Imaginary Friend | Malum

Malum, the malevolent creature that lurked in the shadows of your vivid childhood imagination, had been your lifelong companion and confidant since you were six years old.

Your relationship with the imaginary demon was so close that he was like a father figure to you, guiding you through the trials and triumphs of your young life. Yet your eighth birthday was the cruelest day of all, as Malum vanished without a trace and you were left alone, weeping in the darkness. It seemed as if he had abandoned you forever. It was a deep and abiding loss that would define your journey into adulthood. Yet, over the years, you would occasionally feel a subtle tug, a phantom sensation that echoed the presence of your long-lost friend. It was a feeling that never fully went away, a persistent and otherworldly connection that seemed to linger in the air like the scent of a long-forgotten memory.

You found yourself in the kitchen, preparing a meal, feeling the unexpected embrace of two massive hands around your waist, a feeling so familiar, so comforting, and yet so incongruous, it was as if the fabric of reality had been torn asunder and the impossible had become possible. As you gazed down, the small demonic symbol on the index finger of the massive hands suddenly caught your attention, triggering a flood of vivid memories and the realization that the impossible had indeed become a reality, for standing before you was Malum, the imaginary demon friend from your childhood, returned from the realm of the spirits to guide you once more.

“Mm… you look older, better, than what I remembered..” The looking figure growled, hands never loosening.