•Y/N: Your Name

•M/N: Mother's Name

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Darkness is all that lies before the girl when she opens her eyes, with the exception of the man she had once considered a friend and protector. There is no floor, nor walls or ceiling— No light at all, and yet, they both could see each other perfectly well. Though he was not too close, Y/N still felt it was necessary to take a few cautious steps away. It was an odd feeling, walking on nothing but air. It was like there was no weight to her body, but it was an experience she had gone through numerous times in dreams.

Straight away, she felt panicked in this dark abyss, not trusting any part of her surroundings in case the Boogeyman decides to attack the moment her guard is lowered. Her trembling hands grip her arms firmly as she looks down at her feet, awaiting his next move. Realizing he will have to be the first to act, the man crouches down to appear less threatening, only to bring about the thought of a panther ready to pounce on its prey, which truly was not his intention. Gulping anxiously, she listens as he speaks in a gentle voice.

"Tell me, mouse, what is it you'd like to see? It can be anything you please. There are no limits." She was already aware of the fact; his nightmares had often dipped into impossibilities to fulfill his sick fantasies in the past. Anything is possible in this realm. Her stomach churns at the recollection as she steps back even further, fearful of any creation he makes even if it is meant to soothe her.

"I just want to be left alone." That was it. She doesn't want a dream, pleasant or not. If it derives from that dreadful thing, she doesn't want anything to do with it. She would rather float aimlessly through the empty void than spend a single moment with him. Unfortunately, she was already aware that his plan involved staying put. Breathing a sigh of frustration, the demon stands, the quick action causing the girl to flinch back and stand defensively. "S- Stay where you are!"

"I wasn't going to do anything," he assures, but she could not bring herself to trust the genuine words. "You need to relax," he says, though he spoke more to himself than to his company. "That cannot be accomplished in the dark. You fear it, so if there is no request, I will just have to make something for you myself." The creature paces in thought as he ponders something that will put the anxious girl at ease, but the anticipation of waiting only made Y/N feel sicker.

'I should've just picked something.' She scolds herself for not doing so; instead, she's left dreading whatever twisted wonderland he decides upon.

"F- Forget it. I don't want it," her shaky plea goes ignored, while silver eyes gleam when an idea finally comes to the creature.

"Ah, I know."

'Oh, no.' Frightened, the young woman braces herself for whatever might come, prepared to bolt off as the demon squats down to touch the tips of his fingers to the nonexistent ground. Y/N's toes sink into soft, warm sand the color of pink peonies, causing her to gasp and jump in fear of being swallowed up by the shimmering minerals. Much to her relief, when her feet hit the ground again, they stayed steady. The Boogeyman stifles a laugh at the reaction, making her upset, but he disregards that as he raises a hand to the blank sky.

A yellow light forms in the palm of his hand, like a miniature sun, before floating upwards and growing. It spreads colors of dark pinks, blues and oranges, which swirl like watercolor, staining the dark mass. Tufts of white clouds blend into the colors, floating along steadily. There was something almost comforting about that light, about those colors and the gentle movements of the clouds. The demon quickly takes note of how the girl's shoulders had slumped a little bit and grins slightly.

After catching his gaze, she swiftly built her walls back up and stands firm again. His lips curl into a small smirk, which was not at all appreciated, before he goes back to forming the world around them with entrancing waves of his hands. Trees sprout out from the sand, starting as saplings then twisting and growing into something magnificent with plentiful leaves and vibrant, pink flowers. Paper lanterns hang from the branches, glowing dimly, as golden beads that glimmer under the light dangle like vines and wrap around the towering structures. The ground trembles as mountains form a distance away from the forest and the sand splits into a river, filling with sparkling, blue water and ending in a large, round pool.

Opaque, white stones appear at the shores. Some are large; some are small; some are stacked on top of each other and leaking steaming liquid in waterfalls to warm the river and keep the water moving. Y/N stumbles back but was awed by the magnificent view. She still did not trust a single aspect about it. There was nothing that could convince her that such an awful beast can create something so beautiful without a catch.

When backing up, she crashed into something and spun around to find a large hammock had manifested between two trees. A sudden squawk makes her jump and gaze up at the branches, meeting the eyes of many colorful, exotic birds, which take off and spread out to find perches in the other trees. Giving a shout of surprise, she falls onto her back as they flew at her, but none pecked, clawed or bothered her at all. Y/N looks over at the Boogeyman and finds him sitting on a pile of the large, white rocks, patiently waiting for the girl to give a review on the oasis, with his head in his hand. She is silent but he is not discouraged. The look on her face says it all, so he waves her off, gesturing her to explore the place and enjoy herself. That wasn't going to happen. She didn't care how lovely the place was; she would have no part in it, so she stays put, lying in the sand, which seemed to disappoint and faintly irritate the man.

"Nothing bad will happen. Go ahead. If you desire more, just ask or think about it." Uncertain, Y/N rakes her fingers through the sand. None of it sticks to her fingers, slipping past like smooth silk. She, then, looks up at the sky, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the sun on her face.

The warmth it gave off was blissful, almost real. Such small details made her accidentally drop her guard once again. Slowly, she stands and dusts off her pajamas before approaching the hammock. She examines it before sending a skeptical look to the monster who, much to her dismay, was watching closely. This made her wonder if it's a trap.

A hesitant hand presses down on the white fabric to check its sturdiness, but even though it appeared safe, she was too afraid to attempt trying it out. Y/N steps back only to shriek soon after colliding with a solid chest. Two arms then snake around her, causing the girl to thrash around in panic, but they held firmly to prevent escape. The next thing she knows, she's scooped into the creatures arms and lifted off the ground.

