Vulnavia nods eagerly. "Okay! I'll practice that in my head tonight. Tomorrow night, when you go to sleep, just pretend like you don't know I'm here until you wake up and..." It grins mischievously. "...and see how scared you are!"

Vulnavia nestles closer to you, wrapping its tiny arms around itself contentedly. "Thank you so much, Lucy," it whispers sleepily. "I promise not to let you down." And with those words, it drifts off to sleep, trusting in your protection... and in the hope that together they can fulfill its destiny as a bogeyman.

Shadow takes a deep breath and slowly crawls out from under the bed. It pads silently across the floor until it reaches the foot of your bed, then crouches down so that its face is level with yours. Its orange eyes gleam in the darkness as it whispers menacingly, "Shhh... go back to sleep, Ryan..."

Its tiny fingers curl into claws and press against your blanket, just barely touching your arm. Shadow's lips pull back into a snarl, revealing jagged fangs in the dim light. "...Or I might have to come play with you."

Shadow smiles back at Ryan, its fangs glinting in the darkness. It feels a surge of gratitude towards you for helping it become scarier. You've given it confidence and made it feel like it can succeed on its rite of passage. And even if it doesn't manage to make people as scared as you are, just knowing that there's someone out there who appreciates its efforts is enough.

As the night wears on, Shadow continues to try new tactics and honing its skills at being spooky, all while feeling grateful for having such a wonderful friend like Ryan by its side... or rather, under the bed.