Quill swallowed at her statement. “Chat? What do you mean ‘have a chat?’ Haven’t we been chatting?”

  “Awww. Are we going to be difficult? Cuz we can go down that path if you want.”

  “ I don't know what you mean.” Quill spoke with confidence, if she had a body that he could look at he would be looking at her with full sincerity.

  “Hm. very well, I expected we'd have to do something like this anyways so I'm not surprised.”

  And before he could ask her what he felt his body lock again causing him to fall face first into the ground. He couldn't even Flinch or blink as he smacked into the floor. It didn't really hurt but he also noted that he couldn't even move his vocal cords to make a muffled but surprised yelp at that moment.

  “Quill, Quill, Quill. my beloved, sweet, stupid little Quill. Now what am I going to do with you? You insist on making this so difficult and honestly it pains me to have to go this way.”

  He would have liked to respond, even if it was through his brain. But at this point he noticed that his lungs weren't working either. He couldn't even breathe in or out air. He couldn't move his eyeballs to look to the side, quite literally everything was frozen and there was nothing he could do. Panic was starting to set in and he couldn’t even fidget or move!

  “Shhh. Shhhh. Shhhhh. it's okay, I'll make sure to release your lungs if you pass out. That said, I expect you to be honest with me, to be up front, and talk to me like a civilized adult that you are. Now I will release your lungs before you pass out this time, but I expect you to be on your best behavior. Okay?”

  He suddenly felt the invisible constriction on his lungs release and he quickly inhaled a deep breath. Or at least as much of a deep breath as he could get given his mouth was still snapped closed and he could only push air in and out of his nose. Still the relief was there and that's when she released his jaw and vocal cords so he could speak.

  “What did you want to talk about?” he asked but he had a very good idea of what it was.

  “See? Isn't this so much easier? Now, I want to know everything you are hiding from me. I mean everything. I tried to root around your subconscious and soul to figure it out but, at least on a subconscious and spiritual level, you prove surprisingly resilient at hiding. However I am not dumb nor am I a fool. You are hiding something from me and we are not to keep secrets from each other. Ever! If your answer isn't to my satisfaction I will make sure the next time I constrict your lungs you do pass out.”

  “I am not denying it, I merely wish to know why you think I am hiding something from you.” Despite her having released the muscles in his lungs and mouth, he still felt strained while talking which might have had something to do with the fact that he was currently face first into the ground. but it could have also been just the simple stress of the matter.

  “Really? you want me to spell it out for you? Fine. For starters you are just a terrible liar. Like absolutely horrendous. I really hope you'll never be in a situation where your life depends on lying cuz you will die. 100%.

  “Second, those two skills you seem to be consistently leveling up. Split thinking and mental focus I believe they were called. Yeah, you weren't subtle. It doesn't take a genius to know that you are keeping thoughts from me. Ones that I could not see or read in your mind. So obviously you were thinking things that you wanted to hide from me.

  “Plus there was that whole powerful mind kerfuffle. Seriously, did you really think I would believe you accidentally chose that? Kind of insulting. I could go on but I think you get the general gist, so what is it? Hm? what are you hiding from me Quill.”

  Perhaps It was due to the fact that she had locked his body again but his initial anxiety and fear went to the wayside as he felt the suppressed anger he had been suppressing about being controlled like this bubble to the surface “Pretty hypocritical of you to say we shouldn't be hiding things from each other when you have been hiding what you are since the very beginning.

  “When you first showed up I couldn't help but think that you were always with me yet that isn't true and the more I try to figure it out, the more questions I got. Who the hell are you?? My memory is fuzzy but I do remember a gray mist just before the system hit. After that it felt like my identity got screwy, Like what is my last name?? I know I have one but every time I try to remember it slips away from my conscious!

  “You've been screwing around with my brain since the beginning! I was just trying to get back what you took!” he spat those last words out with as much vitriol as he could muster. Since they were going cards on the table he didn't feel the need to play nice anymore.

  she clicked her tongue in annoyance at that. “I was trying to make your transition easier, you know. Something that would allow you to accept me more quickly without all the potential drama like this. It was for your sake but you have been proven to be exceptionally defiant. I love that about you, don’t get me wrong, but you really have no reason to be defiant with me.”

  “Have no reason to be- are you insane?? You show up out of nowhere, mess with my memories and who I am only to then say I have no reason to be defiant with you?? Sounds like I have every reason to be defiant! What is your end goal anyways? Are you going to consume my soul or some bullshit like that!”

  “Consume your soul??? What kind of ludicrous ideas are you thinking up? Why would I consume your soul? You are my other half! You complete me! Without you I would still be stuck in the well of souls suffering endless torment but you! Oh you my sweet beloved Quill! You saved me and for that I will be forever grateful. I don't want to consume your soul. I want us to be together for all eternity. That is our destiny.” Her voice took on a more unsettling and unhinged tone as she continued to speak, all the while he felt crackles and rips echo throughout the air. He couldn’t see what was happening but he somehow had an instinctual primal fear that reality itself was breaking apart around him. It took every ounce of his courage to ask a follow up question and not freak the hell out.

  “wh- what the hell are you talking about?”

  Her voice thankfully went back to normal as the cracking faded away. “I'll explain it more to you in due time. However, for now I think we need to work more on our trust. Or more like we need to work on your trust. I trust you completely but you clearly have reservations and we are going to need to work on that. For starters, how did you even know I wasn't always with you. I was pretty sure I was thorough in making you think that when we fused.”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  He was about to ask what she meant by thorough and fused but before he could his jaw snapshot in his lungs could no longer intake air. “ When you are better behaved and trust me more, I will answer whatever questions you might want. But for now you answer what I want. Or things will get very difficult for you very quickly.”