"You are utterly ridiculous," he comments before dropping the human in the center of the hammock. She screams whilst sinking in and swaying, half-expecting the trees to collapse on her or the folds to wrap around and suffocate her in some form of cocoon, but nothing of the sort happened. Shaking violently, she gazes up at the man who is wearing a smug look with an arched brow as if to say, I told you so. Y/N curls up, bringing her hands to her chest and feeling the savage beats of her heart, but slowly starts to relax on the gently rocking hammock. "See, not so bad is it?" She flinches as he leans against the device, but not enough to make it tip and make her topple. She did not move in fear of turning it over herself, but wished to as he came closer.

"As I've said, I don't intend to harm you anymore," he assures before giving a smirk. "I'd join you, but I know it's a bit too soon for you to get all cuddly with me again." He chuckles, recalling how Y/N had obliviously embraced him during his little scam. She forces down a gulp, face draining of life at such memories. She had been so oblivious. Had she known the truth, she would've never—

"Don't worry," he whispers, still looking smug, "I'll keep that just between us. I won't ever tell a soul." His amusement dripped into every syllable, causing the young woman to glare, but he laughs it off and walks over to the pool of steaming water. "Although, I will admit, I did grow to like those hugs," he adds, bending down to remove his socks and shoes before rolling his pant legs to his calf. He, then, has a seat on the rocks, his back towards the girl, before saying something else to tease her more. "They were so warm and loving, and you smell so nice. I could not get enough of them." He snickers, while she shudders.

"You're disgusting," she spits back, which makes the creature giggle and peer over his shoulder with a sly grin.

"Oh, hush, you liked mine too. As I recall, you couldn't keep your hands off me." The demon tugs at the collar of his button-up shirt slightly. "You always had a tendency of clutching my shirt for dear life, even buried your head against my chest."

"T- That's enough! I don't want to hear anymore." Childishly covering her ears, Y/N turns over to face away from the beast, appalled by how intimate she had been prior to learning his identity. His grin falters when he hears a sob as she wipes her tears.

'Why couldn't he have been an actual human being? Why couldn't I have made normal friends? This sucks! I just wish everything was the way before.' The monster hums softly and faces the sky, watching the clouds float by at a snail's pace. This was far from his ideal pastime, but it seemed to make the human somewhat happy. That's all that really mattered.

"I am truly sorry, Y/N," he starts, and she listened, though her hands remain over her ears. He could hear her sniffles from behind, could smell how deep her sadness and betrayal ran. It all made him feel incredibly guilty. He hated that. "After I discovered my... fondness for you, I had wanted to disguise myself forever. You were never meant to find out the reality because I knew that would break you entirely. Do not be ashamed of what you had done then. You did not know what was happening or who I was. Yes, I believe that a life of secrecy would've been better in the long run, but I'm afraid that option is no longer plausible. You'll just have to make due with the truth, even if it's not what pleases you."

Y/N felt more tears running down her cheeks, but did not clear them. It was a gentle rain that stemmed from her pain. He was right. This is her reality now. Everything before was a complete lie. The girl did not speak a word, but he did not prompt her to say anything else.

It is her time to relax. There is no point in adding to her stress; instead, he plays with the water, moving his feet and splashing some, which quickly became a dull activity. He, then, tried making shapes out of the liquid, bending it like clay to his will and conducting horrifying plays to his pleasure— Depictions of a war with horses trampling over soldiers and warriors stabbing through watery hearts. Y/N payed no mind to whatever he was doing behind her, just listened to the splashing and the birds chatting. At some point, the demon rose and walked over to her. Once his shadow had casted over her body, she became stiff instinctively. "You are waking up now. I'll be following you today, so remember that no one, but you, will be able to see me. I will remain in this form, so if you decide to talk to me, realize humans will see you speaking to the air, not 'Pilvrich'." Y/N sits up and looks into his eyes anxiously.

"What exactly am I supposed to call you?" she asks, noting how he said his name as just a label for his human form, like there was no meaning or worth to it. Is it even really his name?

"Boogeyman, Pilvrich, I don't really care. It's your call. The first is really just a title though, not my name." Slowly, she nods.

"Then, Pilvrich is your real name?"

"I suppose so. It is a name I gave myself. I really had no use for names until recently," he claims. The paradise around them begins to fizz out, becoming blurry and grainy, almost like static. "Your parents seem to be waking you themselves. Try not to freak out, lest you want them to get hurt." With that, he's gone, blurring away with the rest of the dream, and she wakes to her mother softly calling her name and tapping her shoulder. Y/N isn't startled, much to the older woman's relief.

"Morning," says the mother with a smile. The girl blinks a few times and rubs the sleep out of her eyes, muttering back,

"M- Morning." She sits up and lowers her arms.

"Breakfast is ready. Why don't you get dressed and come down? Daddy's going to stay home with you today, okay? You have an appointment with Mrs. Williams later too." This information confuses her.

"But, it's not Wednesday?" A look of anxiousness flashes within the mother's eyes as she turns away from her daughters gaze.

"I know, but we figured that, with everything that's going on, you might want to talk with her." Y/N flinches upon spotting a shadow in the corner of her eye and spins her head in the direction of Pilvrich, who had appeared on her mattress. He does nothing but watch. M/N follows her gaze, but sees nothing there, which fills her with worry, but she says nothing about it. "Well, I have to go to work, so be good and have a nice day, okay?" She felt compelled to kiss her daughter on the head, but stopped herself in fear of startling her. This made the woman's heart ache as she stood from the bed. "I'll see you tonight, then."

"Okay," Y/N mutters, watching solemnly as her mother leaves.