*Yawn~*

The soft sound of a sleepy yawn echoed through the quiet cabin as Raquel slowly stirred from his slumber. His small hand reached up to rub the drowsiness from his eyes, blinking away the haze of sleep.

“Huh?” he mumbled, sitting up as he glanced around the room.

Usually, the first thing he would see in the morning was her—his guardian spirit. She always greeted him with a smile and a gentle voice.

But today, the chair beside his bed was empty.

Panic crept into his chest. He leapt out of bed, his bare feet padding anxiously across the wooden floor.

“Sister?” he called, his voice small and shaky. He ran through the small cabin, his heart pounding faster with every step. “Where are you…?”

The table still held their belongings—the knife, his mother’s book, and a few clothes.

He stopped in front of it, staring blankly.

He ran around the house and saw that their things were still in the table… ‘our things?’ he thought. “But… Sister doesn’t own anything, does she? She’s a guardian spirit…”

The realization hit him like a cold wave.

‘Did she leave me behind? Did she leave last night?’

Tears welled in his wide, trembling eyes.

“Sister…” he whispered, the word catching in his throat as tears spilled freely down his cheeks.

Suddenly, something shifted on the bed behind him.

A small white teddy bear sat upright—Tibbo, the toy his sister Acel had given him just days ago.

“Raquel, is something wrong?”

The voice was gentle, familiar. His breath caught.

“S-Sister?” he whispered in disbelief, turning back toward the bed.

Tibbo’s small head tilted, her soft voice coming from the plush bear. “Of course, it’s me. Though, wow… this is a first. I actually fell asleep,” she teased lightly.

Raquel didn’t speak. He just stared at her.

Concern flooded her voice as she noticed his tear-stained face. “Wait, did you have a nightmare? What’s wrong—why are you cry—” She stopped mid-sentence.

Her plush arms had been flailing in worry, but now, they froze mid-air.

She stared down at them—short, rounded limbs with no fingers nor elbows. Just soft, fluffy fabric.

A pause.

Then panic.

She waved her limbs again, slower this time. She touched her face, her belly, her round paws. Fluffy. Soft. Seamless.

Raquel’s guardian spirit had… possessed Tibbo.

Realization hit her like lightning, and she began patting every part of her plush form in a flurry of movement.

But Raquel didn’t notice her worries, he ran toward her and threw his arms around the bear – hugging her tightly. He buried his face in her soft head, tears soaking into the fur.

The flailing stopped.

A gentle hush fell between them.

“…There, there,” she whispered, wrapping her soft arms around the boy in return. “It’s alright now. I’m here.”

She rubbed his back in gentle, soothing circles.

Raquel tried to stop crying. He really did.

But the warmth of her embrace, the kindness in her touch—it made something inside his chest squeeze painfully. And the more he tried to hold back, the harder it became. The tears flowed freely.

He hugged her even tighter, thankful that she was still there, and that he wasn’t alone.

And she said nothing—just held him close in silence, rubbing his back, never letting go.

.

.

.

“Still, how did this happen?” Acel muttered, baffled.

She and Raquel were now sitting side by side at the edge of the bed. While Acel tried to piece together what happened, Raquel continued to stare at her in wide-eyed fascination. His tear-swollen eyes were now glistening with wonder. After all, it was the first time he’d ever seen a talking toy.

Raquel had spent much of his childhood imagining adventures, pretending his dolls and stuffed animals were brave knights and magical creatures. That they could talk, fight, and laugh with him. Seeing one actually speak—especially one that was now his beloved sister—was like watching a fantasy come to life.

But Acel was far less amused.

Her mind was racing. The last thing she remembered was Raquel holding onto her tightly… and then the sharp jolt of pain.

What could have caused such pain – there was only one thing Acel could think of. Without another word, Acel jumped off the bed and scrambled up onto the chair beside the table, using her tiny plush paws and stubby limbs with considerable effort. She scanned the scattered items laid across the tabletop… and immediately noticed something was missing.

“Raquel,” she asked, glancing back at him. “Where’s your shiny rock?”

Raquel tilted his head, confused at first. Then realization dawned on him.

“I was holding it before I fell asleep...” he murmured, quickly searching his bed. He tossed the thin blanket aside, pulled the pillow off, and even crawled underneath the bed to check the floor. But no matter how hard he looked; the shiny rock was gone.

He turned to Acel; eyes wide. “It’s gone…”

Acel, who had been frozen on the chair with her two fuzzy paws still resting on the table, suddenly collapsed backwards into a seated position. Her plush body flopped with a soft thump.

‘Did I possess the teddy bear because of that shiny rock?’ she wondered in disbelief. ‘But… how?!’

The idea made her shudder. Was it cursed? Had the stone somehow bound her spirit to the toy? It was the only theory that made any sense.

She closed her eyes, trying to force herself out of the bear the same way she phased through walls when she was still incorporeal. But instead of phasing, she felt something wrap tightly around her—a strange, cold energy, like invisible chains pressing in on all sides.

It was different from the warm tether of the red string that connected her to Raquel. This one was suffocating.

“Hngggg…!” She grunted, trying again to will herself out of the plush body.

Nothing.

Eventually, she slumped back, drained of all energy.

“Sister?” Raquel whispered with concern, scooting closer.

Acel stared blankly at the ceiling. “Am I… going to be stuck like this forever…?”

She didn’t have an answer. They were planning to use the teddy bear to carry their belongings during their escape—now that she was the teddy bear, would she have to cut herself open and stuff their things into her own stomach?

She grimaced at the thought. It didn’t matter that she was made of cotton now—pointing a knife at herself still felt grotesque.

Even worse, if they escaped in this state, what help could she be to Raquel? With these stubby limbs, she couldn’t even hold his hand, let alone protect him. If he tripped, she wouldn’t be able to catch him. The only thing she could do was sit and wobble.

“Sister,” Raquel asked gently, “can’t you leave Tibbo anymore?”

“No…” she replied with a small voice.

“Then… we can’t use Tibbo to carry our stuff, right?” His tone was sad, concerned. “You might get hurt…”

Acel gave him a soft pat on the head. “Don’t worry. Teddy bears don’t have nerves, so I wouldn’t feel pain. But just in case… let’s not do that for now.”

Raquel nodded solemnly.

Just then, a low rumble broke the silence.

Acel’s plush ears perked up, however, for the time Acel had stayed there, she already knew what it was – it was Raquel’s stomach declaring its hunger once again.

Despite everything, she chuckled. Even now, the child’s routine stayed the same.

She jumped down from the chair and helped Raquel into a seat. There were still some fruits left from earlier, so she encouraged him to eat.

He tried to offer her a fruit in return, but she politely declined.

“I'm pure white now,” she said with a sheepish laugh. “I’d rather not stain myself.”

Raquel didn’t press the matter and continued eating quietly after giving her a short nod.

Meanwhile, Acel sat beside him, deep in thought. She tested whether she could still fly, but to her dismay, she couldn’t lift off the ground. Her body now had weight—she was bound by gravity. She still had strength and could move heavy objects, but all her ghostly abilities were gone.

Then a troubling realization hit her.

‘How am I supposed to fish now? I can’t hold the fishing rod! Are we going back to just fruits again?!’

Her eyes darted around in a panic as she envisioned their bleak future. Her mind spiraled through dozens of worries: Raquel’s nutrition, their upcoming escape, her useless body…

She flopped onto her back dramatically.

“Sister?” Raquel asked again, pausing from his breakfast. “Is something wrong?”

“No… it’s fine…” Acel answered quickly.

She didn't want him to worry.