Darkness envelopes you.

  Your mind is awake, yet your body won’t move. Your eyelids feel heavy, but no matter how hard you try—they won't open.

  You feel strange—like a speck of dust drifting in space.

  Now that you think about it, you haven’t been able to feel your limbs since you woke up, have you?

  Is this a dream?

  Is your body gone?

  Where are you?

  Confusion fills your mind. You try to recall what you were doing before falling asleep, but… you can't remember?

  The more you try to think, the more your mind feels foggy, your thoughts blurring away.

  Thinking is making you tired, drowsiness overwhelms you.

  Does any of this matter? You are tired, you should go back to sleep.

  As your consciousness begins to fade, a loud noise abruptly brings you back.

  A voice—It’s echoing all around you, keeping you from returning to your slumber.

  It’s so loud, yet you can’t make out what it’s saying.

  You feel tired, you just want to go back to sleep, yet the voice doesn't let you. It keeps growing louder and louder—like it’s approaching you, and just as it seems like it has finally reached you… it stops. Just… stops. Now only silence remains. Slowly, your exhaustion wins, and as sleep begins to embrace you once again—The voice erupts back into your mind:

  ?-t is time for you to open your eyes!?

  ?

  Your eyes jolt open. As your vision adjusts to the light, the first thing you see is a white wooden ceiling. It looks old, rotten—the paint is peeling off, its pure color now faded and tainted by black spots of mold.

  The air feels stagnant—almost suffocating, even the particles in the air remain still, as if frozen in time. As you draw your first breath in this unfamiliar place, your nose is overwhelmed by a disgusting burned stench.

  It makes you gag. What could this smell be? As you raise your hand to cover your nose, you finally realize—your body is back.

  The ground beneath you feels scratchy; you seem to be lying on a dusty carpet.

  You weakly push yourself up—your muscles ache, your head hurts.

  As you look down, you notice the state of your body—it’s soaked in sweat, clothed in a simple white cloth.

  Did you always wear things like this?

  You’re not sure. Does it matter?

  You don’t recognize this place, do you? Of course not—how could you?

  Where are you?

  You look around. You seem to be in the corridor of an old abandoned house. At first glance it might look ordinary—dirty walls with torn wallpaper, a wooden drawer with an empty glass jar on it, and a bookshelf filled with cobwebs—until you notice that both ends are engulfed in darkness.

  The strange darkness piques your interest. Aren’t you curious about what it could be? It intrigues you—before you can even realize it, you are already standing at its edge.

  It completely envelops the end of the corridor, blocking your path. It clings to the walls and ceiling as if it were tangible.

  It’s strange… the darkness. It’s… calling you?

  Whispers penetrate your mind: Aren’t you tired? Don’t you wish to sleep? Come closer. Come rest.

  Yes, you are tired. This situation has been absurd from the start. You should simply return to sleep.

  Your hand slowly reaches forward, touching the darkness—it’s cold, almost freezing, yet it gives you comfort.

  Strange geometrical shapes begin to spread from the point your finger makes contact with the darkness—like the ripples in a body of water. The darkness slowly envelops you as the corridor begins to disappear.

  All your worries vanish. All your confusion is now gone. Lethargy embraces you.

  Your eyes slowly close as your existence blends within the darkness—disappearing.

  *CRASH*

  The sudden noise of glass shattering snaps you back to your senses. You open your eyes—you are back in the corridor. Glass shards litter the carpet, and a black cat sits where the jar once was.

  A cat? Why would a cat be here?

  「Hey!」

  It’s so clean, it even has a collar—it clearly doesn't fit this place.

  「Are you deaf?」

  Its fur is so dark—like a void. Looking at it soothes your mind, as long as you’re allowed to place your eyes upon it, everything else becomes unimportant.

  「Am i using the wrong language?」

  Yes, all those questions are unim–「HEY MORON!」A shout echoes in your mind.

  Wait.. a shout?! Did the cat just shout at you?

  「What? Is me speaking more unbelievable than everything you have experienced since you woke up?」the black cat scoffs, licking its paw. 「Tch. This pathetic being is supposed to help?」it mutters under its breath.

  Did it just read your mind?

  「IT?! How dare a mere fr–」the cat halts mid-word, clenching its teeth. It sulks for a moment before continuing:「How dare such a lowly being refer to me that way. I am… Welo! You better not forget it,」she says, stretching her body, trying to look taller.

