Erika seemed a bit saddened all of a sudden. She rested on her bed while I was still at her side, and she looked at me with sorrowful eyes.
She was perhaps thinking many things, despite how innocent she was, or how pure hearted she was, the situation in which she was now was hard, and it was slowly eating away at her own sanity… But even then, it was perhaps the only way for her father to bring her back.
I respect the man for trying so hard and finding a way, and I am sure that Erika also wanted deep down to have a second chance at life… but how she looked right now… Was she thinking something?
"What is it, Erika? You became sad out of nowhere now…" I sighed.
I caressed her little head a bit, as she looked at me even more intensely, her eyes were filled with many emotions that were hard for an old monster like me to decipher completely.
"It's… nothing…" She said, as she shook her head and looked at the other side of the room, not wanting to make eye contact with me.
I sat there in silence, with my usual expressionless face. Despite how young I was now; I always had this expressionless face that was sometimes hard to shape into the emotions I wanted to convey to people. Even my way of speech sometimes felt "too robotic" because I was always used to talking down to others, but now that I am on equal footing with many people.
Speaking formally and respectfully was something I still have a hard time getting used to.
But I wanted to… Make her feel better. As the first friend I ever had in this world, as the girl that filled my daily lives with more than just the sorrowful thoughts of my past before Eleanora were to be summoned once more at my side… I wanted to see her happy.
I held her hand silently, so she could feel the warmth of it.
Erika raised her eyebrows in surprise, looking back at me with shock. She seemed to not have expected that from me out of nowhere.
"Tell me what you have in your mind." I said.
"…It's just that… It is hard to keep this…" She sighed. "I wish I could tell you… But if I do… If I do…"
Erika began to stutter as her eyes suddenly began to cry tears. These tears… how were they made? Could they be magic? Or… an expression of her very soul manifested into this body?
But I stopped myself from wondering and thinking so many irrelevant things, I had to pay attention to her.
Erika looked back at me, as her lips were trembling in fear of what she was going to say.
"If I do… you'll hate me…" She said. "So that's… why I cannot tell you…"
"Hate you?" I asked. "I would never hate you, Erika…"
"You would… You just don't know it yet…" She sighed. "Everybody that knows hates me… I am not… I am not normal…"
"No…! I am not… I…" She cried. "The rumors are all true at the end… I am not normal… I am not even real… I…"
"Erika, I know…" I said.
Erika looked at my eyes in surprise, as emotions began to swell inside of her heart, her soul resonated with a golden glow, as her aura emanated from her body as if her emotions were showing through it.
She looked at me as if she couldn't believe what I said, she even ended sitting down on the bed as she realized the meaning of those simple words.
"I know that you have a different body… I know everything long ago, like… over a year ago." I said. "I've not changed my opinion of you… I would never hate you because of that."
"W-What…? You knew…? Y-You knew I am… I am… a doll?" She asked.
"You're not a doll, Erika…" I said. "You're a real girl, and my friend."
Erika suddenly looked at her own reflection within my eyes, as her eyes were wide open, tears suddenly began to glow like endless rivers, as her Aura waved around like a sea of pink and golden glow…
She suddenly jumped towards me, and threw me on to the bed, while hugging me tightly, and rubbing her face over my chest. She continued to cry loudly, as if she were very scared of me knowing this…
I smiled faintly, as I began to caress her head.
"I always knew… Don't worry… I still… See you as my friend- no, as my family." I said.
"Blake… You will never leave me?" She asked while crying.
"As long as you don't want to depart from me, I won't." I said.
"I would never… I want to stay forever ever with you…" She cried. "I was so scared that you would know and then… You would end up finding me… disgusting… Or… like a monster…"
"You're not a monster…" I said. "You're my adorable and good-hearted friend, Erika."
I hugged Erika back with my arms, as she rested atop my body while rubbing her face over my chest. Her tears were warm, and tainted my shirt. But I didn't care, I just wanted to comfort her.
To make her feel happy… And to make her feel like she was loved. I know that her father also had given her such a feeling, but she has grown at my side, and she also wanted such affection from me.
She hugged me tightly as she seemed to be filled with both sorrow and happiness at the same time… Things escalated quite quickly but… I was happy to see her , it meant that her insecurities might be gone from now… or perhaps, just a few of them.