《In Their Eyes We Were Cellurks》 Day 1: The End Of A Typical Day Year 157, Near the end of the fall season I¡¯m not sure what day it is. I am a youngster who lives in the peaceful village of ¡°Unut¡±. And today I am helping village elder by choping some logs for him. ¡°But he is not going to pay me.¡± I said as I swung my axe, I¡¯m only helping him because he¡¯s like a father to me. I was a little child when my family abandoned me. Yet he took me in and raised me to this age. ¡°And I am going to do this for the rest of his lifetime.¡± Once again I said as I swung my axe. ¡°So about another 10 year or so.¡± I halted my axe stroke. ¡°This axe could help reducing that time to seconds.¡± Whack! Right after I said that, something whacked me behind the head. ¡°You could commit suicide with it; it¡¯s simpler than killing me.¡± I look back and see the village elder holding a plank. ¡°Stop talking nonsense and get back to work.¡± As he finished speaking, he threw the plank away and walked inside his house. I started swinging my axe again. ¡°Someday, I¡¯ll chop wood for his coffin.¡± Some time passes... I swung my axe for the last time as the sky started getting red. The last log was chopped in half. ¡°It¡¯s done!¡°, I yelled. I hear the wooden door open with a crack. ¡°Good job,¡± said the village elder as he got out of his house. He gave me a towel and gently pushed me towards the open door. ¡°Come inside and get warmed up before you head back.¡± I nod silently, as I am too tired to say another word. We get inside, and he gestures for me to sit on the chair next to the fireplace. I walk towards the chair while trying to keep my eyes open. I sit without even looking at the chair. ¡°Ouch!¡± I yelped and jumped. ¡°Hahaha!¡± exclaimed the old man. ¡°Wakes you up, doesn¡¯t it?¡± I turn my head and look at the chair. There were nails standing upright on top of the chair. ¡°What is your problem?¡± ¡°Just helping you stay awake.¡± he said while smirking ¡°Is this how you repay me? remember these nails; they are going to seal your coffin.¡± ¡°Come on now, stop crying.¡± I put the nails away and sit down, He brings me a basin full of hot water and some clean cloth. ¡°Here, wash yourself.¡± Some time passes... ¡°It¡¯s about time I leav-¡± Crack!!! Before I even finish my sentence, the wooden door opens with a bang. ¡°I came to visit you, Grandpa!¡± a child yells happily ¡°Oh! if this isn¡¯t my granddaughter.¡± It was the village elder¡¯s granddaughter ¡°Angel¡±, running past me the little girl jumps towards the village elder. village elder grabs the girl mid air and hugs her. While this happens another person walks in from the open door. It was a slender woman with a long brown hair. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Hehe,she must have missed you father.¡± says the woman while closing the door. Woman gives me a smile, bows her head, and walks towards the other two. What a lovely sight, a family meeting... I should leave before they start making me do more chores. I sneak my way to the door and hold the knob almost free... ¡°Wait!¡± I sigh and turn my head towards the family. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Could you let Pickle out before you go.¡± He throws me a key. ¡°Pickle¡± is the name of the village elder¡¯s pet ¡°Cellurk¡±; Cellurks are friendly creatures that you can find anywhere in the forest,A green,furry and fat animal, so just like village elder but green and friendly. Pickle is one of them, at daytime Pickle stays in the cellar. When it¡¯s night, we let him out. ¡°Fine.¡± I turn my back and open the door. But before I go outside, someone grabs my arm. ¡°Can I come too? I wanna see Pickle.¡± Angel, the little girl, was staring at me with wide eyes. Before saying anything, I looked at her mother, and she nodded, smiling. ¡°Okay,Let¡¯s go then.¡± And finally, outside, along with the little girl, we start walking. ¡°Hey, big brother, I have a question.¡± ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± ¡°Why is Pickle able to jump so high?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe your grandpa put some nails under its feet.¡± I said smirkingly The girl looks at me with a confused face. ¡°I am just joking, but it¡¯s true that I don¡¯t know how they are able to jump so high.¡± An adult cellurk stands about 145 cm tall and is able to jump approximately 3 to 4 meters. They jump on the tree branches to eat fruits and leaves. They are green, so it¡¯s a great hiding place too. ¡°I have another question.¡± ¡°Ask away.¡± ¡°Since they don¡¯t have arms, what happens if they fall? Are they able to get up on their own?¡± ¡°Well, I have never seen a fallen cellurk, so I guess they are able to get up on their own.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°We could knock Pickle down to test it.¡± ¡°Noooo!¡± Girl shouts ¡°Okay, okay, we don¡¯t. Instead, how about we cut your arms and try it?¡± ¡°!?¡± Girl shrinks back in fear. ¡°Just kidding,I left the axe inside the house anyway.¡± ¡°You would if you had it?¡± ¡°No, not to you; no promises about your grandfather, though.¡± ¡°Why do you hate my grandpa?¡± ¡°Because he makes me do lots of chores for him and pays me nothing.¡± ¡°Hmm... I understand.¡± ¡°Oh! here we are.¡± We arrived at our destination. I unlocked the cellar with the key the village elder gave me. I grasp the door handle, but before I can pull it, some force pushes the door open from inside. Knocking me down, I look up above me and see a shadow-like figure jumping over me. ¡°PICKLE!!¡± I get up and look behind me. Angel was hugging the cellurk with all the force she has. Pickle looks happy to see her as well, and I am sure Pickle would have hugged her if it had arms. I let the girl hug and pet Pickle for a while. ¡°Hey... it¡¯s okay if you want to play with Pickle, but don¡¯t let it bite you or you¡¯ll start hallucinating.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Cellurks are very timid creatures and will rarely bite people, but when they do, You¡¯ll start hallucinating every other living being as a cellurk. It¡¯s nothing serious, but last time Pickle bit me, I tried to pet the village elder. The hallucinations lasts about 6 hours. Some time passes... I yell out: ¡°Okay, okay, enough playing Pickle is hungry. Let¡¯s let Pickle go.¡± ¡°But I want to play with Pickle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late to play.¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t play with Pickle in the morning, he sleeps.¡± ¡°You can keep playing with Pickle tomorrow evening.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± she says while pouting. ¡°Good girl.¡± ¡°Oh, I almost forgot!¡± Girl reaches into her dress¡¯s pocket and pulls something out. ¡°A ribbon?¡± ¡°Yup,big bro, help me put this on Pickle.¡± She hands me the ribbon. ¡°It¡¯s okay I guess.¡± I wrapped the ribbon around Pickle¡¯s neck cautiously. Then I tie a knot and I¡¯m done! Pickle seemed to be pleased with its new ribbon. ¡°Looking good there, pickle.¡± ¡°He looks very handsome.¡± ¡°He does, and what is this ribbon for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s so that we don¡¯t mistake him with another cellurk.¡± ¡°Understanble. Okay, time to say goodbye to Pickle.¡± ¡°Okay, goodbye, Pickle.¡± She hugs the animal one last time and steps back. As soon as she lets go of the animal, it jumps above my head again and disappears into the forest. girl waves behind the animal. ¡°We should head back too.¡± She nods. After I return the girl to her family, I start walking towards my home. I silently walked while watching the starry sky. When I finnaly arrived I was dead tired. I straight went to my bed and closed my eyes... Growl! That was my stomach. ¡°I should have stayed for the dinner.¡± RUMBLE!!! THAT WAS NOT MY STOMACH! ¡°An earthquake!¡± The house shakes for a while and then stops. ¡°It stopped.¡± I let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Happens a lot this days.¡± ¡°Now is not the time to think about that.¡± ¡°I need to check the hou-¡± Suddenly everything becomes dark... I pushed myself to my limit. I passed out... ... *sniff* *sniff* I can smell burning wood. I regain consciousness and stand up. My home is engulfed in flames! I rushed towards the exit, putting my life above all else. I approached the door and turned the handle. But the door refused to budge. I have to break it. I backed up and ran as fast as I could towards the door. I repeat the process againg and again. Still the door didn¡¯t budge. The flames are getting closer. ¡°No choice I have to jump from the second floor.¡± I rushed the stairs without looking back. I went into my bedroom, got up on top of the bed, and opened the window. This fall will very certainly break some of my bones. I look back to flames that are coming closer. ¡°Better than dying, I suppose.¡± I crawled through the window and leaped out. I turned over while in the air, making sure to land on my arm. *Crack* I crashed heavily on my left arm. ¡°GODDAMN IT!¡± ¡°MY ARM!¡± It was broken. After rolling on the ground in pain for a while, I get up. With what little power I had left, I shouted, ¡°SOMEBODY HELP!¡± And shouted, ¡°I NEED HELP!¡± Shoted, ¡°HELP... PLE...ase!¡± ¡°Hof.. pof..¡± ¡°Nobody... is coming.¡± I wobble to the road and arrive at my neighbor¡¯s house, Or, what was left of it; it seems I wasn¡¯t the only one whose home was burned down. ¡°HEY, IS ANYBODY THERE!¡± ... ¡°No answer.¡± Either nobody is there or SOME-BODY is there. I can¡¯t accomplish anything by myself right now. I need to go to the center of the village and bring help. I keep walking and come across more burned-out houses. ¡°But where is everybody?¡± ¡°They must have all gathered somewhere as nobody is in the area.¡± ¡°Maybe the lake?¡± ¡°They must be bringing water to put out the fires.¡± I set the lake as my destination and continued on my path. As I walk,I spoke loudly to myself. ¡°Everywhere is in flames.¡± ... ¡°My arm hurts.¡± ... ¡°This going to be realy tough night.¡± ... ¡°It will be difficult to extinguish all of this fire.¡± ... ¡°Ah, here I am!¡± I was at the lake¡¯s dam. ¡°What the-¡± I gasped at the scene. The once-blue river that emerged from the lake was now completely blood crimson. All of the village members dead bodies were floating in the river. I did not accept what I saw. I jump into the water to make sure I wasn¡¯t having a hallucination. The water reached up to my chest, but it was shallow enough for me to walk. I walked over to one of the corpses. It was the body of the village elders. I put my right arm behind his cold body. *splash* *splash* *splash* I heard water splashing. I looked in the direction of the sound and noticed that the dam gates had been opened. The rushing flood was heading straight for me. Yet, I was too shocked and injured to move. I waited still for the water to engulf me. ¡°Who cares anymore.¡± I managed to utter it before I went underwater. Day 2: An Iron Bird? "I am getting drowned!" I yelled. "No, you''re not; relax." I was... in my bed. When I look up, I notice a young woman holding a bucket. It was my neighbor also my best friend "Rose". "Are you awake now?" She said smirking. "Yes, thank you for pouring the entire contents of the well on my face, but please don''t do it again." "Okay, I just have to throw you in the well then." "Hehe, That''s a well-made joke. Wait, what are you doing here anyway?" "I came to check on you because there was an earthquake last night." "I''m alright, but I fell asleep before checking my house." "Don''t worry, I already checked to make sure there was no harm." "Is that so? I appreciate your thoughtfulness." "Heh, This is how you should have act from the start." "And now I don''t." "Is that so? I guess you don''t want the food I brought here, then." "I do,I do." "Good boy,come on let''s go down stairs." I got out of bed and we went down the stairs right away. I walked into the kitchen, and I noticed a feast of sardine sandwiches. "Thank you for the food." "Don''t mention it." We sit and ate the breakfast in silence. After we are done eating, she gets up and... "Now then, let''s go fishing." "Fishing?" "Yup." "Why?" "There''s really no reason; I just want to go." "Well, I guess I have to since you provide me food." "I can''t feed you unless we go fishing, you know." "I know,I know,let''s go then." I decided to go with her without much consideration. We were like this since we were kids; one of us would come up with an idea, and the other would just go along with it. "Let me get my fishing rod from home, and we''ll meet in front of your house." "Okay." She left soon after. I decided to do the same and start searching for my tools. I went upstairs once again start looking under my bed. "Junk...Junk...Junk..." I should tidy this place sometime. "Oh, here it is." I finally found the trunk where I stored my fishing gear. I pull the trunk by grabbing it from both sides. "Here we go." "And in 3...2...1." *Clack* I heard a stone smack against my window. "She is here." I went outside and saw that Rose was waiting for me. "All set?" She asked "All set,let''s go." We begin walking south, towards the sea. Our village is located in the continent''s extreme southeast. Seas are to the east and south, and high mountains are to the west. Thereby making it nearly impossible to travel by foot to our village. One can only enter this village from the north, and to do so, they must pass through a guard-heavy city. I doubt that we will ever be attacked by bandits given the current situation. I am sure this village is the safest place on the whole eart- *Smack* Suddnly I felt a huge pain on my neck. Rose slapped me from behind, "We have arrived, so you need to stop talking to yourself." I turned my head to look at the sea. "It''s peaceful here." she said. "It would have been more peaceful if you weren''t here." "Get ready to fish and put an end to your nonsense." I do as she says and cast my fishing rod, she does the same. Silently, we look out at the water. After some time, she breaks the silence. "So umm... how is things?" "What things?" "You know... life." "Bad." "What''s wrong?" "I chop logs for free all day, sit on nails, and my friend is attempting to drown me." "Besides them." "Why are you asking this? What is this all of sudden?" "Just a quick check-in to see how you''re doing. I know it''s been difficult for you since your family left." "I''m good, I can live without them; why are you bringing this now, it''s been years?" "I just wanted to-" *Vrrrrr* *Vrrrrr* *Vrrrrr* Her voice gets cut down by the buzzing noise. "What is this sound?" I said "It''s coming from... the sky?" We both look up and saw an X shaped creature flying above us. "WHAT IS THAT!" She yelled. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website."A bird?" "I''ve never seen a bird like that." *VRRRRR* *VRRRRR* *VRRRRR* As we talk the buzzing gets louder. We glance up again and gasp. The flying creature was heading straight towards us. When it gets closer, we stumble and fall behind. Now that it is nearby, we can see that the flying monster has sharp revolving claws above its body. It approaches my face up-close. I close my eyes and then... "It went away." Rose said. We gaze at each other, puzzled. "I don''t know why it fled, but let us also flee." "You are right." We gathered our belongings and started running towards the village. After some time of running, we realized we weren''t being pursued and slowed down. "Hof, hof. What exactly was that?" "It looked like a bird made of iron." "Yeah, and it had claws that rotated." "We''re fortunate that it didn''t pursue us to the village." "We need to inform the village elder of this." "You are correct," she agreed, and we began walking towards the village elder''s house. Rose began repeatedly pounding on the door as soon as we arrived. The door finally opens after some pounding. "Hmm? What is going on with you two? Why are you breathing so heavily?" village elder says as he gets out. "A flying creature charged at us and attacked." With fear in her voice, Rose says. "You should warn the other people in the village not to go near the sea to the south." We continue to tell him the whole story. "Pffft... Hahahahahaha." Elder laughs as if he heard the best joke of his life. "We are serious here." "Of course you are." He manages to say while laughing. We wait for him to stop laughing. And then he talks. "Look I understand that you are going through some hard time and need some fun but you should stop making up things like this." "It''s not a joke, I swear to the god under the sea." "You said the same thing last week when you lied about a dragon kidnapping Pickle." "I-" He intrups before I speak. "And even if you are telling the true it let you go didn''t it?" "It did bu-" He intrups me again. "So it didn''t want to eat you then." "We can''t know that it may have gone to call more of it''s friend so that they can feast on us." "Isn''t it better to kill your prey before you call your friends so that they won''t run away?" "That''s-" "Enough, Enough, if you two have the energy to make up stuff like this then you sure to have energy to chop some logs." In the end he didn''t even listen us. "Maybe he is right,maybe it was peaceful animal and flew away because it was scared." Rose said as she chopped a log in half. "Animal? I never seen an animal like that before." "There is lots of animals that human kind yet to see." "Okay I try not to thing about it then." "Good boy." The wooden door opens once again,village elder and his granddaughter comes out. "You two done yet?" "We are." "Good,it''s almost time to let Pickle out again." "Okay,Okay I will deal with it." He nods. I turn to Rose and say: "You should go home before it''s dark." "I''ll do so, see you then." "Bye." She turns her back towards me, walks a few steps, then stops and turns her head to face me. "It was fun today,let''s do it again sometime." she waves her hand. "Yeah." I wave back. After she is gone, I look back to village elder who is now searching his pockets. "Now... where did I put the keys of the cellar" "Oh,I still have it,I forgot to gave it back yesterday." He looks at me with an annoyed face. "What are you waiting for then move." "Sure,Sure." I start walking towards the cellar. I hear a happy humming behind my back, I look back to see elder''s granddaughter, Angel following me. I sigh and continue on my way silently. We repeat the same process as yesterday. Unlock the cellar - let the girl play with Pickle - Cut Pickle''s left leg and make a soup with it - And let Pickle into the forest. scrach the third one. When the animal is gone, I turn to girl and gave her the cellar key. "Give this to village elder." "Okay." "Good girl." Same as yesterday I return the girl to village elder,her grandfather. I start walking towards my home, and when I arrive, I notice a basket in front of my door. There was a note on top of the basket. "This is your share." And a painting of a small fish. I take basket inside and enjoyed the food. After I finished eating, I went upstairs to my bed and slept. *sniff* *sniff* I can smell burning wood. I regained consciousness and stand up. I walked towards the open window next to my bed. As I approach the open window, a rush of cool air hits my face, carrying the scent of burning wood. I lean out of the window and look around to see if I can spot the source of the smell. In the distance, I see a faint glow and smoke rising in front of my house, indicating that the source of the burning wood smell might be close by. "All the logs that I chopped today have decided to come and haunt me, I guess." I sigh and went downstairs to check on the fire. I open my front door and get outside. "This is the biggest bonfire I ever saw!" "So... who is the witch?" All of a sudden, the bushes behind the bonfire began to rustle. A cellurk emerged from the foliage with its back to me, pulling something with its teeth. I cautiously walked towards it. "Pickle is that you?" As soon as the animal heard its name, its ears twitched and it dropped whatever it was pulling. It turned to face me, and I noticed the red ribbon we put on him yesterday. It was Pickle! "What are you doing here? taking a break from hunting for fruits?" I reached out and petted Pickle''s head. After a few moments, I withdrew my hand. As soon as I let go, Pickle turned back to whatever it was pulling earlier and grabbed it with its teeth. It started pulling again, and after a few more tugs, it became clear what Pickle had been pulling all along "Rose?" "Is she sleeping?" How come she didn''t wake up after getting pulled all the way here? And why is Pickle pulling her? Pickle kept pulling her a blood trail followed her! "WHAT THE HELL!?" ROSE''S LEGS WERE CUT DOWN AND SHE DIDN''T HAVE HALF OF HER BODY! I NEED TO GET HELP QUICK! While I was lost in thoughts, Pickle grabbed Rose by her collar using its teeth and threw her towards the bonfire. "NOOO!" "I shouted as I tried to run to save Rose, but Pickle jumped on top of me and made me fall. In front of my eyes, Rose fell into the flames. I heard screams coming from the fire: "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" "PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP!" She was still alive! I struggle to free myself from under the animal, but it''s no use. It''s too heavy. More cellurks come from all over the forest, dragging legless village members towards the fire. They throw everyone into the flames, and the screams grow louder. I watch in horror as they burn, feeling powerless to do anything. I buried my face to ground trying not to see anything. Some time passed and the screams eventually faded away. But then I look up and noticed that the cellurks from all over the forest were coming towards me, their eyes glowing with a terrifying red light. They grabbed me with their teeth and threw me into the flames with the others. Day 3: Happy Birthday To Me "I AM BURNING!" "Hey! I didn''t boil the water that much." I woke up in my bed and looked up to see a young woman holding a bucket. It was Rose. "You''re alive!" I exclaimed excitedly. "That''s great news. When did you learn that?" "And your legs are intact!" I added. "Yeah, I think I boiled the water a bit too much," Rose admitted. So it was just a dream. I was glad, but then I remembered something. "Wait, did you say you poured boiled water over my head?" I asked in disbelief. "Oh, you''re back! You had me worried for a second there," Rose said with a smile. "DON''T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!" "I thought it would warm you up a bit in this cold weather. You should be thanking me," she said, smirking. "You''re just wasting the water from the well," I said disapprovingly. "Nope, this is water from the lake." "Lake? Why did you go there so early in the morning?" I asked, curious. "Never mind that. Aren''t you hungry?" she asked, changing the subject. "I am." "Let''s get downstairs then." I jump from my bed and we get down the stairs. "Yay, sardines again," I said with disappointment. "Don''t worry, this is the last time we''re eating sardines." . "Is that a death threat?" I replied jokingly. "No, they''re going to spoil tomorrow, so I''m just trying to finish them off," she explained. I sigh and we start eating. "By the way, do you know what day it is?" Rose asked. "Sorry, I lost track of time a long time ago," I replied. "Is that the reason why you thought I was dead?" "No, I just had a nightmare. I''d rather not talk about it." "You don''t have to," Rose said with a reassuring smile. After we finished eating, Rose stood up and said, "Now then-". I cut her off, saying, "Here we go again." "Let''s go outside." "I was expecting you to say something more extreme." "Okay, let''s go climb a mountain without using our hands then." "I am not a Cellurk." "That can change. We''ll just have to cut your arms." I had a sense of deja vu and asked, "What?" "Never mind, let''s go." As we left through the front door, Rose walked a few steps before stopping to look around. I asked her, "What are you doing?" as she stood there, surveying her surroundings. "Waiting for someone." "Who? Prince charming with a white horse?" *Thud-Thud* *Thud-Thud* *Thud-Thud* As I finished my sentence, we heard the sound of a horse running. We see the figure of a horse and a man riding it merge through the forest,coming closer. "Did I just call a fortune for you?" The horse got closer, and I noticed that it was actually white. "I should have wished for money," I said to myself,I look up to see who the rider is. "Elder?" I got confused and continued: "Never mind, it wasn''t a fortune after all. It''s a miracle to witness an ass riding a horse. Poor animal, it is forced to carry that weight." "You are here!" said Rose in excitment. "Huh? isn''t he bit old for you?" "What are you going on about? You''ve been babbling nonsense for a while!" Elder got off the horse and walked towards me. He looks at me and smiles saying, "Happy Birthday!" "Happy what-day?" "Birthday it''s your birthday." "Was it today? Oh... Thank you." "This is my present for you!" He shows the horse with his hands. "The horse?" "No, its turd you are going to clean it from now on." "I''ll use your face as a wipe then." Rose gave us a stern look, as if to say "stop fighting, or I''ll have to intervene." We both took a step back, realizing that our argument had gotten out of hand. He coughed lightly, trying to break the tension, and then resumed his speech. "Of couse it''s the horse,I''ve been saving to buy this horse for you" "Saving? Since when?" "Since you started working for me." "Is that the reason you didn''t pay me a coin all this years?" "Well,I have given you food and a place to stay haven''t I?" I look down and smilled subconsciously. "I guess you are not so bad after all,Thank you I mean it." "Spare me your flattery." He said that but I think I saw him smile for a second. "Where did you get her anyway?" "From the city." "When did you go there?" "Last week." "What? Where did you hide her for a week?" *Smack* Rose slapped me behind my head. "Okay,point taken I am asking too much questions." I said, rubbing the back of my head. Elder pets the horse from her head at starts explaning: "She is a 7 years old in her prime." "Can see that she looks healty." "She is quite fast and strong." "That''s what a horse is yes." As I started petting the animal, the Village Elder fell silent. "Why don''t you take her for a test ride?" Rose said watching us behind. Which made me question how she was involved in this. "I''ll do so but, did you know about this?" "About the horse?" "About the horse,about Elder saving money to buy it." "I just learned last week as well." This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it."You just learned?" "Yes,I asked Elder why he never paid you and he told me everything." "You could have told me." "No it would ruin the suprise,besides if I told you that elder was holding on to your money you would have gone and ask him to give it to you." "You are correct, a horse would definetly help me a lot but I wouldn''t waste money on it." Village Elder began to speak, "I knew you would do that, so I decided to hold on to it." "You two know me well, I guess." We talked for a while, and then I decided it was time for a test ride. I knew how to ride a horse; my father had taught me when I was young. I mounted the horse and held on tightly to the reins. "She is calm." "She is well-trained and used to people," replied the Elder, as he too got on top of the animal. I couldn''t help but feel sorry for the poor horse, forced to carry so much weight. "On your way, take me to my home," Elder said. "As you wish." I waved to Rose and kicked the horse, urging it to take off. We travel quietly till we get at his house, where he gets off. "You can continue with your test ride. I''ll wait for Pickle in the cellar, he should be returning soon." "Okay, thank you again," I replied as he waved his hand and started walking away. Now that I am alone, I decided to ride towards the lake. It was a long enough ride, and I could also rest there. We arrived at the lake in no time, thanks to the horse''s speed. After dismounting, I let her drink some water while I rested by the lake. Then it strike me that I need to give a name to this horse. "What should your name be?" "Bad-fortune?" "Pickle-eater?" "Rose-burner?" "Angel-silencer?" Oh I know, "Assmount." Nonono that''s too vulgar! there are kids in the village. "Asmound it is!" Some time passes... *Vrrrrr* *Vrrrrr* *Vrrrrr* I heard a buzzing sound far away,I get up and notice the same X shapped creature from yesterday is flying above the forest. It doesn''t seems like it noticed me and even if it does I have Asmound with me. I can run away anytime. "Let''s go Asmound." The creature started moving towards the west,I mounted Asmound and began following it. It led us through the dense forest, which made it challenging to ride the horse due to all the trees. I had to be constantly aware of my surroundings and move my head up and down to avoid colliding with any obstacles. After some time, the creature began to slow down and descend. "Is this where your nest is?" I dismount and hide inside a nearby bush. I hear footsteps approaching from the opposite direction. Two figures emerge from the forest, and from their body shape, they seem to be human. As they come closer, I notice that they are wearing strange outfits that cover their entire bodies. The outfits are quite shiny and very eye-catching. They are yellow with black lines running over them, like a word or letter that I''ve never seen before. The garments have several hoses attached to them that seem to be connected to something in the shape of a backpack. Their faces are also covered by some sort of mask or helmet. "Aliens?" I whisper to myself. *Vrrrrr* *Vrrrrr* *Vrrrrr* The X-shaped creature descended in front of the aliens. One of them reached for the creature and grabbed it. The creature''s claws stopped rotating as if it had just died. Were the aliens controlling the creature? I had come here expecting to find the nest of the creature, but instead I saw something even more bizarre. I could hear the two aliens talking to each other, but it was like hearing a different language. I couldn''t tell what they were talking about. Anyway, this seems dangerous, so I will report this to the Elder. ... He will not believe me. I can imagine the conversation between us even now. "I saw an X-shaped flying creature controlled by aliens," I will say. He will never believe me. I need proof. "Neigh!" Asmound cried out loudly. Something must have scared him. Aliens must have heard the noise because they are coming here. "Damn it!" I mounted the horse quickly and started riding without looking back. Our speed was so great that my eyes began to water. I look back and notice that we are not getting tailed,so I slowed down the horse. "If it comes to this I need to get the Elder to come with me here again." "It is necessary for me to convince him to request aid from Lady Unut." Lady Unut is the lady of Castle Unut, and she also owns this village. From what I''ve heard, she is a fox-like woman, but she shouldn''t be leaving her people to die. Her tax collector will be visiting tomorrow to collect taxes, and we should inform him about the situation. I made my way to Village Elder''s house. "ELDER!" I shouted as I knock the door. But nobody came after a while of trying I gave up. "Maybe he is in the back still." I made way to the cellar which