Allan was staring at the shadowy figure, one eyebrow raised, his eyes glinting with doubt and skepticism.
"Let me get this straight, again, you're telling me that these "beings" have been appearing in my dreams for the past month because they want to consume some form of power I supposedly possess, that was passed down to me as an inheritance?"
"Correct," Said the figure.
"And you expect me to believe that you didn't just conveniently manifest in my dreams and started "protecting" me as soon as I inherited this power to consume me as well?" Allan asked, his tone of voice as sarcastic as he could make it.
Which was true; the shadowy figure had manifested in one of Allan's dreams about a month ago. It had claimed to have protected him from a being that had also tried to consume him back then. Allan found it weird that the figure never really introduced itself by name and just moved on from that vital part of the conversation, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"How many times do I have to repeat myself?" the figure said with an exasperated tone as it threw both its arms in the air. "I am a man of my word; back then we made a contract, and I intend to follow it until both our conditions are met."
When the figure first appeared before Allan, after protecting him from the being that had tried to consume him, he had established a soul-bound contract with him. The figure will protect him from these beings as long as Allan lets him live inside his soul, or until Allan gains sufficient strength to protect himself, basically allowing it to live in this plane and be able to manifest into reality, just as it was doing right now.
Allan wasn't much of a fan of the idea of having a shady being living inside his soul, but at the time the contract was formed, not much of a choice was left. He had felt the being that had tried to devour him, its malicious intent, bloodlust, and his clear hatred towards Allan. He had also felt just how close to death he had come. Had it not been for the strange figure's timely arrival, he would have been long gone.
'Well, at least now I know it's a man'
The figure appeared to be humanoid, with broad shoulders and the physique of a man; it was wearing what looked to be a black hooded cloak that draped from its head to below the knees. The hood of the cloak completely obscured its face; its interior was entirely black, making it impossible to see its face. There were also small dark clouds coming out of its body, making it seem as if whatever it was made of was struggling to keep its humanoid form. There was also a weird sense of something deep within it that Allan couldn't really make out at first glance. It was only after spending time with it that he was able to, somewhat, understand that feeling.
'Power…' Allan had concluded in his mind.
'Whomever, well…actually, whatever this thing truly is…it's very powerful,' Allan had concluded in his head.
"Why do I have the feeling that you're thinking of something rude?" The figure asked.
A deep exhale came out of Allan's mouth.
"Look, I'm just trying to come to terms with the fact that I'm being hunted because of an "inheritance", as you call it, that I don't even know about!" Allan's tone increased with every word, making his emotional turmoil clear-" not only am I being hunted, but there is also a strange being living in my soul that I don't even know anything about either, no offense"
"None taken," said the figure with a very calm tone.
"Now, I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't been able to sleep properly for almost a month, so yes, forgive me if I am rude from time to time," Allan said the last part of his…crash out, while standing up and pacing back and forth in his room.
"Well, first of all, I never said you were being rude; I actually just said I had a feeling you were being rude in your head, and your little outburst just confirmed." The figure said with an amused tone.
"Look, I understand that your circumstances are…unique, but you're not going to gain anything by having a mental breakdown every time that you have a "visitor" in your dreams; if anything, it will make it worse for you since these things can feel your mental barrier weakening in real time, so you're only inviting more and more to consume you," the figure explain as it moved to a corner of the room where the shadows were more prominent than where it was originally standing.
"Besides, as I've already told you multiple times, you have me to protect you now; if I hadn't been the first to have felt your inheritance awakening, you wouldn't even have the opportunity to have mental breakdowns," it continued as it crossed its arms and leaned into a nearby wall.
"Oh yeah, and I should be grateful to you, an opportunistic being who manipulated me into a soul-bound contract, whatever the hell that means, to live inside my soul," Allan's tone started rising in frustration; almost screaming. "For all I know, you are the same as these other beings that are trying to consume me, probably biding your time until I grow more and give you more to eat!" he was already screaming by the end of his sentence.
A heavy silence fell in the room as Allan stared daggers into the figure. Surprisingly, it hadn't even reacted; it was as if it refused to give Allan any hint of emotion. It simply continued to lean on the wall in the corner of his room.