  This cat… She’s kind of silly.

  Welo stares at you for a few seconds, dumbfounded by your audacity, before changing the subject.

  「Ahem… anyways, follow me. If you stay here, you’ll just fall asleep again.」

  You watch as she leaps off the drawer, slowly heading towards the darkness.

  Can you trust h–She is waiting for you. You should probably follow; she might have some clues about your situation.

  You trail behind her, until you reach the edge of the darkness once more.

  Before you can warn her—Welo steps forward. As soon as she gets near, the darkness begins to writhe, slitting open like a wound, making way for her.

  You follow as she leads you through the path—the darkness clings to the walls, trembling as you pass.

  After walking for a while, you reach the end of the corridor—in front of you stands a reddish wooden door. Its color pops out, bright and cheerful—clearly out of place.

  「There. Go inside.」She gestures towards the door with her head.

  「That ‘Thing’ is waiting for you,」she says, clear disgust displayed on her face.

  That ‘Thing’? What could she mean?

  You look at Welo. There doesn’t seem to be any other choice than going through that door. Well, you certainly can’t go back—can you?

  After hesitating for a while, you head towards the door.

  As your hand reaches for the doorknob, you notice that… it’s trembling?

  Are you scared? No, that's not quite it…

  You! You are excited, aren't you?

  Hasn’t all that happened so far been soooo boring? Don’t you want something new? A door! Isn't it exciting you hear something coming from inside something new something entertaining. open the door open it open it OPEN IT OPEN IT!

  Your body trembles with excitement, your teeth clatter so loudly—you wouldn’t be surprised if they snapped. Your heart beats so strongly, so much so, that it feels like it’s colliding with your sternum. Your insides burn with anticipation, what could be on the other side?

  You must find out!

  YOU MUST SEEK ENTERTAINMENT.

  *Smack* a paw abruptly strikes the back of your head.

  「Tch. FOCUS!」Welo yells from behind you, snapping you back to your senses.

  What just happened? What were you thinking?

  Your body is drenched in sweat—the taste of iron fills your mouth. Your head aches, and your body still trembles slightly. The skin of the hand that was holding the doorknob is now bone white.

  Welo stares at you in disdain. 「Pathetic being, can’t even open a door. Hurry and enter. I’ll open it for you.」

  The doorknob slowly twists on its own, and the door swings open.

  You look at the door, hesitant. It’s open, yet nothing can be seen beyond it.

  「What are you waiting for? Don’t waste my time. Go in,」she says annoyed.

  Seeing her impatient gaze, you decide to enter.

  As you take your first step beyond the door’s boundary—everything stops. The world blurs. You feel your existence morph—folding, like the page of a book being flipped.

  ? ?

  Once again, you find yourself in a new unfamiliar place.

  In front of you stands a library—filled with the pleasant smell of ink and paper. Books of different colors, shapes and textures fill the shelves to the brim.

  No matter which direction you look, this library doesn't seem to have an end. It appears to extend infinitely, so much so that you can’t even comprehend.

  The theme and atmosphere look similar to the corridor, but unlike it, everything is in perfect condition—almost spotless.

  *Clack* your thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a book slamming shut.

  In a place you hadn’t paid attention to—lost in your own thoughts, enchanted by your surroundings—you glimpse at something in the corner of your eye. On an armchair that wasn’t there before, a figure sits, a closed book in its hands.

  You focus on the strange being in front of you, trying to make sense of it.

  But… something is strange.

  Is it a man? A woman? Old, young, tall, short?

  You can’t tell.

  Honestly, can you even call this being ‘human’? It looks more like a bunch of shapes constantly collapsing on themselves—barely forcing themselves to resemble one.

  Is this the ‘Thing’ Welo was referring to?

  Now that you think about it. Where is sh–The strange being gazes at you. It seems amused by your reactions. It has no eyes, and yet, you can feel it. It is looking directly at you—inside you, beyond your eyes.

  Its stare—it’s making you feel strange. This feeling—it’s the same as when you tried to open the door.

  Your fingers are already beginning to tremble… Is this excit–You feel fur brush against your leg, and instantly the feeling disappears.

  As you look down, you see Welo brushing against your leg.