was wide open. I entered and looked inside but nobody was there. "Where is he?" I felt a sharp pinch in my neck and fell down. Suddenly I was so tired, I managed to turn around with the last power I had left. I saw a shadow figure exiting the cellar and locking me inside. After that everything went black. ... *sniff* *sniff* I can smell burning wood. I open my eyes to see the fireplace, its flames crackling, casting a warm glow throughout the room. I heard a door open with a crack behind me. I got up from the couch where I was sleeping to see what was going on. "Father you are back!" I said as I jumped from to couch to hug him. I ran towards and hugged him with all my strength and he slowly hugged me back. I look up to see his face he seemed like he was very sad. "What is wrong father?" I asked. Without giving me answer he kneeled and put his arm to my shoulder. "Hey,would you like to go on a little journey just the two of us." He said. "Mom isn''t coming?" I nervously asked. "She actually went beforehand and is waiting for us there." "Oh okay then, where are we going?" I asked exicted. "To a village called Unut." "Unut? I never heard such a village." "It''s in the south from here,it''s a beatifull and peaceful place." "Really? when are we going?" "Right now." "Huh? but it''s late." "Doesn''t matter,we are going to go there with a cariage." "Is it far away?" "Just a little,now hold my hand." I do as he tolds,we get outside of our home. Father is walking a bit fast, and I can hardly keep up with him. We arrive at the carriage and get on. It was late, and I was very tired from all that walking, so I fell asleep. Some time passed. I feel a shaking on my arm. "Wake up!" I open my eyes, and it is daytime. "We arrived." "This is the Unut village?" I jump outside the carriage and look around. It was just like father said, very beautiful. While I am still looking around, father grabs my arm and starts to pull me. "It hurts." I cry, but he doesn''t even hear me. We walk for a while and stop in front of a two-story wooden house. "We are here," he says. "Whose house is this?" I ask. "Yours." "Huh? What do you mean, Father?" "You will live here from now on." "We are moving here?" He doesn''t answer for a while. "Your mother is waiting for you inside. Go find her." He lets go of my arm. "Aren''t you coming?" "I need to talk with the carriage owner. You go ahead." I nod my head and run towards my new home. I open the front door and go inside. "Mom, are you here?" I shout, but receive no response. "Maybe she is asleep." I start searching the first floor but find nothing. I then go upstairs and continue searching for my mother. "MOM!" I shout with all my might, but she isn''t there. "Maybe she went outside." I decide to go find my father. I walk back to where the carriage was. "Nobody is here.Maybe he just went somewhere else and will come home later." I return to the wooden house and sit on one of the couches. I wait...wait...wait...wait, but nobody comes. The sky is red, meaning it''s almost night. I decide to go search for my family again. I go outside and start running in a direction. I run and shout for them until my energy is drained. *Sob* When I realize that they left me behind, I start crying. *Sob* I don''t know how long I have been crying. It is dark already. *Step* *Step* *Step* I hear footsteps coming towards me. "Why are you crying, kid?" Day 3.5: Angels Dream I closed my eyes and soon fell asleep. "Oh no, it''s one of big brother''s nightmares again." "He always has a nightmare in his dreams." Sometimes when I fall asleep, I can see other people''s dreams. One night, I saw my mom hugging a man I didn''t know. When I asked her about it, she said she had dreamt of hugging my dad. I tried this with my friends, and they all had dreams that matched what I saw. "All the logs that I chopped today have decided to come and haunt me, I guess." he said looking out the window. After he left the room, I followed him outside and we met up with Pickle. Pickle was pulling something. "Rose?" "Is she sleeping?" ... I feel a gentle shaking on my arm, rousing me from my sleep. "Angel,wake up already!" "5 more minutes." "Come on, Rose is here to pick you up. You wanted to see the horse, didn''t you?" "HORSIE!" I jumped from the bed and ran past my mom. "Good morning sleepyhead," Big Sister Rose greeted me with a smile as I stumbled out of my room. "Good morni-HUH!?" I gasped and stumbled back in shock. For a moment, Big Sister Rose''s body appeared burned and disfigured. Her face seemed to be peeling off, her legs were missing, and blood was seeping from her waist. "What''s wrong?" Rose asked, now back to her normal appearance. "No,nothing is wrong." I said nervously. "Okay, let''s go then." "But what about breakfast?" "We''re going to have a picnic once we arrive, so there''s no need to have breakfast." "Really? What are we eating?" "Sardine sandwiches." After our conversation, my mom, Big Sister Rose, and I started to walk towards the lake. When we arrived at out destination the first thing that I noticed was- "HORSIE!" I didn''t even wait for approval from my mom; I ran towards the horsie and hugged her from the side. I started petting the horsie while Mom and Big Sister Rose were preparing our breakfast. Some time passed. "Angel, breakfast!" Mom shouted across the lake. I ran towards them, leaving the horsie behind, and we began to eat. "Hey, Big Sister, what''s the bucket for?" I asked curiously. "To wake up another sleepyhead," she replied with a mischievous grin. Some time had passed, and after a while, Big Sister Rose left. Leaving me and Mom to play with the horsie. Some time had passed, and after a while, my Grandpa came. "Angel,Pearl What are you two doing here?" "We are having a picnic Grandpa." I said. "A picnic?" "Yes Big Sister Rose told us that you bought a new horsie so we come to play with her." "That girl can''t hold a secret can she?" "Don''t be so harsh to her she only told angel to make her happy,she knows that she loves animals" Mom said as she laughed. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.Granpa sighned and said: "I need to take her to that rascal soon,you can play with her some more but don''t pet her roughly." "Okay,I''ll be careful" After playing with the horsie some more Granpa takes her away. I wave behind them,feeling a bit sad that horsie is gone. "Hey,don''t be sad,I am sure Big Brother would let you play with her again if you just ask." "He would?" "Of course,how about we play together for now?" "Sure! What should we play?" Time passes by and we had a fun day. It was almost noon, so we decided to turn back. Mom packed the leftovers and we started to walk home. On the road Mom hands me the leftovers and says: "Honey, could you please take these to your Granpa''s house?" "Huh? Why didn''t you give them to him when he was with us at the lake?" "I forgot," she said with a guilty smile. "Okay, but can I stay there tonight? I want to play with Pickle." "Again? You''re going to cause trouble for your Grandpa." "I won''t cause any trouble, I''ll behave. I swear to the god under the sea." "Hey now don''t take the god''s name to your mouth that easly." "I won''t,so can I?" "Fine,but only if your Grandpa lets you if he doesn''t come back right away." "Okay!" I said with a smile. When we arrived at the fork in the road, I went right while Mom took the left. I waved at her and sped up. After running for a while, I finally saw the house and noticed that Grandpa was walking towards the cellar "GRANPA!" I yelled as I charged and hugged him. "Angel! what are you doing here?" "I came to visit Pickle and Mom asked me to give you these." "What is this?" "It''s the leftover sardines." "They caught a lot of these, haven''t they? Anyway, do you want to stay overnight?" "Yes,can I?" "Sure, you can. I was just about to go unlock the cellar so that Pickle could get inside. Why don''t you come with me?" We walked towards cellar and unlocked it,now all we had to do was wait for pickle. "He should be coming soon, but you can''t play with him yet. He is probably very tired and wants to sleep." "I know,I just want to see him I won''t play with him." "Good girl." We waited for a long while, and Granpa started to get anxious. "Something is wrong he should be here by now." "Maybe he is still hunting for fruits?" "Cellurks cannot stay awake for too long. If they do, they will pass out." "Do you think he passed out in the woods?" "I don''t know. I''ll go check on him. You stay here and wait." Without even waiting for my response, he ran towards the forest and disappeared. And so my waiting starts. I waited in the cellar... I waited outside of the cellar... I waited infront of the house... I waited in the side of the house... It was getting late. I sighned. "He is not coming back,I am bored." *Knock* *Knock* *Knock* "ELDER!" I heard someone shout from infront of the house. I peeked from the corner of the house, it was Big Brother and horsie! Today was his birthday, so I decided to surprise him. I knew he would come and check the cellar, so I hid inside. I was hiding behind some barrels where he wouldn''t see me. I heard footsteps coming closer and giggled excitedly. "Where is he?" Just as I was about to come out and surprise him, someone else entered the cellar. He moved so quickly that Big Brother didn''t even have a chance to turn around before he was stabbed in the neck. After watching Big Brother fall to the ground, the intruder locked us inside and left. I was too afraid to move and with trembling legs, I went to check on Big Brother. He was still breathing. "Big Bro wake up!" I said as I shaked him. I shook, pinched his cheeks, slapped him, and even punched him, but he didn''t wake up. I wanted to scream for help, but I was too afraid that whoever had stabbed Big Brother might still be close. So I sat in the corner waiting for Grandpa to come and let us out. ... It was getting late and I was tired I fell asleep. *sniff* *sniff* "I can smell burning wood." "Probably because of the bonfire. Some soldiers started it outside the tent." I was dreaming,who is dream is this? who are these people? "Why?" "Dunno,some festival apparently." In front of me, there are people wearing weirdly green clothes. Suddenly I heard a woman voice coming from a weird box. "The unidentified green matter has been growing constantly inside the ocean on the east of the continent." "Fear is growing among the people of ''Batinya''." One of the men mimicked the woman''s voice, saying, "FeAr Is GrOwInG aMoNg ThE pEoPlE oF ''bAtInYa'', man she is anoying." "You are right." Some other man enters the tent and shouts, "Interpreter! Commander is calling for you!" One of the men gets up, puts on a green cap, and leaves the tent. ... My dream ends there and I wake up to notice that the sun is up. Day 4.1: A Hissing Box I felt a huge shaking over my body. "BIG BRO WAKE UP!" I opened my eyes to someone shaking me. "Angel?" "Yes,Big Bro it''s me,Angel." I remembered what happened, some man had put a needle in my neck and injected something into me. After that, I must have passed out. It feels like I slept for a long time. "Angel... how did you end up here with me?" "We got locked up together." She points to a barrel and continues, "I was hiding behind that barrel, I wanted to surprise you, but-" "But some guy came in and attacked me from behind," I said, cutting her off. "Yes." "He locked both of us here." "Yes." "Weren''t you scared?" "No, I fell asleep before the night and slept till morning." "How were you even able to sleep with this smell? There''s Cellurk turd everywhere." "I was very tired, and Grandpa smells like this as well." "Are you sugesting that this is Elder''s turd?" "No! EW!" "Then maybe he sleeps here?" "He doesn''t." "Wait a second, where is he anyway?" "Pickle didn''t return yestarday so he went to search for him." "He is been gone since yesterday?" What if that aliens did something to him?! No, no, no! Let''s think positively. It''s not the first time Pickle has been lost. I remember Elder going to search for him before and the next day I found them both sleeping under a tree by the lake. "Hey Angel, do you know what an alien is?" "No, what are they? Animals? Can I pet them?" "No, they are not animals. They are humans. We call people we don''t know where they are from ''Aliens''." "Are they lost?" "I don''t know, they might be." "That''s sad." "Don''t be sad, you are an alien too!" "But I am not lost." "Not yet." Angel shrinks in fear. "I am just kiddi-" *Ssssss* *Ssssss* Before I could finish my sentence, a sharp hissing sound cut through the air, interrupting me. The sound was coming from behind of Angel,so I went to check it out. We found a box emitting the noise. "What is this thing? A box?" I asked Angel. She seemed surprised and hesitated before answering, "I don''t know." I couldn''t shake the feeling that she was lying to me. "Why is it hissing? Does it want to be a snake when it grows up?" "Maybe there is a snake in it?" "Oh, perfect. Would you like to pet that too?" "NO!" *Bla* *Bla* *Bla* *Bla* The weird box started making more noise,it almost like a person talking. "This is strange." I said "Yes,people are talking inside this box." "You can tell what they''re saying?" "Can''t you, big bro?" Angel looked at me incredulously. "No, what are they saying?" Angel lowered her voice to sound like a man: "We got bitten by a strange creature, not sure if it''s poisonous, the creature has been neutralized." Then she raised her voice to sound like an adult woman: "Understood. Come back to the medical tent to get it looked at." Angel lowered her voice to sound like a man: "Shit! here comes another." *Rat-tat-tat!* We heard a series of loud noises. Angel lowered her voice to sound like a man: "Neutralized." Then she raised her voice to sound like an adult woman again: "Copy, can you bring both of the creatures here for further inspection?" Angel lowered her voice to sound like a man: "Roger." *Ssssss* The conversation cuts. Angel turns to me. I wonder if she made up that whole conversation or if she was genuinely translating what the box was saying. I have so many questions. But more importantly, ''I''m telling Miss Pearl that you cursed.''" "I was just repeating what they were saying," she responds, sounding worried. "Okay, I won''t tell her, but you have to pet that snake!" "What snake?" "The one right beside your feet," I say with a smirk. "!?" Angel jumps in fear. I burst out laughing. "Relax, I''m just joking. There''s no snake." She looks at me with an angry expression. Now that the atmosphere is a bit more relaxed, we should ignore the box for now and prioritize finding a way out of here. "Have you tried calling for help?" Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website."No, I was scared that the man who attacked you might still be close." "He should be gone by now, so we should be able to call out safely." I got close to the cellar door and was about to shout, but then I heard footsteps approaching. I looked outside through the open cracks in the door and saw Miss Pearl walking towards us. She is probably here to take Angel back home "MISS PEARL, WE ARE HERE!" I shouted with all my might. Angel noticed her mother''s arrival and came over to shout as well, "MOM, WE ARE INSIDE THE CELLAR!" "WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING THERE?" Miss Pearl replied and walked closer to the door. "We got locked inside," I said. "HOW?!" "Can we talk about the solution rather than the problem first?" "Fine, where are the keys?" "Grandpa had them, but he is gone," Angel interjected. "Never mind the keys, there is an axe in front of the house. Take that and break the lock," I said, taking charge of the situation. "I''ll be back," Miss Pearl said. We waited for a while and heard a series of clangs. *Clang* And another. *Clang* Another. *Clang* Angel was scared of the sound, so she covered her ears with her hands. *Clang* This is taking some time. *Clang* "Take your time, Miss Pearl," I said out loud. *Clang* I''ll just eat Angel if I am ever hungry. *CLANG!* "Finally!" I exclaimed. The door creaked open and Miss Pearl walked inside. Angel ran to hug her mother. "What happened here?" Miss Pearl asked. We told her everything that had happened. "I see. You saw two suspicious men, and when you came to report it to Elder, he was gone. So, you checked the cellar to see if he was there but someone incapacitated you with something," she summarized. "Yes," I confirmed. "And Angel was here because she wanted to surprise you for your birthday, but she saw you being incapacitated," Miss Pearl added. Angel nodded in agreement. She sighned. "Anyway, I''m glad that you two are okay," she said as she tightly hugged Angel. Now that I think about it, I was only so calm because of Angel. If I was alone there... "Thank you, Angel," I whispered. After a while, Miss Pearl stood up and said, "Now that the Elder is gone, I am taking charge temporarily." We are doomed. "That''s great." I said. "Let''s go to the village center and gather a search party for father." She is surprisingly logical. Maybe we are not doomed "Let''s take my horse. We should be there in no time." I suggested. "Where is your horse?" "She was tied in front of the house. Didn''t you see her?" "No, there was no horse there." "Huh?" I quickly runned towards corner of the house and checked my horse. "She is not here?" We are doomed. I fell to my knees. "The man that fainted you must have stolen her." Miss Pearl said. "WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?!" I heard the sound of a loud crowd approaching, growing louder and closer with each passing moment. People of the village were coming towards us with rage. I got up and looked at Miss Pearl''s face, which was turned towards the approaching crowd. She walked towards the crowd and asked, "What''s wrong?" "Let us see the Elder, we''ve got a problem," a man shouted. "All of our horses have been killed," another shouted. Their horses had been killed? Miss Pearl looked at me with concern, and then turned back to the crowd. "Please, everyone calm down." "WHERE IS THE ELDER?!" Someone shouted from behind. Miss Pearl raised her voice to be heard over the angry murmurs of the crowd. "I understand your frustration, but we have another problem as well. The Elder is missing." The crowd grew silent for a moment, and then murmurs started to spread among them. Miss Pearl declared, her voice ringing out with authority, "Henceforth, I shall be assuming the role of the Village Elder. Some of you must return to the village center and spread the word that all are to gather in the south, to Rose''s house." Is this really Miss Pearl? It''s almost like she''s become a completely different person. Maybe we''re not as doomed as I thought. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!" Miss Pearl shouted with all her might. After that, some of the crowd had left. I think a few of them even wet their pants out of fear. I am never messing with Miss Pearl again. "Rest of you, gather around. We are creating a search party for the Elder," Miss Pearl commanded. Some time passed and we set out to search for the Elder. I could only hope that he was safe and hugging Pickle somewhere at that moment. Probably smelling like turd. Oh,we should take that weird box with us. I entered the cellar once again. "It''s gone?!" Angel must have heard me. "What is wrong, Big Brother?" she asked. "The weird box is gone." "What? It was here just a few minutes ago." "I know. Did someone take it while we were talking outside?" "I was watching the door from the corner. I didn''t see anybody entering." "Maybe that snake ate it?" "You can''t fool me again!" Angel shouted. I heard a footstep coming from the entrance. "What are you two doing there again?" It was Miss Pearl''s voice. "Nothing. Angel wanted to smell the cellurk turd again." "Wha-" I gestured to Angel to shut her mouth. I didn''t want to be labeled as the crazy box man. We got outside of the cellar, and Miss Pearl kneeled in front of Angel. "I want you to go to Rose''s house with those villagers. You should be able to catch up to them if you run," she said. "Why? I want to stay and help," Angel replied. "No, it''s too dangerous for you." "Fineee..." They spoke for a while, and Angel ran towards the still-walking villagers. We waited for her to catch up to them, watching her from behind. Afterwards, we decided to start the search. Some time passes... I look at the Miss Pearl that is walking next to me and say, "Miss Pearl, why did you ask for everyone to gather at Rose''s house?" I asked. "There are a few reasons. For one, it''s the biggest house in the village and there''s enough room for everybody," she replied. "Well, it''s a mansion after all," I remarked. "It''s also the house that is closest to the sea. Most likely, the people that you saw in the forest and the ones that attacked you are working together," Miss Pearl explained. "I see. They are trying to make us unable to run away by killing and stealing our horses. But today is the day that the taxman is visiting," I said. "Yes, and in the worst-case scenario, we can ask him to take us to his ship and escape by sea," Miss Pearl replied. "That is if he even accepts." As we were searching, a sudden cry caught our attention, "I found something!" All members of the search team gathered around to see what it was. "It''s blood," one of them stated as they pointed towards a blood splatter on the ground. The thought that it might belong to Elder filled me with dread. Just then, one of the team members yelled, "Hey, look! That''s a ribbon." I recognized the ribbon immediately and another wave of dread washed over me. "That''s the ribbon Angel gave to Pickle just two days ago," I exclaimed. Could this be Pickle''s blood? As we followed the trail of blood near the splatter, it became apparent that someone had dragged Pickle''s body after killing him. Just a few steps away, we found a shoe and another blood splatter. Day 4.2: Tinkling of a Nightmare As I examined the shoe more closely, I noticed that it had several holes in it and was covered in dried blood. It was unmistakably the Elder''s shoe. Without hesitation, I quickened my pace and left the rest of the team behind, rushing deep into the forest. *Swish* *Swish* *Swish* I made my way through the thick underbrush, searching for the Village Elder. *Swish* *Swish* *Swish* Crack! "Ouch!" A branch had wrapped around my feet and I tumbled to the ground. As I picked myself up, I saw the Elder hugging Pickle under a nearby tree. I hurried over to them. "Hey! Are you okay?" The Elder slowly lifted his head. He was covered in blood. "What happened? Who did this to you?" I asked urgently. "Wolves... They attacked Pickle. *Cough* I jumped in to save him." "Don''t worry, you two are going to be okay. We brought bandages with us." "You? Where are the others?" I looked behind me and realized that nobody was following me. Perhaps I had hurried too much and had left them behind. "Don''t try to walk. I''ll bring the rest of the search group here." I rushed inside the forest again and started shouting, "HEY, I FOUND HIM! HE IS WOUNDED, WE NEED HELP!" I shouted again and again, but nobody heard me. I was already back at the place where we found Pickle''s ribbon, but nobody was here. Did they just give up and return? This is outrageous! "DAMN IT!" I thought. "I don''t have time for this. I will carry him back myself." I returned to the Village Elder and ripped off my jacket to wrap his wounds. "What''s wrong? *Cough* *Cough* Where are the others?" he asked weakly. "...It seems like... we didn''t have enough medical supplies, so they returned to bring more," I lied. "Is that so..." the Elder said weakly. "Y-yes, let me carry you back to your house. It will be faster that way." "What about Pickle?" he asked, concern etched on his face. "I''m sorry, I can''t carry the two of you at the same time. I''ll return for him." "No, you can''t leave him here. What if the wolves come back?" The Elder protested. "But it might be too late for both of you if we wait. I''m sorry." "No...you can''t..." he said as he fainted. "Elder!" I shook him but he gave no response, though he was still breathing. I pushed Pickle, who was sleeping above him, away and managed to get the Elder on my back before standing up. I turned to Pickle one last time and said, "I''m sorry, I will definitely return for you. Please stay alive." With the Elder on my back, I hurried back to the village. I''ve set my destination to Rose''s house, where everyone should be. It''s the longest possible route, but Rose''s mother, a doctor, is there and can help. Or with any luck, I''ll be able to catch up with the rest of the search group. If I do manage to find them, I have a few things to say. *Sprint* *Sprint* As I emerged from the forest, I scanned the area but didn''t see anyone. I picked up my pace and sprinted towards the Elder''s house. *Sprint* *Sprint* As I ran past the house, I caught a glimpse of movement through a window. "Huh!" It looked like a shadowy figure was disappearing inside the house. I paused for a moment, questioning whether I had imagined it, but I didn''t have time to investigate. I resumed my sprint and continued on my way. *Sprint* *Sprint* I continued running towards the Village Center and didn''t see anyone on the way. *Sprint* *Sprint* "I can see the house." "Elder are you okay?" There was no response from him, so I knew I had to hurry. I made my way to the mansion and left the Elder by the entrance door before going inside to call for help. "This is weird." "Why is nobody here? it should have been crawling with people around here by now." Never mind, I need to find help first. "WHAT THE HELL?!" I heard someone scream outside. I recognized the voice and rushed over. It was Rose; she was standing in front of me. "Rose! Glad to see you. I know you''re confused, but let''s find help first, and I''ll explain later." "What happened to him?" "I said I''ll explain lat-" "Never mind, let''s go get my mom to help Pickle!" "Pickle? What do you mean?" "You brought him here, right? Wait here; I''ll bring Mom." She rushed inside, and I followed her with my eyes as she disappeared into the house, my head spinning with confusion. Then I turned my head back to Eld- "Pickle? What''s Pickle doing here?" I asked myself, puzzled. What is this? Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.Why is Pickle here? Pickle is wearing the ribbon that Angel gave her. However, that ribbon was supposed to be on the ground in the forest. "I only brought the Elder. Where is he?" "Did I leave him in the forest?" "But I did check, and Pickle was there, lying on the ground," I reminded myself. Without waiting for Rose''s return, I hurriedly made my way back to the spot where I had found the Village Elder. Doubt and confusion swirled through my mind as I tried to piece together what had happened. Had I left Pickle behind in the forest? But I distinctly remembered seeing him there, lying on the ground. Determined to get to the bottom of this, I quickened my pace and focused on retracing my steps. *Sprint* *Sprint* As I was running past the Elder''s house again, I noticed the door start to open. I came to an abrupt stop, waiting eagerly for someone to come out. As the door swung open and someone stepped outside, I heard a voice call out, "Oh look who''s here!" It was Miss Pearl. "Miss Pearl, what are you doing here? And why did you leave me behind in the forest?" Miss Pearl''s expression shifted to one of mild irritation. "What are you talking about? And you''re being very rude right now, you know that you can''t call me by my name." "HUH? You''re not the one who''s supposed to get irritated!" I blurted out, feeling a surge of frustration. But I quickly realized that this wasn''t the time to start a fight with Miss Pearl. "Never mind," I said, taking a deep breath to calm myself. "I found Elder. He''s wounded.help me carry him back to Rose''s house." "You found Elder?" Miss Pearl asked, her irritation fading as she looked at me with concern. "Yes, He''s resting under a tree. Come on, follow me!" Confusion crossed Miss Pearl''s face. "But I''m just standing here," she said. "Huh? What are you talking about?" I said sweating. "The Village Elder is standing right in front of you and she is just healty." "I don''t understand what you''re saying," I said, feeling nervous. Could she be trying to steal the Elder''s title? But the title is only given after the Elder dies. Is that why she left me alone back then? She knew that the Elder was either dead or badly injured after seeing that shoe. She must have ordered everyone to return to the village, thinking the Elder was beyond help. "This is not the time to make jokes. Someone is seriously injured here!" "I am not joking. Aren''t you the one who is making jokes?" As we were arguing I heard a voice shouting, "There you are!" "I searched for you. Why did you leave Pickle behind?" Rose asked as she ran towards me. "Elder is in danger. I need help to save him, and Miss Pearl has grown some horns," I explained urgently. "Elder is in danger? She looks just fine to me." Rose asked in surprise, pointing to Miss Pearl. "Huh? She is not the Elder!" I exclaimed. "Yes, she is, She always has been the village Elder ever since we were born." "No, the Elder I know is a fat old Cellurk turd smelling man, not a woman who abandons people to die," I replied firmly. "That''s not a very nice way to describe someone as beautiful as the Elder," Rose retorted. This conversation is getting nowhere. "I am not going to debate with you any further,I am going." "To where?" Without giving her an answer, I started running towards where I left Pickle - Elder? I don''t know, I hope I will when I am there. I heard footsteps behind me, and realized Rose was following me, but I didn''t pay her any attention. *Swish* *Swish* *Swish* "Almost there," I said, out of breath. "Why did you come here? What''s in here?" Rose asked, also out of breath. "I am searching for the real Elder." "She is back at her home!" she said getting mad. "That''s not the-" *Swish* *Swish* *Swish* My speech got cut off by the sound of bushes moving as if someone was walking towards us from the opposite direction. We looked at each other in surprise and sneaked towards the bushes in front of us. "It''s those aliens again!" I exclaimed. They were in the same weird outfits as before, and holding a strange black stick. "What is that thing they''re holding?" Rose whispered to me. "I don''t know. Be quiet, they might hear us." The three of them were talking to each other: two men and a Cellurk. Wait! one of them was Pickle? "That is Pickle?!" I exclaimed. Rose didn''t reply. "What''s going on here? That''s definitely Pickle, wearing the ribbon Angel gave it." Rose still didn''t reply. "Could it be another Cellurk with a red ribbon?" Still no response from Rose. "Why are you so silent? Just because I told you to be quiet, it doesn''t mean-" I turned my head and noticed that Rose wasn''t with me anymore. Did she run away? "WAT IZ TAT!?" One of the men shouted in a weird language. I turned my head towards them once again,one of the man was pointing the weird stick towards to Pickle. He stomped his feet to the ground and shouted to scare Pickle I guess. "Uh oh,they are gonna get bitten," I thought to myself. Suddenly, Pickle leapt towards the first man and bit him on the hand, causing him to drop the weird stick. Before I could react, Pickle lunged at the second man and bit him on the leg, causing him to stumble backwards. Then, Pickle jumped in front of the tree that stood in front of the bush where I was hiding. Pickle must have noticed me. It turned its head towards me. *Rat-tat-tat!