Chapter: Subcon Forest
Act 2: A Life-Changing Contract
A spirit slowly opened their eyes. They didn't know where they were, or who they are. They looked around the unknown area. It was a forest, a gloomy forest. The forest showed no sign of daylight, and it felt miserable here. They turned around and saw a huge shattered... thing. There were strange pillars that surrounded it. Gears were floating, and more shards. There was a floating orb in the middle too. It turned back around, seeing the forest yet again. Curiosity struck the spirit, noticing a path. It moved forward, looking around to catch more details of the forest. It wasn't long before they saw the trail. A path that lead.... somewhere. They floated towards that path, their purple-like body slithering.
As it made its way there, they noticed some odd looking creatures. They had a dark purple hood and one eye, and their clothing looked torn and ripped. Two of them were talking to each other. The spirit crept closer, wanting to hear their conversation.
"I can't believe how ungrateful those Dwellers are. Boss offered us a body so we can speak and live happily, but those losers refused!" One of them said.
"I dunno, what if they don't wanna work for Boss?" The other said.
The spirit crept closer, eager to know who 'Boss' was.
"Even if we do free work for him, he cares about us! Don't you remember? He used to be-"
"Hey! You know we're not allowed to say that!" They interrupted.
The spirit lost interest, and went away. They went back to following the path. They kept following it, unaware of where it lead to. After a few more minutes of wandering, they encounter a place with alot of tree stumps. Those tree stumps had doors in them, presumably being used as houses. It was a whole village, filled with more of those strange creatures. There were some purple fruits by an ice block, and even a small river. The spirit also saw more of its kind, although the spirit itself doesn't know what it is.
The other of its kind were other snake-like creatures, with various masks. It seemed a bit unsettling. The spirit continued to wander into the village, hoping to find some information about themself, or this place. They went to a strange light, emitting the color orange. It had logs under it. The spirit curiosity went closer to this 'light'. They circled it, entranced by its glow. Due to having no memories of almost anything at all, the spirit didn't understand that it was a bonfire, not a strange light sitting on some logs.
"Hey, that's a strangle looking Dweller. They have eyes, and a weird hat!" One of the one eyed creatures said, watching the spirit continue to circle the bonfire.
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"Yeah. Should we tell Boss about this?" Another said.
"Noooo Felicia, they're the most normal looking Dweller I have ever seen," They replied sarcastically. "Of course we do, you dimwit!"
"I was just asking... no need to be rude, Florian," the creature known as Felicia said.
"Now, lets show this to the Boss!"
Both of them went up to the spirit, who was still attracted to the glow of the burning fire.
"Hey, you! Come with us!" Florian demanded.
The spirit stopped. They looked at the two, wondering why.
"I said, COME WITH US! We uh..."
"Want you to meet someone really cool!" Felicia finished for him.
The spirit understood, and went over to them. They went on the trail. The two creatures conversed while the spirit continued to take in its surroundings. They followed the two to a strange looking tree. The tree was really tall, colorful glowing mushrooms growing on it. The tree was also surrounded by shallow water, as well as some spiky purple vines. The tree was hollow inside, and an entrance could be seen. Inside was some furniture, and from what the spirit could see, someone was inside. The two hooded creatures walked on the vines that acted as a bridge to the tree. The spirit followed them inside.
"Hey, Boss! Look what we found!" Felicia exclaimed.
A dark purple ghost sat on a comfy red sofa, reading a book. They had some sort of fluff on their neck, or whatever it really was. They had a yellow jack-o-lantern face, which glowed... like a jack-o-lantern. The ghost was huge.
He sighed and looked away from his book.
"What do you want now, Feli-" He said, before stopping mid sentence. "What the heck is THAT?"
"A Dweller! It's a weird looking one, right? We found it in the village," Florian explained to the ghost. "But boss, what are you-"
"You two are dismissed, let me handle this thing..." he said, setting down his book and getting out of his chair.
