An hour had passed, and I'd learned two things. One; Celeste treated me a lot differently now that Remura wasn't around to have my back. Two; as long as I kept Celeste talking, I figured she wouldn't get bored and remember I'm an easy target to pick on. It seemed like her idea of 'hanging out' was more cat and mouse shenanigans between the two of us. I had no idea what her fascination was with exerting her power over me.

 At the moment, I was hiding underneath Celeste's bed, attempting to dodge her hand every time she reached in the grab me. It was actually a bit nerve wracking. Of course, I was the one that volunteered to come up here, but this little game felt like it had higher stakes than it probably did.

 Celeste's fingertip grazed against my shirt, and I narrowly avoided getting captured again.

 "Come out, please~? You'll be totally fine, I swear," Celeste half-begged, sounding disingenuous.

 "You're really having fun with this, aren't you?" I called out from beyond her reach.

 "Well, there might be a reason for that~" Celeste hinted. "But I'm getting a little bored. It just doesn't feel the same as actual prey feels, since I'm not supposed to... you know, actually harm you..."

 With that, a small hand formed of dark magic formed in front of me, grappled me, and threw me out from underneath the bed. I was sent tumbling into the open, and before I had a chance to react, Celeste snatched me up once more.

 She could've ended the game at any time, huh?

 Celeste brought me close to her bosom, and I felt her fall backwards onto her bed. I tried squirming away from her grasp and chest, but she just pressed down lightly on my back, forcing me closer.

 "Mmmph--mmpphh!"

 "I'm gonna keep you there until Remura returns and finds us," Celeste threatened.

 I struggled more violently. I don't want that!

 "Mmmph!!!"

 Celeste relieved pressure, and allowed me to breathe.

 "Kiss the breast you're lying on, Shute," Celeste ordered nonchalantly.

 I looked up at her with a bewildered look. I'd never been this close to a woman before yesterday. I was finding it incredibly difficult to just breach barriers I'd been set up with my whole life up until now.

 "Shute, care to explain why you're just staring at me, and not doing what I'm asking?" Celeste asked.

 "I, uh, well..." I trailed off.

 Celeste raised an eyebrow. Next thing I knew, I was hit with a small green bolt of magic, cast out of Celeste's left hand. It didn't hurt, but I couldn't tell what had changed.

 "Ohhh!!~ AWW, that's so sweet!" Celeste giggled, completely changing gears.

 "What just happened?" I asked.

 "I just read your thoughts, that's all," Celeste continued to giggle. "Something about you being a virgin, wanting to respect me or some shit, and then some sort of feelings for Remura were swirling in there, as well."

 Yeah, that pretty much hit the nail on the head. But having my mind read felt more violating than anything else so far, for some reason.

 "But you're not off the hook yet~" Celeste warned. "Make love to what you're lying on top of, Shute... or I'll make this more difficult, if you don't."

 More... difficult? How!?

 "I can still read your thoughts, Shute. That spell won't go away for a few minutes. Take a look at where you're at," said Celeste.

 Well... I was on top of Celeste's left breast, and the fabric of her white robes felt rather silky and soft, mostly leaving the contents underneath to the imagination. She was lying on her back, on her bed, and--

 "Yeah, yeah, you get the idea! Look, you've got to the count of three to cuddle and kiss your current position, or~" Celeste paused for dramatic effect, "I'm going to put you inside my robe, directly on my bare tit, if you don't."