  「Seriously… Are you trying to kill it? Why ask me to bring it here just to kill it?」Welo says to the strange being, while sitting next to you. 「And what’s with that smile?」she adds with a disgusted expression on her face.

  Smile?

  As you raise your gaze to the strange being once again, you see it. On its face, a large crevice has opened, curved upwards, a blinding white void inside it.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  You can now feel the ecstasy coming from its gaze as it looks at you, but…

  Is it you it’s looking at?

  The crevice on the strange being’s face slowly closes, returning to its neutral state.

  The strange being tilts its head, looking at Welo, and begins to speak.

  The moment its crevice opens, swarms of different voices force themselves into your mind, forming a single phrase:『Oh! How rude of me, greeting such an important guest in such a manner. My apologies.』

  『It appears Welo has already introduced me to you.”That thing” was it?』the strange being says, chuckling. Welo’s fur stands on end at its words, a chill running down her spine.『Or you may address me as “The strange being”, as you have been doing for a while now. It matters not. Who knows—maybe you might even already know my name,』the strange being says, clearly amused.

  『So…』The strange being energetically rises from its seat. 『You must be here to listen to my stories, right?』Without waiting for your response, it quickly heads to the nearest bookshelf, its finger tapping on each book as its search goes on.

  『Mmh… which one shall we choose? Maybe this one?』

  It picks up a strange book decorated with buttons and doll limbs.

  『No, no. It’s not ready yet. This one?』

  It takes out another book—this one even stranger—it keeps glitching—aging then restoring itself.

  『This one keeps resetting, that wouldn’t be fun would it?』

  Again, it picks another book. This one even stran–

  Oh, this is just a worn-out travel journal.

  『Oh, this one… Uhm, no we don’t want to spoil the fun, do we?』

  「Seriously. Who cares? I’m bored. Just pick one already,」Welo says, lying on the armchair, yawning.

  The strange being tilts its head, confused as to why anyone would find choosing stories boring. Ignoring the lazy cat, it loses itself in thought, searching for the right book.

  After some time, it smiles and shouts:

  『YES! This one is perfect for you!』

  A book appears in its hands—it feels young, yet smells burned, damaged, and dirty. You might even call it filthy.

  Wait… young?

  Why would a book feel young?

  As you look at the book, you find yourself seated in front of the strange being.

  When did you sit down? Did you?

  『Then, without further ado, shall we start reading?』The strange being does not wait for an answer. It smiles at you, slowly opens the book, and begins to read:

  『On a colorful spring day, in a lonely house on the kingdom’s outskirts, a small family happily lives out their ordinary life…』

  As the strange being’s voice echoes, the library starts to fade, slowly being replaced by the view of a small, colorful house, surrounded by nature and childish colors.

  Everything stops. The world blurs. You slowly feel your existence being morphed into something else, as a new world unravels—like opening the first page of a book.

  ◆

  A sunny day—the sound of birds chirping, the wind brushing upon my skin—the perfect time for reading… and napping.

  Or at least it should have been.

  “Selene,” her mother called out from the doorstep, her black hair tied in a messy bun. “Quit ‘reading’ under that tree and come set the table.

  Until my mother decided to wake me up.

  “Yawn… yes, yes, I'm coming. Give me five more minutes.”

  “Selene, hurry up!” her mother shouted.

  Selene removed the book from her face, and slowly sat up.

  Ugh. We just recently moved here from the capital, and my Mother has been making me do so many chores. Father told me we moved away because Mother doesn’t like crowded spaces, but I'm not stupid. I know it’s because Father's family doesn’t like me and Mother. Those people had us live in the annex and kept bothering us.

  Now that we’ve moved, I can roam in the garden as much as I want. And Father has been teaching me swordsmanship too. When I become strong enough, I will return and beat up those brats that kept bothering me at the mansion. Those little shits, they’ll s–

  ”SELENE!” her mother yelled, fuming.

  Damn. Got lost in thought. I should hurry.

  Snapped out of her thoughts, she quickly headed to her mother.

  “Here. Take the plates.” her mother said, handing them to her.

  “Yes…”

  She grumpily set the table.

  Mother is so strict… She didn’t even want Father to teach me swordsmanship—said it was dangerous. I only convinced her after pestering Father to talk to her. Well, at least she’s started smiling more since we moved.

