Through New Sight (Eyeless Jack x Reader)
"Hmm," Zalgo hummed, resting his head on his hand. "I see."
You kept your head down as you sat across Zalgo on a cushioned chair. An ornate wooden desk rested between the two of you.
After you had planted the new seed, Zalgo summoned you to report back. You told him how the seedling was destroyed and about the knuckleheads that you had encountered, but you kept from him that one of them had called you by name. The fact that they knew you made you wary. You wondered if Zalgo was keeping something from you.
"And you weren't able to take down at least one of them?" Zalgo continued.
The grip you had on your pants tightened at the question, and you refrained from making eye contact. Could he tell that you were lying when you said that they had just gotten the better of you? You had to think of something quickly-something that could distract him from your slip-up.
"I-I'm sorry," you sighed, dropping your head to your hands, "I thought I was ready for this, but-but I failed . . . I shouldn't have been so stupid to let them run away like that!"
You slumped your shoulders forward for added emphasis to your act of shame. With your newfound senses, you could feel Zalgo tense as he shifted in his seat. He sat up straight in his chair and awkwardly reached a hand towards you.
"(Y/n), it's okay," Zalgo attempted to reassure you. Just as quickly, though, he pulled his hand back to clear his throat.
"Just consider this a lesson to be learned. I'll let you off easy this once since this was your first time out in the field. You didn't sustain any major injuries, so I trust that you held your own out there. However, I'll be expecting more from you next time," he remarked in a stern voice.
"Of course," you nodded with your head still down. You then tilted your head up towards him with a relieved smile. "I won't let you down."
"Good," he replied as he reclined back in his chair. "Anything else you'd like to report?"
"Actually," you chirped, "I do! It's more of a question, though."
"Yes?"
"You've told me what my assignment is and how I have to defend these saplings, but why exactly are there people attacking those trees? I mean, what are they even for in the first place?" you said as you raised a shoulder.
You hadn't really inquired much about the details of the assignment back when Zalgo had tasked you with it. You had thought it harmless to plant a few trees in the woods (plus you were just excited to finally be out on a mission), so those questions hadn't become relevant to you until now.
Zalgo nodded as he sat up straight to address you. "I suppose I could explain a bit more to you. After all, we're beginning to meet some resistance to our efforts. It's only fair I tell you why these seedlings are important."
You gave a slight nod, waiting attentively for Zalgo's explanation.
"As you know, my powers are quite limited in the mortal realm from where you came."
You nodded once more. You thought back to when you first woke up in this strange room. You witnessed so many unusual things here, like doorways appearing and disappearing from the walls or furniture suddenly emerging from the floors.
Zalgo had explained that you were no longer in the "mortal realm," as he had called it. Rather, this place was a hidden dimension that he had created. A place where he had free reign over his powers to manipulate and control anything he pleased.
Zalgo had also mentioned that his abilities were not as potent in the mortal realm.
"Well, I've created these seeds as a sort of 'energy hub' to allow me to use my abilities freely. The more the seed has grown, the more power and control I have when near." Upon seeing your flat expression, Zalgo continued. "You know . . . like-like one of those miniature Eiffel towers you humans have built within every mile."
You hesitated. "You mean a cell tower?"
"Tomayto, tomahto."
"Gesundheit."
Zalgo blinked. You blinked.
"I think I understand," you said, wanting to put distance between you and this exchange as quickly as inhumanly possible. "And why are there others trying to stop you? Who were those two guys I just fought with?"
Zalgo remained still far too long for you to be comfortable with. Maybe he was trying to hide something from you.
But before you could further your budding conspiracy theory, Zalgo sighed. "There is this 'tyrant'-this being that was born in that realm whom I do not like, as he's been preventing me from establishing myself in the mortal realm. He refuses to let me have any control despite my efforts to reach some sort of agreement or partnership with him. You could say I am now taking a more active approach . . . against him."
"Ah," you said softly. You marinated in the stillness that followed as you digested all this new information. So there really was more going on behind the scenes. Another being-another creature with supernatural power resided in the human world.
Your stomach dropped at the thought of encountering this "tyrant." Something about them made your skin crawl and your head throb despite your having never met them. This assignment had just gotten way more dangerous and involved than you initially thought.
"And, as for those two you encountered out there in the woods-" Zalgo continued after some time, "-they are proxies of his. I don't expect that tyrant to involve himself straight away. But when he does, we'll hopefully have some of those hubs well-established. Then we'll see who has the upper hand." Zalgo dryly chuckled to himself, speaking in a low mumble. "That dreadful thorn in my side has been hindering me for far too long . . . "
A prickling sensation washed across your hands as you stared out into nothing. You could feel sweat form on your forehead, and your chest became heavy. The more you thought about this other supernatural being, the more unnerved you weirdly felt. The fact that Zalgo-a literal demon-hadn't been able to defeat this being alone didn't help your anxieties.
"Are you all right?"
You hadn't noticed how quiet you'd gotten until Zalgo snapped you out of your thoughts.
"I understand this is much for a human to take in, but you have no need to worry. You triumphed against your odds when you were younger, and you've gone through enough training to face any adversaries thrown at you. I believe you to be fully capable of taking down this being alongside me. Though, perhaps you should rest now and gather your strength for tomorrow."
You jolted. "Uh, yeah, yeah. I just need some rest." You took in a breath. "Thank you."
You rose from your seat and approached the wall adjacent to you. A door frame materialized on its once-barren surface. You crossed through and were greeted by the small bedroom Zalgo so graciously allowed you to call your own in this weird realm of his.
You numbly walked up to the bed that sat at the corner of the room and plopped yourself on top of the soft covers. You rolled over to your back, staring out into the oblivion in thought.
The idea of battling against some powerful being was in and of itself quite scary, to say the least. Still, you trusted Zalgo when he said that you were capable of holding your own, if not, long enough for Zalgo to hopefully intervene. Besides, all you really had to worry about were those proxies he had mentioned.
One question remained unanswered, however. What was your connection to this tyrant? His proxies knew about you, so did that mean that this being also knew of you?
How?
You tried thinking back to your past for some sort of explanation, seeking out any instance where you might have had an encounter with this tyrant or his proxies. As you tried to recollect your memories, a sharp pain erupted from the back of your mind and forced you out of your thoughts.
You raised a hand up to ease away the sudden headache and sighed out of mental exhaustion. Not only was all that information mentally tiring to digest, but you were also physically tired from that scuffle you had with those two proxies.
Sleeping it is then. You stretched on top of the bed before wrapping yourself under the covers. You would probably get this all sorted out sooner or later; you just needed to take it one step at a time. And then everything would be all right.
Right?
* * * * * * * * * *
~???~
"I see . . . You are dismissed."
A deep voice emitted from within the minds of two masked men. They stood across from a tall figure perched behind a simple wooden desk. Upon the command, the two men left the blank-faced creature alone, closing the door behind them as they exited.
The room grew still.
BAM!
A white fist slammed onto the desk, emitting a loud thud against the surface. Although the face he bore was expressionless, the aura around him grew dark and thick with anger.
"I should have killed that human girl when I had the chance," he thought to himself.
"This time, I will make sure she stays dead."