* A series of loud noises repeated themselves, causing me to cover my head with my hands and crouch down to the ground. And when the noises stopped, I looked up and... "What the-" Pickle was standing there, with holes in its chest, bleeding all over its body. After shaking back and forth, Pickle fell to the ground. Pickle was dead. *Swish* *Swish* *Swish* I heard footsteps coming from the bushes to the right. "Who is making this loud noise in the middle of the evening?" a familiar voice exclaimed. A figure appeared from inside the bushes. I recognized the person immediately - it was the real Elder. "Who are you people?" Elder asked. The two remained silent, but they once again pointed their weird stick towards the Elder. Was that what they used to kill Pickle? "PICKLE?!" Elder shouted. He then ran towards the already lifeless animal. It wasn''t hard for him to realize what had happened. "IS THIS YOUR FUCKING DOING?" he shouted as he walked towards them with rage. This is bad I should stop him. I tried to stand up but couldn''t. As if I was getting pulled down my body refused to budge. Am I scared? No... I am calmer than I ever was. Then why I can''t move??? *Rat-tat-tat!* While I was busy trying to get up the loud noise was once again echoed through the forest. When I looked up I saw the Elder falling to the ground. Suddenly, whatever was holding me back had released me, and I ran towards him. But he was already gone by the time I reached him. Same as Pickle, he had holes all over his body and was bleeding from them. With tears in my eyes, I hugged his body. *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* I lifted my head, still crying, and felt a cold sensation on my forehead. *Tat!* I felt like all the strength I had had drained and fell to the ground. My vision was getting blurry. *Tink* A tiny yellow cylinder fell to the ground. After that, everything faded away. *sniff* *sniff* I can smell burning wood. I open my eyes next to a campfire, and I was lying on the ground. I heard Miss Pearl''s voice, "Oh, good morning, or should I say good afternoon? You''ve been sleeping for some time now, you know," she says as she giggles. She was sitting on top of a rock. "What happened?" I asked, feeling dizzy. "You fainted after we found the shoe. We carried you here. We''re just a bit far away from the place we found the shoe." I suddenly came to a realization and jumped up from where I was lying. "Is Elder safe?" I shouted. She shook her head, "No, we couldn''t find him. We''ve been searching for him all day." "I see..." "But we have found this weird yellow tiny cylinder," she said, holding it up for me to see. Day 4.3: Organic Trail "Do you know what this is?" Miss Pearl asked. "It''s the same yellow cylinder I saw in my dream," I replied. "In your dream?" "Yes." I proceeded to tell her about the dream I had. "A weird stick-like weapon," she said her hand in her chin. "Do you know anything about it?" "No, I don''t," she replied, shaking her head. "I see..." "Even if I knew, there''s nothing I could do about it right now." "You''re right. Let''s focus on the search." "About that... maybe you should turn back." "Huh? Why?" "You don''t look so well, and you even fainted." "Thank you for your concern, but I am just fine." "But," she started to protest, but we were interrupted by a man''s shout. "Hey, we found some tire tracks!" he yelled. I ran towards the voice, and Miss Pearl followed me. When we arrived, two members of the search party were standing beside some tire tracks that led towards the northwest road. One of the men was standing at the end of the trail, muttering something to himself. I was about to go and talk to him, but my attention was diverted by Miss Pearl''s conversation with the other man. "They''re following the trail?" she asked. "Yes, I tried to stop them, but they didn''t listen," he replied. I approached the two. "What''s wrong?" I asked. "Some villagers went to follow the trail to see where it leads," Miss Pearl answered. "Huh? Why bother?" "Take a look at this." She showed me another shoe and countiued, "This is the other pair of shoes we found earlier. Apparently, these folks just picked them up from the ground." In my last dream, I assumed the shoe belonged to The Elder, but is that really the case? "Hey! Do we even know if these shoes belong to the Elder?" "...It''s indeed his shoes." "How are you so sure?" "It''s because I gifted them to him on his birthday last month." "Oh... But it''s still possible it''s another person with the same sho-" "They''re specially made. Take a look at the inside of the shoe." Because of the blood, it wasn''t possible to see what was inside the other shoe we found earlier. But on this one, it''s crystal clear. "Willow," the name of The Elder, is written inside the shoe. *Sigh* "Take a look at the blood stain over there," Miss Pearl said, pointing towards the road with her finger. "It got cut off just before the trail." "I am certain that cart has The Elder. What I am not certain of is whether he''s alive or..." "Let''s just hope for the best." "You''re right. In any case, we should find a way to bring those who went to follow the cart back. They are running towards danger." "It''s probably fine. They won''t be able to catch up with the horses. I bet they''re panting and sitting in the middle of the road right now." "And what if the cart decides to turn back? They would be vulnerable." "Okay, I''ll go tell the cart not to turn back. How about that?" "Now''s not the time to joke around. Go catch them and tell them to return." "Me?" "Yes. You said you''re fine, right? You should be able to do that. And if you can''t, be a good boy and return to-" I didn''t wait for her to finish her sentence and started running, following the trail, leaving her behind. *Sprint* *Sprint* *Sprint* I ran between the wheel tracks. *Sprint* *Sprint* *Sprint* Now that I think about it, why would they even take The Elder''s body with them if they killed him? *Sprint* *Sprint* *Sprint* He is probably alive, injured, and a bit more ugly but alive. *Sprint* *Sprint* *Sprint* That being said... *Sprint* *Sprint* *Sprint* How far those idiots ran. I''ve been running for a while, but I haven''t reached them. They must be quite determined to catch the cart. *Sprint* *Sprint* *Sprint* "AHHHHHHHH!! IT HURTS!!!!!" A scream echoed through the forest. It was close by, so I veered off the road and went into the bushes. Stealthily moving forward, I grabbed a stone from the ground in case there is a fight. My plan is to go behind the enemy and attack them from their blind spot. I know I should be rushing there, but this is the safest option to take. If I go there straight away and they outnumber us, we will be defeated in no time. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The screams were getting louder. I was close. I decided that before I jumped in, I should peek through the bushes. I pulled my head out and looked, and the first thing I noticed was the man on the ground. He was lying there, his legs and left arm broken, curled up in weird directions. I slowly turned my head to the left to see what had caused him to be in this state. "Guahhhhhhhhp!" I vomited at the scene I saw. A reddish texture covered the grass and dirt. Another man was lying on the ground with his guts spilling out from inside his body. He had been split in half. But the real horror was what caused this disgusting scene. "What the hell is that thing!?" I exclaimed, my voice shaking. A fortress? There was a bloodstain in front of it! *VRRRRRR* *VRRRRRR* *VRRRRRR* It is roaring! is it alive? No, wait a second... That thing has wheels. Is it a vehicle? *Thump* This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. The stone I was holding fell from my hand. I must have let it go due to the shock. *VRRRRRR* *VRRRRRR* *VRRRRRR* It continued to roar. *VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR* After a long roar, the weird vehicle started advancing forward. It was heading towards the man who was writhing in pain on the ground! Shit, they were planning to... *CRACK* It moved past me in just a matter of moments, its speed too fast for me to follow with my eyes. When I turned my head, the man was already... I couldn''t do anything. *VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR* The vehicle started to move backwards, and unable to move, I watched in horror until it disappeared. ... After some time, I managed to gather the strength to stand up, but my legs and hands were shaking. I walked towards the man. "I''m so sorry," I said, tears streaming down my face. I knew this man. He was one of my lumberjack buddies. We had worked together a lot. Maybe if I hadn''t hidden from the beginning, I could have saved him. Looking at him, blood covered his face. Blood poured from his mouth, eyes, and ears, while his chest had been torn open, his organs spilling out and creating a gruesome path along the road. "I need to go and te-" "Guahhhhhhhhp!" I vomited again and again. I couldn''t stop myself from retching. I walked as I vomited. *Step* *Step* With each step, the horrifying moment repeated in my mind. *Step* *Step* I couldn''t erase that image from my head. *Step* *Step* The sound of the man''s bones breaking, the image of the other man''s split body. *Step* *Step* I could barely hold back the nausea. *Step* *Step* The sun was fading away, and it was almost nighttime. I didn''t know how long I had been walking. "Hey! Are you okay?" Suddenly, Miss Pearl appeared in front of me. I hadn''t even realized she was there. I was back at the place where we found the trail. "Are you listening? Why are you covered in blood?" she asked, her face filled with worry. "They''re dead." "Huh?" "I couldn''t bring them back." "Keep it together. Can you tell me what happened?" I told her the whole story. "..." She kept her silence, but I could tell she was getting more stressed over time. The man who was mumbling to himself before broke the silence. "There is nothing we can do anymore. Let''s go back." I didn''t want to go back just like this, but he is right. He continued speaking, "The Elder is dead, so are the other two. We are putting ourselves in more danger every second we stand here." "Hold on! The Elder is not dead. We can''t determine that yet." "Huh?" "Why take his body if he is already dead?" "I don''t know, to sell his organs?" "He is way too old to have healthy organs." "OK, let''s say he is alive. What can you do about it?" he said, getting heated. "I will find a way to save him." "You just encountered them and couldn''t even manage to save one person from dying!" "I..." "And you are going to challenge them head-on? Do you have a death wish?" Miss Pearl interrupted before I could answer, "You two, stop arguing. We are not going to solve anything by shouting at each other." She glared at us with fierce eyes. We both retreated. He turned his back and started walking. "I don''t care what you are doing, but keep me out of it." Miss Pearl sighed and turned to me, "We can''t blame anybody for this, but he is right. We''ve got nothing left to do. Let us return and come up with a plan with everyone." "I know,yeah... let''s return." I said felling defeated. She signaled the other search party members to gather, and we started returning. "Are you mad at him?" Miss Pearl asked me. "Mad at that guy? No, I just want to kill him." "I''m sure he didn''t mean any harm. He''s just stressed." "We are all stressed. Who is he anyway? I never saw him before. Is he new?" "His name is ''Hope.'' He moved here from Castle Unut. He was a guard under Lady Unut." "Huh? Aren''t guards getting paid well? Why did he leave? Why is he here?" "Apparently, he started a fight after some drinks and caused a scene. He was exiled here afterwards." "Let''s ''Hope'' he behaves here or I will exile him to hell." "I wouldn''t try it. Back in that fight, he took down 15 guards before being taken down himself." "Really? Why didn''t he step up and go with those villagers before then? Did he leave his courage in the castle along with his sword?" "Come on, it''s not the time to start a controversy." We were walking past the Elder''s house when suddenly she grabbed my arm. "Come with me, we need to get something from that house," she whispered to me. I nodded. We parted ways with the rest of the villagers and entered the Elder''s house. As soon as we entered, Miss Pearl went straight to the bookshelf and started searching between the books. "What are you searching for?" I asked. "There is a list of villagers. We need that for the tax calculation and payment." "Huh? They are going to make us pay during this crisis?" "I know for a fact that they won''t even listen to us if we don''t show this list to them. It also has a certificate that shows the holder is the Village Elder." "Great to know that Lady Unut values us a lot." "Let me check if this list is up-to-date. This list needs to be checked every week before the tax collectors comes." "Why does it need to be checked?" "Well, we need to update the list if someone left or joined the village." She lowered her face and looked sad. "We also need to remove their names," she said, her voice shaking. "..." It must have been hard on her. She took the whole responsibility on her shoulders. I didn''t even think about her condition because I was too busy with myself. Poor woman... She first lost her husband, and now she has to deal with all this. "Huh? This is weird," she said, ending the silence. "What''s wrong?" "Hope is indeed the last person to join the village, and nobody else joined since 13 years." "That''s how long it''s been? Wow, people are hating us!" "That''s not it!" "Well, what''s wrong then?" "Your name is not on the list." "Huh!?" "According to the list, Hope is the last one to join, and before that, Rose and her family. But your name is not here." "How? I joined the village at the same time as Rose." "I don''t know how, but it''s certain that this was intentional." "Yes, it''s impossible for the Elder to forget me. I was with him almost every day." "But why? Why would he do something like this?" "Maybe he really hated me all along and didn''t see me as a part of the village." "No of course not,I think he was trying to hide you from something, but from what?" "Hold on a second!" "What''s wrong?" "You said our payment is made according to this list, right? If my name was never written there, I didn''t have any payment." She fell into silence for a while, her hand on her chin. "If I didn''t have any payment, who paid for my taxes?" "I would check the records, but we don''t have time for that." Lady Unut sends her taxmen periodically, and when they arrive, they first give us a payment for our products, excluding the taxes from the payment. We give our products to them, and they sell them for us. That''s how the system worked till now. But if my name wasn''t on the list, he can''t receive any payment for me. So, that was the reason all along! That''s why he never paid me. "In any case, we can''t have your name unwritten. We don''t have anything to say if they question your identity." "You''re right. Just write my name on the list." "Alright, I did. Oh, you don''t have a surname, right?" "I do." "Really? I didn''t know. Your family was important people. What was your father''s job?" "Is this really the time to ask that?" "I was just trying to make you feel better. You''re stressed, right? So, what is your surname?" Oh, she was trying to lighten the mood. "It''s ''Wellman''." "That''s a we-" "Don''t you dare." "Hehe, okay." She smiled as she wrote my surname on the paper. She indeed managed to make me feel better. A weird widow she is. She is considerate of others even though she is in the most pain. Here I thought all spiders were bad. ... My jokes are dying. "I am done checking. Let''s go to Rose''s house and meet with everybody else. We can plan our way then." "Okay, the tax collectors must have already arrived and is waiting for us." We left the house and arrived at Rose''s house. Everyone is indeed gathered around, looking very nervous. Someone shouted to us, "Ah, you two finally arrived. We''ve been waiting for you." It was Rose. She ran towards us. "We''ve got a problem," she said to us with a nervous face. "What is wrong?" "The tax collectors hasn''t arrived yet." Night 4: The Blue Flower *Rattle* *Rattle* A carriage was moving slowly under heavy rain. *Rattle* *Rattle* When I lifted my head up, I saw a very beautiful lady holding a baby in her arms sitting across from me. She had a chain wrapped around her left wrist. I followed the chain with my eyes, and it led to a man sitting right next to me. He was handcuffed. Was he a hostage? The woman put her hand over her throat and spoke, "What rain! This kind of weather always makes my throat hurt." "Oh, I can take a look if you want," the handcuffed man said with a nervous voice. "Hmm... do you have medicine for it?" "I might have something, but I can''t tell without having a look first." "Very well, but I won''t unlock your handcuffs." "That is fine." After saying that, the man leaned towards her and started caressing her throat. For some reason, the woman smiled; maybe she was ticklish. "Hmmm... I see what is wrong, but I don''t have medicine for it." "Is that so?" "Yeah, I can make some after we arrive at the castle." "Can''t you just make it now?" "I don''t have the necessary plants." "Tell me what you need. I''ll ask one of the guards to go fetch some." "They won''t be able to harness it without damaging the plant,uncuff me and I''ll go get some." "You want me to uncuff you? Not a chance! Forget it. I will wait until we arrive at the castle." "I... understand." The man retreated back to his seat. *Rumble!* A loud thunderclap reverberated through the air. "Waaaah!" The baby began crying abruptly. "Oh, what''s wrong? Are you scared of the thunder?" The woman gently shook the baby in her arms, but the crying persisted. "Let me hold him," the man said, reaching out for the baby. "Here," the woman handed the baby to him. He took the baby in his arms and started gently shaking him, while humming a soothing melody. Soon, the baby began to calm down. "Such a daddy''s boy," the lady muttered, looking at the baby. "With a mother like you, it''s hard not to cry." "You said something?" "No." The baby fell asleep once again, and the woman took him back into her arms. She gazed at his peaceful sleeping face for a while. Slowly, her head began to sway back and forth, and she placed her left hand on her forehead. "I... suddenly feel really sleepy." The man looked at her and smiled. "It seems like it finally worked." "Did you do something to me?!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metal box filled with water, containing a blue flower. "If this flower gets wet, it releases a sleep-inducing fragrance. I simply rubbed some of it onto my arm." "You little... GUARDS!" The lady managed to shout out for help before passing out. She was now fast asleep. The carriage door swung open, revealing a man adorned in shining white armor seated atop his majestic horse. He peered inside with a concerned expression on his face. "What is happening here?!" "Lady Unut has fainted. We must pause the convoy briefly. She requires some fresh air," explained the handcuffed man. "Halt the convoy!" the armored man commanded. The carriage abruptly came to a halt, causing us to jolt within. "What''s wrong with her?" "The lengthy journey must have made her nauseous. She''ll be alright, but she needs some rest." "Is that so? Well, that''s a relief!" "By the way, can you release me for a moment?" "What kind of question is that? Of course I can''t!" This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there."Come on, I can''t hold it any longer." "Oh, you meant that? Fine, but..." He glanced at the sleeping lady." "We can''t wake her up right now, or her condition might worsen. You need to uncuff me." The guard let out a sigh. "Fine, but I''ll be keeping a close eye on you. Don''t even think about attempting to escape like before." "I won''t, I won''t. How could I possibly run away when there are guards everywhere?" The guard unlocked the man''s handcuffs. "Let''s go¡ª" *Thwack!* "Eek!" I instinctively retreated to the other side in fear. Blood spurted from the guard''s head and he fell from his horse. He had been struck by an arrow! "AMBUSH!" A voice shouted from outside. I glanced at the now uncuffed man from the corner of my eye. Both of us were in a state of shock. However, his expression suddenly transformed. "This is my lucky day," he declared with a sinister smile. His gaze shifted towards the still-sleeping baby. "I can''t let you grow up with a witch like her." Without hesitation, he snatched the baby. "With all the guards gathered in the opposite direction, and us having a horse, this is our only chance." He swiftly mounted the horse, clutching the baby in his arms. *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* They hastily departed from the scene. ... I felt a shake on my arm. "Angel, Angel, wake up!" I opened my eyes slowly, then closed them again. "Hey, don''t fall back asleep!" she said as she pinched my cheek. "Ouch! Ow, stop it!" "Then wake up." "I am awake, Big Sister Rose." "Your eyes are still closed... oh well, come over here." I felt a force lifting me up. She must have been carrying me. "How did you manage to sleep in that position?" "Mmmm," I murmured. "You were sleeping while sitting." "..." "You were tired after all that work, weren''t you? Sorry, we worked you too hard." "Mmmm," I murmured again. "It''s okay. I''m taking you to a tent where you can continue sleeping." We walked for a bit, and with every step Big Sister Rose took, I slightly shook, which made me even sleepier. After some time, we arrived at the tent, and Big Sister Rose put me in one of the beds. My consciousness faded away, and once again, I found myself dreaming. ... Two men engaged in a heated argument next to a carriage deep within a forest. Among them was the handcuffed man whom I had previously seen in the same carriage, and he was holding the dormant baby. As for the other man, I had no familiarity with him. This carriage appeared noticeably cheaper and older compared to the luxurious one from earlier. "Why did you bring the baby with you?" the unfamiliar man inquired. "I couldn''t bear to let him grow up in the presence of that witch," the man with the baby responded. "Huh? She could have provided him with a better upbringing. He carries noble blood and should be raised in a noble household," the unfamiliar man reasoned. "No, she''s unstable. There''s no telling what she might do when she loses control," the man with the baby insisted. "Well, that''s your concern, but..." *Thud* Suddenly, a woman leaped down from the carriage, dressed in plain clothes in contrast to the previous lady''s attire. "It''s alright. We will take care of him and ensure he grows up healthy," she reassured, approaching the other two men. "Thank you. You would be a better mother to him, unlike that witch," the man with the baby expressed his gratitude. The unfamiliar man scratched his head, sighed, and spoke, "But this increases the likelihood of her coming to search for her baby, you know." "I understand. There was a chance she would let him go, but she would never let her child go missing. She''s probably causing a scene right now," the woman explained. "We won''t betray you two, but ultimately, it''s up to you to hide yourselves and the child," the unfamiliar man advised. The man holding the baby steps forward. "Don''t worry. I will never allow her to find us," he assured them. "As long as you keep a low profile, you should be fine, I suppose." The man holding the baby man nodded. "My only regret is leaving my diary back in the Unut mansion. We left in a hurry, so I didn''t have time to grab it," he lamented. "Wait, you didn''t write down our destination in that diary, did you?" the unfamiliar man asked with concern. "Of course not. I mainly wrote about the plants I found around the village, mostly anyway," he clarified. "Well, that''s alright then," the unfamiliar man sighed in relief. "No, it''s not. There is a lot of valuable information in that book. It could save many lives," he insisted. "We won''t go back for your damn diary. Just write another one." "Okay, fine," he reluctantly agreed. "We should leave now before they catch up to us," the unfamiliar man suggested. One person mounted the carriage, while the other two climbed onto the back. Intrigued, I decided to join them and see where they were headed. The man pulled the reins, urging the horse to move, and the carriage began its journey. "Huh? Wait, I''m going to fall!" I shouted in panic. Although the carriage was already in motion, I somehow remained stationary. As the carriage moved away, I slid from my seat. The man tugged on the reins once more. "Come on, faster!" I lost my grip on the edge of the carriage and started plummeting towards the ground. My face was about to hit the ground. I closed my eyes... I suddenly jolted awake, jumping out of bed and opening my eyes just before I fell. My body was covered in sweat. "Mansion of Lady Unut," I whispered, unknowingly vocalizing my thoughts. Was the mansion that man talked about the same as Lady Unut''s old house? My grandpa once told me that Lady Unut used to live there in her family''s mansion. But she left, and no one has visited the place since. My friends say the mansion is haunted by ghosts. The man also mentioned leaving his diary there. I wonder if it''s still there, untouched? Day 5.1: Water Of Regeneration The sound of the water crashing against the coast reverberated ceaselessly as I sat on the sandy beach, clutching my knees. I barely slept for three hours last night; needless to say, I am not in my best condition at the moment. My ability to think has gone next door to ask for sugar, even though I don''t even use it. Well... I wouldn''t mind a tea with sugar. Heck, I am so thirsty that I am thinking about drinking salty seawater. All the clean water we had has been used by the other villagers. Rose and some others went to bring more water, while I came here to rest my mind and wait for the tax collector''s ship. We had a meeting to discuss our next course of action and decided to stay here and wait for the ship for another day. If no one comes, we are planning to send some messengers to the city in the north, Ilkcity. Apparently, other village members have also seen those strangers in the north, inside the forest yesterday morning. Some villagers informed the village elder, but they say he simply brushed them off. Considering the multiple sightings of these strangers in the north, we can assume that it is a dangerous area. That''s why we are intentionally delaying the dispatch of messengers as much as possible. *Crunch* *Crunch* *Crunch* I heard someone''s footsteps behind me. "What are you doing over here?" asked Rose. "As you can see, I am sitting here." "I can see that, but why are you sitting in a circle of sea shells?" I didn''t even notice that I was sitting in a circle of sea shells. I must have collected and arranged them like that subconsciously. "This is my protective circle; it protects me from bad Roses." She sighs. "You must be doing okay if you are making stupid jokes like that." She bypasses my protective wall and continues to talk. "Don''t worry; I am a good Rose." She passes me a cup smoke rising on top of it. "Here you go." "Thank you, your buckets are getting smaller, huh?" "How are you even able to make jokes in a situation like this?" "I am making jokes BECAUSE it''s a situation like this." Then she sits next to me. I take a sip from the tea. "I guess this means you managed to bring water." "Yeah, it was a calm walk, no issues." "Glad to hear that." For a while, we stay silent, listening to the sound of the sea, until she breaks the silence. "So... I heard you saw something back in the forest." "Yeah, I was trying to forget about that." "Sorry... but have you really seen a weird ''Giant Iron Vehicle'' that ran over some villagers?" "Yes, you don''t believe me?" "It''s not that I don''t believe you. Miss Pearl said you''ve fainted along the way back then, and you might just be tired." "Just say that you don''t believe me. It''s okay; there were others who didn''t believe me either." "I am not saying that." "It really is okay. I was always the insane person in the village to some people." She opened and closed her mouth as if she had something she wanted to say but shut herself. I took the last sip from my tea and got up. "Let''s go; there might be someone who needs help." "...Okay." I walked a few steps ahead of her. Then she holds my arm. "Just so you know, I''ve never thought you were insane." "Yeah, I guess I am still better than you." "In your dreams." We walked towards Rose''s house. Our village is very small, and I don''t think we even have 100 people living in it. Currently, everyone is gathered around this house, some camping outside, some sleeping inside. Seeing them gathered like this does make it look like we are very crowded. "Hey Lumberjack!" I heard a man''s voice that was getting closer. It was Hope. "Oh, hey, none!" I said "None? What are you talking about?" "My bad, I thought we were calling each other''s skills." "Oh, I see that you have a few unnecessary teeth there let''s make em fall shall we?" Rose gets between us, "Stop fighting, you two!" He backs away and continues to talk, "Anyway, we need some help to chop some wood." "What for?" "We are going to build a boat." "And what are you going to use that boat for?" "To escape in case of an emergency, of course." "No, even if we start building a boat now, it would be impossible to create one that is big enough for the whole village quickly." "Whole village? Why did you think we were building a boat for the whole village?" "What?" "We only need to make a boat big enough for me and my friends." Rose interferes, "That''s selfish! Are you going to leave all of these people to die?" "Of course not. It''s going to be hard, but with a small boat, we might be able to arrive at the Unut Castle at midnight." "You are lying! You don''t have any intention to help those people at all; you are just going to leave the village and not come back," she says. He sighs, "And what''s wrong with that?" "I thought you were a warrior, not a coward." "Of course, I am a warrior. A warrior knows when to evade danger." He puts his hand over my shoulder, "And if you help us chop some wood, you can come with us too." "Not a chance. If you want to build a boat, do it on your own." "Whatever,if you want to die here be my guest." He just left after saying that. Rose and I both look eachother and sigh. A realy hopeless case indeed. Rose pulls my arm and points towards the tent. "Let''s go look around and see if anybody needs help." "Yeah." Not long after that, we came across an arguing group. A man shouted, "Let me go!" "No, you can''t. It''s way too dangerous to go to the village center now!" "NO, I NEED TO GO NO MATTER WHAT!" We got close to them to understand what was going on. Rose asked, "What is going on here?" One of the men holding the raging man answered, "This guy''s son got cursed, so he bought some Water Of Regeneration from Ilkcity, and he says he dropped it while coming here." "Your son got CURSED?!" Both Rose and I screamed at the same time. After some time passed, we managed to calm the man down and asked for details. "My son has been diagnosed with ''Organ Shrinkage Syndrome.'' His lung is sick and is periodically shrinking day by day. If not treated soon, he will..." Organ Shrinkage Syndrome, or with the more common name Organ Shrinkage Curse, doctors like to call it a Syndrome, believing there is no such thing as a curse. Anyway, it''s a very dire situation. This curse affects certain organs, making them sick and unable to function properly. The worst part is that it shrinks the affected organ to nothingness. Of course, a person affected by it will most certainly die unless it''s treated by the "Water Of Regeneration." But the Water Of Regeneration itself is not enough; there is a special ritual that needs to be performed. "So you have the Water Of Regeneration, but what about a healthy organ donor?" The ritual of the organ transplant. This ritual needs to be performed with the Water Of Regeneration and a healthy organ. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.The procedure is simple. Dig a big enough hole for a human, Put the person that is going to get the new organ in the hole, fill it with water, add the Water Of Regeneration; the water will turn green. Lastly, drop the healthy organ. The affected person and the organ will sink in the water. After that, god will take care of it; the faulty organ will disappear and be replaced with the new healthy one. Sadly, this doesn''t work with all organs, so this guy is very lucky it''s his lungs that got affected. "I... will give him my own lungs." he said. All of the crowd suddenly lost their grip on their jaws, as if we had all heard the worst thing we had ever heard in our lives. No! We had heard the worst thing ever. Usually, organs are removed from deceased donors who have agreed to donate their organs before they die by specialists. It''s common to see them in stores in cities, and the ritual is done using these organs. They are damn expensive, and only nobles are able to buy them. But there is another way to successfully conduct the ritual. "You are going to jump into the water after your son?" "Yes..." After the Water Of Regeneration has been poured into the water, and the sick person sinks, if someone jumps after them, it''s possible for the donor to transfer the organ of their choice to the sick person. But regardless of their choice, they will vanish after the ritual, not even leaving their body behind. "But who is going to look after your family?" "Before I jump, I will cut my arms and gouge out my eyes if they sell them-" "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!" "What else can I do?" he says with a quiet voice. "Think about your family; they will be traumatized if you do that." He holds my collar. "WHAT ELSE CAN I DO!" He says again, this time shouting. He looks at me in the eyes with red eyes for a while and lets me go. He was right; we are in the middle of a crisis, and his son''s condition is getting worse by the minute. But there should be another way! "Your son can work with me." "Huh?" "We can talk with Miss Pearl and work something out; he can get paid this way." "Really..." His tone is quiet once again. "Yes, also Rose and I always fish, so we are never short on food; we can share with your family." I look at Rose, and the man looks at her after me. She nods. "Would you do that for me?" "Yeah, after those strangers are gone and we return to our daily life." "Thank you." he says with a quiet tone. "But we still need to get your Water Of Regeneration back do you have any idea where you might have droped it?" "Probably somewhere along the stables and the road here I still had it when I checked back in stables." he said with a nervous voice. "I see. I''ll talk with Miss Pea- Cough* Village Elder to see if we can gather some people to go search for it." "Thank you." he said again. "How did you even drop something that important?" "Yesterday, I arrived from Ilkcity, and I started walking towards my home. The stables are on my way, and when I was passing by, I smelled something horrible - worse than their turd." "You saw the corpses of the horses?" "Not only that, there were wolves, and they saw me." "Wolves?" "Yes, they were horrifying. They started chasing me, and I must have dropped the Water Of Regeneration then it was in a green bag." "How did you get rid of the wolfves?" "I was lucky. I ran into some people who were coming here, and the wolves retreated when they saw the crowd." "That, or they thought the horse was more delicious than you." "Really?" "I don''t know, let me have a taste, and then we can compare it to horse meat." "No, I mean, are you really joking in a situation like this?" "I am joking because it''s a situation like this." I suddenly felt pain in the back of my head. Rose had once again hit me on the head. Then she spoke, "Sorry about this. He''s an idiot; that''s how he deals with stress." "Is that so?" the man said with a nervous face. After talking with him, Rose and I found a quiet place away from the others. As we left, I noticed the man''s anxious expression. Rose started talking, "Poor man." "Yeah, he is having a really hard time." "Are you sure about taking his son to work with you?" "I was, as I said. After we solve this situation, he can come work with me, and that means less sardine for me." "You are really something to be able to joke in a situation like this." "I wasn''t joking about any of the things I said." She sighs. "Anyway, let''s go." "Go where?" "To find that man''s Water Of Regeneration, where else." "No, no, no. It''s way too dangerous to go there didn''t you hear there are wolfves there." "You''re just saying this to make me leave and go there yourself, aren''t you?" "Nooo..." She sighs again. "You can''t fool me like that. Now hurry up and let''s go search for it. We should be able to find it if we just follow the road to the stables." She started walking as soon as she finished talking. I sighed and started to follow her. "By the way, aren''t you finding that man a bit suspicious?" I asked. "What do you mean? He looks absolutely devastated, and by no means is able to lie about anything." "Is that so?" We are almost at the stables. It was a quiet walk with no issues. "Look over there!" Rose pointed out with her finger. I turned my head towards the place she was pointing and saw a green bag. It was standing next to the stables. Where it was dangerous. "Wolves might still be there; let''s not rush," I said. "There is one way to find out." She picked up a stick and started to walk towards the bag. "Wait! What are you doing?" I said as I gripped her arm. "I am going to go grab the bag?" "Didn''t you hear me when I said there might be wolves there?" "I have, that''s why I picked up the stick." "Don''t think you can play fetch with wild wolves." "It''s for making a torch." "Oh." She tore her skirt and wrapped the cloth around the stick. She then took out flint and steel from her bag and sparked the torch. "Here you go," she said with a smile while handing me the torch. "Huh? I am the one going?" "Yep, good luck." I gulped and started to advance forward. I was holding the torch in front of me with my hands shaking. Slowly... Very slowly... "C''mon, be faster!" Rose shouted behind me. Suddenly I wasn''t scared anymore; I was mad. With that, I quickly grabbed the bag and took a look at the stables. There were no wolves; I sighed in relief. I walked back to Rose. "There were no wolves there." "Really? That''s great." "But there was a snake behind me who shouted ''faster''." "Oh, c''mon, don''t cry now. Besides, don''t you always deal with wolves in the forest?" "I do, but they are still dangerous, you know." "Fine, I am sorry, happy?" "Yes, anyway let''s take a look inside this bag." "Maybe we shouldn''t look at other people''s belongings." I didn''t give her a mind and continued to open the bag on the floor and check what was inside. As I suspected, there was no Water of Regeneration in it, just some books and a little gold. "There is no Water of Regeneration in this." "What? Did it fall? Is the bag torn somewhere?" "No, the bag is fine. I think the man never had any Water of Regeneration to begin with." "What do you mean?" "You know how expensive the Water of Regeneration is, right? It''s imported from a different country, a country that was once at war with our own." "Yes, I know that, so what?" "So how can a normal villager buy something like that?" "I don''t know, maybe he had savings or something?" "Could be. Let''s say he really had bought the Water of Regeneration; then why did he lie about wolves?" "Lied? Maybe the wolves just left?" "Nah, take a look at the stables." She gives me a confused look and walks towards the stables, then comes back. "The corpses of the horses are not eaten." "Correct." "Okay, so he lied, but why?" "This is my theory: I think he didn''t want to take the blame for his child''s death." "How so?" "If that man arrived when the people were still leaving the village center, he must have arrived sometime between noon and afternoon." "Okay, and?" "Usually by that time, everybody would be outside and there would be lots of noise." "I see now. He realized something was wrong because it was too quiet and then he saw the dead horses and confirmed his thoughts." "He probably also checked his house and found out his family had gone somewhere." "But how did he find out where they had gone?" "I don''t know that actually. His wife could have left some message behind for him, or he might have seen some footprints." "So you are saying he threw away the bag and then ran towards the crowd that was running away from the strangers and told them he was chased by wolves." "Yes, and he didn''t tell about his bag until today so that they won''t return to look for it." "This way, he becomes the victim and evades the blame for his child''s death," she said with a sad voice. "Truly a tragic situation." "I understand what he is doing, but he gave false hope for his child and wife." I stood up and closed the bag. "Can you really blame him? Would you be able to tell the truth to your child?" "No... don''t make me think about it." "Anyway, we should get rid of this bag also let''s keep quiet about this." "Okay." We quickly gathered some wood and started a campfire. We burned the bag along with the books that were inside it. I took the gold with me to give it back to the man later. After we watched the bag burn out in the flames, we returned to the man. He was sitting next to his child''s sickbed, looking really worried. I sneaked up behind the man and tapped his shoulder, then signaled him to come with me. I took him somewhere quiet outside. "What''s wrong?" "We didn''t find your bag." "Is that so?" "We searched all over the forest but couldn''t find a trace of it." "..." "I know this isn''t much, but take this." I gave the man his gold back. His eyes opened up, realizing this was his gold. "..." He was speechless. Rose looked at the man with a sad face as if she was pitying him. "Let''s go¡ª" "Finally found you two!" I was just about to tell Rose that we should leave, but someone''s shout stopped me. I turned my head to the owner of the sound and saw Miss Pearl. She looked anxious. "I need your help. Angel is missing." "She is missing?" Rose and I shouted at the same time. "She wandered off somewhere, and I can''t find her." The man who was behind us started to speak, "By Angel, do you mean that loud girl with black hair who was wearing a white dress?" "Yes, that''s her. Have you seen her?" Miss Pearl questioned the man with haste. "I saw her talking with some other kids just in front of my tent. She said something about the Unut Mansion." Day 5.2: Bloody Pencil Me,Rose and Miss Pearl were standing infront of the old Unut Mansion. Since the surrounding area was clear and the elevated ground exposed us to the chilly fall air, the cold wind made us shiver. Together, we were looking at the entrance of the mansion, which was wide open for some reason. Rose started to speak, "Alright, you go inside and check if Angel is there or not!" She pointed at me and then to the mansion. "What''s wrong? Scared of ghosts?" "No, you idiot. I am just cautious; that building is old. What if something falls on my head?" "Who knows? Maybe it will knock some sense into you?" I said with a smirk. "If getting hit on the head by something was supposed to make you more intelligent, you would have been a genius by now." While we were arguing, Miss Pearl had started walking toward the entrance of the mansion. "You two, stop arguing, and let''s search for Angel." She then moved her hand to the handle of the door, but before she could even hold it, the door swung open. I saw a silhouette of a man coming out of the mansion. "Huh? What are you all doing here?" he said. Looking closer, I noticed who it was. "Hope!" Miss Pearl took a step back and put some space between them. "We are looking for my daughter. Have you seen her?" "You mean her?" A girl jumped out from the darkness of the mansion. "Mommy!" Angel jumped and hugged her mother. Miss Pearl checked if Angel had any wounds, and after finding none, she sighed out of relief. "Angel, why did you run off like that?" "I am sorry, I won''t do it again." While Miss Pearl was giving Angel an earful, I noticed that Hope was waving at me. What was he doing here anyway? Collecting wood for that boat? Heh. "What do you want?" I asked, getting close to him. "You need to help me." "About what? If it''s about building that boat, forget it." "No, not that," he said, waving his hand from left to right. "What is it then?" "We need to search this mansion." "For wood?" "What do you mean woo- Yeah, Yeah, for the wood." "Alright, I won''t fall for that. What is it that you are hiding?" "It really is for the wood; we can make use of the planks." "Indeed, I can smash one in your face till you tell the truth." "Look, I just misheard you when you said wood, and I was confused. Then, I realized you said wood mid-sentence." "What did you think I was saying?" "Never mind that. Are you going to help me or not?" "What do you need my help with? You can handle that much yourself, can''t you?" "This mansion is old and can collapse at any time. If that happens, I need someone to help get me out or call for help." "Yeah, you do. Too bad there is no one like that around. See you then." I turned my back and was about to leave. He quickly ran in front of me to stop me. "C''mon, I know that you don''t like me. The quicker I build that, the earlier I go." "Maybe I want you to stay and suffer." "Don''t be like that,I am going to bring help once I built that boat." "Yeah,I am not taking that you said yourself that you don''t have the intention of calling for help earlier today." "I never said that." "Yes,you did?" "No,I only said that ''A warior knows when to avoid danger'' and there is nothing wrong with running away from a battle you know that you can''t win." "I thought soldiers weren''t suppose to run away and stand their ground protecting the cause no mather what." "Heh! what good will a dead soldier do? trust me I will do more good when I am alive rather than dead." I sighed. "I''ll call Rose as well in that case." "Why?" "If we''re going to collect wood, the more hands, the better, right?" "Yes, I guess you''re right." Besides, I''ll have backup in case this guy tries something. If what Miss Pearl said is true, this guy has defeated 15 people in a sword battle. He doesn''t have a weapon on him right now, but he''s still dangerous. And I know he doesn''t like me, so he might try something. I might be too weak against him, but if Rose is with me, my chances will improve. Rose is a girl, but she''s had my back in fights since we were kids. But the fact that this guy didn''t even flinch when I mentioned bringing someone bothers me. "I''ll go and call her, then you wait here." "Sure." I walked next to Rose and informed her about the situation, and she agreed to come along. After getting her to follow me, we walked alongside Miss Pearl and Angel to let them know what we were going to do. "Miss Pearl, Hope wants to build a boat to call for help. We are going to help him collect some wood from the mansion." "From the mansion? Isn''t the mansion quite old? I don''t believe that you can make use of the planks there." "Oh, you didn''t realize?" "Didn''t realize what?" "Take a look at the tiling in the mansion," I said, pointing inside the mansion. We walked towards the door and looked inside through the door without going in. "So what I am suppose to see here?" Miss Pearl asked? "The walls and some of the furniture are collapsing or decaying, but the tiles are fine." "Now that you mention it, they look quite clean and firm!" "Indeed, this mansion was abandoned 24 years ago, isn''t that so? So there is nothing wrong with loose or dusty planks, right? But even some of the wooden furniture is fine." Rose interfered, "You seem to know the reason why." "That I do. The wood used here is really rare and special. It has intense durability that can last even for centuries." "That''s interesting." "They won''t mold, won''t get loose, won''t rot, and for some reason, pests stay away from this wood." "Are you trying to sell it to us?" "Buy now for only 999 gold coins." "How many planks are you going to give for that price?" "A quarter of a plank." "This is clearly a robbery." "Indeed, it''s probably even more expensive than that you are getting it of cheap." Miss Pearl put her right hand to her mouth, "Ahem!" "Back to the topic, these planks have the greatest buoyancy out of any wood. If we are building a boat, there is no better choice." "That''s interesting." "Furthermore, considering the construction of the house, they used whole-size planks as tiles, which means they are thick enough to carry a boat all right." "But didn''t you say that they were expensive why would they do something like that?" "To show off is the only reason I can think of." "Is that so then-" Before Miss Pearl finished her sentence, Angel jumped in front of us, "You are going to get into this mansion?" "Yes, we are going to build a boat, so we need to collect some wood from it." "You really shouldn''t; it''s dark and scary in there!" "That''s fine; I am sure all the ghosts have run away after seeing Big Sister Rose." "But what if Lady Unut learns about this? Wouldn''t she be angry?" "Well, if she ''learns,'' she might, but even then, the times are calling for desperate measures." "I really don''t think you should go in there. Please, listen to me." Miss Pearl gently tugs on Angel''s ear and scolds, "Hey! What did I tell you about interrupting when the adults are talking?" She then turns to me and says, "I''m sorry, but I''m going to take Angel back with me. You have my permission to continue." Angel reluctantly allows herself to be pulled away by her arm, all the while shouting, "I''m telling you, don''t go in there!" We watch them as they leave, her voice is slowly fading away. "She really didn''t want us to go in there for some reason," I said to Rose, but she didn''t reply as she was lost in thought. So I asked, "Is something wrong?" "How do you know about those planks?" Rose finally responded. "Well, I saw some being sold inside the city. There were lots of types of wood and lumber that I had never seen before so I asked around, and I also read some books about them." "So how does Hope know about those woods?" Silence followed, and Rose''s question made me realize my oversight. She was right; there was no way Hope could have knowledge about trees or woods. I doubted he even knew how to read, so how could someone like him be familiar with them? What were the chances that he had been in a situation where he had to build a boat and had come across those woods? "A warrior knows when to evade danger," I remembered him saying this earlier. It was entirely possible that he had found himself in such a situation. It wasn''t difficult to imagine him running away from potential danger. "For the time being, we should keep this to ourselves, but let''s stay vigilant. He''s not armed, but we don''t know what he''s capable of." She nods in agreement, and we then approach Hope, who is sitting on the stairs of the mansion, waiting. "Are you done yet? I don''t have all day," Hope grumbles. "Oh, please leave whenever you like. We can build the boat on our own and send someone more trustworthy to call for help." "Yeah, I''m not going to waste time arguing with you. But do tell me, why doesn''t a fishing village like this have boats of some sort?" "Since the village was established, we were too busy clearing the forest to create trading routes, so we never had the chance to build boats," I explain. "Clearing the forest? When was this village established?" Hope asks, puzzled. "About 30 years ago. Why do you ask?" "YOU''VE BEEN CUTTING TREES FOR 30 YEARS!?" Hope exclaims. "Yes, slowly but surely, we are making progress." "I don''t understand. In 30 years, there shouldn''t be a tree left in this place." "That would have been the case under normal circumstances, but this forest regenerates itself," I explain. "Huh?" "You heard me. This forest regenerates itself, so we have to keep cutting the same places over and over again until we create the road." "So you''re telling me that when you cut down a tree, another tree grows in its place?" If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it."Yes, but it takes a day or two for it to regrow. In the meantime, we continue cutting trees a bit farther ahead. With this approach, we will eventually be able to create the trading roads." "Won''t trees grow over the road?" "They will, but we have no choice but to keep maintaining it over time." "Why the heck would someone even build a village here then?" "It was the order of one of the descendants from Unut''s family. The first elder had no choice." He looks at me with disgust on his face. I sigh, "Do you have any other questions about the village, or should we get to work soon?" "No, and I don''t even want to learn more." "Right, let''s start by looking for something that we can use to remove the tiling." "Don''t you have something with you? Aren''t you a carpenter or something?" "I don''t carry my tools with me all day long; they are at home." But this is a mansion; there should be some tools we can use. If not, I''ll have to walk back home to get my tools. Upon looking around, I spotted a shack right next to the mansion. There might be something in there that we can use. I called for Rose and Hope to check what was inside. "You think we can find something here?" Hope asked. I nodded. "Well, it''s worth looking, at least." After saying that, I tried to open the door, but it wouldn''t budge. "It''s locked." "Step aside!" Hope shouted with a smile on his face. As soon as he said that, he started running towards the door, and I was standing right between them. I quickly jumped back, and soon we heard a loud crack. The maniac kicked the door open. "Now we can enter," he said with a smirk on his face. "Good thing it didn''t collapse," said Rose as she entered without hesitation. I followed her and started to look around to find something that could pry the tiles loose. "It seems like we''ve come to the right place," I remarked. Upon entering, I saw all sorts of tools lying around. It didn''t take me long to find a lengthy wedge-shaped iron. This will do the job. "I found what we need. Let''s go to the mansion," I said. "Great, now let''s get out of this dusty place," Rose said, covering her mouth and nose with her hand. We exited the shack and headed to the mansion. Unlike the shack, there wasn''t much dust inside, but overgrown plants and bugs were all over the walls. Some furniture and paintings had been collapsed to the ground. Two staircases led upstairs, but both had been blocked by fallen furniture. It''s no wonder they collapsed, considering the recent earthquakes and animals coming in and out. n the middle of the stairs, there was a door that likely led to a hall behind it. To my left a table stood and on top of it... plates? It''s strange; why would there be plates here? Did the Unut family leave this place after having dinner? I wonder what made them hurry so much that they left without cleaning the table. Regardless of the general state of this place, the tiles were clean and sturdy. "Hmmm, there is furniture all over the place. We should check the other areas to salvage," said Rose. "I''m not sure about that. Sure, the floor tiles are sturdy, but I can''t say the same about the ceiling; it could collapse at any moment." "We have to move the furniture, then. They sure look heavy." "That''s the safest choice." Upon hearing this, Hope jumped in, "Why not check the other rooms as well? That would be faster." "But it''s dangerous in there. ''A warrior knows when to evade danger,'' right?" "Yes, that is true, but... I¡ªyes... I don''t have much time. We should hurry. It would be faster to just remove some tiles from an empty room, right?" "What''s wrong with going somewhere? Or do you have a reason that you want to check the other rooms for?" I looked at him with suspicion. I could see that he was sweating. Just as I thought, he''s hiding his true motive for coming to this place; the tiles are just a cover. I signaled Rose to stay close to me, to which she responded with a nod. "Hey, why did you think that you can use wooden tiles to build a boat?" "Huh? Didn''t you say that we can use them?" "Did I say that now?" "Then why did you even agree to come here?" "Maybe I was just testing you?" I gripped the iron firmly in my hand and pointed it at him. He clearly lied about wanting to salvage the planks for the boat. I don''t know why he lured us here, but it can''t be good. So it''s better if I attack first and ask questions later! "What''s that? You want to fight?" he said with confidence. "Do you? You are outnumbered and not armed." "Heh! What can a puny guy and a little girl do against me?" "We''ll see about that!" After saying that, I sprinted towards him and swung the iron at his face. *Swish* But the hit didn''t connect. He leaned to dodge the attack with a swift movement. He pulled his arm back to punch me in the gut, but Rose was quicker. She got behind him and held onto both of his arms. "Good job, Rose!" I shouted as I pulled the iron back to swing again. This time, I won''t miss! I swung the iron with all my might. But I felt a pain in my stomach while I was still in the middle of swinging. He kicked me, causing me to stop and bend over for a moment. Before Rose could react, he headbutted her in the face with the back of his head. She let go of him and fell backward, blood streaming from her nose. "You bastard!" I swung the iron once more. *Swish* Again, he dodged, then grabbed my collar and threw me against the door. "Ugh!" I gasped and dropped the iron. Before I could react, he kicked me along with the door into the hall behind. I fell to the floor on top of the door. *CRASH!