The two creatures then started to whisper to each other, seeming to talk about the spirit, otherwise known as the strange Dweller. The constant whispering angered the big ghost, as he was trying to examine the strange spirit.
"I said go! Go with the other Subconites!" He ordered.
The two Subconites jolted, breaking away from their conversation. They then quickly nod and turned around. As the two ran off, the spirit looked curiously at the big ghost. He circled around the strange Dweller, trying to get as much information as he could.
"You're a strange one..." He mumbled out loud.
He continued to stare at it, wondering why it was so different. It just seemed... off. It didn't have a mask. Had eyes. And a strange top hat. While he has seen Dwellers who did not wear masks, this particular one had eyes. However, it had just occurred to him, noticing the vast difference.
"You're not one of the village children."
The Dweller stood there, confused.
"I could use someone who's not just a little kid. Why don't we make a deal?" A scroll came out of nowhere, paired with a feather.
He grabbed the feathered pen and started to write something on it. After he finished writing on the parchment, he showed it to the Dweller.
"I give you a body and higher intelligence, and in exchange, you will work for me," he said, handing the Dweller the feather. "Just sign on the line! That's it."
Dwellers can't read, but this one somewhat understood what he meant. However, it might have taken the phrase "work for me" the wrong way. Using their tail to wrap around the pen, they signed in characters the ghost has never seen before. But it didn't matter. He then sealed the contract with his stamp.
"Great! Now, let me get a body," he said, going over to his closet and taking out one of his dolls. The doll, or in this case a body, looked like a Subconite. It just wasn't purple, and had no eye.
The ghost placed the doll in front of the Dweller. The spirit stood there, unsure on what it was supposed to do.
"Go on, possess it."
The Dweller still didn't recognize what to do, unaware of what "possess" meant. Snatcher started to get impatient, unhappy of how long it was taking for the Dweller to do what he had instructed.
"Just dive into it," he said, hoping it would understand.
The Dweller finally got the message, and went closer to it. It then dived into it, going inside. The doll started to form, meaning the Dweller had started to take control. It started to turn dark purple. However, the unexpected happened. The ghost was right, this Dweller was not one of the village children that lived long ago. However, this somehow caused the doll to change. The hood disappeared. The clothing had turned into something else.
A top hat grew, with hair underneath. A long sleeved shirt was formed, along with a cape and boots. The face wasn't one eyed like the other Subconites. It was two dotted eyes and a mouth that had two fangs. The face was also yellow, just like Snatcher's. The doll had seemed to turn into a hatted girl, much like how the spirit was before its demise. Surprised, Snatcher took a moment to process what happened. He then shook his head.
'Another little kid? Great. Hopefully she has more potential than the others.'
The newly formed "Subconite" stared at him. Snatcher stared back. It was like that for a few seconds, until the puppet broke the silence.
"Dad!" She said, running over and hugging him.
"What the- kid, I'm not your dad! Where did you get that from!?" He yelled, trying to get the child off of him. It was like she imprinted on him.
The child only hugged tighter. Snatcher then turned his round fingers into claws, grabbing her by the cape. He held her up, looking at her in the eye.
"Look, kid. You're working for ME now. And it will stay like that for the rest of your life. Understand?" He said. The child nodded, even though she didn't quite get the message yet...
"And I'm not your dad. Are we clear?"
"But..." she said, with a saddened expression.
"No buts! I. Am. Not. Your. Father." He stated clearly.
"But... aren't you my dad?" She asked.
"No."
The child started to sniffle, tearing up, eyes glossy.
"Kid, don't cry-"
She started to wail, making Snatcher place her down.
"Calm down! Your dad is... somewhere! Just stop crying for pecks sake!" He said, failing to cease her cries.
"B-but you just disowned me...! Your mean!" She cried, tears flowing down her face.
"I wasn't even your dad in the first place-!" He retorted.
She continued to shed tears. Snatcher didn't want to hear more of it. He resorted to the only solution he could think of, but he knew he would regret this for the rest of his life. Or existence in this case.