  She then released his jaw and control over his lungs and after a second of hesitation he answered. “It was when you asked me what I wanted to do after I got out of the tutorial. I had a weird inkling that something was off before but when you asked that question, which was a question somebody who had been in my life all this time should have known. I figured something was up and tried to figure out what was wrong while also trying not to alert you.”

  “You are exceptionally resilient to anything dealing with the soul aren't you. I can't believe my precious little boy is so strong. I'd be feeling an immense amount of pride if that defiant strength wasn't directed towards me.” she sounded almost exasperated in that statement.

  He was about to ask if she had anything to do with his soul having an error on his system but his jaw snapped shut again though thankfully she left his lungs alone “No talking. I am trying to think how we should proceed from here.”

  So he was left there, staring at the floor for who knew how long. He felt like he should be grateful that she released control of his eyelids so he could blink. But for all he knew the thought of being grateful was just her idea somehow implanted into his own.

  Eventually she spoke again, releasing control of his jaw in the process. “After some careful thought. I have decided I will forgive you for this transgression you have committed upon me. But I want to make one thing very very clear. No more secrets, no more hiding things from me. If you want to be defiant, fine, but you do it out in the open. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Crystal.” Quill growled out “And what do you plan to do? Are you going to start messing with my memories again, only this time being more thorough? Make me nothing more than a brainless puppet for you to play and amuse yourself with?”

  “Me? I am going to do nothing.” She spoke like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  “Nothing, what do you mean nothing?” The statement was baffling given everything she had already done

  “Exactly that. Since you obviously rejected the first route I was going with, which was supposed to make things easier for you I might add, I will just have to go with the original plan I had or in this case, Plan B, which is to do nothing”

  “ forgive me if I'm a little skeptical. but I highly doubt you won't do a single thing.”

  “ Oh, I still plan on doing things. Just nothing that would involve me directly influencing you and since you are skeptical I feel the need to explain. Why would I do anything when I know the outcome will be your love and acceptance no matter what? The only reason why I was messing around with your memories in the first place was for your benefit, and admittedly for mine as I wanted your acceptance sooner rather than later. But I shall settle for this.” Her voice held resignation, almost like a parent who finally relented to a kids tantrum. There was displeasure in her tone but it felt more like a minor annoyance than anything else.

  “Of course it's nothing more than a minor annoyance. Do you really think me waiting a couple of hundred years for you to realize that we are destined to be together means anything to me? Not even a blink in the eye. Of course I hope you will accept our destiny together sooner but it is what it is I suppose.”

  He could have sworn he saw her shrug her shoulders inside his mind before speaking “Don't get your hopes up. I'm going to figure out how you got bonded to me and how to get rid of you. Since I don't have to play nice anymore I can spend more of that energy on doing exactly that assuming you aren't going to try and stop me.”

  “Oh?” her voice took on a smug confident tone. “ Then how about a little bet hm?”

  Quill paused, not sure where she was going with this as she continued. “I have full confidence that it will only be a matter of time before you fully accept and embrace me. So, I will do nothing to prevent you from trying to get rid of me. That's it. No tricks, no games. Obviously if I win I get you. And if you win, you get rid of me. Simple and straightforward is the best way after all.”

  “That's assuming you keep your word.” he countered and she just laughed.

  “Would you rather I just tell you I will get in your way no matter what? What have you got to lose by agreeing? Nothing. and you have quite a lot to gain from your current perspective.”

  She had a point, and while he wasn't expecting her to uphold this little bet there was also no reason not to agree with it. “Fine, deal.”

  She let out a delighted laugh. “Good, you know this was actually my preferred plan. I wanted your full acceptance without any alteration and was only going with the subtle brainwashing for your benefit so this works out. I certainly won’t complain”

  “You keep saying it was for my benefit like I am going to believe you” He muttered back before continuing “Is this truly all you want? Is it just me?” he felt the need to ask. He couldn't help but feel there was more to this entity story that she was letting on.

  “ oh there is a lot more to me than you realize but that will only be revealed as you slowly accept me. Just know this, there is more out there than just this measly Multiverse and its system. More material planes than you could ever wrap your silly little mind around. That is all I will tell you for now until you earn my story.”

  he let out a growl of frustration before asking his final question “And what exactly do I call you. Can hardly keep calling you ‘her’ now can I.”

  “Well I suppose you could so long as you capitalize that h. I wouldn't mind being your goddess, even if being a deity is so below me. But for now I suppose you can just simply call me Grey. Easy to remember and a decent enough description.”

  “Fine. Grey it is. I would ask what your real name was but I don't think I care.”

  “Well that is just mean and totally uncalled for.” she responded in an unbothered voice.

  “ So are you going to unfreeze me so I can stop sniffing the dust on the ground?”

  “ h good Heavens no. We haven't gone through your punishment yet.”

  “ punishment?? but you said-” his jaw snapped shut and his vocal cords stopped moving, however she allowed him to keep breathing which seemed to concern him more than if she hadn't.

  “ I said I wouldn't interfere with you trying to get rid of me. However I cannot let the faux pas of you keeping secrets from me go unpunished. I forgive you of course. But you still need to be punished for the transgression.” he couldn't see it but he felt the energy manifestation slowly glide up his arm.

  “ It's funny. Whenever I thoroughly examine your body, which is all the time by the way. I can't help but notice how humans have these bundles of nerves everywhere. Very sensitive little things aren't they”

  Before he could even respond in his head, a blinding pain shot through his arm as the thinnest of needles stabbed him in what he could only assume was a nerve. He couldn't even scream out in pain because she stopped his vocal cords from moving.

  “So, so many nerves all over the body.”

  He wanted to scream out again but couldn't as he felt another needle stab him.