Chapter 573: Death [4]

Spurt—!

The pain engulfed my mind, swallowing any semblance of thought. I struggled to keep myself from screaming as blood streamed down from my eye and onto the ground.

All the noise around me seemed to stop in that moment as I felt numerous gazes directed my way.

"....."

Besides the steady dripping of my own blood, there was no other sound around me. The air hung still, the silence absolute.

In that moment, I slowly raised my head to look around me.

That was also the moment that I saw it.

The numerous empty faces devoid of any features stared right at me.

...Ah.

Suddenly, I realized the reason why Leon had never fallen for the situation. It wasn’t that he wasn’t affected, but it was because he could see the truth that lay bare before our very eyes.

As I scanned the surroundings, only two figures still had their faces intact.

Esteban and Drake.

"Oh my goodness!"

"Seth...!? How are you doing? What’s happened?"

"Why did you do that to yourself?"

"Should we get a medic?"

The noise returned a moment later as people began to approach me, their expressions filled with concern. But the moment I sensed them closing in, I instinctively stepped back. These people... No, these things... They weren’t humans.

They were something else entirely.

"Seth, are you okay?"

Seth... Seth...

Yes, that was my name.

"Seth?"

"A-ah, I am fine."

I tried to remain calm, my voice coming out rather hoarse.

"...I’m just tired. I... think I need to get some sleep."

"Is that so? Then you should’ve said so. Please go and have some rest."

"Yes, go rest. We’ll be here."

"If you need anything, just let us know."

They were all still nice, their voices comforting.

So much that my heart started to ease for a brief moment.

’No!’

Holding onto the shard of glass, I cut my wrist.

"Seth!?"

"What are you doing!?"

"Ah, it’s nothing. Nothing."

I forced a smile while looking at the empty faces around me.

"As I said, I’m tired."

The pain helped clear my mind.

Without saying anything else, I turned around and headed back toward the castle. As I walked, I could still feel the numerous stares following me, a lump forming in my throat. Even so, I ignored it and continued forward.

Step. Step—

The castle was different.

Now that I could see clearly, the interior was no longer as fancy or well-maintained as before. The corridor and entrance were still large, but everything was old and worn. Spiderwebs stretched in every corner, and the bright lights that once shone from above had long since faded, leaving the halls bathed in a dim glow that felt almost like darkness.

I walked through the darkness, holding onto my eye as I tried to push the pain away.

Even though everything looked different, the layout was the same. I knew exactly where I needed to go as I eventually found myself in the same room as before, stopping only to look at my hanging body.

"....."

Staring at my hanging body, I remained silent.

"W-why?"

Why was it still there?

I had sacrificed my eye. I should be able to see through all of the illusions. So why?

Why was my body still there?

"N-No, I can’t fall for it. Don’t let yourself fall for it."

I sat down on the worn-down bed and tore a strip from the cloth, pressing it over my eye. The fabric quickly soaked through, staining red as it absorbed the blood.

’This place is dangerous. I need to quickly find a way out of this place. But...’

I bit my lips, my head still looking away from my body.

Could I even...?

"No, let’s not think about it. I need to find the exit first. Yeah, that’s what I need to do. That’s what I—"

"You’re looking for the exit?"

"——!"

My head snapped to the right, turning toward the figure standing by the window as the curtains billowed behind him. His features remained hidden behind the shifting fabric, but through a narrow gap in the curtains, I could still see the faint curl of his lips.

"Why do you want to leave? You were so comfortable a few moments ago. What is it that is pushing you to leave this place? Is it the very idea of dying bad for you? But what is wrong with that? So long as you eat, sleep, have fun, and do everything that you want, what’s wrong with letting yourself die?"

His voice was like a whisper of temptation.

The more I heard it, the more my chest began to tremble. In that very moment, the damp, worn-down surroundings started to shift, slowly giving way to the all-too-familiar luxurious environment as his whisper reached my ears once more.

"...What is the point in struggling? You’re already dead anyway. You... killed yourself. It’s obvious that you’ve lived a life of struggle. You’re tired. That’s why you chose to rest. And there’s nothing wrong with that. What’s wrong with resting? You deserve it."

Creaaaak—

The creaking sound of the rip echoed faintly in the background as my heart thumped loudly in my head. At the same time, the voice whispered inside my mind once more.

"It’s time to let go. Enjoy yourself. There’s no need to cling to some meaningless life that will only lead to you being controlled by some strange entity. Be yourself. Don’t let others control you. Be free. Enjo—"

SPURT!

"Aaaakh!!"

Pain engulfed my mind once more as I drove the blade into my leg. The sudden surge of agony nearly made me collapse as the surroundings began to shift again.

The curtains billowed by the window once more, but the figure was long gone.

I glared in the direction of the window.

"You... talk too much."

***

Clank—!

An old metal door opened, and several people stepped out. Fiddling with a small device in his hand, Leon looked around with a smile. He appeared to be inside a small house. There didn’t seem to be anything strange about the house, and as he looked back at where he came from, all he found was a small room.

’I guess it’s gone.’

He began to walk out of the house, reaching the empty street of Point Z as he looked around.

"It seems like we’ve finally managed to get out of that place."

He looked behind his squad.

He felt a little disappointed by the fact that two of his members had died, but things were still good. With the data transmitter in his hand, the Congress was as good as his.

’Well, I did pay a hefty price for it.’

Leon touched his eye.

Even now, it was missing. However, he wasn’t too worried. He knew that Menders could find a solution for him. Although they were a bit crazy, they were also very capable.

"Let’s go look for some place to rest. There are still a few days until the Congress is over, and in the meantime, we should see if we can fi—"

Click!

Leon’s expression froze as he felt something press against the back of his neck.

Perhaps it was because he was slightly tired, but he didn’t feel any presence behind him until it was too late.

Blinking a couple of times, his lips soon pulled into a smile as he turned his head to stare at the pair of dark eyes that stared back at him.

"Ah."

He raised both hands as he greeted her warmly.

"If it isn’t Liora. What a nice way for you to greet me."