* A deafening noise reverberated through the mansion. It was so loud it made my eyes water. No, I was definitely not crying because of the pain of getting kicked in the gut twice. Something big had collapsed. "What the hell!?" He turned his back to see what had collapsed. As I got up, holding my stomach, I noticed a small table. He was distracted; it was my chance. I grabbed the table with both hands and swung with all my might. *CRACK* The hit got connected. Blood splattered from the back of his head as he fell. *Thud* He fell to the ground face-first. He didn''t move, and I didn''t know if he died or fainted, nor did I care. I walked over his body and looked for Rose, who was lying on the ground holding her nose with her hand. "You okay?" I rushed over to her. "Yeah, I don''t think it''s broken. It doesn''t hurt much." "Let me have a look." She took her hand away from her nose and showed it to me. I gently touched her nose to check if I could feel any broken bones, but luckily, it seemed fine. "Can you move it?" "You know that I can''t." "That''s bad; it''s broken!" "Yeah, your brain is." "Jokes aside, it looks fine. Let''s see if there is something we can use to stop the bleeding." "No need." She grabbed her bag and pulled out some tissues from it. "Ah, yeah, that works. Put pressure on your nose until the bleeding stops." She did so and got up. "Leaving this aside, we got stuck in here." "What do you mean?" "Take a look at the entrance." I turned my back and saw that the entrance was now blocked by iron bars. "How did that happen?" "I don''t know; the bars fell down when Hope kicked you inside there." "Oh no, did the mansion have some sort of security system?" "It seems so; even the stairs are now blocked by iron bars." "So are the windows; we can''t break through them." I grabbed the iron from where I dropped it and struck the iron bars. *CLANG* Nope, that thing won''t break. It seems the iron bars came down from the ceiling. They had been hidden there, impossible to see due to a lid that concealed them. Windows were barred from the beginning, so whoever made them, for whatever reason, really didn''t want anybody to get out. Well, I guess it''s understandable since this mansion belongs to nobles. "No choice; we have to find another way to get out," said Rose. "Luckily, the door that leads to the hall is not blocked by iron bars. Let''s search from there." "I wonder what caused the bars to fall." "No idea, but that table bothers me." "What''s wrong with it?" "There are plates, spoons, forks, and knives on it, but there is no chair around the table." "Heh, maybe the Unut family left the place in a hurry but took their chairs along with them." I am not sure which one is funnier, the joke she made or her voice. She sounds muffled because she is holding her nose with her hand to stop the bleeding. "You are right; it''s a long road. They need something to sit on when they are tired." "Tired from riding a cart, that is." "Oh, look, a painting of Lady Unut." She shows me a painting hanging on the wall behind the table. I couldn''t see well from all the way next to the entrance wall, so I decided to get closer. I walked towards the dining table, and the planks on the floor creaked with each step I took. *Creak* *Creak* *CREAK* *CREAK* I got closer to the table from the opposite side of the painting. "Oh, she has ginger hair and green eyes just like me." I said as I leaned over the table to see it better. "Now that you mention it, she does look like you a bit." *Rustle* A rustle was heard in the room, as if something were being pulled away Upon turning our heads towards the source, we noticed that Hope wasn''t where we had left him. "What was that?" exclaimed Rose. "Did he wake up?" "We should have tied him up." "Let''s try to negotiate with him; it''s not the right time to fight." "You are right." We proceeded slowly and carefully towards the hall, which was the only way he could have gone without us noticing. As we passed through the door, we heard something once again. *Scratch* *Scratch* *Scratch* A constant noise of something scratching against something. "Now what?" "Is he trying to scare us?" "Is he using some sort of psychological warfare tactic?" "Well, it''s working." The noise was emanating from one of the rooms that the hall opened up to. "I''ll go first. Follow me, but stay a bit far away," I said. "Okay," she nodded. By doing this, he wouldn''t be able to attack both of us simultaneously. If he''s trying to lure us in, there must be some sort of trap he''s prepared. With caution, I slowly approached the door, ready to defend at any moment, holding the iron. "It''s pitch black in here," I said. "Here, there is a lantern. Hold on, let me light it," she said as she pulled the flint and steel from her bag. She then lit it and handed it to me. "Thanks. Now, let''s see what''s in there." I held the lantern towards the room to light my way. "WHAT THE HELL?!" "What''s wrong?" "No! Don''t come. Stay there." WHAT IN THE HELL WAS I SEEING? Hope''s body floated upside down without a head. Blood flowed through his torso, and his body moved strangely, as if trying to write like a pencil. "Aughh!" I vomited right next to the door. "Hey, are you okay?" Rose asked in panic. *Thud* I lifted my head and noticed that Hope''s lifeless body had fallen. "BASEMENT" was written in blood on the ground. "That''s it; I''m coming over there!" "No, Don- *Cough*" She approached and saw what I had seen. "WHAT THE?!" She screamed in fear and fell backward. I closed the door of the room. "I told you not to come." "What happened there?" She asked, her voice trembling. "I don''t know. Hope''s body floated upside down and wrote ''Basement'' with the blood coming from his neck." "''Basement''? What does that even mean?" "I think it wants us to go to the basement." "What do you mean by ''it''?" "Whoever made Hope float some sort of invincible power." "No, no, no! We need to get out of here as soon as possible." "Agreed, let''s go-" *CRASH* Suddenly, the door I had closed was forcefully punched from the inside, leaving a huge hole in the upper half of the door. Hope''s lifeless head slowly flew out of the hole, and as if his body was still there, he turned left and floated towards the other end of the corridor, dropping blood from below. We were only able to watch in silence as this grotesque situation unfolded. When it reached the end, it suddenly dropped and rolled out of our sight. Rose and I looked into each other''s eyes in fear. I managed to step forward with my shaky legs. I followed the blood trail and reached the end of the corridor. There, I saw the stairs leading downstairs, and Hope''s head was lying on the ground below. Rose quickly followed me from behind. "Is this a message for us? To not run away?" I descended the stairs one by one and reached all the way down where a door greeted me. *Gulp* I ignored Hope''s lifeless head and opened the door to the unknown. I found myself in a room with shelves full of green liquids and organs in jars. "Are all of these the Waters Of Regeneration?" Rose asked. "Seems like it." As we ventured further with caution, we came across a prison cell. Inside, a little girl was sleeping on a bed ¨C a girl we knew very well. "Angel! What is she doing here?" "We sent her home with her mother, didn''t we?" "We did, I am sure of it. Did she somehow come back?" "That''s impossible. The entrance is blocked, remember? Besides, Miss Pearl wouldn''t let her go anywhere after she ran off today." "If the Angel here is real, then... Who did we send with Miss Pearl?" Angel murmured in her sleep, "No, Pickle, you can''t eat the pickles; grandpa will be mad." Day:5.3: Experiment "Hahaha, God is truly amazing to create something like that. In this world, there is always a way to get what you want. Now I can go back to how I was before. No... I can do much better than that; I can regain my youth, or even better, become immortal. My last research was a huge success. I''ve got to thank that doctor my granddaughter brought here. I will finally be free from this damned curse." "What are you reading?" I asked Rose, who was standing behind me with a book in her hand. "I don''t know, some sort of diary, I guess." "Why don''t you stop playing around and help me wake Angel up?" "I am not playing around; I am searching for a way to get into that cell. Besides, you''ve been calling for a while now; she''s not going to wake up unless we tickle her or something." I looked at the Angel who was sleeping in a prison cell; iron bars separated her from us. She was peacefully sleeping in a bed with some blue flowers in a jar filled with water on a table next to her bed. A pile of broken wooden furniture was beside her bed in the small prison cell, leaving very little room to move around. I''d been calling for her for some time, but she didn''t wake up. The only good news was that Rose''s nose had stopped bleeding. I then turned my head back to Rose. "*Sigh* okay... What have you found?" "Just this diary." "Well...what does it say?" "The thing that I just read now." "That''s it?" "No, there is also a recipe for Cellurk Leg Soup." "Very funny... did they really write ''Hahaha'' in their diary?" "No, I added that; it seemed quite fitting for this gibberish." "Reading about someone''s weird fantasy is fine, but that won''t wake Angel up." "I know that, but shouting for her also didn''t wake her up." "Yes, she is sleeping like a log. If she was awake, she would at least tell us how she even got in that cell." "Then we could get her out unless she was somehow trapped there by someone." "By who?" "Ask Hope." "Oh." It makes sense if that invincible someone? something? whatever it is. If that thing is strong enough to tear Hope''s head apart from his body, then it can surely put someone in a prison cell. But then, why did it make us come to the basement? "Is this Angel even the real Angel? What about the one we sent back with Miss Pearl?" "I don''t know. That''s just another reason to wake her up." *Shatter* Just then, we heard the sound of glass breaking. "Did you break something?" I asked Rose. "No, the noise didn''t even come from where I am." "I don''t know; it echoes in here." "I think it came from the room behind the prison." Right next to the prison, there is a door we didn''t have the courage to open yet. It leads to the unknown, but that noise might be a signal for us to move there from that invincible someone? something? someonething. For the time being, it didn''t harm me or Rose; it''s more likely that it''s trying to make us do something. "I''ll look out for Angel here; you can go ahead and take a look," Rose said. "Okay, it''s fine if you are scared." "I am not scared; I am just being cautious." "Right, give me the lantern, then." "Huh? No, no, no, I would stay in the pitch darkness without it." "And how am I supposed to investigate what''s happening in the other room?" "Use that iron stick in your hand to figure out your surroundings and slowly map the place. You can do it, I''ll pray for you." "Or I can hit your head with it, knock you out, and take the lantern." "Alright, let''s just ignore that noise!" "That won''t do; what if it was a signal from the invincible someonething." "Someonething?" "Nevermind that; you either come up with me or give up the lantern." "Fine... I''ll tag along." With that being said, we moved towards the door and opened it. The room was very wide and long; the other side of the room was impossible to see with the light that the lantern emitted. But in the edge of the circle that we could see, I spotted a broken jar that must have been the noise we just heard. It probably fell from the shelf next to it. I could see some sort of liquid was flowing from it, and there was something else as well, but I couldn''t see what it was. "Give me the lantern for a second," I asked Rose, and she handed it to me. I leaned towards the jar with the lantern to see what it was. There was an eye lying on the ground. It was probably inside the jar that broke, and this liquid must be the Water Of Regeneration. The Water Of Regeneration has a preservation effect that can preserve organs without them losing their vitality and functionality. So, it''s a common practice to safely store organs in a jar like this if they are not going to be used right away. And this basement is filled with jars containing organs, even though they are a noble family; I don''t think this quantity is normal. Eyes, tongues, kidneys, lungs, pancreases, and even hearts that are not recoverable with the Water of Regeneration are stored in jars. It''s not every day you find yourself a donor willing to give away their vital organs. "What''s wrong?" asked Rose. "Where or how do you think they got all of these organs from?" "I don''t know. Aren''t they extremely rich? They probably bought them." "There are enough organs here to make dozens of humans. Why would they buy this much? They''ve even bought unrecoverable organs alongside the recoverable ones." "They are the kind of people who use rare wood as simple floor tiling. Why do you think?" "What? You mean these organs are for show off as well?" "I don''t think so. That would be inappropriate. They probably just like the idea that they can buy something rare and expensive as much as they like." "Well, this is just disgusting." When we are leaving, we should bring one of the jars that contain lungs with us- Rose interrupted my thoughts, "When we are leaving, we should bring one of the lungs to that sick child." "I was just thinking that," I said with a smile. "Let''s look further." I nodded, and we began to walk towards the other end of the room, passing numerous shelves filled with jars containing organs. When we reached the end, a massive barrel with a tap next to a pit greeted us. The pit was large enough for an adult to lie down inside. "Do you think there''s something inside this barrel?" Rose asked. "There''s only one way to find out," I replied. I walked over to the barrel and turned the tap. *Twist* Green liquid started pouring out, filling the pit on the ground. It was the Water Of Regeneration! *Twist* As soon as a few drops had fallen, I quickly turned and closed it. This liquid was far too precious to waste. "This is strange. They seem to have a place for a ritual of organ transplants in their basement," Rose observed. "Yeah, something bizarre is definitely going on here," I agreed. *GRUMBLE* Suddenly, the entire set of shelves collapsed all at once. Both of us stepped away from them and took cover on the ground. After the shelves had finished collapsing and the room fell silent once more, we stood up. "What the hell just happened?" I shouted. "I don''t know... Wait, look behind you," Rose said, pointing towards the wall. I turned around, and there was something written on the wall in blood. "Put them back up," I read aloud. "Put what back up? The shelves?" "I''m not putting them back up. You knocked them over; you should put them back up." "Don''t provoke it, you idiot." Suddenly, the lantern I was holding burned out, and we found ourselves surrounded by pitch-black darkness. "Okay, okay, I''ll put them back up. Calm down." "I think the candle just burned out," Rose remarked. "Oh..." I then heard her rummaging in her bag. "Here''s a new candle." We managed to replace the candle and light the new one. "We can see again, but how do we even get out now?" "Look, I think there''s a clearing over there," she said, pointing. I examined the area with the light, and it appeared we could pass through just fine. But should we? "Have we finished checking this room? Should we head back?" I inquired. "Considering that everything we could investigate is now debris, we have to, I won''t stop you if you want to dig through it, though." "Let''s just leave." I signed, and we left the room, following the path Rose had spotted. It turned out to be easier to traverse than I had initially thought. Upon entering the room before, I noticed that Angel was still fast asleep. "She''s still sleeping like a log. No wonder I couldn''t wake her up earlier," I remarked. "If the sound of the shelves collapsing didn''t wake her up, I doubt any noise will." "What should we do now, though?" "I believe ''it'' wants us to put something back, but what could that be?" "Hmm... Organs?" "Are you suggesting that we should return the organs to their respective bodies? I thought the same, but first, we''d need to find the owners of those organs." "But then again, why would it make the shelves that the organs were stored collapse if it wanted us to return the organs to their bodies?" "Also depending on how much time has passed, there might only be bones left of the owners'' bodies." Suddenly, we heard the sound of a door opening behind us. We turned our heads to identify the source of the noise and noticed a door behind us. It was right next to the stairs we used to come down here. "I didn''t see that door before," said Rose. "Me neither. Well, we''ve never turned around to look back at the way we came into this room." "I guess we have to go through that door as well." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it."I''m surprised at how calm you are." "I could say the same to you." "I''m just too tired to give any reaction of surprise, that''s all." "Are you okay?" "Not one bit, but I have no choice but to go on." She hesitates for a moment, then speaks, "Tell you what, I''ll go check that room. You can rest; you didn''t sleep well last night, did you?" "I don''t remember telling you that." "I can tell. You''re not even joking that much anymore. You''re very tired, aren''t you?" "..." She''s correct; I''m almost at my limit. I could fall and faint at any time. I remain silent for a while. She observes my silence and smiles. "Come on, there''s a chair and a desk over there; sit down. Oh, but the lantern is coming with me." "No, I''m fine. I can''t let you go alone." "I won''t do anything dangerous, and if something happens, I''ll call for you. It''s okay for you to rest for a bit." "No, let''s go and investigate this room already." "Fine..." she replied, sounding a bit relieved. She recognized that I was exhausted and tried to persuade me to rest, even though she was apprehensive. I''m glad she cared, but I couldn''t let her go alone into the unknown. I need to make more jokes to keep both Rose and myself calm. "Let''s go." Rose follows me into the next room, and as soon as we enter, we are both shocked by the scene before us. "What the hell is this?!" we both exclaim at the same time. Before us are cylindrical glass containers, each containing the bodies of different people. Each one has their stomach to breast cut open, with their organs missing, and some are even missing their hands and arms. The containers are filled with the Water of Regeneration, causing the bodies to float. We stood there, gazing in disbelief for a while. "You were right when you said something bizarre was going on here," Rose said, averting her eyes from the containers. "I have no words." I was just about to suggest that we should leave this room when I noticed another door in the corner of the room. "Look, there''s another room over there. Let''s check it out." "Let''s go quick!" I hastened toward the room. As we walked, I noticed that Rose was only looking at the ground, avoiding her gaze from elsewhere. When we reached the door, I opened it without hesitation because I knew that whatever was in that room had to be better than the one we were currently in. It turns out, for once, I am correct. This is a study room with two desks and chairs. Above the desks, there are shelves filled with dozens of books. Rose closed the door behind us, and I can guess why. "This room seems safe. Let''s take a rest here for a while," I suggested, considering that Rose wasn''t feeling well. "Yes, let''s do that. Also, let''s read these books while we''re at it." "What? There are dozens of them." "Well, you can sit and rest, and I''ll read them." "Suit yourself. I''m too tired to even turn a page," I said as I pulled out one of the chairs. "Sure..." She agreed as she sat down on the chair I had pulled out. "Hey, I was going to sit on that!" "I''m sitting on it now, so you can''t." "The chair thief is among us! Well, whatever, I''ll sit on the other one." "Yeah, you go and do that." I walked over to the other chair, pulled it toward me, and sat down. As I settled into the chair, the fatigue from the entire day washed over my body. The lack of sleep and constant walking were taking their toll. My eyes began to close on their own, and despite my efforts to keep them open, it was a futile struggle. I realized it was impossible for me to stay awake any longer, so I rested my head along with my arm on the desk. Before drifting off, I caught a glimpse of Rose taking a book and turning its pages. Zzzz... Some time passes... Zzzz... Some more time passes... Zzzz... Even more time passes... Zzzz... I slowly regain consciousness, waking up feeling refreshed. I''m not entirely sure how long it''s been, but I do feel well-rested, so it must have been quite a while. Once I finally regained my senses, I jolted and immediately checked on Rose, who was sitting right behind me. "Oh, you''re finally awake. I''ve almost read all of the books here." "How long was I out?" "A couple of hours, I believe." "What?! Why didn''t you wake me up?" "Sorry, I got a bit too engrossed in reading those books." "Well, was the story of the ''three little cellurks'' entertaining?" "It''s really not the time for jokes." "Sorry." "Never mind, come and take a look at them." "What? All of them? No way, there are dozens." "Don''t worry; their content is quite simple. They''re just records of various experimental results and some diaries." "I''ll take a quick look then." "Alright, come and sit here then," she said as she got up from her chair and pulled it out for me to sit. "I hope it has a good plot at least." "Maybe it was a mistake letting you sleep." While she was busy getting disappointed with me, I walked over to the chair and sat down. I selected one of the books from the pile and opened it to a random page. "Experiment number 38 was unsuccessful; it seems it is impossible to swap two brains using the Water of Regeneration." "Experiment number 39 was unsuccessful; it seems it is impossible to put one''s soul into another body using the Water of Regeneration." "In Experiment number 40, I tried all sorts of swaps between the maids we caught red-handed the other day. It seems it is possible to change the organs over and over again." It seems that this book is used to keep records of the disgusting experiments conducted by a madman, possibly related to the people in the containers we saw earlier. However, something is bothering me; removing organs is a very tricky task, typically carried out by skilled experts with extensive knowledge. But this text indicates that they exchanged organs, which means they removed organs from those unfortunate souls, whom they hopefully killed first. This strongly suggests that they are collaborating with an expert, as it is impossible for any random person to do this. I took a brief moment to look back at Rose, and she signaled for me to continue reading with her hand. "Excuse me, but what the hell is this?!" "''The story of the three little cellurks.''" "I wish I hadn''t made fun of it earlier; now I feel awful for doing so. This is disgusting." "Disgusting, bizarre, awful ¨C even with these words, it''s impossible to describe." The sight of the bodies in the containers suddenly flashed before my eyes. I wonder if the maids writing in these books were among them What a gruesome end. The one who did this is definitely not human let alone a noble. But in any case, I don''t have anything I can do for them. I turned my head back towards the desk. Enough of these disgusting experiment results; I will try another book. I exchanged the book I was reading for one from the pile. "I despise it all, even though that doctor once saved me from the clutches of death, he didn''t grant me immortality. My body is feeble, my back aches constantly, my vision is blurred, and my ears no longer hear as they once did. And that is not his sole transgression. Despite my granddaughter taking a liking to him and confining him to her bedroom, he still attempted to escape. I extended him the courtesy of freedom, as long as he assisted with my experiments. If it were up to me, I would have already punished him with lashes, but my dear granddaughter is so lenient, letting him off with just a mere slap." "''My granddaughter'' is mentioned again in this book, and the writer mentions that his body is weak," I said. "I believe the person who wrote this may have been Lady Unut''s grandfather, and the ''doctor'' must be the one who removed organs for him." "Yes, but by the look of it, he wasn''t here by his own will." "The book says that he was confined in a bedroom and was forced by Lady''s grandfather to help with his research." "To help him remove organs from someone and put them into another''s body." "What a sick experiment. I''m glad he failed." "He failed?" "Yes, I remember hearing from Miss Pearl that he died of old age." "He certainly didn''t deserve a peaceful death like that." *Bang* "What was that?" I asked. "It came from upstairs; something must have fallen." "Let''s go check it. Hopefully, it''s not the exit." "The exit is already blocked anyway." "Right, I forgot about that." "C''mon," Rose said as she rushed ahead. When we first entered this room, she was scared to look around, but right now, she doesn''t seem to care. I followed her upstairs, and we reached the entrance hall once again. "Everything seems to be fine here," I said as I looked around. "Then it came from a different room." "Hopefully, it''s not the room with Hope''s body." "That room is all the way over at the other end of the hall; it shouldn''t be it." "Great, you know what? I don''t want to know what has fallen anymore." "Stop being so impervious. What if it was another sign from the ghost of the maid?" "Ghost of the maid?" "Didn''t you figure it out yet? The ghost wants us to put something back so-" "So you are saying that the maids want us to put their organs back in their bodies?" "Exactly, see, you figured it out." "But what makes you think it''s the maids? Others have also had their organs taken away from them." "Well, the maids served here for a long period of time, so they are the ones with the highest grudge against the Unut family." I wonder if that is really the case, though. While I was still thinking, Rose walked toward the hall and shouted, "What are you waiting for? Come on, let''s check the other rooms!" I followed her to the door on the far left side of the hall. This room was the nearest to the basement, and it had the highest chance of being the source of the noise. "I am opening it," Rose said as she opened the door. I was surprised that she was taking the lead for once, venturing into the unknown instead of sending me ahead. Upon going inside, it wasn''t hard for us to notice what had fallen. "A ladder leading towards the upper floor," Rose spoke. "Look underneath it; there is a trap door with a handle. This must have fallen down along with the ladder that was supposed to be hidden." "How do you know it was supposed to be hidden?" I walked over to the trap door, held the handle, and lifted it to show the other side to Rose. "See, there is no handle on this side, so they intended for this to open from one side. Also, it''s painted to camouflage with the rest of the ceiling." "Oh, I see now. But wait, why would they have a ladder leading to the kitchen from the upper floor?" "A shortcut, maybe." "Shortcut?" I climbed up the ladder to check where it led and found myself in an empty room. Without climbing all the way, I looked around. There were two other entrances to this empty room from the upper floor. I could see clothes hanging from both of these entrances, and behind them, there were beds. "I see now," I said as I climbed down. "What have you found?" asked Rose. "Yep, this is indeed a shortcut to the kitchen from the bedroom above." "Wait, why? Don''t tell me it''s for midnight snacks when they get hungry at night." "Hey, I was just about to make that joke!" "Stop fooling around and tell me why?" "Well, if they have a ladder leading down here, that means-" "That means?" "It''s for midnight snacks." Without hesitation, she punched me in the guts with all her strength. "How was your knuckle sandwich?" "Quite strong. Jokes aside, I think this is an emergency exit." "You mean there is an exit somewhere in the kitchen." "Yes, help me check the cupboard. I think there is a fake wall behind one of them." "You sure?" "Yes, there isn''t much place to hide an exit anyway." Upon searching a bit, we did indeed find an exit from one of the cupboards. "There we go, now we can escape. We almost wasted the whole day here," I said with a sigh of relief. "Not so fast; we need to get Angel first." "I know, I know, but should we really get her out?" "What do you mean?" "We already sent an Angel with Miss Pearl, right?" "Yes, unless we lost our minds or Angel has a secret twin sister, we did send an Angel with Miss Pearl." "I don''t believe you''ve lost your sanity, even if I have." "So you''re admitting that you''ve lost your mind?" "That has been the case for a long time." "Well, at least you''re being truthful." "At the very least, deny it... Anyway, remember when Angel heard that we were planning to enter the mansion, and she was quite reluctant about it." "Yeah, what about it?" "What if that Angel was aware of the Angel in the basement and didn''t want us to set it free but couldn''t say anything?" "I see, we don''t know which Angel is the real one. If the Angel we sent was the real one, she might have tried to warn us." "Exactly, the one in the basement could be a monster trying to escape by using Angel as a disguise." "I don''t know about that but what we should do is simple; we''ll go get the Angel we sent and Miss Pearl." "Yep, that''s the safest choice." Just then, the cupboard that led to the outside suddenly shut. Both of us instantly turned our heads toward it. We watched as blood suddenly appeared on the cupboard and formed something. "You''re not going anywhere before you put my eyes back," Rose read it aloud. "Yep, there goes our escape ticket. Ghost of the maid, please tell us where your eyes are as well." "You seriously need to stop making fun of the ghost." While Rose was shouting at me, I noticed another line of blood had appeared under her foot. "Hey, look," I said as I pointed it out to her. "What?" Rose said before looking at the line. After she noticed it too, we followed the line towards the ladder that led to the upper floor. "I guess up it is." Day 5.4: Keep Your Eyes Upon taking the ladder to the upper floor, we found ourselves inside a closet with three exits: one leading to the main bedroom, another to a different bedroom, and the last one was the ladder we just climbed. "So which room should we check first?" I asked Rose, who had just climbed up. "Let''s go to the main bedroom fir¡ª" *Scratch* Before she could finish her sentence, a blood trail appeared, leading towards the other bedroom. "Never mind, then." We ventured into the unknown bedroom, which was decorated with now-decayed pink wallpaper. The color pink seemed to be the "life" of this bedroom everything was pink: the bed, curtains, tiling, along with some toys and decorations. "Seems like a room for a little girl," I said. "This could be the lady''s room, considering she was still a child when the family first visited here." "But wasn''t she grown up when she decided to leave the village? Why not redecorate the room?" "Hmm? Why redecorate? What''s wrong with the room?" "What do you mean? It''s a little girl''s room with toys and all the decor." "Is it really the time to talk about decor? There could be another bedroom she used when she was older." *Clank* It seemed the maid had gotten so irritated by our meaningless conversation that she hit something hard enough to shake the room. "Okay, okay, I''ll stop criticizing the room''s decor." "Like I said before, stop making fun of it." "It''s okay. I think she is not hostile towards us; otherwise, we would be dead by now." "You can''t know that. She might just kill us as soon as she doesn''t need us." "Does she need us in the first place? She seems to be handling herself just fine." "Now that you mention it, she could''ve just found her eyes and thrown them into the Water of Regeneration along with her body by herself." "Then why did she ask us to do it is the question." Rose put her right hand to her chin and started to think. After a few brief seconds, she suddenly spoke. "Look, behind you!" she exclaimed, pointing towards my back. I turned my head towards where she was pointing, which was a drawer with a bloody palm print on it. "It must be what the maid just hit to make the room shake. I''m surprised it''s still in one piece after that hit." "She must want us to look in that drawer." We looked at each other in worry. After all, we didn''t know what was in that drawer. After some silence, I handed the iron stick I was holding to Rose and spoke. "I''ll open the drawer. If something comes out, you hit it with that stick, got it?" "Yeah, okay. Ready when you are," she said, nodding. I carefully put my hand on the suspicious drawer''s handle and opened it. *Swang* Before we could even comprehend what was inside the drawer, Rose wildly swung the iron stick into it. U pon taking a closer look, I noticed that what she had hit was a book, possibly a diary. "You can''t hurt knowledge, dear Rose, but your lack of knowledge seems to have hurt you dearly." "Shut up or I''ll hurt you next," she said, putting the iron stick close to my face. "Yeah, okay, just put down the stick." "Just read that book already." "Fine." I picked up the book and turned to the first page. "Well, what does it say?" asked Rose, curious. "It says, ''You hurt me, so I am coming to hurt you,'' signed by ''The Ghost of the Book.''" "Let''s burn the damn book." "Relax, I''m just joking." "Let''s burn you alive." "Let''s not do that. I''ll just read the book, so calm down." I read the book, or rather the diary, out loud: "After a long trip, we arrived at our new home in the village of Unut. The mansion is a lot smaller than the one in the castle." "I wonder how big the mansion in the castle is if she calls this one small," said Rose, interrupting me. "No idea. Don''t interrupt me." "Sorry, keep going." I coughed and continued reading, "The servants immediately started carrying our baggage into the mansion. I asked Mother if I could go out to play, but she said I couldn''t because I might get a sickness from the peasants." "What a sick mind. She disgusts me already," said Rose, interrupting me again. "Don''t let anybody hear you say that." "It''s the truth." I coughed once more and continued to read aloud, "I wasn''t allowed outside the mansion''s garden, and today it''s raining, so I can''t even go out to the garden for a stroll. I am stuck inside, forced to study by my tutors." "Some kids would die to trade places with her," said Rose, interrupting me yet again. Can we trade you with someone who doesn''t interrupt me? "You seem to be irritated towards the lady. Any reason why?" "My mom sometimes told me stories about her that she heard from older folks nothing good about her." "Such as?" "They kept their distance from the rest of the village because they were disgusted by them. They used violence towards the servants, and some even went missing." "That''s..." "I heard other nobles treat their subjects better, helping them, giving them food and even education." "Well, not like I can do anything about it now. Let''s just keep reading this." Hopefully without interruption. "Today, a maid broke some plates while she was bringing me breakfast. Mother decided that I should be the one to punish her, and she forced me to slap the maid. I apologized to her later, but I still feel bad. But I have to listen to Mother." Suddenly, the room started to shake, and an unknown woman''s voice echoed through the mansion. "Yet, listening to her mother''s words and orders, the little lady grew violent. She started to act more rudely towards the common folk and servants." "What the?" I shouted. After the voice faded, my vision went white, a bright light blinded me. But it lasted only for a brief moment, and the light was gone after a few seconds. The first thing I saw was Rose shielding her eyes with her arms. Then I realized that I was no longer holding the diary. As I comprehended what had just happened, I noticed that the room now appeared as if it were new. All the decaying decor had been restored and was now shining. The plush toys looked as if they were new, as did all the furniture. "What happened?" asked Rose, awed by the transformed room. "The room looks like it was just decorated." "Is this how it was supposed to look while it was still being used?" "How would I know?" A woman''s voice whispered into my right ear, "Keep reading." