Jurina was told from a young age stories of a dream eater demon. A devil who could make people dream wonderful dreams, but then eat them up and turning their world black and white. It was a being not of this world, from a monochrome dimension where human dreams were a delectable meal.

Her mother always warned her, never leave her window unlocked; the dream eating devil could enter her room that way. And, if she ever met someone who had platinum white hair, not to trust a word they said.

That’s what she was always warned. However, on the night of her 20th birthday, she found that she was having trouble sleeping. She tossed and turned restlessly, unable to slip into slumber.

With nothing to do, she simply opened her window and looked out at the starry night sky. She thought maybe doing that, she’d eventually fall asleep. She closed her eyes, feeling the cool night breeze gently blow against her face.

Clink.

She opened her eyes, looking down. She saw a bottle of what looked like yellow star-shaped candies. On the bottle was a note.

“It seems you’re having trouble sleeping, milady. Take some of these, and sleep will come. -Momo”

Jurina looked around cautiously. She saw no presence of anyone stalking her in the darkness. It made her anxious, slightly paranoid. She wasn’t afraid of the darkness, and she never believed in monsters under her bed or in her closet.

What scared her was the mysterious appearance of this bottle. Was it the dream eater? How could she know for sure? Feeling shaken by the growing thoughts, she immediately shut her window, locking it.

She opened the bottle, pouring some of the tiny candies into her hand. She took one in between her fingers, eying it nervously.

“What if it’s poison… or a drug?”

She sniffed it, then it. There was a sweet taste present, a sugary taste like cotton candy.

Mustering up her courage, she finally placed it in , crunching it. “Sweet…” Her fingers twitched, taking hold of some more candies and eating them. The taste was addicting.

Then, Jurina felt a dizziness overtake her. Her eyes fluttered closed as she collapsed on the floor, fast asleep. She then dreamed of a tea party, with tea made out of starlight and those same star candies…

And a person in front of her with pointed ears and white hair.

Morning came and Jurina woke up in her bed, her mind in a daze. She wondered if what happened last night was all merely a dream. The bottle of candies was gone and her window was locked.

“That had to be a dream, right?” she bit her lip, staring at her window before unconsciously muttering a name. “Momo…”

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The next night, Jurina suddenly awoke from a nightmare. She gasped for air, sitting up from her bed as beads of sweat fell down her forehead. Holding her head, she slowly walked up to her window, opening it to let the cool air in.

She stared down at her hands, which were still shivering slightly from the shock of her vivid nightmare. She tried to calm her breathing, feeling her heartbeat as she started to relax again.

“Having trouble sleeping again, milady?” a voice rose.

Jurina’s head shot to the side, seeing a person with pointed ears and white hair. The person wore a yellow and black suit with a bowtie and fedora, wearing short white gloves and holding a white cane.

“A girl? Or, a boy..? No, they aren’t human,” Jurina gulped as the person approached closer to the window.

“You know who I am, correct?” the person asked, revealing a snaggle tooth visible.

“You’re… the dream eater demon. You’re Momo?”

“I’m glad you remembered.”

“So, that wasn’t a dream. Last night, you…”

“Did it help?” the devil asked, holding out her hand to reveal the same star candies from the previous night. “These gave you good dreams, didn’t they?”

“Y-yes… I will admit, they tasted sweet. And, I didn’t have any nightmares or any trouble sleeping.”

“Is that your way of saying thank you?”

Jurina was silent a moment before answering, “Thank you.”

Momo held their hand out, lifting the girl’s chin.

“Please, let me know if there is anything I can do for you. I won’t do anything bad; I just want you to have happy, sweet dreams.”

Jurina felt almost hypnotized by the devil. She knew of the warnings, but there seemed to be something swaying her thoughts. She recounted her nightmare to the demon, who listened to every word with care.

“Oh, poor girl,” Momo petted her head, her blonde hair gently. “If you’d like, I can take away those nightmares.”

“You can?”

“Of course. I am a dream eater. I can eat up those nightmares and leave only the good dreams for you.”

Jurina felt her heart fluttered, a smile curving her lips. “Really?”

“Yes. Here,” Momo then held out her pinky. “We’ll make a pinky promise.”

The blonde girl took her pinky, wrapping it around the devil’s. After she did, Momo opened up her hand again, offering her more of the candies. Jurina immediately took them, humming in delight as she crunched the sweet candies.

Seconds later, she fell asleep in Momo’s arms. Momo waved her hand above the girl’s head, conjuring several black stars. She ate each one up like a cookie, her lips satisfyingly.

“Sleep tight, milady,” she whispered, hearing a soft sigh from the blonde’s lips.

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Soon, every night, Jurina would meet Momo at her window. She wiped away her nightmares, and in return, she blissfully slept with sweet, star-filled dreams dancing in her head. Fairytale-esque stories and desires from the depths of her heart.

Momo wasn’t a devil, she began to tell herself. If anything, they were an angel. She had fallen for temptation, mesmerized by the dreams she was shown.

Then, the night of a full moon came. Jurina waited excitedly, impatiently, as she wanted the best dream Momo could give her. Anything would do for her, even a naughty fantasy.

“Momo~” she called out the devil’s name.

She then saw the demon appear before her, flashing a devilish grin at her.

“It’s the full moon, milady. Do you know what that means?” she held her cheek, staring deep in her eyes. She smiled again, “Ahh… what beautiful eyes. Full of hope and color.”

Jurina’s wide smile slowly disappeared, hearing a hint of evil in her voice.

“Momo..?”

“I’m here to collect my payment.”

“P-payment? What are you talking about?”

“What? Don’t you know?” Momo stepped through the window frame, causing Jurina to back up. “Did you think my services would be free of charge?”

“But…”

“But, nothing,” she interrupted, silencing her. “We made a deal. A promise. I’d take away your nightmares and give you all the dreams you asked. You desired more and more, each night.”

Momo smirked, her eyes glowing yellow.

“And just as I planned, you have indulged yourself in your dreams. You’ve ripened them up to the perfect degree.”

“S-so… what are you going to..?”

“Hmm,” she held her chin, their faces so close, she almost thought they would kiss. “Why don’t I just take… all of them?”

Jurina’s eyes widened, her body freezing, unable to move. She soon felt as if her mind itself was being invaded. Like the devil was starting to paint over all of her thoughts, and slowly draining out her memories.

Her golden hair started to turn pitch black, her body losing all of its color and turning a monochrome black-and-white. Her eyes became empty, and lifeless, almost doll-like. She slowly fell to her knees, Momo holding a bright, glowing mass of stars circling in her palm.

She took the orb of light and gulped it down whole.

“Delicious~ You truly had lovely dreams, Jurina,” she commented. “Welcome to the monochrome world.”

The devil then disappeared, leaving Jurina alone, staring blankly at the open window.

She no longer thought. She couldn’t recall any memories. And when she slept, she no longer dreamed. No whimsical fantasies, no nightmarish visions. Her mind was completely empty.

And just like her appearance, everything reflected in her eyes was black-and-white.