<3 Think of Berdly
The screen flickered lights all across the messy room, assisted by his black computer with glowing parts that did the same
Cans of Dr. Pibbis lay strewn across the floor
The flickering suddenly stopped as the game paused
He leaned back against the back of his Pewpedie Gamer Chair™ and let out a loud sigh
He felt an inexplicable sadness that wouldn't go away, no matter how much of his favorite games he played
Or rather, the sadness was quite explicable, he just hasn't put why to words out loud yet
"Berdly, are you alright?"
His friend Noelle had heard him over the phone
They would have been talking online and possibly playing a game together, but the internet's been out for a while
Now they were relegated to talking over the phone and playing games separately
"My apologies Noelle, it's just...
Have you ever felt... disappointed by life?"
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"Well...
I believed that I understood what it meant to feel alive.
The thrill of getting an ace in Vigilant,
of getting an SSR character in the first 10 pull,
But I had a dream...
I felt like that was the first time I've been alive in my life.
It all felt so... real.
More real than anything I've ever done."
Noelle, on the other end, went quiet for a second, before responding
"I... I sort of do know how you feel, Berdly."
Berdly shot up from his chair, surprised that someone agreed with him
"You do?!"
"I had a vivid dream like that recently too.
The dream was a little... strange... in a few places.
But if I could really have it again... I would in a heartbeat."
Berdly was happy, he found someone who shared his predicament
Maybe he could even talk to Noelle about his dream
"Wow... so what was yo-"
Berdly felt a shift in the air, something was wrong
the feeling coiled around Berdly, and his body went rigid
"W-what the..?"
It was like someone else was in the room with him
Hiding in the veil of darkness
"U-uh... I thank you for sharing Noelle, I think I'm going to rest early!
I-I have to make sure I'm up bright and early for the array of responsibilities that I have tend to during the festival!"
"Wait, Berdly, is something going o-"
"Goodbye now!"
He hung up the call and then looked back up, wondering what that feeling was
Like something was slithering around his room
Or perhaps not his room, but his own mind
Then he had heard a voice that he did not recognize
"W-who goes there?! Show yourself scoundrel!"
Berdly panicked as he looked around the room
But the voice did not come from the room
It resonated from within him
it's words felt like they were forcing their way into his head
"What? Dark Fountain...?
You cannot fool me, intruder, I know that was just a silly happening from a dream of mine.
If it wasn't a dream, then why didn't Kris and Susan tell me that it was real? Hah! Checkmate."
The being responded to him, once again within the depths of his own mind
It didn't hurt him as much as it felt... violating
"... T-Trying to leave me out? Kris would never do that to me, we're gamer buddies!
I know that if Kris found another world full of adventure, then I would be the first to be alerted of its presence!
...Alright, you know what? Fine! I'll participate your lunacy, but only to prove that it isn't real!"
Berdly opened the door to his room, feathers noticeably shaken
He snuck his way through the living room, into the kitchen
Although it looked like he had no reason to do so, as his parents weren't there
Again.
He moved over to the knife drawer, and pulled out the biggest one he could find, and he started to head back to his room
That's when the phone rung
An icy fear instantly ran up his spine
An irrational fear that he might have been caught
He instantly suppressed it
"Is it okay if I take this call first...?"
Berdly asked the presence
It didn't answer
He slowly reached for the phone
His hand wrapped around it, and he picked it up to hold it to the side of his head
"H-hello?"
"Hey Berdly, just checking up on you, how are ya? Getting into any trouble?"
It was a feminine voice that came over the other end
He looked down at the knife in his hand and hid it behind his back, as if she could see it
"Ha, t-trouble? I would never get up to any trouble! I'll have you know I-"
"Berdly, I was just messing with you."
"I knew that..."
"Right. Seriously though, how are you? Are your parents home?"
"Uh... no. They're still on a business trip..."
"Oh...
Well... I'll tell you what.
I'll come over tomorrow, and we can go to the festival together, alright?"
"Really?"
"Yeah really! I only live one town over.
Besides, when is the last time you've spent time with your big cousin?"
What sounded like a smoke detector started blaring over the other end
"O-oh crap, sorry Berdly, I've gotta split! See ya tomorrow!"
The call abruptly hung up from the other end
He lowered the the phone, and put it back on the receiver
The thought of his cousin visiting probably would have comforted Berdly if he were not about to potentially open a portal to another dimension
He began to walk back to his room, the knife feeling like a heavy weight in his hand
Before he knew it, he was back in his room, with a stainless steel key fit to open a lock to his desires
A part of him hoped that nothing would come from this
That all he had to deal with would be a hole in the carpet that he might trip over sometimes
The knife was raised high into the air, and he felt an immediate change of pressure in the air that he promptly ignored, right before he brought it down onto the floor
And with that, he was instantly proven wrong
The knife sunk in, and a geyser flooded the room
It was the most spectacular thing that Berdly had ever seen
He stumbled back from the light emitting hole
"W-What the... t-that's impossible!"
The geyser stopped, and then started to produce black smoke
Berdly's first instinct was to go for the door, and leave
But as he put his feathered hand on the door knob, he had a change of heart as he realized
He couldn't back out of this
He was finally getting what he wanted, right? he wasn't going to leave now
Berdly took a deep breath as he turned back around towards the smoke
He stared at it for a moment, and then closed his eyes as he let it consume him
And in that moment, he only thought one thing
"You've got some explaining to do, Kris..."