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Then an eerie wind bypassed me, followed by a clank noise. I turned towards the drawer, which was slightly shaking. "Seems like Miss Maid wants us to keep reading the diary." "Then keep reading. Where did you put it?" "I don''t have it anymore; it was gone from my hands when we were blinded." "What? Maybe you dropped it?" *CLUNK* A strong clunk was heard in the room, and the drawer shook violently as if hit with more force this time. I gathered my courage and opened the drawer once more. The diary that was in my hand just a moment ago was now back inside. "How did it get there?" "Take a guess." "The ghost of the maid put it there?" "Most likely." "Wonder why she took it away from you in the first place if she was going to give it back?" "She wanted to make an interesting show, why else?" *SMASH* A loud noise echoed through the room. Upon looking towards the source of the noise, we saw that the wooden drawer had been smashed with such intense force that it broke completely. Miss Maid was getting anxious; we should read it before she loses her patience. "I''m reading then," I said, worried. "Yeah, go for it," Rose answered, her voice shaking. *Cough* "I am B O R E D. I can''t go out, and I strolled every part of the garden that is possible to walk. Why can''t I just go out?" It seemed like she was getting really frustrated about being trapped inside this mansion, just like us right now. "That''s it! I am getting outside tomorrow, and nobody will stop me!" Oh, it looks like she was getting rebellious from a young age. But can we blame her? I turned to the next page. "I am never going outside ever again." "What?" Rose and I looked at each other in confusion. Just then, we heard the woman''s voice once more. "That day she came home crying, all her clothes covered in dirt. She managed to run away from the mansion without being noticed, but¡ª" She took a second to laugh and continued, "Apparently, everyone she tried to speak to ignored her. Everyone in the village knew who she was and, scared they might offend a noble, decided not to talk to her at all." That''s just sad. "Kids apologized and moved away when she tried to approach them to ask to play together. Trying to chase them, she stumbled and fell into mud. Some adults who saw what happened turned their eyes away to avoid making eye contact." That must have created trauma for sure. "After that day, the way she saw common folk changed. She started acting more furious and mad. When she was a young adult, her punishments were so severe that a slap was considered a reward." Once again, everything went white, and I lost the sensation of holding the book. Upon regaining my vision, I saw Rose shielding her eyes from the light. Then I saw the rest of the room. It was different the walls were painted gray, with no more toys or flashy decor. "Now it has more of an adult soul to it." "Does the word ''adult'' mean depressing to you?" "Does it mean something else to you?" Once again, an eerie wind swept past me, urging me to keep reading. The destroyed drawer had been restored and looked brand new. I opened the drawer and picked up the dia¡ª "What the!?!?!?" Inside the drawer were a whip and a knife covered in blood, alongside the diary. "What''s wrong?" asked Rose. She came over to take a look, sparing me from having to answer that question. "Let''s not pry too much into that," she said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I agree." "Keep reading then." "As you wish." *Cough* "Are you thirsty?" "No, why?" "You keep coughing." "I''m just clearing my throat. Don''t worry." *PAT* *PAT* Miss Impatient struck the drawer twice to urge us on. "Oh, pipe down. You won¡¯t die even if we take a few seconds," Rose snapped. "Look at the person who said not to anger the danger." "She¡¯s so impatient; I wonder how she stays dead." "Okay, now you¡¯re insulting her." "Shut up and just read." "Okay, calm down." *Cough* "*Sigh*" Ignoring her sigh, I started to read: "Days are boring; the servants are boring, and so are the maids. The only fun person to be around is my grandfather, who is bedridden with sickness. Father has called countless doctors, shamans, and even people who claimed to have healing abilities, but it has all been a waste of time." I turned the page. "Father invited a doctor visiting the village to the mansion, who apparently achieved great feats in organ transplants. He sounds interesting." Once again, the maid¡¯s voice echoed through the room: "That doctor managed to cure her grandfather¡¯s sickness, and he was more energetic than ever. The lady took a liking to that doctor and chained him to her bedroom, where she forced herself on him." The voice continued: "She became pregnant with the doctor¡¯s baby. Sadly for her, her grandfather died soon after the birth of the baby." A breeze swept past me once again, and I heard the voice say, "Keep reading." I continued to read without delay: "Recently, I¡¯ve been having some fun now and then, but there is something that is slightly bothering me, my eyes. My vision is getting blurry." I turned the page. "My vision is getting worse by the day, but Grandfather gave me great advice. If it''s getting blurry, I should just change my eyes with someone else''s. We have just the person for the job anyway." The diary continued: "There is that maid with the beautiful green eyes. She has just the eyes I am ''looking'' for, hehe." This maniac actually wrote "hehe" in her diary. But more importantly, "Wait! Are you suggesting that your eyes were taken by Lady Unut? How are we supposed to get them for you?" I asked. The voice answered, "The Unut family used the doctor they kept in captivity to steal other people''s organs. He was tortured by the lady day by day and was only released into the garden if he helped with transplants." The voice continued: "Lady only took my eyes, but her grandfather? He conducted experiments on other humans to attain immortality. Dozens were tortured and killed." The voice continued, but this time it was clearer, as if coming right from behind us: "Poor souls endured so much pain. When they died and came to this place, they erased their own souls so they wouldn¡¯t exist with the humiliation they had." We turned our heads towards the bed where the voice was coming from and saw her: A woman in a maid¡¯s attire, sitting on the bed, smiling at us. She could be described as beautiful, with short black hair and emerald green eyes similar to mine. "We can see you?" Rose asked. "Yes, I made myself visible to both of you since you are going to help me." She say as she jumps down from the bed. "We didn¡¯t agree to help you just yet. And what do you mean they erased their souls?" I said. "Oh, you will help me. If not, you¡¯ll be stuck here forever. After all, I¡¯m the only one who can get you out." "What do you mean?" "When you first stepped into the mansion, you also stepped into this place. To make it clearer, you are no longer in the Unut mansion. This is just a replica I created." "You didn¡¯t really make it clear. What do you mean, ''this place''?" "I can¡¯t tell you much. There is a terrifying being here that will erase me if I tell you too much information." "A being that scares you, even though you are so powerful?" "Yes. I¡¯ve never seen or heard him, but my existence somehow knows he¡¯s here. If I defy him, my very soul will cease to exist." "You keep talking about being erased. What are you actually talking about?" "I think I can tell you that. In this place, you can do whatever you want¡ªeat whatever you want, drink whatever you want, do whatever you want. We are eternal here." "That¡¯s amazing," said Rose. "But our souls are bound here. When we first came here, we were given a choice: to either stay here eternally or erase our souls and cease to exist." "Given a choice by who? God?" "I don¡¯t know. I only know that I had those two options. Nobody asked me to make a choice; I just knew I had to." "So anyone can do what they want here? Won¡¯t that cause problems? Some might want to see destruction, stars falling from the sky, or something like that." "That won¡¯t happen. Think of it like this: everyone here has their own room. The room can change its size indefinitely and you can do as you wish in it, but we can¡¯t enter each other¡¯s rooms, though we know who is here with us." "So we are currently in your room?" "That¡¯s correct. I made my room look like the Unut mansion." "Wait a second. If you can do anything here, can¡¯t you just erase that terrifying being?" "We can¡¯t. He is beyond anything we can imagine. We can¡¯t even comprehend him." "So if¡ª" Before I could ask more, Rose interrupted me, "Sorry to interrupt, but can we get back to the point? So you¡¯re saying that we¡¯re trapped in your room and you won¡¯t let us leave unless we help you?" "Yes, that¡¯s correct." "And by ''help,'' you want us to get your eyes from Lady Unut? How are we going to do that? I doubt she¡¯ll just hand them over if we ask nicely," Rose said. "I¡¯d be grateful if you could do that, but I know it¡¯s asking the impossible." "So what do you want us to do then?" I asked. "I will take her son¡¯s eyes. Those eyes were made from my own, so they should suffice." "That¡¯s still impossible. Isn¡¯t her son just as difficult to deal with as she is?" "Why? He is here," she says, looking directly at me. "Huh?" "You are her son." "That¡¯s impossible." "How so? What was your father¡¯s occupation again?" "He was a doctor... But I know my mother, she¡ª" "Your father was a traveling doctor. He stopped at the Unut village during his travels and met the woman you call ¡®mother.¡¯ They fell in love. At first, he decided to live with her in the Unut village." She continued after a brief pause: "But one day, he received an invitation from the Unut family, promising great fortune if he helped them. He thought he could use the money to convince your adoptive mother¡¯s family to agree to marriage. Unfortunately, Lady Unut took an interest in him and locked him in the mansion for months. But your adoptive mother was clever; she managed to hire some mercenaries to rescue him from captivity. She didn¡¯t know about you, but when she saw you, she accepted you as her son. Together, along with the mercenaries, they fled to the city where you grew up. That about sums it up." "T¡ªthat can¡¯t be true..." I refused to believe what this crazy maid was saying. "Hey now, it¡¯s rude to call me crazy, don¡¯t you think?" "Y¡ªyou can hear my thoughts?!" "Yes, and some of them are actually pretty funny." She began walking towards me while humming. I tried to slowly back away but stumbled and fell. The maid crouched and put her face closer to mine. "I can¡¯t tell you about your future, but I know about your past and your current thoughts. Your feelings, I know all of them. Even the pain you¡¯re feeling in your butt right now." Then she stood up and reached out her hand to me. "Here, get up." She looked at me and smiled. I took her hand, and she pulled me up. "Here, let me handle that pain," she said after pulling me up. She didn''t make any hand movements or gestures, but the pain in my butt from falling vanished in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, Rose watched what happened in silence. Her hands were on her chin, and she seemed to be deep in thought. "Rose?" I called out. "I''m sorry, I got lost in thoughts." The maid looked at Rose and smiled. "You don''t have to worry; I''m not going to hurt your friend." "It really is inconvenient for you to read our thoughts," Rose replied. "Don''t worry. I''m trying to be respectful of your privacy." I felt like I should say something here, so I interrupted, "Hold on, what do you mean you won''t hurt me?" "Think carefully. If what she just said is the truth, and she wants the eyes of the Unut family''s son, then..." Rose trailed off. "She wants my eyes?!" I was so shocked by the conversation that it flew over my head. Regardless of whether what she said is the truth, she believes that I am the son of Lady Unut. That means I am in grave danger. "Relax, you are not in grave danger, and what I said is the undeniable truth," the maid reassured me. "Even so, I can''t just let you take my eyes." "Oh, those? I already took them." She showed me a pair of green eyes floating right above her hand. "What?! But I can still see?" I exclaimed in confusion. Rose looked at me in worry. "Don''t worry, your eyes are still intact." "Allow me to explain," the maid continued. "I took these from your real body, but you are not in your real body right now. Your souls are currently inside a replica body I made, using your original body as a model." "You just keep saying weird things." I muttered, trying to process everything. "I''m only telling the truth." she insisted. "Wait, so if our souls are in a replica, what happened to our real bodies?" Rose asked. "They are in a sleeping state inside the real Unut mansion. I don''t have the power to bring your real bodies into this place." "But you can take my eyes?!" I questioned, still in disbelief. "Sorry, I misspoke," she corrected herself. "I can bring both your body parts and your souls here separately, but not together at the same time." "So my body is just lying there, eyeless and asleep on the floor?" "That''s one way to put it," she replied. "But don''t worry. If you help me, I''ll create replica eyes for you so you can still see." "Why do you want those eyes so badly, anyway? You''re already dead. What use do they have for you? And your current body seems to have eyes already." "Just like your bodies, the one in front of you is a replica I made and placed my own soul inside, I need you to take the original eyes, which I''ll place in a jar of regeneration water, and perform the ritual of organ transplant on my deceased body when you wake up." "Why don''t you just do it yourself?" "I can''t. I''m not allowed to perform that ritual." "You''d be erased?" "Precisely." "One problem, though: your body has probably decomposed or been eaten by pests by now." "That can be fixed." She snapped her fingers, and a replica of her body, dressed in a white gown, rose from the ground. "I took what was left of my original body and completed the missing parts. I''ll give this body to you along with the eyes. Perform the ritual with them." Great, not only did she take my eyes without my consent, but now she''s making us do her dirty work. I don''t even know why I''m not angry at her. I can''t even figure out how I should be feeling right now. She looked at me with a smile. "That''s to be expected. I made it so you can''t get angry or stressed here." "Of course you did." Meanwhile, Rose had gone silent again. "Rose, snap out of it! I need you right now!" She shook her head and responded, "I''m sorry, I''m listening." "Cut her some slack, Her mind is full of tactics and strategies to get you out of here safely, but none of them will work." "*Tch*" Rose clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. "Don''t worry," the maid continued. "I''ll abide by our deal. As soon as you complete the ritual, I''ll give you the replica eyes in a jar of regeneration water. And as an extra, I''ll give you the key to the prison where your little friend is trapped." "You know about Angel?!" "Of course I do. She''s the reason we''re able to interact in the first place." "What do you mean by that?" I asked. "She''s like a door between this place and your realm. Normally, we can''t interact with the outside world or talk to the living, but thanks to her, we can pass most things in and out." "Right, I was just wondering why there isn''t more chaos with powerful beings like you around," Rose said. "What do you mean by ''passing things in and out''?" I asked. "Using her as a door or gate, we can send the things we create to the outside world, and likewise, we can take things from outside as well." "But doesn''t that mean all the deceased could come back to life?" I asked. "That would be the case, but I doubt they''re aware of this gate yet. Another reason you should hurry and help me. The gate should be closed when she''s awake or out of deep sleep." "We saw another Angel when we first entered the mansion," Rose said, worry evident in her voice. "Another deceased must have created a replica of her and escaped the mansion. They''re probably the reason she''s trapped in that prison." "What do you mean ''probably''? Can''t you just look into Angel''s memory and find out what happened?" Rose asked. "Alas, her memories are unreachable to me," the maid replied. "Just great. But wait a second,you said that you can''t interfere with the outside world if there''s no gate. How did they manage to trap Angel in there in the first place?" "I believe it''s possible for some grudge-holding spirits to linger in the living world. If Angel was sleepy when she first entered the mansion, the gate might have opened." "What''s the connection between this gate and Angel sleeping?" Rose asked. "I don''t know. But the gate only opens when she''s asleep." "Rose, we shouldn''t tarry any longer. We must get to Miss Pearl,she might be in danger," I interrupted. "You''re right. Sadly, it seems like we don''t have any other choice but to proceed with this deal," Rose said, pointing to the maid with her eyes. "One last thing,you still haven''t told us why you want those eyes so badly, even though you''re already dead." "Something was forcefully taken from me... stolen. It''s only natural that I want it back." "But you stole my eyes from me!" I protested, though I couldn''t muster the anger I should have felt. "They were made from my eyes. It''s the same as them being mine. I didn''t steal them; I simply took back what was rightfully mine. And I''m not entirely bad,I will give you something else in return, with interest." "We really have no choice here. I guess we''ll take your deal. You better keep your word." "I promise I will. Now, it''s time to wake up." This was the last thing I heard before everything went dark. Day 5.5: Blind Calmness Darkness surrounds me, and I can''t see anything. I know I''m awake, I can feel my arms and legs, and I know I exist. Yet, I can''t see a thing, as if my eyes are still closed. Miss Maid promised to give me some replica eyes that I can see with. Yet the only thing I can see is that I can''t see. I should possibly be feeling mad or scared, but even the slight thought of getting emotional vanishes. It''s a disgusting sensation, like something is devouring my emotions, and I can''t even feel that. *Thud* *Thud* I hear footsteps approaching. "Are you okay?" A familiar voice asks. I know this voice,it''s my neighbor and my best friend, Rose. I''m sure she''s holding a bucket of water, ready to splash it over me to wake me up from this nightmare. "Your eyes are..." she says, her voice trembling. But the only thing she does is make me realize this nightmare is real. I slowly rise from where I''m lying and crawl backward until my back hits the wall. "I''ve seen better days," I reply. "You''re still joking even in that condition." "I''m really calm and relaxed for some reason." "That''s to be expected," says another familiar voice. I knew this voice,it wasn''t my neighbor, nor my best friend. It was Miss Maid. "In the living world, I can''t directly change your emotions or read your minds." she explains. "So, I just calmed down on my own?" I ask. "No, remember I told you we can pass most things through the gate?" "Yes." "So, I simply created an air that calms down anybody who breathes it, passed it through the gate, and made it spread throughout the mansion." "Why go to such lengths just to keep us on a leash?" I asked. "I don''t like noisy people or places. I don''t want you screaming at me over small matters that don¡¯t concern me." she replied. "Is taking my eyes just a small matter to you?" "Compared to what else I could have done... yes, it''s a small matter. Believe me." she said, her tone disturbingly calm. "You told us you''d give him replica eyes. Why is he still blind?" Rose interjected. "Remember what I told you? You''ll get the replicas once you complete the ritual." the maid reminded her. "But how am I supposed to help with it if I can''t see?" I asked. "You don''t need to help. It''s not that hard. The place for the ritual is already prepared, and I¡¯ve given you the water of regeneration. Miss Rose can handle it just fine on her own," she explained. "The place for the ritual is in the basement. This is the second floor. How am I supposed to carry your body there by myself?" Rose asked. "You can do it. Don''t worry, I''m as light as a bird." "I''ve no choice, I''ll do it, but you better keep your promise," Rose said, her voice firm. "I won''t go back on my word," the maid replied calmly. *Thud* *Thud* I heard footsteps approaching, followed by a creak from the wooden floor. Then I felt a hand gently gripping my shoulder. Rose must have crouched next to me. "You just rest here. I''ll deal with this, and we''ll return to Miss Pearl along with Angel, safe and sound," Rose reassured me. "Is there really nothing I can do?" I asked, frustration seeping into my voice. "How about growing a pair of eyes, then helping me?" Rose quipped. "Look who''s making jokes now," I said, managing a laugh. Us joking like this must be the effect of our emotions being controlled by Miss Maid. Otherwise, I doubt we could be having this conversation so calmly. Not that I''m going to thank her or anything,she took my eyes. I heard the wood creak again as Rose must have stood up. "Just lay down and don''t move a muscle. I''ll come and get you once I''m done," Rose instructed. "I... understand," I replied, feeling helpless. I didn''t want to accept not being able to do anything useful, but in my current situation, I doubted I could help. I might even cause more trouble. "Then I''ll go ahead and lift your body now," Rose declared. "Sure, go ahead," Miss Maid replied. "Wait a second!" Rose exclaimed suddenly. "What happened?" I asked. "Can''t you just carry your own body there or make it appear there?" Rose questioned. "That''s possible," the maid replied. "Then why are you making me carry it?" Rose asked, a hint of frustration in her voice. What a great question. "I thought my body could use a little exercise after all that slumber." the maid replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Then wake up and walk on your own feet. You can do it, can''t you? You''re just toying with us." Rose retorted. "Do you want the eyes or not?" the maid shot back, her voice cold. She disgusts me. "Fine, never mind," Rose sighed. "Oh, you don''t want the eyes?" "No, I''ll carry it," Rose replied, clearly annoyed. "Good girl." How did she even get hired as a maid with a personality like that in the first place? "I wasn''t always like this. But death changes one." the maid responded, startling me. "Huh? I thought you couldn''t read minds here?" I said, confused. "So that''s what you were thinking," the maid responded. She got me. "Hehe, I won''t hold that against you." she added with a chuckle. I heard a series of creaks as Rose prepared to leave. "I''ll be going then," Rose said. "Sure, good luck," I replied. "Wait, the stairs are blocked. How are you going to get her down?" I asked, suddenly concerned. "I''m just going to drop her from above the ladder we climbed." Rose replied. "I can''t allow that!" the maid interjected, her voice laced with anger. "What? It''s not like it''s going to die, and you can just heal it if something happens." Rose argued. "I am not going to watch you hurt my body. Nobody will hurt me ever again!" the maid replied, her anger palpable. "How else am I going to get it down then?" Rose asked. "Don''t ask me how I know this, but I think there are ropes somewhere in this room. You can use them to tie the body to yourself." I suggested. "Yes, your friend made a great recommendation. There are indeed ropes in the lady''s bedroom." Miss Maid replied, her tone calm once again. "How did you even know?" Rose asked, puzzled. "Just... took a guess. Don''t ask me for details." I said, deflecting. "Alright... regardless, that should be helpful. Where is it?" Rose asked. "Hmm?" the maid replied with feigned ignorance. "Where are the ropes?" Rose repeated. "In the bedroom." the maid answered. "Where exactly?" "Who knows." "But you just told us that there are ropes in the bedroom, so you should know where they are.". "Do I?" the maid responded, still toying with her. "Yes." "Is that so?" "So tell me." "Tell you what?" It was clear now,she was testing if her emotion control was working, using this moment to play with us since we couldn''t get mad at her. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Rose, I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s going to help us. You should search for them on your own. I would help, but...". "That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll start searching," Rose responded, far more calmly than she normally would. This wasn¡¯t the Rose I knew. She should have been furious by now, but instead, she began searching without a single complaint. I could hear her opening and closing drawers, moving about the room. After some time, Rose finally exclaimed, "Found it!" "Great! Where was it?" I asked. "Under the bed, but I still don¡¯t know why they¡¯re here in the first place." she replied, puzzled. "You¡¯re better off not knowing." "I mean, there are already chains bound to the bed. What are the ropes for?" Rose wondered aloud. "Who knows?" "But you told me that I¡¯m better off not knowing, so you must know." "Do I?" "Yes." "Is that so?" "So tell me." "Tell you what?" This is actually kind of fun. *Whack* Rose punched me in the gut, completely catching me off guard. "I thought you couldn¡¯t get angry!" I exclaimed, trying to catch my breath. "Sorry, force of habit." Rose said. So it was a reflex. Her muscle memory was still intact, even if she couldn¡¯t get angry. "Never mind. We shouldn¡¯t waste any more time. I¡¯ll bind her body to me," Rose decided. "Let me help." We somehow managed to tie the maid¡¯s body to Rose, though it took some effort. Despite my lack of sight, I managed the final knot. "I¡¯m off for good this time," Rose said, her determination clear. "Good luck," I replied. *Thud* *Thud* I heard her take a few steps toward outside of the room, then the sound of her climbing down the ladder. "I managed to get her to the 1st floor. It''s easy from now on." she shouted from downstairs. "Be careful!" I called back. "Sure! I''m off," she responded. After a few faint steps, I heard nothing,she must have gone far. Now, I was all alone in this eerie bedroom. If what that maid said was true, then Father must have spent months or years in this very room. The thought was unsettling, and despite the calm that had been forced upon me, I couldn''t shake the feeling of unease. "Hey, are you still here?" I called out, breaking the unsettling silence. "I am," the maid responded, her voice as calm and composed as ever. "Now that Rose is gone, tell me." "Tell you what?" "About my father. What you said, is it true?" "Yes, he was a traveling doctor," she replied nonchalantly. "I already know that. I''m asking about him being trapped in this mansion." I clarified, trying to keep my voice steady despite the unnatural calm I was feeling. Damn this feeling,I should be shouting at her right now. "Oh, that. You didn''t specify what you were asking about him." she said teasingly. "Stop testing your emotion control. It works,I can''t get mad at you at all," I said, once again in that same, unnervingly calm tone. "I can see that. But I bet you can''t." she remarked, her words laced with subtle amusement. "Very funny. Get to the point, please." "I feel like I''m helping you more than you''re helping me." "We can''t help you much. There''s hardly anything we can do that you can''t anyway." "Well, that''s that. Very well, I shall tell you more. You would count as my master anyway." "Does that mean I can order you around?" I asked, half-joking, half-serious. "Don''t test your luck," she warned. "Fine. So tell me then." "As I told you before, your father was a traveling doctor. He met the love of his life here and wanted to marry her, but he lacked the money to do so." she began. "We''re talking about my mother, right? Where is her family now? I never met my grandparents." I asked, curiosity piqued. "I don''t know much about your adoptive mother, more than you do. I can only tell what''s in your memory." she explained. "Then how do you know about my father lacking money to marry my mother? I wouldn''t know that. What I know is that he was a famous doctor and was pretty rich." "In the city where you were raised, yes, he was rich. He made a name for himself after treating wounded mercenaries and soldiers. Even the duke heard about him and gave him the surname ''Wellman.'' I gotta say, that''s a ''well name, man,''" she quipped. "Why can''t I get mad at you?" I asked, frustration seeping through my words, though still dulled by the calm. "Because I made it so you can''t. And as for how I know he lacked money for marriage, he... told me himself when he was imprisoned in the mansion." "You knew my father?" I asked, shocked. "Yes, he would be released to the garden if he helped with the grandmaster''s experiments, under surveillance, of course. Here and there, he would talk with the servants and maids of the mansion." "And in one of your conversations, he told you about how he lacked money for marriage." "Precisely. So he couldn''t refuse when the Unut family offered him a great sum, unknown to what could happen to him." "I still can''t believe it," I muttered, more to myself than to her. "I know it''s hard to accept, but it''s the truth,your father was a traveling doctor." "Not that, and you know it." I said, the weight of the revelation pressing down on me, yet still unable to stir the anger or outrage I knew I should be feeling. "Calm down. I''m just making jokes to keep the tension down." the maid said with a light chuckle. "I''m already as calm as I can get... Wait a second!" I suddenly exclaimed as a thought struck me. "What''s wrong?" she asked, her tone shifting slightly. "How did I end up in this village? You should know why. Why did he leave me here where I could be easily