The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright--

Jet couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t think. He was plagued by the crackling, sniggering sound of the canine youma. Talking nonsense and in riddles.

Well, I never heard it before, but it sounds uncommon nonsense.

And the youma seemed to be in his thoughts, responding to him and mocking him.

I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night. Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is ‘Who in the world am I?’ Ah, that’s the great puzzle!

“Shut up,” Jet growled at nothing. He was trying to sleep in the tent. Aquamarine was on guard duty. He could see the silhouette of Aquamarine against the backdrop of the haze of the Rift.

His request was met with another cackle.

And yet, Jet had a feeling that he knew why he was being tormented by this creature. Why it kept bothering him. He’d never seen a youma like it before. It was like a dog, but also a shadow. And also the night sky. Except for its toothy grin, like from some twisted Alice in Wonderland remake.

Off with their heads!

“Is that what you’re going on about?” he asked, again to no one, but he pushed himself up from the sleeping bag to look around as if something other than the amused snickering.

“There’s nothing better you could come up with? Nothing original?”

You try living for as long as I have and come up with something original.

Ah. It was probably the first sincere thing the youma said. An actual response instead of --

Have I gone mad? I’m afraid so, but let me tell you something, the best people usually are.

“Why me?” Jet frowned. He figured that Aquamarine could probably hear him, but he didn’t care. If Aquamarine didn’t think he was insane by now, then he had nothing to worry about.

And then he paused. This youma kept following them around, kept aggravating them, kept trying to get them to react. It had lured Jet away from the camp once already, and now it was talking nonsense in his head.

The youma cackled again as Jet pushed the sleeping bag away and crawled to the zippered opening of the tent.