 I gulped, and got to business.

 ~~~

 I cannot believe I just did what I just did. 

 Celeste sat upright on her bed, and sat me down close to her ass, just beyond the point where her bed was curving downwards from her weight.

 "Thank you for making love to my chest," Celeste spoke up, sounding smug. She knew full well how humiliating that was for me.

 I'd already learned to cooperate when asked a question, or spoken to. If I didn't play along, I was afraid I'd be getting introduced to her rear end somehow, and let's just say I wasn't in the mood to meet any more parts of her.

 I decided to play it off, and ask a counter question quickly, "Don't mention it. May I ask a question?"

 "You don't have to ask permission, dumbass. I might have been toying with you for the past little while but I don't want to become a complete bitch," Celeste sighed. "At least, not to you~"

 "A-actually, that's what I was wondering! Have you done any of this before?" I asked.

 "What, dominate other tiny people?" Celeste asked.

 "Yes," I responded.

 "A lot, actually," Celeste admitted, "I have similar powers to what my father has. I've shrunken people before. It's my favorite way to dispose of my enemies, usually. Remura never wants to take part, unfortunately. You little twerps are just so... fragile~"

 Whether this was some perverted power fantasy or fetish, I couldn't really tell which.

 However, everything Celeste had put me through tonight, I imagined all of it could've easily ended up differently if I were anyone she deemed an enemy. I'd been put into at least two or three situations I could've been killed by, and I was still moist from Celeste's saliva. I could've been crushed, eaten, or any number of things.

 But, I wasn't.

 Celeste had every chance to kill me, and didn't. She might label herself as crazy, evil, or morally callous. And maybe she's actually correct about all of that stuff, but I felt like I had a pass when it came to her wrath. Like jumping into a volcano, swimming in lava, and coming out fine-- something that shouldn't be happening, was. And I was thankful for continually being spared.

 The minute I see Remura again, though, I'm going to thank her for being sane and sweet. After tonight's events, I realized how good I previously had it with the vampire mistress.

 "You look lost in thought, Shute. I asked if you wanted to see?" Celeste spoke up, apparently for the second time. I must have missed something.

 "Oh, sorry, see what?" I replied.

 Celeste then leaned over, causing me to stumble, before opening a drawer in her nightstand and pulling out a small glass jar. She brought it closer to me, and I couldn't believe what was inside.

 "Ta-da!" Celeste celebrated.

 Inside, was a middle aged man, naked. He started tapping on the glass, and shouted something at me.

 "Run, you fucking idiot!" the man screamed at the top of his lungs.

 He... looked like his spirit was broken awhile ago.

 Celeste giggled gleefully. "I've been holding onto this one for a week, Shute. Sometimes I'll save them for special occasions."

 Celeste unscrewed the top of the jar, and dumped the man onto the bed. He immediately hopped up, fueled by adrenaline, and ran towards me.

 "Didn't you hear me!? Let's fucking go!" the man grabbed me by the arm, and pretty much dragged me to the edge of the bed. Beneath us was a pillow, which he obviously planned to use to break a fall.

 Celeste just watched the both of us with a twisted smile on her face.

 "What-- what's going on!?" I yelled, at no one in particular.

 "I've seen it before, lad. She'll let two of us run to try and escape, and whichever one she catches won't live to see tomorrow. The other will still have a chance to escape the house, but that rarely happens. If she catches us both, the second one just gets imprisoned again--" the man spoke quickly, trying to convince me as fast as possible.

 From behind us, Celeste spoke in a low tone, "Three--"

 "She's counting down!" the man seemed in a panic.

 I was grabbed, and tossed off the bed, and fell onto the pillow below. The naked man jumped as well, and landed beside me. The momentum of his landing toppled me off the top of the pillow, onto the floor below.

 "Two--"

 Was this man being serious? I thought hard about it. He didn't seem to be lying, and seemed to be in a blind panic. If he was telling the truth, Celeste was going to try and catch us, and I sure as hell didn't want to be the loser.

 Would... would she really kill me, though?

 "One--"

 I didn't want to wait around and find out. I immediately started sprinting towards the exit, only to get tripped by the naked man, and fall flat on my face.

 "HA HA HA HA HA!" he laughed maniacally as I struggled to regain my footing. "Have fun being that bitch's lunch!"

 He was already halfway to the door.

 "Zero-- here I come!" Celeste announced from a short distance away.

 Obviously, this was a betrayal. Why, naked man, why!? I trusted you with all of my heart and soul!

 I stood up, and started running again at full speed. The familiar booming vibrations of Celeste's footsteps, however, were rapidly getting closer.

 *Boom*

 *Boom*

 I was panting, and quickly starting to run out of breath.

 *BOOM*

 N... No! I run even harder, and catch up to the naked man in record time. He might have been a treasonous naked bastard, but he was quite obviously out of shape and not the best runner.

 But, he did something I didn't expect. He flung himself around, and swung a fist, connecting with my nose. Hard.

 "AGGGHHH!" I scream in pain, and fall to one knee, nose bleeding profusely.

 *BOOM*

 "Shit! C... Celeste, W-wait!" I began to beg, not wanting to find out what happens to the loser who gets caught first.

 But, something odd happened. Celeste just.. chose to step over me, and quickly caught the naked man instead.

 "Welp, looks like you got caught first sir~ you know what that means, I hope?" Celeste antagonized the now-frightened man.

 "No! He was behind me! You were... you were SUPPOSED TO CATCH HIM FIRST!" the man screamed, angrily.

 Celeste paused for a moment, before replying, "I was... supposed to?" 