found by the Unuts?" "By ''the Unut,'' you mean your mother. Right now, the only Unuts alive are you and her. As for why you were left here..." she trailed off. "Yes?" I urged. "I don''t really know, but I can take a guess. Lady Unut somehow heard about your whereabouts, and your father was forced to hide you. His fame is what must have made him caught up, he should have kept a low profile, but he helped people and made a name for himself. Of course, Lady Unut would hear of this. He must have thought he was an easy target to find, so he separated you from himself." she explained. "But why this village? This is the first place they''d look." I argued. "Not necessarily. You heard her story,Lady Unut hated this village, and your father knew that as well. As you just said, this is the most obvious place to look, so why would he hide you here? They probably thought the same and decided not to search this village. And they haven''t found you yet, so I''d say he made the right choice." "I knew he was a genius, but he should have kept a low profile as you said. Then we would still be living together." I muttered, a mix of admiration and regret in my voice. "I guess he couldn''t refuse to help when he saw someone in need. He had a personality like that, anyway." the maid replied. Then it hit me,I had put my name on that list of villagers when we returned from searching for the elder. "What''s wrong? You don''t look so good." she asked, noticing my sudden shift in demeanor. "That list,I put my name on it. I basically told Lady Unut where I am." I said, the gravity of my mistake sinking in. "Ah, yes, that''s bad. You should retrieve it before the tax collector does and somehow erase your name or run away from the village." she suggested. "For that, I need to hurry and leave this mansion." I replied, urgency creeping into my voice. "Not that I''m not feeling sorry for you, but I can''t let you leave before you help me." she responded, her tone firm. I somehow had a feeling she would say that. "Rose is taking her time with that ritual. Should it take this long?" I asked, worried about the delay. "I don''t know. I''ve never done it myself, and she left the eyes here as well." the maid said, almost casually. "What!?" I exclaimed in disbelief. "Didn''t you hear me? She left the eyes necessary for the ritual here." she repeated calmly. "Why didn''t you tell me that before?" "I thought she would come back for them, but she hasn''t." "Something must have happened. I ''m going to find her." "Not a good idea,you can''t even see." she said." "Whose fault is that? Can''t you just give me the replica eyes? It''s an emergency." I pleaded, frustration bubbling up inside me. "No can do." she responded firmly. If something happens to Rose, I will... I hate that I can''t do anything to her. But never mind that,Rose''s safety comes first. I have to find her, with or without my sight. "Where are the eyes?" I asked, determined. "They''re right next to the bed." she answered. I crawled toward the bed, carefully searching for the jar. I pushed my hand along the floor until my nails hit something glass, producing a soft tink. *Tink* I found the jar. Now, I need to find Rose. I got up from the floor and grabbed the iron stick that had been lying next to where I had been. From what I could tell, I was standing on the left side of the bed. The ladder should be on the opposite side, on the right. I made my way around the bed, holding onto its frame to guide myself. "This is really a bad idea. You''re going to fall and hurt yourself," the maid warned, but her words were futile. All I need to do now is walk straight until I hit a wall. I''ll use the iron stick to feel my way forward. I started walking, the sound of my footsteps echoing in the room. *Step* *Step* *Step* *Thud* The iron stick hit the wall, signaling that I was now inside the closet. To the right, there should be a fake wall that leads to where the ladder is or at least, there used to be. I cautiously moved to the right, searching for the entrance. After a couple of steps, I tapped the iron stick in front of me. There was no wall, meaning the path was clear. *Step* *THUD* I hit my head against the wall. I''d forgotten that we had to crouch a bit to get inside. "Told you it was a bad idea." the maid''s voice echoed in my head. "Just be quiet, please." I couldn''t get mad at her, but I could still be annoyed. "I don''t think you''re going to climb that ladder safely." "I will do just fine." "Remains to be seen." I crouched and carefully entered the secret room behind the closet. This room was mostly empty, serving as a passage between Lady Unut''s bedroom and the master bedroom. Somewhere in between, there was a ladder leading down to the kitchen on the first floor. Now, I just had to find it. "I can''t just watch this. I''ll help you. Come towards my voice; the ladder is here." the maid called out from in front of me. There was no harm in believing her, I supposed, so I followed her instructions. *Step* "That''s right, just take two more steps." *Step* *Step* "Stop right there. The ladder is right in front of you. Crouch, and you''ll find it." I did as she said, feeling the ladder in my hands. I first sat on the edge of the ladder space, letting my legs dangle down, then grabbed the ladder securely. I managed to position myself on it without much trouble. I was ready to climb down. *Creek* The iron ladder creaked as I put my foot down on it. I hoped it wouldn''t collapse beneath me, but I had to climb down with only one hand while holding the jar with the other. *Creek* I took another step down, and the ladder kept creaking ominously. *CREEK* Suddenly, the ladder gave way, and I found myself falling. Yet, even in the midst of what should have been a panic-inducing moment, I remained as calm as ever. It felt as though time had slowed down. I could sense I was falling from a height, but fear was absent,thanks to that maid, no doubt. "Told you that you''d fall from the ladder, didn''t I?" she said, teasingly. "I don''t remember the second floor being this high up. I should have hit the ground by now, but I''m still falling." "That''s because I''ve made a slight modification to the air you breathe. I''ve accelerated your thinking ability." "So, time hasn''t actually slowed down,I''m just thinking incredibly fast?" "That''s correct." "You can do anything, can''t you?" "Actually, my powers are quite limited here compared to that other place. I can''t actually control time." "That''s still amazing. And I believe someone as amazing as yourself could place a pillow or two where I''m about to land?" "That''s possible." "So... pretty please?" "I''m not going to do it. You need to learn to listen to other people''s warnings." "But if I fall hard, the jar could break, and you might lose your opportunity to get your eyes back." "I''ll hold it for you." As she said that, I felt the jar slip from my grasp. "You can thank me later." "I''ll just thank you in advance for letting me fall. Thank you." "Anytime. Now I''ll be returning your thinking ability to normal." "Sure, go ahead." As our lovely mid-air conversation came to an end, I suddenly felt a cold wind rush through me and¡ª *THUD* I hit the solid floor of the kitchen hard. Though nothing was broken, I lay there in agony for a while. "Come on, get up. I know the pain has already passed." the maid urged. "Thank you once again for letting me fall." I muttered as I slowly got up. "You''re welcome. Here, you can have this back." The jar was handed back to me, somehow finding its way into my hand once more. "I kept it safe for you." "Much appreciated." "How do my surroundings look?" "The kitchen is filled with black and white ceramic tiles, and the walls are painted in a now-decaying blue color. If you look outside from the windows on your right, you can see a beautiful sunset." "...Anything that could hit me while I''m walking?" "Me, I can hit you while you''re walking." "Stop joking and help me, please. Where should I go?" "*Sigh* You''ll need to walk toward your left and exit into the corridor. You''ll find the stairs to the basement just opposite the kitchen." "Do me a favor and hold my hand. Guide me there." "Very well." "Huh?" "Why so shocked? I''m not entirely a bad person." "I thought you would refuse." "Hehe." I felt a force lift my right hand and gently pull it forward, guiding me. It must be the maid''s way of leading me. We made our way to the stairs. "Here we are. You''re standing right in front of the stairs. Watch your step as you go down." "Thank you. I mean it." "Don''t mention it." I put my right hand on the wall and carefully began my descent. "Careful,don''t step on Hope''s head." "He''s still there? Tell me, why did you kill him in the first place?" "Unlike you two, who came here to find a lost child or make a boat to run and call for help from the invaders, he was here to steal whatever riches were left by the Unuts." "I thought you hated the Unuts. Why guard their riches?" "I just don''t like the idea of something being stolen from where I used to work. I have standards. Also, he was being very loud, and I hate loud people." To each their own, I guess. But I can''t keep wasting time here,I need to find Rose. Without further delay, I turned the handle and opened the door to the basement. There should be more stairs in front of me. Once again, I placed my hand on the wall and made my way downstairs. Once I reached the bottom, I called out, "Rose, are you there?" ... No response. Something must have happened. Right now, the stairs are behind me, so in front of me: There''s the prison where Angel is locked up, and right next to it should be the door leading to the ritual room. I should walk straight until the iron stick hits the iron bars of the prison. Hmm...? The iron stick? Where is it? Damn it all! I forgot it upstairs. "What''s wrong?" the maid asked, confused by my motionless state. "I forgot the iron stick on the second floor. It''s hard to find my way without it." "Raise your arm and open your hand." I did as she said. Suddenly, I felt something long and thin in my hand. "Is this the iron stick?" "No, it''s a cane. Does it matter?" "No, thank you." "Just go and find Miss Rose." "On it." This cane should be as useful as the iron stick. I''ll use it to help me stay balanced and know when I''m close to the iron bars. *Step* *Step* *Step* *Thud* I hit the iron bars. Thankfully, the cane didn''t slip between the bars and make me hit my head again. Now, I''ll just walk along the bars until I reach the door. *Step* *Step* After a few steps, I found the wooden door. I held the handle and turned it to open the door. I yelled as soon as I opened the door, "ROSE!" "You? Why are you here?" I heard Rose''s voice. I''m so glad she''s safe. I can''t describe the relief I''m feeling right now. "You took your time, so I got worried." "I''m fine, but there''s a slight issue." "Yeah, you forgot the eyes on the second floor." "I forgot them? What do you mean? I have them right here." "Huh? Then what am I holding?" "It''s a jar filled with regular water. There''s a leaf inside." "But the maid told me it was the eyes in the jar?" "Did I? When?" the maid''s voice echoed through the room. "Oh, dam-" Oh damn you! what I wanted to shout at her, but my emotions got the better of me, making me calm as an emotionless rock. "Why did you even make me walk over here for? I hurt my back coming here." "You hurt your back? What happened? Are you okay?" asked Rose. "Physically? The pain is gone, but emotionally, I''m in immense pain." "Oh, don''t exaggerate. I was just, hmm... how do you say it in youngsters'' words? Oh right, ''messing'' with you." Maid responded. "What did I ever do to you?" "You were born." "That''s harsh and out of my control." "There''s a part of me that wants to take revenge on you, but I''ve seen your memories and know you''re innocent,so is your father. But I can''t forgive your mother." "Then take your revenge on her, not me." "Alas, she''s not here, so you''ll suffice. Besides, considering what I could have done, this is just a joke." Take your joke and shove it up your... My emotions still kept me calm, restraining what I really wanted to say. She continued, "And you were going to come here anyway. I just made the journey more interesting." You could make it more interesting by disappearing from the journey for good. That would add some thrill for sure. At least I managed to think that. "Well, jokes aside, Miss Rose, tell us what you''re struggling with," the maid asked Rose. "It''s your body,it refuses the eyes. I''ve already performed the ritual seven times." Day 5.6: 46 Seconds "Hmm... are you sure you''re performing the ritual correctly?" the Maid asked. "Yes. Body, water, eyes, water of regeneration." Rose replied. "That''s the correct order, so why isn''t it working?" I asked. "That''s what I''m trying to figure out." Rose said, her tone laced with worry. "Well, if the ritual isn''t working, maybe we should try the other method." the Maid suggested. "The other method? Wait, do you mean you want me to take the eyes and jump into the water?" I asked incredulously. "Exactly." "But I would vanish." "Is that a problem?" "Oh, just a slight one. Nothing I can''t handle." "Then it''s settled. You may proceed." the Maid declared. "You may proceed to sleep and dream, because that''s the only place you''d see me doing that. I''m not dying here." "Hmm... that''s not good. I want my eyes back. I can''t just stay eyeless. Besides, I can''t really sleep anyway." "Is that a problem?" "Oh, just a slight one. Nothing I can''t handle." "Since when did you two become such good friends? Last time I checked, you were holding us prisoner here." Rose interjected. "Don''t exaggerate. I never intended to harm you... not too much, anyway." the Maid replied. "That''s a relief... but not too much. Anyway, back to the point, what should we do now?" Rose asked. "Since we can''t seem to complete the ritual and he''s refusing to die, we''re at a stalemate." the Maid mused. "Alright... we''ve tried. It''s not possible to do the ritual, so I can take my eyes, along with Angel, and leave this mansion now, right?" I suggested, trying to sound hopeful. "Oh, don''t feel so down. I''m sure we can find a way to restore my eyes." the Maid said. "I''m not feeling down, remember? You''re controlling our emotions." I reminded her. "Oh right, that''s true. Jokes aside, what should we do... oh, I know!" the Maid suddenly exclaimed. "You seem to have an idea." Rose said. "Not me, but his father might have." "Great, let me just go call him from wherever the hell he is." I said. "We don''t need to your father. We just need his diary. I just remembered he kept one hidden in the garden." "He kept a diary while he was a captive? Yep, that sounds like my father." I sighed. "The diary is hidden inside a tree in the garden. Rose, could you-" "Wait! Rose is tired. I''ll go." I interrupted. "But you''re blind. It wouldn''t be efficient to send you on such an errand." "My eyes are right here in this jar, and there''s a place for the organ transplant ritual right over there. You can just take the eyes again later." I said, pointing towards what I thought was the ritual site. "That''s a painting of the Grandmaster you''re pointing at." the Maid corrected. "Oh." I wasn''t pointing at the ritual place at all. "*Sigh* no." the maid answered. Well, it was worth a try. "It''s okay, I''m not that tired. I''ll go; you just stay here and rest." Rose said, trying to assure me. "No, I''m sick of waiting." "Weird, I was sure you couldn''t get bored." The Maid interrupted. "You made so that we can''t get bored?" I asked, not surprised. "I have, but since you don''t want to wait, let''s just go together." "Huh?" "What? It''s not like I can''t leave the mansion, you know." "Sorry, I thought you were imprisoned here for a moment." "Same." Rose added. "Don''t worry, there''s nothing binding me here except for my eyes." "My eyes." I corrected. "For now." the maid said slyly. I wish there was something to bind your mouth so you would shut up. "So what will it be?" The Maid asked. "*Sigh* Fine... I''ll just hold your arm so you won''t fall along the way." Rose said. "I appreciate it." "Let''s get going then." the maid said. "Where is the entrance to the garden?" Rose asked. "Oh, it''s in the living room, but it can''t be used right now." "Why is that?" "Because it''s all debris in there." "Oh... What do we do then?" "Remember the exit you found inside the cupboard under the counter? It leads to the garden as well." "Okay, that works, but... it''s going to be a bit of a challenge getting you into that cupboard." Rose said to me. "I''ll try to-" "No need, I have my ways to get him out." The Maid interjected. "Really? How?" I asked, curious. "Just leave it to me." "Fine, I guess you''re just going to destroy a wall or something?" I guessed. "That''s one way, I suppose." The Maid replied with a mischievous tone. "What the hell are you planning to do?" "Nothing big." "I have a bad feeling about this, but let''s just go." Rose grabbed my wrist and led me along the way. Eventually, we came across Hope''s lifeless head under the stairs to the hall once again. "Hope''s head... I can only look at it calmly because of your emotion control." Rose said to The Maid. "You don''t have to thank me for it." "I''m not feeling thankful. I would rather you hadn''t done anything in the first place." "I did everything for my eyes; I didn''t want them taken away from me." "What a coincidence." I muttered. "This conversation will only lead to conflict. Let''s just keep moving." The Maid said, clearly trying to avoid feeling guilty for what she did to me. I can''t feel anger or fury, so I might as well be glad she feels some guilt. With that, we moved in silence toward the kitchen. *Swish* I heard the wooden door of the cupboard slide open, Rose must have opened it. A breeze entered the mansion from the secret passage. "I opened the cupboard; now what?" "You can just pass through, Miss Rose. We''ll be with you in just a moment." "Not sure I trust you just yet." "Don''t worry, I won''t do anything to harm him." You literally let me fall from a ladder just a few moments ago... "In that case, do what you must do in front of me." "You''re overprotective... oh well." A few seconds passed. "HUH?!?" Rose exclaimed. "What?!? What''s wrong?" I asked, alarmed. "Hehehe." The Maid laughed. I had no idea what was going on, but I felt like The Maid had done something bad. It also felt like they were speaking from the second floor. What was going on? Their voices seemed far away, even though they should be close by. At least Rose should be close,she was holding my arm just a moment ago. "You just shrunk?!" Rose said. "What do you mean I shrunk?" "I made you smaller in size." Maid said "You mean I''m shorter? But I don''t feel any different." "Something like that. You don''t feel it because I made every part of your body shrink equally." The Maid explained. I knew I should be shocked or scared by what I was hearing, but I didn''t feel that surprised. All thanks to The Maid''s emotion control. I couldn''t even tell how much shorter I was without my eyes. "How much shorter have you made me?" "I can carry you in my hand just fine." Rose said. "You''re joking." "I wish." "In fact, why don''t you just carry him outside, Miss Rose?" Maid offered. "Heh, that could be fun." Rose said. "No, no, no, don''t you dare." I exclaimed. I turned to run, but after just a few steps, I hit something soft. Rose must have put her hand in front of me to block me. "I wouldn''t move too much at your size,some spider might eat you." Rose said, trying to scare me. I didn''t know how small I was, but she might be right. I decided to accept my fate and sit still. After a while, I felt something huge grab me, hopefully it was Rose''s hand and not a spider''s legs. "You know, I haven''t eaten for a while." Rose teased her voice now closer. "Nevermind, Just let me go, I can walk on my own." "Let you go? You''re blind; you could walk right into some spider''s web." "I''d rather wrestle with the spider than let you eat me. Let me go." "Sure, I''ll just put you on the web then. I''m placing my bet on the spider." she said, shaking me in midair. "Stop shaking me and let''s just go already." "You''re no fun. Well, let''s go." I felt like small earthquakes were happening as she walked. "Try not to move too much; if you fall, I might have a hard time finding all your parts." From now on, I''m just a stone. After a few more earthquakes, we stop. I felt the fingers holding me release, and I climbed up as Rose opened her palm. The breeze hit me, making it clear we were outside. "We''re outside." Rose said. "Okay, now turn me back to normal, please." I asked. "Why? We''ll need to pass through the secret passage again on our way back anyway." The Maid answered. "I''m sure you can find a different way than shrinking me. Please, I don''t want to stay like this any longer." "Oh, fine. You''re just giving me more work to do. Here I was, thinking I was retired." "No rest until you''re dead." "I am already dead." "Then no rest until you no longer exist." "That''s scary. I''ll turn you back. Miss Rose, please put him on the ground." "Got it." Rose said as she carefully placed me on the ground. A few seconds passed. I still didn''t feel any different. "All done." "Am I back to normal?" Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Yes, you are." "Great." "They grow up so fast... I remember the days when I could carry you in my hand, and you''d call me ''Big Sister Rose'' as if it was yesterday." Rose reminisced. "All I remember is a giant shaking me around in mid-air and threatening to make me spider food." "Good old days." "I don''t like cutting into your lovely chat, but we''ve got a diary to find." The Maid interrupted. "You said it was in the farthest tree, right?" "Yes, right that way." "Are you pointing or something? You know I can''t see, right?" "My apologies." "She literally turned into her human form just to make fun of you. Come on, at least I know where it is now." Rose said. She then took hold of my wrist and started pulling me. We walked towards the tree. "Wait, that diary is at least 24 years old, right? How are we so sure it''''s still readable?" "Don''t worry, even if it''s not, I can do something. Besides, it was sitting inside a tree''s trunk, I''m sure it was safe." "Hope so." "Don''t hope, believe in me." "We''re here." Rose said as our conversation ended. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go on, take the book." The Maid said. "Who? Me?" "It was your father''s book. You should be the first one to read it." "I can''t read." "Oh, I''m sorry. I didn''t know you were illiterate, even though you''re from a noble family." "I could have read it if I had my eyes." "I keep forgetting that, apologies." "I don''t think you feel guilty at all." "Still, you should be the first one to touch the book. Come on, the tree''s hollow is right in front of you. Reach with your hand and get it." I sighed and tried to reach for it, but my hand was grabbed by Rose. "Stop, there''s a huge spider right in front of the hollow. She''s trying to make you grab it." "Oh, come on now, don''t spoil the fun." "This is not fun at all. What if it''s venomous?" "Don''t worry, this one isn''t venomous." The Maid said. "NO! I''m not touching a spider, venomous or not." I said. "You really are no fun. Oh, fine." A few silent seconds passed, then Rose spoke. "It''s okay now; she burned down the spider along with its web." "She should have burned the whole tree just to be safe." "The book might burn too, though." Rose said. "Come on, get the book already." Maid hurried. This time, I reached with both hands inside the hollow and felt something wrapped in leather. I managed to grab it by both sides and pull it out. "Is this the book?" I asked to confirm. "It is. The diary is wrapped in waxed leather." the maid replied. "Then it''s highly likely safe." I managed to unwrap the leather and handed the diary to Rose. "Would you mind reading it?" "Not at all. Give me a moment." Rose remained silent for some time. "Well? What does it say?" "Nothing like what I expected. The only thing written here is just some information about some herbs." "What kind of herbs?" "Medicinal herbs, flowers, tree leaves... different kinds of herbs." "Nothing about his days of captivity or anything about the ritual?" "I''m still reading, hold on." "Just great, we learned nothing." I was hoping we would at least find a clue about his or my mother''s whereabouts. Alas, nothing. I know he did this to protect me, but still, he could have left behind a way for me to contact him. "Wait, there''s something written on the last page. It''s about the ritual." "What does it say?" "He says that he''s writing this here because it''s important." "Go on." "Apparently, it''s possible to retrieve the donor''s body after he jumps into the water of regeneration if you tie him with a rope and pull him out within a certain time frame, but he will still die." "Hmm... that doesn''t really help." "I wouldn''t say that." The Maid interrupted. "Is that useful?" "Yes. After the donor jumps into the water, their soul reaches a place similar to where I am. There, they have the choice to either accept or refuse to gift their organs." "I still fail to see how the information we learned will help in that situation. And how do you even know this?" "I can''t really tell you how I learned all this, it''s forbidden. But let me explain how it will help." "Go on." "Upon accepting, the donor''s body will disappear from the living world, vanishing into thin air, but their soul will remain in our realm." "I think I get it, but keep going." Rose said. "I knew you''d catch on, Miss Rose. You''re very smart, after all." I have no idea what Rose understood. How is this supposed to help? "Let me explain more. You''re going to take the eyes first, then transfer them to me by jumping into the water yourself." "And then die?" "No, you''re going to use the gate to return to the living world." Oh, I see now. That could work, but... "My soul will be the one that passes through the gate. Will it be able to return to my body?" "Yes, your soul is bound to your body. It should be pulled back naturally since you''d still be considered alive, so that''s not my concern, but..." "You''ve got something else that concerns you?" "Let me guess,is it the timing?" Timing... I think I understand what Rose is getting at. My body shouldn''t vanish as long as I don''t accept the organ transfer. So, they have to pull my body from the water at the exact moment I accept the transfer. If they pull me too early, I might wake up, and the ritual might be canceled. If they pull too late, I''m gone. "Yes, that''s why we need to practice before actually attempting to transfer the eyes to my body." "By practice, you mean I should count how many seconds it takes for me to accept after I enter the water." "And I should count too, then pull you out at that exact time." Rose added. "Exact- Move!" *Crash* Some force sent me flying, slamming me into a tree before Maid could finish her sentence. Before I could even comprehend what had happened, I heard a familiar voice shout, "Damn, nice reflexes to be able to dodge that." It was Hope. His voice was filled with fury and anger. From what he said, I assumed he had thrown something at me, and Maid had pushed me away to save me. The shock and pain caused me to open my eyes, which had been closed since Maid took my eyeballs, and I turned my head towards his voice. "What happened?!" I asked, surprisingly calm. "It''s Hope,he just threw a big flower pot at you." Rose responded. "You... What happened to your eyes?" Hope asked, his tone filled with confusion. "They melted after looking at your ugly face for too long." I replied. "Saved you the pain of looking in the mirror every morning." Hope shot back. "Why would I be disgusted by my own face?" I retorted. "Anybody would get disgusted by your face once they saw you after I''m done." "Are you going to glue your face over his or something?" Rose quipped. "Listen here now, you bastards-" While Hope was busy ranting like a five-year-old, I heard a different voice inside my head, "Sorry for pushing you earlier. Hope can''t hear us right now; I''m sending my voice directly to your and Miss Rose''s brains." "You really can do anything, can''t you? Don''t worry about that, you saved me." Thanks to Maid''s ability to control emotions, we were having this conversation calmly amidst the conflict. Maid continued, "Listen, I don''t think Hope has realized that he died and he has powers beyond mere humans. Fighting him here might make him realize that. We should just send him away somehow." "Why do you think that?" "Because if he knew, he could simply melt your body, freeze you to death, or strike you with lightning. Instead, he just threw a pot at you with his hands." "And how do you suggest we send him away?" "I don''t know. Figure something out, aren''t you good at making things up? I know you once made the village elder believe his pet was stolen by a dragon." I missed those times... If only I could turn back time. I wish Maid had the power to control time. Then- "Stop daydreaming!" Rose snapped, pulling me aside. I felt something small whizz past me at high speed. Did Hope throw something again? "Oh, you lucky bastard." I got up from where I was sitting. "Are you sure you want to waste your time fighting with us? It''s fine by me,after all, it''s your life on the line." "What do you mean?" "Don''t you remember? You died once." "I died? Have you lost your mind alongside your eyes? I''m standing right here." "The one standing in front of me is your soul, not your living body." "What?" Maid interrupted, her voice sharp in my mind. "What are you trying to do?! Don''t tell him anything that could make him aware." "Don''t worry, just watch." I turned my attention back to Hope. "You were killed by a huge ghost spider that started haunting this mansion after the Unuts moved out. It kills people and eats their souls." "You''ve completely lost it. There''s no such thing." I tugged on Rose''s sleeve. "Then what''s that thing over there behind you?" Rose said, her voice steady. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!" Hope screamed, followed by the sound of his footsteps, fast and frantic, as he ran away. Maid''s voice echoed in my head again, "You owe me for this. I created the spider and sent it behind him." "It''s really creepy." Rose added. "Well, I''m glad I can''t see it. He''s gone, right?" "Yes, he''s running as if his life actually depends on it." "Can that spider actually hurt him?" "No, it''s forbidden for the deceased to harm each other. If the spider touches him, it will disappear." "Then we should hurry with the ritual and close the gate as fast as possible, before that spider touches him." I said. "There''s something bothering me." Rose interjected. "What is it, Miss Rose?" "You said it''s forbidden for the deceased to hurt each other, and you''ve mentioned all sorts of rules for the deceased. If you know about them, shouldn''t Hope know about them as well? And if he knew all that, wouldn''t he also know that he was dead?" "I just learned that rule exists myself. We discover the rules as we attempt to fulfill our wishes; they aren''t given to us upfront. We learn them through our actions. Does that satisfy you?" "Yes, but one more thing." "How can I help?" "You also said that upon dying, you had the choice of erasing your existence or staying in the place you are now. Didn''t Hope have to make that choice too?" "You know the fever dreams you get when you have a high fever, where you can''t tell if what you experienced was a dream or reality?" "I get it. I once dreamed I was eating a cake while I had a fever, only to realize I was biting my pillow in reality." I said. "Would you like a glass of blanket with your pillow, sir?" Rose teased. "Haha, very funny." I remarked. "It seems you''ve already had an experience like that. Hope probably thought the choice he made was just a dream. In fact, I thought it was a dream myself until I heard it dozens of times when trying to do something I wasn''t allowed to do." "Makes sense now. It''s hard to tell what''s real or not in that condition. Thanks for explaining." "Pleased to be able to help. Now, I recommend hurrying back to the ritual ground and performing the ritual as quickly as possible." With that, we started walking back to the basement. Once we reached the secret passage, Maid destroyed the wall to let us pass more efficiently. I wasn''t even surprised at this point, nor could I be surprised anyway. We bypassed Hope''s head and made our way to the ritual ground. "Well, here we are. What do we do next?" "First, you should take my eyes with the ritual, since you''re going to transfer them to me directly." "You mean, take my eyes back." "Does it matter?" "Yes." I hate myself for being so calm while saying that. "Is this really the time to dally? You should hurry." "*Sigh* Fine." Huh? Why am I accepting this so casually? I''m about to possibly put my life in danger, yet I can''t seem to put the words together to refuse. ... Oh, what am I thinking? This is fine. "I''ll help you." Rose said, her tone surprisingly cheerful. What''s happening? Why did Rose agree so quickly too? Oh, what am I thinking? Everything is fine. "Yes, don''t forget to count the seconds until you accept the eyes." "Of course, I won''t forget." No, I don''t want to. This is bad. No, no, everything is fine. It''s not... I feel weird. Am I even here right now? *Step* Rose took my hand and led me to the edge of the pit. "Mind your step, the pit is right in front of you." she warned. "Thank you." "Don''t mention it." I carefully stepped into the pit and lay down. I can''t stop myself... What is happening is happening without my approval. "I think you should lay your head the other way." Rose suggested. "Why? Here is just fine." "Alright then." I heard the sound of a tap turning. *Splash* A lukewarm waterfall suddenly cascaded onto my face, water flooding my nose and mouth. I shot up quickly, coughing and sputtering. "Pfft- *Cough* *Cough* Are you *Cough* trying to kill me? *Cough*" "Hehe, I told you to lay the other way." Rose replied. This is not funny. Why is she laughing? Once I managed to catch my breath, I responded, "You could''ve warned me that I was lying right under the tap." "This could actually be pretty useful; it would wake you up in a flash. We should install a barrel like this above your bed." "Hell no! I''d rather die." "Really?" the Maid interjected playfully. "No!" I quickly corrected. What is this conversation? I''m part of it without even being there. Who is speaking in my body? "Hurry up and lay down already!" Rose shouted at me. "Fine, fine." I grumbled, adjusting my position before lying down. "I''m turning the tap now." "Go for it." *Splash* I felt warm water slowly filling the pit, rising past my legs and arms until I was floating. It took about a minute for the pit to fill completely, and I was now suspended above the water. It''s a bit unsettling when I can''t see. "I''m throwing the eyes into the pit now." Rose said. "Alright." The jar Rose was holding contained my eyes, preserved with the water of regeneration. She poured the water, along with my eyes, into the pit. There is no stopping what is happening. It''s just going to happen. *Gulp* Suddenly, I was pulled underwater. 1...2...3 Despite the pit not being very deep, I felt as though I was sinking into the depths of an ocean. I couldn''t breathe, yet I didn''t feel the need to. 4...5...6 There was no sensation of holding my breath; in fact, I felt great. All my worries seemed to vanish, and I was casually sinking deeper into this oceanic abyss. 7...8...9 *Splash* Abruptly, it felt like I had fallen out of the ocean into an empty space where water couldn''t reach. 10...11...12 Then, a light filled my eyes. A light filled my what? My eyes? 13...14...15 I opened them. I could see again. I was falling into a room where the ceiling was made of green water. In the ceiling, I could see multiple bodies of different people, including my own, all floating in the green water. My soul must have fallen out of my body, descending from the ceiling while my physical form remained suspended in the water. But as I looked down at myself, I realized I still had a body. Was this a replica, just like the one Maid had created? I turned around in the air, trying to grasp where I was falling. 16...17...18 *Smash* I hit the ground hard, yet I felt no pain. What a strange place. I quickly stood up and looked around. I could tell I was in a room because of the pillars and black and white tiling on the floor, but there were no walls,it felt like an endless space. The room was brightly lit, though I couldn''t see any visible light source. Despite the unsettling sight of countless bodies floating in the green water above me, the room I was in seemed eerily empty. There was no one else here. 19...20...21 "Do you want these eyes?" A voiceless voice suddenly asked. I didn''t hear anyone speaking, yet I knew the question was directed at me. Was this the being the Maid described before? The one you can''t sense but somehow know is there? None of my senses told me someone was with me, yet my brain insisted that this question had been asked and that I must answer. 22...23...24 "Do you want these eyes?" It repeated the question. I noticed I was standing in front of an altar. On top of it was a pair of green eyes, my eyes, no doubt. 25...26...27 "Do you want these eyes?" The question repeated once more. 28...29...30 Realizing I shouldn''t keep the being waiting, I answered, "Yes, I want them." ... There was no response. After a few seconds of silence, I felt a force pulling me upward, toward the watery ceiling. My soul left the replica and was once again bound to my own body. I saw the replica vanish before a force swiftly pulled me out of the water. *Splash* I opened my eyes to the red light of a lantern, then sat up. The first thing I noticed was Rose, staring at me in shock, her mouth agape. "Your eyes are back!" she exclaimed, sounding genuinely happy. She held my hands and helped me up. "Are you okay? Can you see clearly? Any blur in your vision?" Rose asked, concern in her voice. "No, I can see perfectly, no blur at all." "I''m glad to hear that. After all, these are Miss Maid''s eyes; we want them in perfect condition when she has them." "Yes, we don''t want her eyes to be in bad condition." I said. What the hell am I even saying? "Yes, yes, I appreciate all your work." the Maid''s voice echoed through the room. Then, she appeared in front of us out of thin air. "So, how long did it take you to accept the eyes?" Maid asked. "Thirty seconds, but I was confused, it could''ve take a bit shorter." I answered. "No choice, I guess. We''ll have to do a bit of practice. Take my body and proceed with the ritual, but don''t accept the transfer. Just wait when you are asked." "I got it. I''ll do as you say." "Let''s see. We also need to know how long it will take to pull your body." After she said that, a white light flashed before my eyes. When my vision returned, it quickly became clear what had happened. "I don''t know how deep the water is, but this rope should be enough." She created a rope long enough to span the entire room. "Miss Rose, please tie him up." "Sure." Rose replied. I watched as Rose tied me with the rope. I couldn''t make my body respond to any commands. "How long did it take you to fall from the water?" Maid seems to know exactly how the ritual works. "It took 12 seconds for me to fall from the water." "Miss Rose, please count 30 seconds after he sinks into the water, then start pulling him up with the rope and count while you are pulling." "I got it." Rose said. Rose and I carefully placed the Maid''s body into the pit. *Splash* I watched as Rose poured the green water over Maid''s body, waiting until she was fully submerged. Then, without hesitation, I jumped into the water as well, sinking into the unknown depths while still bound by the rope. Unconsciously, I counted the time; it took 18 seconds for me to reach the bottom. "What do you wish to transfer to this woman?" A voiceless voice asked. Once again, I didn''t hear this question with my ears, but I knew it was being asked. "My eyes." my body answered on its own. It was clear now that Maid had grown impatient and decided to expedite the process by overriding our free will. I was surprised that her power still continued to affect me even in this place. Well... not really surprised. "You''ll die. Do you still wish to transfer your eyes?" My body fortunately didn''t answer and waited. I continued counting; 26 seconds had passed since I entered the water. After 24 more seconds, I was pulled out. *Splash* I emerged from the water to find myself in Rose''s arms. I immediately got up and spoke to the Maid, not even thanking Rose for pulling me out. My actions were being controlled for the sake of efficiency for the Maid. Judging by Rose''s actions, I guess she was in the same situation as I am. "It took 20 seconds to pull you from the water." Maid said. "I counted again. It took 18 seconds for me to hit the bottom, and it would take 8 seconds for me to say I accept the transfer." "So, the ritual takes a total of 26 seconds." Maid said, deep in thought. "Start pulling when 26 seconds have passed. I''ll keep counting, and at the 45th second, I''ll accept the transfer." Oh, look at me, being practical and offering my life for the cause. This person disgusts me, struggle a bit. Well, my fate is tied, so there''s no reason to delay. No, all the more reason to delay. Let''s just take a moment to think about it. No need to think,just take action for the sake of Miss Maid. These thoughts are overflowing in my brain, a conflict within myself, and all I can do is have moments of outbursts. "In that case, take this knife with you." She creates a knife out of thin air and hands it to me. "What is this for?" I,or rather, whoever is talking on my behalf,asked. "Immediately stab yourself with this knife after accepting the transfer." What the hell is she saying? "Got it." No! I have to refuse. I''m not just going to watch myself get stabbed. I''m trying to struggle with all my willpower, but it just vanishes every time I try to command my body. "It will take your soul directly to the gate, which will bring you back to the living realm. Since your soul''s bond with your body is still intact, you should return to your body safe and sound." "I understand." There''s still a chance she''s lying about that knife''s ability. I''d rather not stab myself with it until I''m sure it''s 100% safe. "Then I''ll be going." "Good luck." But I don''t have the luxury to question more,my body is just moving on its own. It seems like my actions are limited to accepting whatever The Maid says. My body started to walk towards the pit, but my eyes caught Rose, sitting still with an unnatural smile on her face. I guess she''s been ordered to stay silent and still by The Maid. Otherwise, it''s impossible for her to be quiet for this long. *Thud* My body stood over the pit. I took a gaze at the Maid''s body lying in it. *Splash* Then my body turned the tap, releasing the green water over the Maid''s body. She floated on the water until it reached a certain level, and then she was submerged. *Splash* My body jumped straight into the water, leaving me not even a second to protest. I started counting. Once again, it took 18 seconds for me to hit the ground. Then the voiceless voice spoke, "What do you wish to transfer to this woman?" "My eyes." "You''ll die. Do you still wish to transfer your eyes?" "..." I didn''t answer and continued counting. 27...28...29... I need to count to 45, then say out loud "I accept" and stab myself with the knife Maid gave me. 30...31...32... Wait a second! How is this knife even with me right now? My real body is floating above, inside the ceiling of water. But this knife was able to bypass that water alongside my soul. 33...34...35... I don''t understand how it''s possible for this knife to be here with me. Is it because it''s not something real but something created by the Maid? 36...37...38... I know I should be feeling worried right now, because if we fail this, I''m done for. But Maid''s power affects me, making me unable to feel panic. Is this something I should be grateful for? 39...40...41... I don''t think so. It''s almost time. I can only pray that my body doesn''t mess up the timing. If it does, at best, we get another chance to try again. At worst, I will cease to exist. Well, good luck, me. 42...43...44... Please, just don''t stab me in the gut. Do it in the leg. 45! "I accept!" I said as I stabbed myself in the gut with the knife. I started speaking at the 45th second. I should be done with my sentence by the 46th second, while stabbing myself at the same time. Night 5: Escape? A rush of images flooded my mind, my replica body stabbed, lying on the ground with the knife Maid had given me. I was flying upwards at an incredible speed, heading toward a bright light that grew larger with every second. It was a white, glowing orb, suspended in a vast, open space. As I drew nearer, I was pulled sharply in another direction. The scene changed. I saw Angel lying in a bed inside the prison, but before I could focus on her, I was dragged again,this time, to where my real body was resting, cradled in Rose''s arms. Suddenly, I felt the cool rush of air fill my lungs. *Gasp* "*Cough*" I shot up, coughing violently, as if I hadn''t breathed in years. My throat felt raw, parched beyond comprehension. "Hey, are you okay?" Rose asked, her voice laced with concern. I nodded after managing to catch my breath. "Yeah, I''m fine now." "Really?" Rose wasn''t convinced. "Just... a bit thirsty." I admitted, my throat still parched. "Can''t really blame him, This was a different experience compared to the other times." Maid said, appearing out of thin air. "You! You took control of my body. You forced me to go through all of that!" I snapped, but my frustration got held in check. "Oh, calm down. I thought it would be too much of a hassle to convince you, so I sped up the process." Maid responded nonchalantly. "Sped up the process? You think taking away someone''s free will and forcing them to act is just ''speeding things up''?" I shot back. "I didn''t force you, I simply altered your thinking so you''d prioritize my goals." "You make it sound like you asked us to pick up groceries! It felt like I was watching someone else make my decisions for me, and you knew how dangerous it was!" Rose interjected, visibly upset. "Oh, come on, you weren''t the one doing the most dangerous part anyway." "Does that even matter? I felt that way too." I said. "But it ended well, didn''t it? Now, we all get what we want." Maid replied, as though it were nothing. "Right... where are my eyes?" I asked, trying to stay composed. "You gave them to me, remember?" Maid replied. "I didn''t give them to you-" I started, but she cut me off. "Oh, you mean your replica eyes? Here." Suddenly, my vision went from black to an overwhelming white, before gradually adjusting to the dim light of the lantern, which was flickering as it neared its end. "Wait! You just gave him his eyes just like that?" Rose exclaimed. "Yes, is there a problem?" Maid asked, seemingly puzzled. "Then why didn''t you do the same with the original eyes? You could''ve just placed them in your body from the start!" Rose said, the realization dawning on her, and on me too. Maid chuckled softly, "Oh, that? I wanted to regain my eyes the same way I lost them. It was symbolic." "You... put our lives in danger... just for that?" I muttered, feeling a wave of emptiness wash over me. I should''ve been furious, enraged at the absurdity of it all, but instead, there was nothing. Not a single spark of anger. Why? Why couldn''t I feel it, even now? Rose glared at Maid, but even she seemed unable to maintain the fury. "You''re unbelievable..." Maid simply smiled, as if pleased with herself. "Now, now, don''t be sad, As I said, we''ll all get what we want. You got your eyes, and now I''ll release Angel from her prison. Let''s meet up there." Maid said with a sly smile. Her original body, the one I had used the ritual to give my eyes to, vanished the moment she departed. Rose and I were left standing in an awkward silence, exchanging confused looks. Finally, after a moment, Rose broke the silence. "She''s gone." I sighed in relief. "I feel like it''s much more peaceful when she''s not around." "Don''t say that, She might hear you." "Oh, yeah, good point, But still, I got a new pair of eyes, even if they are replicas." Rose smiled, her voice softening. "I''m glad you can see again. There''s no blur or pain, right? I''m asking for your sake this time." "No, nothing like that. Thanks for worrying, and for pulling me out of that... death pool." "It''s not that big of a pit to call it a pool." "You don''t know the half of it, I''ll tell you later." "Now I''m curious, but you''re right. We shouldn''t linger any longer." "Exactly. Let''s get Angel and get out of here... as soon as possible." "Onward to the next room, then." As we entered the room where Angel was imprisoned, I couldn''t help but wonder how she ended up locked in there in the first place. I figured she''d tell us everything once she woke up, though Miss Pearl would definitely have an earful for her. When we turned the corner, we saw the prison door wide open. The debris that had once blocked the path was cleared, likely the work of Maid. "Excellent service." I mumbled, noticing Maid standing by Angel''s bedside. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. One odd thing caught my replica eye,the blue flower that had been on the table was gone. Why would she take the flower? "Hey again, Been a while." I said, as Rose and I approached Maid. "Enjoyed your peace?" Maid asked. "So, you''ve been listening?" Rose said, crossing her arms. "Well, you took your time, I got a little curious about what you were up to. Sadly, you were just talking." Maid said nonchalantly. "What else were we supposed to do? And what do you mean, sadly?" "I was hoping for something more... entertaining, but let''s ignore that." Maid said, settling onto the bed beside Angel. "There''s a problem, isn''t there?" Rose shifted nervously. "Oh, as always, quick to catch on, Miss Rose." "What''s the problem?" I asked, my own anxiety growing to match Rose''s. "We''ll need a sacrifice." "A sacrifice? Like a cellurk? Or... a cow?" "Yes, A cellurk named Rose, or a big cow like you." "That... doesn''t sound great." Rose said. "It''s not, Angel''s soul has been bound to the gate for far too long. If we try to wake her up now, we risk tearing her soul from her body." "Which we absolutely don''t want." I added, feeling the dread rising. "Exactly, So, one of you could take her place, die in her stead. Problem solved. So... which one of you is it?" A wave of cold despair washed over me. I was frozen, trying to process the nightmare unfolding before me. But then, Maid let out a low, eerie laugh. "Heh, just a joke. You don''t need to sacrifice yourselves or anything." Her creepy chuckle hung in the air, making the room feel even colder. I exhaled in relief, but the tension lingered. "Seriously? That''s your idea of a joke?" Rose asked, her voice wavering between frustration and disbelief. Maid just smiled, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Angel is fine, don''t worry. But I don''t know when she''ll wake up." Maid said. "Huh? Why isn''t she waking up?" I asked, letting her joke slide for the moment. "Remember that blue flower in the jar? It releases a scent that makes whoever smells it fall asleep." "So, that''s why she was sleeping." I said, beginning to piece it together. "How long was she inhaling that smell? And how strong is it?" Rose asked, still concerned. "She''s been inhaling it for quite some time, probably more than half a day. The smell doesn''t fade until the flower is completely dry, so I burned it." Maid answered. "So, we have no idea when she''ll wake up." Rose concluded. "Right, but no need to worry. She''ll eventually wake up." "Good thing you burned it. Otherwise, we''d be waiting forever for the water in that jar to evaporate." I said. "It wouldn''t have evaporated. There''s a pipe system that periodically drips water into the jar." Maid explained, pointing to the ceiling pipes. "Why the hell is there a system like that here?" I asked, confused. "I don''t know. Maybe your great-grandfather wanted to keep someone asleep, or... there was another gate, like Angel." Maid said, giving me a meaningful look. "That''s..." Rose murmured, shaken by the idea. "I know what you''re feeling, but it''s not impossible to have more than one gate." Maid said, trying to dismiss the concern. "Wait a second!" I exclaimed. "What''s wrong?" Maid asked, tilting her head slightly. "If Angel won''t wake up, then the gate won''t close either, right?" I asked, a sudden surge of anxiety hitting me. "Oh, you don''t need to worry, Angel is now in a more stable state, so the gate has already started to close." she replied with a calm smile. "Really?" I asked, still not completely convinced. "Yes,Even now, I can feel a disruption between my side and yours. This means my connection to your world is weakening." "So... we can just leave?" I asked, relief starting to creep in. "Yes, feel free to go. I''ve disabled all the traps, so you can leave through the main entrance." Maid said. Rose, still conflicted, said, "I don''t know what to feel about you. Should I be mad at you for taking my friend''s eyes, or grateful that you helped Angel?" "You can''t really get mad at me, so feel free to appreciate me." Maid responded with a smirk. "And there''s that. Aren''t you going to remove your control over our emotions?" Rose sighed. "I''ll release you after you leave the mansion. Don''t worry." Maid assured her. "Alright, let''s go already. I''ll carry Angel. Rose, help me out." I said, positioning Angel on my back with Rose''s assistance. I stood up and started heading out of the prison, but Maid called after us. "One last thing." "What? I''m not doing you another favor, so don''t even ask." I groaned. "How cold! That''s not it. I''m giving you this." She handed Rose a brush. "What is this?" Rose examined it. "A parting gift. Whatever you paint with that brush becomes invisible, and it''s perfect for an artist like you." Maid said with a grin. "Are you suggesting my art is so bad it should stay invisible?" Rose raised an eyebrow. "I didn''t mean it that way, Miss Rose." "You better not have." "You''re just giving us something like that for free?" I asked, suspicious. "Yes. I can take it back if you don''t want it." Maid teased. "We''ll take it." Rose said quickly. "No need to thank me." "I wasn''t planning on it." Rose muttered. Maid smiled and continued, "That brush could come in handy if you''re trying to hide from your mother or those strange people you''ve encountered." "Do you know anything about them? They''ve been harassing our people non-stop, killing our livestock and horses, some even claim they tried to kidnap children." Rose asked. "I can''t help you there. I don''t know anything more than you do. I only saw them in your memories." Maid shook her head. "That''s disappointing." Rose replied. "Just try to avoid them. The unknown is dangerous for humans." "That''s the plan." I said, feeling the weight of her words as we moved to leave. We took a few steps toward the exit of the basement before Rose suddenly exclaimed, "OH WAIT!" I sighed, my patience running dangerously low. "What now?" "We forgot the lungs." "What lungs?" "The lungs for the kid with Shrinkage Syndrome." "Oh, right... I completely forgot about that kid." "You wait here. I''ll grab them from the ritual room." "Be careful." "And I''m taking the lantern with me, so don''t move too much in the dark." I nodded reluctantly. "Fine. Just be quick." Rose left with the lantern, plunging me into complete darkness. "Are you afraid of the dark?" Maid''s voice came out of nowhere, echoing through the room. "I''m more afraid of you, and you know that." I replied. "Good." she said with a hint of amusement. "More importantly, you mentioned there could be other gates besides Angel?" "Yes, it''s possible. The gate itself is a mystery." "And you don''t know why Angel can open this gate, right?" "No, I don''t. It was possible for the dead to reach the living world before, but we couldn''t use our powers here." "But now you can because of the gate?" "That''s a no as well. We can''t use our powers directly. I can only create things on my side and send them through the gate." "So that''s what you meant by your power being limited here." "Yes." "You just keep saying yes and no, don''t you?" "Well, you keep asking yes or no questions." she teased. "Fair enough... wait, if you''re able to come into the living world, does that mean you''re peeping on people?" "Yes, I''m there when you shower and when you''re in the toilet. I''m always watching." she said with a mischievous tone. "...You maniac! Leave people some privacy!" "I''m just joking. Even if we come here, we can''t see people. Only objects. Everything is black and white." "What happens if I move a chair then?" "I would see a chair moving on its own." "That''s creepy." *Crash* Suddenly, a crash echoed from the ritual room, the sound of shattering glass. Rose must have broken something. Before I could call out, something flew out of the room,a glowing leaf. It zipped past me and disappeared into the dark hallway. "What was that? Did you see that?" I asked. "I did. A glowing leaf, how strange." Maid responded. "This is officially the second most bizarre thing I''ve seen today,right after the vengeful spirit of a maid." "Hey, now. I didn''t kill anybody for vengeance." Maid said defensively. "You killed Hope for being loud." "That was justice." "Yeah, I don''t really care about him anyway. He broke Rose''s nose... Where is she, by the way?" Just as I finished speaking, I saw the lantern light approaching. Rose returned, holding a jar with lungs inside. "I''m here," she announced. "What happened? I heard a crash." "I broke the jar with the leaf you brought down here." "So that''s what came flying past me?" "Yep. Quite the surprise, honestly." "You don''t seem that surprised to me," I noted. "Well, it was just a leaf. Leaves fly." "Yeah, when they''re caught in the wind. Not in a basement with no wind, and it was glowing." "There are glowing mushrooms too, you know." Rose shrugged. "*Sigh* Never mind. You''ve got the lungs, so let''s get out of here." "Any idea whose lungs these are?" Rose asked, turning to Maid. "No. Can''t tell just by looking at them, can I?" "Maybe you need to smell it or something?" Rose said. "I still wouldn''t know, even then." "Well, whoever they belonged to, they''re dead now. Let them do some good for the living." I interjected. "I agree." Maid chimed in. "I just thought the kid''s family might want to know who to thank." "Tell them the lungs are mine. They can thank me." Maid said smugly. "They''re not yours; your body disappeared." Rose replied, exasperated. "Who''s going to know that besides you two?" "*Sigh* Let''s just get out of here." I said, tired of the back-and-forth. Maid accompanied us to the entrance, where we stood before the door to freedom. A few more steps and we''d be out. Come to think of it, we originally came here to collect wood for the boat. I guess Miss Pearl will understand why we didn''t get any after hearing what we''ve been through. "Well, it''s time to bid you goodbye." Maid said. "Yeah, I won''t miss you." I replied. "Same here, and I''m sure Angel wouldn''t either." Rose added. "How cold. Even after I helped you." Maid said with mock hurt. "Well, goodbye, you two. Stay healthy and out of danger." Maid continued. "Thanks... I guess," I muttered. As Rose and I turned to leave the mansion, Maid''s voice called out one last time, "Oh, one last thing." I sighed and turned my head. "This line again. What do you want?" "Thanks for calling me beautiful when we first met." she said with a smile before disappearing into thin air. I stood there for a moment, reflecting on Maid''s parting words. I had thought she was beautiful when we first met, but her personality was another story entirely. "You called her beautiful?" Rose asked, her tone calm. "Not exactly. I thought it, but she must have read my mind." "Yeah... it''s not fair that she can read minds." "Let''s hit the road already. We have a long journey ahead." We began walking, exchanging occasional remarks, "Looking at the moon''s position, it''s already past midnight." "Yeah, it''s tomorrow now." "Why hasn''t anyone come to search for us?" "Everyone''s likely on edge, dealing with the constant harassment from those strangers. They can''t afford to waste resources searching for us right now." "Still, we''ve been gone for too long. My mother is probably worried sick." "Well, get ready for a lecture. But I think she''ll understand once you explain everything." "If she believes us in the first place." "She should. We have Angel as a witness." "Speaking of which, what happened to the fake Angel we saw this morning?" "Hmmm? Best-case scenario, it vanished like Maid did." "And in the worst-case scenario?" "We''d have two tireless, mischievous cellurks to deal with." "Imagine the pranks they could pull." "On us or on each other?" A few minutes later, I heard the distant sound of dozens of birds flying overhead. It wasn''t unusual for them to migrate this time of year, but they were heading south instead of north. I have a habit of watching birds, so I know that most of them don''t migrate in this village. Some do, but they usually head north, not south. It struck me as odd. Were they fleeing from something? "My head... is spinning." Rose said, her voice strained. I noticed the same sensation beginning to affect me. My vision blurred, and I felt like I was about to collapse. I carefully lowered Angel to the ground next to a tree and then fell beside her, overwhelmed by the spinning sensation. My head was reeling, and I couldn''t control the torrent of emotions crashing over me. I began to vomit uncontrollably. "UGH!" Anger! Sorrow! Fear! All these emotions hit me simultaneously, making my head spin with confusion. The feelings that Maid had suppressed surged back into me all at once. I was experiencing everything I had been holding back. I felt like crying, but there was also a fierce, unsettling urge to lash out. My body was shaking with the weight of these emotions, and I was terrified of what might come next. "UGH!" My body hit the ground hard. Pain shot through me, and my vision quickly blurred. My head was spinning, making everything feel far away. Then, everything went black.