"Okay okay, I'm your dad! Quit the tears!"
The child's cries died down, turning into sniffles.
"Really...?" She asked.
"Yes, really," he replied.
...
"Yay!" She said happily, her mood changing fast.
Snatcher grumbled, immediately regretting what he did. But at least he didn't have to deal with a crying child for any longer.
"But don't call me-"
"Dad, what are we doing today?" She interrupted.
He groaned, hand covering his face. He uncovered his face and opened his mouth.
"Look, I'll be giving you things to do, and you do them. Got it?" He said. The child nodded, excited.
"First, go around the forest and check if theres anyone out of the ordinary. Tell me if theres anyone who's NOT a Subconite. Except for the weird twitchy guy."
"Okay!" She smiled.
"Now go do that. Don't bother me for nothing kid, I'm busy," he said, sitting back on his couch.
The child then went out of his home, running out. The Shadow Puppet ran onto the trail, excited for the 'adventure' her 'father' had assigned her. She scouted the area for anyone that looked out if place, just like The Snatcher said. Her dotted eyes scanned the trees, the grass, the sky, and even the murky swamp, which had creepy hands that would pull you in the moment you start sinking in the water. She hopped, ran, and skipped. Many of the surrounding Subconites eyed her curiously, wondering who the new girl was.
Shadow Puppet then spotted some blue. She rushed over to see who it was. She hid behind some bushes, and saw it was a bald man in a blue suit. The man seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't tell who it really was. But it was definitely someone that wasn't from around here. They were sitting on a bench, eating something. It was some mushy thing on a plate. It didn't look appetizing at all, and the only thing she could make out was a little bit of seafood on it. She cringed at how atrocious it looked, and wondered how they enjoyed such a thing.
But this was the perfect chance to snitch on him. She hurriedly ran back to Snatcher's tree, and rushed in.
"Dad, dad!" She shouted.
"Don't call me d-"
"I saw someone! It was this weird dude in a suit, eating something gr-"
"Kid, you don't have to tell me the details," he interrupted. "Now, where is he?"
"Uhh... on a bench near a clock thingy..." she said.
"Great! Now stay here, kiddo," he said, before diving into the ground, disappearing.
'Where did he go? How did he do that?' The child questioned. But she stayed in the tree, like she was told.
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After a minute or two, the ghost had came back. He saw the child on the edge of his chair, swinging her feet. When she noticed him, she hopped off the chair, awaiting for his directions.
"Alright kid, go back to looking," he said, picking up the same red book and sitting down.
"Can I ask a question?" She said.
"You already did. But make it quick, kid," he replied.
"What did you do to that man?" She asked.
"Oh, just stole his soul and made him one of my contractors," he replied.
"What's a contractor?" She asked.
"A person who has signed a contract," he explained.
"So is what you did good?" She asked, unknowing what a soul even was, or what a contract even is.
The ghost used her naiveness to his advantage.
"Yes, it is! Very good," he said, a small smile forming on his face.
"So can I do it too?" She asked, eager to help her 'dad'.
"Of course you can! It just... er, needs some practice. I'll teach you later, kid. For now, keep looking for people," he responded.
"Okay!" She smiled, and ran off to go search for more outsiders.
That just left Snatcher... and his book. Instead of reading the text, his mind wandered off to the child.
'Who are they really? Why did she think I was her dad? The other Subconites remember how they died and their past, so why did she act so weird?'
As more questions formed, the more confusion it brought. He didn't know how her spirit got to HIS forest, especially since she didn't come from here. Her Dweller form looked odd as well. But he snapped out of it when his book dropped to the floor, pages flipping. He quickly picked it up again.
"Peck, I lost my spot.." he said in annoyance, flipping through the pages.
Looked like he'd have to think about it another time.
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Shadow Puppet tiredly walked into the house, rubbing her eyes with her hand.
"I'm tired... can I sleep on your couch?" She asked.