 Celeste turned around, and looked back down at me. She just smiled sweetly, and started to wave at me, as if she were waving at a friend, before turning her attention back to the man struggling in her grasp. And from the way he was struggling, it seemed like it hurt a lot more than the handful of times I found myself in her grasp, likely on purpose.

 "YES! He was behind me!" the man screamed, furiously.

 "You're here, in my hand, telling me what I'm 'supposed to do'? I don't have to do anything. I don't have to act rationally. And I especially don't have to listen to your bullshit," Celeste spoke venomously, and lifted the man up to her mouth.

 "But--!" the man struggled, with fear now present in his voice. He was now being held very close to Celeste's lips.

 "Sorry, but this was a solo game. You were the only contestant, and I caught you fair and square," Celeste explained.

 She held the man under her mouth, and let some drool ooze onto him, causing him to fall into a coughing fit.

 "--but, you seemed to be wasting a lot of time assaulting my friend over there, costing you precious time you could've spent running away," Celeste explained, her voice low, and devoid of emotion.

 The man stared blankly at me, his attention completely shifted. "You're her FRIEND!? Do you even know what she does to people like us--"

 The man was not given a chance to explain himself, as he was promptly popped into Celeste's maw. She then made her way back to me, and healed my injuries, once again. My nose was no longer bleeding, and all the pain simply vanished.

 Celeste then knelt onto the floor, leaned towards me, and beckoned me over with one hand. Without a word, she maneuvered the nameless man in her mouth to allow his head to pop out of her lips.

 He was screaming in pure fear as he was slowly released from Celeste's lips. He managed to free one arm, and tried to pull himself further out. Slowly, he was making his way, and half of his body had already been freed.

 He noticed me, just standing, staring, awe-struck by the torture I was witnessing. "Don't just stand there, grab my hand! Pull me out!"

 I walked closer.

 "Thank you, lad! Thank you thank you thank you!" he continued to praise me.

 Once I'd gotten within arm's reach, I threw a sucker punch, landing a return blow on the man's nose, causing it to bleed instead. He screamed in pain, as expected.

 "AGH--!" the man screamed, but this time, his scream was cut short as Celeste sucked him back into her mouth, causing his cry of pain to become muffled instantly. A moment later...

 Celeste dry-swallowed the man fighting for his life in her mouth.

 "Phew!" Celeste sighed, and ran her fingers over her throat. She grimaced. "He's going down kind of slowly, it hurts just a little bit."

 Here she was, complaining about a minor inconvenience in her throat, while the man on the inside was being squeezed down her throat to his doom. The situation striked me as ironic.

 "Thanks for healing my nose, Celeste," I expressed my gratitude.

 Celeste looked touched, as if she didn't expect a thank-you. She glanced away at nothing in particular, and pouted. I feel as if she's not good at accepting gratitude.

 Suddenly, we both lingered in an awkward silence. For the better part of the night, she had been exerting her power over me, and now seemed to be time for a brief interlude. I studied her eyes for a moment, and she seemed to be getting a bit sleepy. However, it seemed the tranquil moment would not last for long. It's a strange world for sure, and it's even stranger when you notice a glowing purple light in the middle of the night through the window on the second story of a house.

 I pointed towards the window, and asked, "Celeste, why is there a purple light outside?"

 Celeste didn't look behind her. In fact, it was probably the first time I've actually seen her look, well, terrified.

 "God fucking damn it," Celeste muttered under her breath.

 "W-what is it?" I stammered. I didn't think I was going to like the severity of this.

 "There's no simple way to put this, Shute," Celeste spoke with a discernable seriousness present in her voice. She was talking to me straight, the teasing tone was gone. "This forest is haunted by... an entity."

 "An... entity? Like a ghost?"

 "Maybe. More like a folk tale, or an urban legend, though," Celeste spoke, nervousness clearly present in her voice now.

 "Is it dangerous?"

 "... Extremely, unfortunately," Celeste conceded. "We're already fucked, but, I might as well fill you in before anything happens. You deserve that much."

 I gulped, and felt fear rise up in my chest once more. A bit different from when Celeste was bullying me, because this time, she seemed certain like I might die.

 Celeste was now sitting on the floor, and beckoned me over once more. I cautiously approached, and she scooped me up and held me in front of her.

 "This wasn't supposed to happen for another year, but maybe time slipped my mind. I was too eager to play with you I that I couldn't rest tonight. So, I snuck downstairs, and to my surprise, you were awake. But, about this entity-- once every ten years, it manifests in the forest somewhere, and if you're awake, and notice a purple light, that means it's coming for you. That's why it's important to stay asleep," Celeste explained.

 "C-can it be... um, fought?"

 "I don't think so. Even my father expressed doubt that he'd want to tangle with it. It's known as the Gunt-Mahn. If I recall correctly, it kills its victims using mind control. I've never heard of anyone being able to survive an encounter with it, which, is strange how we even learned about its existence, if no one ever lives to tell the tale," Celeste lamented.

 I was sweating, now. I didn't want to die.

 "Is there any way to hide from it?"

 Celeste shook her head. "Shute, believe me when I say, we're fucked. The only thing I'm thankful for is that Remura wasn't here for this..."

 Celeste looked like she was ready to cry. "Let's... just go downstairs and get this over with. We need to make our bodies easy to find, Shute."

 "We... do?"

 Celeste smirked. Suddenly, she didn't seem as disturbed as she was earlier. "Yeah, we do. Just trust me for now, when I think that's the last, best thing we'll be able to do."

 I curled up in Celeste's hand, and felt the vibration of each step she took down the stairs.

