, are different. They rarely seek out a dreamscaper, and do not dedicate themselves freely to deities. It is chance that binds them to their mortal.”

On the ceiling, the silhouettes in the stars dissipate, and the silhouettes of several different, markedly dream-like creatures appear in their place, “Blessed denizens, as we call them, are always molded into their permanent shape by deities. This is to make them no longer susceptible  to the constantly changing whims of the dreamscape. Therefore, they can travel through dreams and dreamscapes unchanged, though they lack their true power: the magic channeled through a mortal conduit.”

Two of the four silhouettes fade, with two human figures appearing in their place, “Yes, they are strong in comparison to the weaker denizens of dreamscapes, but it is only when they work their magic through dreamscapers that they may truly shine. If you prove your worth to them, they will offer their help to you either permanently, intermittently, or for a set amount of time. If you accept? You will have to offer a fragment of your soul to them as a conduit. It will be separated only halfway from yourself - in order for it to infinitely regenerate, it must remain attached to you, even when you have retreated to the waking world.”

Tiriatsu waves its paws and the lights return to normal, snuffing out the projected stars. It stares back at me, expectant, and I blink, a creeping feeling of dread crawling up my spine.

“Do I… really have to give up a part of my soul? I mean, some help is cool and all, but I… I don’t really want to lose my soul. You know?”

The feline blinks back at me, its head tilting to the side as it purrs, “Do I know? No. We don’t have souls. However, I can say this - the soul removal and the halfway separation will hurt immensely. But, once such an operation is done, the soul fragment will be safely with both you and your companion. If, somehow, your soul was destroyed in a dreamscape or any other portion of the veil, your companion could relinquish your bond temporarily and regenerate your soul from the fragment. And should your companion perish or choose to move on? You will not suffer in any manner.”

Tiriatsu pauses, the corners of its lips drawing upwards, “... In truth, the ones who benefit most from this arrangement are your companions, but your soul being held by them is also rather helpful. I will admit - the soul regeneration process is said to be excruciatingly painful, though I do suppose it is a better option than death.”

I wince at the idea of having my soul destroyed. If losing just a sliver of my soul leaves me bed-bound , I can’t imagine how much it’d hurt to get the majority of my soul destroyed. I laugh awkwardly, letting my hands rest on the kittens’ backs, “R-Right… better broken than dead, eh?”

The feline nods, seeming to approve of my joke. Behind the cat-like deity, Peeps is openly crying, though mercifully, they seem to have summoned a sound-canceling bubble around themselves so as not to interrupt Tiriatsu. When our eyes meet, however, the bubble of silence evaporates. Peeps starts bawling, and I feel my face flush lightly in second-hand embarrassment. Tiriatsu, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to mind. It waves to me, stepping back, “I won’t force your decision on you now. Think about it. We’ll speak again, mortal - travel safely.”

I nod in acknowledgement, and the feline exits the room with the kittens in their arms. Peeps still hasn’t stopped bawling, and when we’re alone, they start bawling even harder. It’s… pretty horrific. Big, fat tears drench their yellow feathers, and the sheer volume of liquid means that eventually, their tears start dripping onto the floor. At this rate? I might die of drowning before I die of the shit I put my body through. Groaning inwardly, I muster up the energy to try and sit up.

Predictably, I fail and plop back onto the bed with a grunt of pain. Seeing me try to sit up manages to sober up Peeps a little though, and they wipe their eyes, sniffling. They step forwards, resting their hands on my arm. With a soft, teary-eyed smile, they squeeze my arm ever so slightly, sending healing energy into my body. It doesn’t take away all the pain, but… it does help. A lot.

“Oh Opal… I’m so sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t think you’d see into a mirror, not yet! You were doing so well and you were okay and my last apprentice, he… he looked! And he was hurt! A-a-and it was because I told him the truth! That… there’s sometimes creatures trapped there by powerful stains. I wanted to be honest! B-but he… he didn’t listen to my warning. He went in, a-a-and… he… I… I couldn’t… he hadn’t found a companion, much less two, and when it… when it… when…”

Peeps trails off, tears welling up in the corners of their eyes again. They look like a disaster, and the copious amount of snot threatening to fall out of their beak isn’t helping. Peeps has always been emotional, yeah, but this is something else - something deeper. I watch, clueless, as they start falling apart in front of me. I’m good at a lot of things, but emotional support? Comfort? Nuh-uh. I’m logical to a fault, and emotions make my head hurt. I don’t often cry, and sure, I feel bad for people sometimes, but it’s not er, easy for me.

Yet… There is something in the way Peeps look at me that makes me push through the pain and uncertainty and my utter awkwardness around emotions™. I ignore the pins and needles in my body as I sit up in one go and wrap my arms around the bird, burying my face in their feathers. They smell like hay, wildflowers, and warm tea on a cold day. Peeps hiccups, their hands rising up to embrace me in return. Normally, I hate hugs. But something in the way that Peeps clings to me, shaking and sad, makes my usual annoyance and discomfort melt away.

I hug them until the pain in my body is too much. I draw away and fall back onto the sheets, a huff of air leaving me as I do. Peeps’ eyes are now dry, yet there is a sadness lingering there that makes even my chest hurt when I see it. Peeps was scared of losing me, and I hadn’t even thought about the possibility of them being traumatized by a prior apprentice’s mishap before I had rushed, head-on, into the mirror. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t mean to scare you so bad, Peeps.” I whisper, trying to ignore the hoarseness in my voice and the roughness in my throat.

They rest a hand on my cheek. I lean into it, sighing as I feel the soothing touch of their magic. Peeps shakes their head, a small smile gracing their features, “It’s not your fault, I promise. Please… just call out for me if you’re ever unsure in the future, okay? I want you to be safe, Opal. You’re my apprentice, and… even more than that, you’re my friend.”

A scaly hand brushes the wetness I hadn’t even noticed forming away from the corners of my eyes. Aw shit, there goes my badass points… dammit. Suddenly at a loss for words, I simply nod, sending them a small smile. Peeps smiles back, retracting their hand and motioning towards the door, “Now… let's go back home, shall we?”

“Okay.” I say softly, reaching up for them.

It’s embarrassingly infantile how I hold out my arms and beg for them to pick me up. But they don’t comment on it, lifting me up gently and holding me close - they’re shockingly strong for a puff of feathers, it seems. As soon as I can nestle into their chest, I do so, feeling myself slipping into a comfortable state of unawareness - not quite sleep, but close enough. The gait of my mentor is even and eventually, I feel the ever-present pull of the waking world whisk me away to wakefulness.

When I wake up (for real, this time), everything hurts. But I am alive, Peeps is recovering, the kittens are healed, and that’s all that really matters.

- - -

END OF LOG

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