"Find somewhere else to sleep, kid," he replied irresponsibly.
"But I wanna sleep somewhere soft! Sleeping on the floor sounds bad..." she argued.
"Not my fault there's nowhere comfortable to sleep in," the ghost said.
'She doesn't need sleep anyway, so why is she asking?' Snatcher thought. It was true, she didn't need to eat, or sleep.
But perhaps it was because she didn't even know that. It would also take some time to get used to, since she had a life before.
"Please...?" She asked, giving him the puppy dog eyes.
Usually, people give in to that face. Snatcher wasn't one of those people. But... he wasn't COMPLETELY heartless. Sure, he killed people, but...
He sighed. He couldn't believe he was actually going to do this.
"Fine, just this once. Don't disrupt me," he said.
The child climbed up onto the armrest, and laid down on it. She made sure not to fall off, but also made sure not to fall onto The Snatcher. But before her eyelids shut, a question popped into her mind.
"What's your name?" She asked.
"Snatcher. The Snatcher."
"That's a cool name."
Snatcher ignored her compliment.
Noticing this, she closed her eyelids and drifted off to sleep.
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Shadow Puppet awoke. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Instead of sitting on the armrest, she was sitting on the actual couch. She looked left and right, noticing that the ghost had left. She hopped down the couch, and left the tree. She looked up, noticing that it was still gloomy. It was like time didn't pass.
"Is it still nighttime?" She asked herself.
You really couldn't tell time in Subcon, unless there was a clock. She remembered seeing one right before she left, but she couldn't bother going back. She decided she was going to explore more, planning to return to the tree when Snatcher got back. She looked at her surroundings, trying to pick which direction she should go. She settled on exploring on what was behind the tree. She turned around and walked to the back, and started to go from there.
Eventually, she wounded up finding a familiar place. She found something... weird. Shattered glass was everywhere, and there were these strange pillars. Gears were floating in the air along with the glass, moving slowly. A pink orb could be seen, flowing with mysterious energy. It lured her in. Though it was pretty high up, and it wasn't reachable at the moment.
But something about this structure... seemed oddly familiar. It was like she has seen it multiple times before. No, it wasn't from when she was a spirit. It looked like an object she recognized. But broken. She couldn't point her finger at it. She also sensed that this... didn't belong here. It was like it was new. It was really strange, and it definitely confused her a lot.
She could feel the strange energy flowing out of this thing. All of a sudden, memories poured into her mind. They were all blurry, and barely audible. It was like it was showing what happened in the past, but it was blurring out all of the details. While some were more revealing than others, it was still difficult to tell. But she learned something important, even if she couldn't tell what it was. She at least relearned some information about herself. She wasn't a 5 year old, but she was 9. It felt kind of silly of how she acted earlier.
She re-learned some skills she had, and remembered she had... a life. A past life. A life she had before she turned into what she was now. But she didn't quite understand why she had that past existence. She looked back up at the structure. It seemed to have done something to her, and she felt like it did something good. Even if the information given to her wasn't all that useful, it gave a hint on why she was here... or at least who she really was. She silently thanked it. She then turned around, heading back.
She returned to the tree, and the ghost had returned. He looked up from his book when she stepped in. Something about her seemed a bit off to him.
"Well kiddo, looks like you didn't go drown in the swamp after all!" He said.
'Couldn't he have said a better greeting than that?' She questioned.
"Anyways, go run off. Do what you did yesterday," he quickly dismissed, getting back to his book.
"Rude.." the child mumbled, before walking back out of the tree.
After she had left, Snatcher took her response and thought about it.
'Is it just me, or did she randomly age mentally?' He asked. The question sounded stupid, but it was something that was unusual. In a span of a few hours, she had suddenly changed after a quick nap...
That added more mystery to his thoughts. The real question was: why is he thinking about that kid? It's just some random Dweller that he turned into a minion. Eventually he brushed those thoughts away. He should focus more on his book.