██ is ██? ██are there █ ██ from one ██? ██?

...

...

...

"You heard that right?" Hans asks. "Right? Cause if you don't...I may be going insane."

Like that make a difference. You're already off your goddamn rocker and yes, I did hear that. That's most likely the intruder that invaded our mind!

"That makes a lot more sense," Hans replied, ignoring the part where he was called insane. He whirled around, scanning for the mind invader. Trying to search through vibrations brought up nothing, so, the culprit was most likely miles away from here. But, his senses didn't seem to be aware of any danger, so perhaps whoever that was in his head didn't mean any harm.

Still, it was best to stay on guard. The very fact that they were in his mind means they could be manipulating his very own senses against him. Asger, at the very least, agrees with him on that.

Even if they didn't mean any harm, he still wouldn't let them off the hook. Especially after the mind fuck that happened to him while he was on the surface, and the last thing he needs is Asger going absolutely batshit insane. Once was enough for a lifetime considering just how annoying the guy was. And yes, you were being annoying as hell, Asger! Don't you fucking deny it!

██. Tell me. ██ is this anomaly ██ is occurring ██ █?

"Show yourself/Show yourself!"

The invader didn't answer, seemingly content to stay silent. At least that was what he thought before they spoke again. In the same monotone voice, that sounded like multiple people talking at once.

I will repeat ███ again. What is ██ anomaly ██ is occurring ██ now?

Please, if you're going to demand something from us, at least speak clearly!

"Also, if you want to talk, how about you show yourself!" Hans shout. "Because it seems kinda rude that your hiding while demanding things from us." Also, what the fuck were they talking about anomaly? Asger?

Another bout of silence from them, which was something he didn't like. Mostly because he didn't what the fuck they were planning and keep him on edge while his senses still didn't seem to notice anything wrong. For fuck sake, all he wanted was to come home and relax after a long day, and now he had to deal with this shit too?

Was he getting swallowed up by a giant worm not enough?

It was like someone was out to get him. And if he ever found out who it was, he was going to strangle them alive for all the trouble they caused him! Wait, Hans, focus, focus Hans, you got a mind invader in your head right now! They could be reading your mind and using your thoughts against you.

Asger groans in exasperation.

█ cannot understand what ██ are thinking. For ██ record, I am ███ in front of you and █ mean ██ no harm.

Right in front of us?

What the hell do they mean by right in front of us? Are they invisible or what?

Right in front of us...

Right in front of us...

Right in front of us...

Hans? You okay?

They said that they're right in front of us. However, there was nothing near them, he checked. But, there was one thing that was in front of him. Something or someone that he knew very well. Ignoring Asger asking what he was doing, Hans turn his head toward the crystal he had mounted at the top of his home. They were bigger than before he left, their singular eye staring down at him.

"Em...Is that you speaking?" Hans said, not quite believing what was going on. To his shock and joy, the crystal reacted, its eye twitching and blinking before staring at him with confusion at his statement.

Em/Em?

The fucking crystal?

"Asger, they're not just a crystal, they're a companion of ours," Hans said. "Although I don't know they acted so confused when I said their name, considering how times I talk to them. But, I am glad that they can finally talk now."

Asger spluttered before sighing, if he had an actual body, he would be pinching his nose out of frustration.

Em, the crystal on the however hand, was very interested in what Hans had said and was happy to continue talking much to Hans' pleasure. Even better, their speech was getting clearer the longer they spoke. Overall, this was one of the best things to have happened to him.

You call ██ Em?

"Yes!" Hans exclaims. "But if you don't like it...Well, you can change if you want."

█...I like ██ name. However, that █ not ██ I want █ talk about.

Oh, that's good, they didn't hate the name, hell, they even like it. "What is it you want to talk about then?" He asks, quizzically.

What I want to ██ about is you. Why █ there two voices in your mind? Why do you feel so much different than ██ rest of the monsters? Why do you act so ██ differently ██ them?

Taking a minute to process what Em had said, Hans pondered over their questions before replying. "Well, I don't know how and why Asger came to be, so I can't answer your first question—"

It's because he's insane and wanted someone to talk to. End of story.

Rude. Could have waited until he was done speaking. Though, why does it feel like he's hiding something? Especially with how quick he was to interrupt him, and his hurried tone with none of his mood or smugness that he had. Perhaps something embarrassing? Or...—

Nope. Stop that.

"Stop what?"

You know what I'm talking about. I am literally in your head, so I can hear what you're thinking. So don't even try and keep that thought to yourself.

"Alright, Alright, I get it," Hans relented. "I just don't know why you're so defensive about it, considering you were just fine talking about it a while ago." What he got was a bunch of conflicted emotions from Asger before he feel the disembodied voice sigh.

...I'll tell you at a later time.

Wanting to get out of this awkward mood, Hans shrugs and replied, "Sure." With no answer from Asger, he turns his attention back toward Em. "What were we talking about?"

Why, you, specifically, ██ so different compared to all ██ other monsters.

"Oh, that's easy to answer," Hans stated. "It's because I used to be human and I come from another world!"

Silence deafens the cavern as Em slowly processes what he had just said, their eye-widening at an immeasurable amount of shock and disbelief. This pulled Asger out of his conflicted mood, with him chuckling at their expression before erupting into full-blown laughter. What was so funny about Em's expression, Hans doesn't know, but good for him, he guesses.

...C-Can ██ explain what you ██ said?

“Oh, sure. It’s just going take a while,” Hans replied, nonplussed. “Hey, Asger! We got time right?”

You don't have to yell, Hans. And yes, we have time, considering we have nothing else to do. Well, as long as the monsters don't start acting up, and attack us.

"Yeah, we got time," Hans said. "So, the story begins with me waking up as a scorpion..."

"...And the rest is history." Hans finished.

So, you came ██ another world, that █ more advanced than this world. A world that has ways to allow the average people to travel great distances, with 'planes' and 'cars.' With no magic, none of ██ other species that exist in this world expect humans, ██ you used to be human but woke up here as a scorpion.

"Yup," Hans affirmed. "Although, you don't seem to be taking this too well." Even without them actually speaking, he could feel them being dumbfounded, and their mind seem to be wandering everywhere with snippets of them trying to find a way to explain how he had ended up here in this world, but failing.

Asger was having the time of his life, unashamedly howling with laughter at their state of mind.

Of course, I'm not ███ this well! None of this ██ recorded in any of the memories that are stored ██ me!

"Well, at least on the bright side, your telepathy has gotten better!" Hans said. "I can understand most of what you're saying. Although...what do you mean by memories being stored inside you? You mean like you got memories of other people inside you?" Because if that were true, then he would have to start looking at all the other crystals around them differently.

I have ███ memories from numerous different—

Danger/Danger.

A large amount of danger was approaching them from all directions. "Jeez, they just won't let up won't they?" Hans complained. "And in the middle of our conversation?"

I say that's very rude of them.

...At least thirty life signatures could be spotted.

They could do that? No wait, you can ask that later, now is not the time.

Right now, it's time to fight.