2,738. That's how many times Soul had tried to redeem themself. Everything changed on the 2,739th run. That's when they met him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was room 48. The young boy, with a tattered cape, was crouching over a small portable stove, waiting for what looked like a kettle to boil. He looked young—hardly more than a boy—though he was likely in his early twenties, with a dust-covered lavender cape. He looked up at Soul with a soft smile. "Oh, hello. I didn't expect to see another person here." Soul froze, their breath catching in their throat. Nobody else was on the Path when they started. It took them a second to respond. "O-oh. Glad to meet you." The boy smiled. If it were possible, that smile would light up the entire Greenhouse it was so bright. Soul mentally kicked themself. They had to focus, couldn't get distracted. The kettle whistled softly. The boy took it off, pouring the contents- a floral smelling tea- into a cup. He produced a second cup from his coat. "Would you like some?" Soul hesitated. "...Yes please." The boy poured a second cup and handed it to Soul. They sat on the floor across from the boy, who was sipping the tea lightly. Soul sniffed it, then took a sip. They immediately spit it out. "What is in this!?" The boy laughed softly. "Chamomile and floral nightshade." Soul gave him a "what the heck?" look. "Wait, but... isn't nightshade poisonous?" The boy nodded lightly. "Only if you don't build up an immunity, as I have." Soul glanced back down at the tea. Aside from the unexpected poison taste, it was... rather good. "Thank you...?" Soul trailed off, waiting for a name. It took the boy a couple seconds to figure out what they were looking for. "Nightshade. I go by Nightshade."
Characters in this chapter: Nightshade - Twenty-four, owned by a friend w/o a Scratch acc Soul - Twenty-eight (on the Path, actual age around 3,000,000,000) Owned by me ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please feel free to review both the cover and the story! My plan is to write a chapter every week or so and use comments from the previous chapter as reference on where to improve.
