After a moment of awkwardness between them, Ash, “Do you promise nothing will happen?” Nyx, can’t believe he is still suspecting her protection, “Yeah Ash, I promise. It not a big deal, really. I’ll make you blend into the world.” So Nyx gave him some of her dead brother’s clothes, which makes it more weird. Ash, eager to blend into the strange world, Nyx draws a eye on his forehead to make sure he looks like he’s from this world.
As they walk to the park with Ash still in fear, they encounter Valen, who searches for a lover all around, a slacken to everyone, especially Nyx herself, but she's upset with this and hates him. Valen already has a lot of partners and he cheats on every of them for Nyx, but since Valen’s in the group that Seraphina’s the boss of and Nyx also works for, she sees him every weekend. Valen doesn’t take kindly to Ash’s presence.
Valen, soon as he sees Ash, “Oh who do we have here?” He pulls Ash harshly, “Nyx, who the hell is this? A dog that you adopted or something?” Nyx, “How funny, why don’t you just go away Valen?” Valen lets go of Ash and gets closer to Nyx, “Oh come on baby.” He touches her face, “Don’t you like it?” Nyx aggressively pushes him away, “Get away from me, jerk! I don’t know how many things I have to tell for a dumb idiot like you to understand!” Valen, surprised, “But Nyx…” Nyx, shouting, “ Don’t even get the hell near me, jackass!” Nyx, quickly pulls Ash and starts walking, making Valen look behind them.
Ash to feel a surge of anger and hate to Valen, and also jealousy. Ash struggles with his emotions, not understanding why the sight of Nyx interacting with Valen stirs something inside him, something he’s not ready to face. But yet, he’s still so affected by Nyx’s moves and words, he starts to feel an admiration against her.
Later, at the park, they sit under a tree, the day fading around them. Ash talks about his world, the one he misses dearly, and his voice cracks as he fights the overwhelming sadness.
The weight of his homesickness is too much to bear, and the tears begin to fall. Nyx, unaccustomed to comforting others but instinctively reaching out, hugs him.
Their closeness lingers, but they are interrupted by Theo, who’s a close friend of Nyx, who arrives with a shocked exclamation of, "What the actual hell?"
Nyx decides to take Theo to her house, so they all go home. Nyx tries to explain Ash’s true nature. “Look, I know it looks weird, but this is the truth! Ash just teleported from nowhere and he comes from a different kind of demation! It’s so hard for us monsters to understand but somehow, someway, we met, and Ash will help me find the truth of this two or maybe more worlds, in a way I do have hope!” Nyx, looking at Theo, hoping he understands, “ I just need you to keep it as a secret, atleast, against the ones who can try to hurt him.”
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Theo, “I can’t believe it, Nyx, don’t you understand how important this is? Our whole existence could be a lie!” Though Theo is initially wary, he comes to understand that Ash is a human, not a creature from this strange world. Over dinner, Theo remains suspicious, keeping Ash close to Nyx, unsure whether he can trust him.
As the night continues, Nyx and Ash, still caught in the awkward tension of the evening, watch a movie together. Nyx finds it amusing, while Ash is deeply unsettled. Their shared discomfort slowly shifts into something else, a quiet connection. During the movie, they both get closer and closer to each other, ending up holding hands.
When the movie ends, the night wraps in silence. Both of them are too shy to say anything, but a simple "Goodnight" is shared before they head to their rooms, hearts still echoing with the unspoken tension.
Ash wakes up early, feeling more rested than he has in a long time. As he quietly slips out of bed to the bathroom, the silence of the room falls heavy. He looks at his reflection in the mirror, still trying to make sense of the strange new life he's found himself in. His thoughts are a whirlwind. “What the heck is this?” he mutters to himself, before sighing, realizing he’s already too attached to Nyx to go back now. The feeling is undeniable, no matter how hard he tries to ignore it.
Meanwhile, Nyx stirs in her bed, her mind drifting toward him. She barely knows Ash, yet she’s already found herself working with him, thinking about him, watching over him and accepting him in her house. She never needed anyone before, but now? She wonders if having him next to her might not be so bad. She starts to stare at the ceiling, her mind unable to rest. Her chest feels tight with uncertainty. What if Ash’s danger? He seems harmless, lost, fragile even, but she doesn’t truly know him. The only thing she does know is that he shouldn’t be here. None of this is normal. Is she doing the right thing by helping him?
And Theo… He knows. She trusts him, but what if he tells someone? What if Seraphina finds out? What if this whole thing spirals out of control?
Nyx exhales, pressing her palms against her face. This isn’t just about her anymore. Whether she likes it or not, she’s tied to Ash now. She just doesn’t know if that’s a good thing… or a terrible mistake.
She can’t even make sure it’s a trap, a game to somehow hurt her or maybe worse, Nyx realizes she had never felt so lost and alone but found and helped at the same time. She never actually had someone’s shoulder to lay her head on, maybe she got friends or a family, at least for a few years, but she always dealed the sad times by herself, she didn’t even feel a need to tell another. But this time, it’s different, she wants to feel herself just like she wants to feel Ash. This could be her very end, or just the new start.
Understanding the secrets of worlds and universes are now literally everything to her, and the only person to help for that is Ash. Don’t get her wrong, she isn’t just using Ash to find the truth, but now someway, she loves him, more than a stranger, he’s just more than a prospective betrayer. A friend, a nice way to Nyx to live, to actually live.