  “If you’re done setting the table, go call your father. He's probably in the garden somewhere, still trying to farm even though he’s hopeless at it.” her mother said, chuckling.

  Seeing her mother smile made her happy. Ever since they moved, her mother’s green eyes were slowly regaining their shine, and her face had more color than before.

  Now in a good mood, she went to the garden to search for her father.

  Father has been trying to learn how to farm since we moved here, but he really isn’t suited for it.

  She chuckled, reminiscing about her father's past farming messes.

  Father was a famous knight in the capital. They said he could even become a paladin if he wanted to. But after he married Mother, the family started ostracizing him, and that's how we ended up on the outskirts.

  Bah. Who needs that stupid family anyways. I’m gonna learn swordsmanship, and become a paladin myself. Then they’ll regret how they treated us.

  After finishing her internal monologue, feeling motivated, she actually started looking around for her father.

  It didn’t take long. She quickly found him trying to dig a hole in the back of the garden. There he was, a muscular man with a sturdy build, blue eyes, and brown hair—covered in dirt from head to toe, clearly having dug too big of a hole.

  “Bahahah! What are you doing, Father? Training to become a mole? Ahahah!.” Seeing her father like that made her laugh. He really did look like a mole.

  The man lifted his gaze from the hole he was clumsily digging.

  As soon as his daughter entered his view, his face lit up with a smile.

  “Wha- A mole? You little… Come here!” her father said, running towards her. “Let’s see who’s the mole after I cover you with dirt!” he shouted.

  “Ah, wait! Don’t you dare put that dirt on me!”

  “Mother will get mad at both of us if we return covered in dirt,” she said, while trying her best to dodge his hands.

  “Ahah. You’re right, my bad,” her father said, laughing.

  His hand reached towards her head to pat her, but it was quickly deflected.

  “Father! Did you already forget what I just said?” Selene said, annoyed.

  He can be so silly sometimes.

  “Ah, sorry, sorry. I didn’t think about it,” he chuckled, as he looked at his dirt-covered gloves.

  As they were chatting, the sound of hooves hitting the ground could be heard in the distance. Slowly growing louder and louder. Her father turned his head towards it, his face draining of color as soon as he saw the source of the sound.

  What’s going on? Why is Father’s face suddenly so pale?

  Selene followed her father’s line of sight. At its end was a group of armored cavalry slowly coming towards their house.

  Mercenaries? Why are they coming towards us? Are they the reason Father is so pale? What is happening?

  Anxiety started to weigh on her chest as she pieced the information together.

  Before she could ask him what was happening, he knelt down in front of her, patting her head with his dirty glove.

  Dirt filled her hair, but this time, she did not dodge.

  Her father calmly spoke, trying his best not to show his fear, by masking it with a smile.

  “Selene, dear, listen to me. I need you to go inside and tell mom that the merchants are coming, okay?”

  “Merchants? Dad, those clearly aren–”

  “Selene!”

  He interrupted her words. His voice was quiet, yet it felt so loud. His smile made her heart sink.

  Ah. I see. We both know… that those aren’t merchants.

  She turned her back to her dad, and started to run towards the house. Each step felt heavier than the previous—her chest felt as heavy as ever before. Each breath burned her throat.

  “MOM!” she shouted desperately.

  “What’s wrong, Selene? Calm down,” her mother asked worriedly.

  After steadying her ragged breath, Selene briefly explained what was happening. Her mother calmly listened, but the more Selene spoke, the paler her face became.

  Understanding the situation, her mother spoke to her with a trembling yet resolute voice:

  “Selene, I need you to hide. There is a trapdoor under the carpet in the corridor. It’s enchanted, so they won’t be able to find you there. Do not come out, no matter what happens or what you hear, okay?”

  “What about you and Dad? Hide with me!” Selene pleaded.

  “Dear, there isn't enough space, and your father is still outside…” her mother said, avoiding her gaze, as she lifted the carpet, and led her inside the hidden room.

  A small storage room lay beneath the carpet, dried food, and water scattered around.

  What do you mean, not enough room? We can clearly fit all three of us in here. Wait…

  “Mo–”

  “I’m sorry, Selene. If both of us are missing, they won’t stop searching that easily," her mother cut her off. The trapdoor slowly closed, as her mother said her final farewell to her beloved daughter:

  “Selene, remember this. Me and your father love you, and we always will.”