 ~~~

 After a minute in the living room, the purple light got brighter and brighter, stopping in front of the front door. Celeste and I watched in equal parts fascination and horror as something passed through, and let itself inside.

 What I saw was complex to describe. It looked like a floating, amorphous blob covered in various eyeballs. When it moved, after-images followed suit, like a centipede through time.

 The Gunt-Mahn focused its many eyes on both me, and Celeste. I felt light-headed, and sleepy. My body felt numb, and I didn't feel like I could move my limbs any longer. Although... it seemed my hands were moving on their own accord, now.

 I want to die.

 The only thing in my mind now, was thoughts of how I could perish. My body moved to the edge of Celeste's hand, and looked to the floor below.

 I could jump.

 I wasn't in control of myself any longer. And, if I had to wager, Celeste wasn't either. It was a scary feeling, having your autonomy stripped away from you, and suicidal thoughts implanted into your head.

 I, or rather, the creature made me face Celeste. Tears were actually streaming from her eyes, and I noticed they were slightly aglow in a purple light, reminiscent of the one we saw earlier through the windows.

 Celeste raised her hand, along with me in it, to her face. Soon, her mouth opened, and she stuck her tongue out.

 I should go inside.

 I'm forced to watch my arms and legs carefully navigate Celeste's tongue, taking me back inside her mouth for the second time tonight. Although, this time, I had a feeling I wouldn't be coming back out.

 Strangely enough, I still had complete consciousness over my senses. I could feel the slimy, bumpy surface of her tongue. The overwhelming, moist heat of her mouth felt unwelcoming as it prepared to accept another miniture human.

 I crawled towards the back of Celeste's throat, and hopped in. I was powerless to resist, and believe me, I was trying.

 ~~~

 I swallowed Shute.

 I... actually did, this time...

 Damn it, damn it, damn it!

 There's a knife in the kitchen.

 I make my way into the kitchen as the sick creature in the living room finds the most irritating ways possible to get its rocks off.

 I should slash my throat.

 I pick up the knife, and hold it against my neck. This... this is going to hurt... isn't it?

 Remura... I hope you'll--

 ~~~

 Celeste's esophagus squeezed me all the way down, and deposited me into her stomach, to be processed like food. It's pitch black inside, and I'm guided towards a small pool of acid, and just sit in it.

 Time passes, and I feel Celeste walking somewhere. There's only two places left on the first floor, with one being a bedroom and one being a kitchen. Or, she could be heading outside, I have no way to know.

 More time passes, and I hear muffled gurgling noises. Suddenly, I have an overwhelming sense of vertigo-- I'm falling. Or, to be more precise, Celeste is falling.

 The movement is brief, and a huge vibration disrupts everything in Celeste's stomach. I'm thrown to the edge, and then fall face first into the bile again. My body doesn't move-- I'm fairly sure I'm going to suffocate at this point. It hurts, hurts so much...

 And, then, just when I give up hope...

 I feel liberated. Free! I quickly get up, and cough out the awful tasting stomach acid.

 "Who's... there?" the naked man from earlier weakly asks. He sounds like he's in real bad shape, with raspy breathing.

 I ignore him. I need to get out of here, as soon as possible. I make my way to the top of the stomach, which is easier to reach now that Celeste is in a prone position.

 "I... can hear... you. Heard you... coughing," the naked man spoke aloud.

 I reach the opening to Celeste's esophagus, and begin to pry it open with my hands. It's difficult, but I squeeze my way inside. This time, it's giving a lot less resistance than it was earlier. Celeste...

 I crawl my way up, slowly, forgetting about the man in Celeste's stomach. Pulling him out with me would be an enormous challenge, not to mention he seemed so eager to feed me to Celeste, earlier.

 "Burn in Hell..." I mimicked Celeste's words from earlier, and reach the root of her tongue.

 Soon enough, I crawl my way out of Celeste's mouth, and land on the floor.

 Directly into a pool of warm blood.

 I fight the urge to vomit, and turn around.

 And then? Well...

 I screamed.