  The sight of her mother’s face disappearing, vanishing behind the closing door, lasted only for a moment, yet for Selene, it felt endless. Countless thoughts, questions, and regrets swirled inside her mind in that single moment. But… the time was far too short—the door locked—trapping all those unspoken words in the darkness, the sound of her own breath now her only companion.

  As her mother’s footsteps slowly disappeared in the distance, Selene was left alone—in that dark, silent basement—where only her thoughts could be heard.

  It’s dark.

  I’m scared.

  What is happening?

  What do those people want from us?

  Why are Mom and Dad so afraid?

  I don’t understand.

  Myriads of thoughts raced in her mind as she tried to comprehend the situation, but… how could an innocent young girl know what was about to come?

  After minutes that felt endless. The silence abruptly broke.

  Voices came from outside, loud enough for Selene to hear, yet too far for her to understand.

  Voices? I can’t understand what they’re saying.

  Her heartbeat hastened as fear crept inside her.

  The voices gradually grew louder, and louder.

  After a while, the sounds of metal colliding could be heard, which slowly turned into the sounds of battle.

  Is that the sound of a sword? Is Father fighting?

  But suddenly, they stopped.

  The sounds stopped? Did Father win?

  Just as hope was slowly gathering in her heart…

  The cries started.

  Quiet—pleading, sobs that seemed to last forever.

  Noises of people moving and shouting, blended among the sobs—until the sounds of objects being moved, and something being planted into the ground—slowly drowned all other noises.

  What is happening? What are they moving around? Why did the cries stop…

  Her stomach felt heavy, as the feeling that something terrible was about to happen crept inside her.

  Mom said to stay inside no matter what, but they are in danger. I can't just leave them there.

  She pushed the trapdoor, but… no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t budge.

  As she prepared her strength to push once more–a shout, so powerful that she could understand it, even from so far away.

  “LIGHT IT!”

  Light… it?

  Light it?

  Before the meaning of those words had time to dawn on her. The cries started once again, but…

  This time they were different.

  Loud—so loud—deafening, ear-splitting cries.

  Full of pain and suffering—drenched in regret and despair.

  No… NO!

  Selene crashed her body against the trapdoor. She pushed it, punched it—until the bones of her knuckles were exposed—blood splashing against it as her fist struck it with all her strength. But… the trapdoor didn’t budge. No damage could be found on it; only the stains of her blood were visible.

  No matter how hard she punched…

  The trapdoor did not budge.

  No matter how hard she tried to ignore them…

  The cries did not stop.

  Selene covered her ears, with her bloodied hands. She squeezed them with all of her remaining strength—so hard that her nails started digging inside her flesh—blood drizzling down her neck. But, even with that… she could still hear them. They didn't stop…

  Her head spun wildly. She felt like her consciousness was drowning—her eyes were flooded with tears, and her clothes clung to her body, soaked in sweat.

  This is all a nightmare!

  Soon, I will wake up and everything will be back to normal.

  I will read under the tree. Dad will clumsily try to dig holes like a mole, and Mom will scold me with a smile, because I slacked off again.

  Yes… it- it will…

  Lost inside her mind, it took her a while to notice. That the cries had already ended long ago, even though they still echoed so loudly in her ears.

  She did not move from the basement.

  Some sounds could still be heard from inside the house, but her mind did not notice.

  She simply stood there—curled up in the dark—still clutching her ears.

  ? ?

  『A tragic development indeed! Don’t you think so too, honored guest?』the strange being says, waiting for your reaction.

  Your eyes are overwhelmed by light. Your surroundings now different from the basement you were previously in.

  Your ears hurt.

  You have been holding them so hard, they almost look purple.

  You should let go now.

  You slowly release your grip, and look at your hands—your knuckles are fine. The bones are no longer exposed. There is no blood on them anymore, and your nails are clean. The room is quiet. Cries no longer echo in your ears.

  As you slowly look up, you feel fear rising within you—the strange being in front of you is smiling—delighted by your reaction.

  The crevice on the strange being’s face, turns upwards even further—its body trembling, its forcefully maintained humanoid figure nearly collapsing from excitement.

  It gazes beyond your eyes, and asks—the swarm of voices louder than ever before.

  『Then! Was this chapter entertaining enough?』