Bailonz Street 13

I don’t know if this is happening in my consciousness or if it’s actually occurring in reality, but something was rushing towards us from beyond. If you could draw a line in the darkness and call it the horizon, it was coming from beyond that line.

“No, it can’t be.”

Clara seemed particularly alarmed. It was a surprising display of weakness from someone who had tried to bury me alive and kill me mentally.

Watching her deny it in a thin voice, I absentmindedly stared beyond the darkness. Although the room was very small, with just enough space for the throne and us to move around, it suddenly seemed vast. Then, a figure appeared. Something white and distinct.

“No! No! You can’t be here! That’s impossible!”

Clara shrieked and retreated to the wall, abandoning me. It was as if she were afraid of a predator, giving off a palpable sense of fear.

Does she know this entity? It felt like not just knowledge but antagonism.

And then… I saw a chariot pulled by a massive beast. The shape was clear to my eyes.

I instinctively crouched, fearing I would be hit, but the chariot passed through me like a mist, stopping in the centre of the room.

The white beast pulling the chariot neighed and snorted, but it didn’t seem like a horse. Its cold breath hissed out, and its mane was black and wet, as if dredged from the bottom of a lake.

The chariot it pulled was in poor condition, like a ghost ship that had been adrift at sea. Barnacles clung to its sides, and it reeked of saltwater as if it had just emerged from the ocean.

It felt like the entire sea had rushed in. A cold sea breeze blew in, displacing the stale air that had filled the room. I gasped for breath under the weight of its presence. Death seemed to retreat, replaced by a surge of vitality.

“How can someone… come from the wall…?”

A chariot suddenly appearing out of nowhere was beyond comprehension. My head ached, unable to keep up with the situation.

How do I describe this? Is this even possible? Am I dreaming?

At that moment, someone began to descend from the chariot, doubling my confusion. Of course, there would be someone driving it. It couldn’t just run on its own.

‘But someone is riding this?’

An elderly man with a full white beard stepped down. He wore a gentle smile, but his gaze was fixed on Clara.

The beast approached and nudged me with its snout. I felt its damp breath. It seemed to be checking if I was alive. I muttered involuntarily.

“D-don’t…”

Recognizing the elderly man, Clara shrieked in horror.

“You!”

The old man covered me with his cloak, which was as cold as sea mist.

“No need to introduce your shameful hobbies. You’ve had enough fun with your tricks, haven’t you?”

The air froze, like the Arctic. The old man gently placed his hand on my forehead, where I was gasping, clinging to the coffin. His skin felt like cold marble.

“You’ve been through hell multiple times. How pitiful… That thing never knows when to stop. I’ve told it repeatedly to stop tormenting one person until it’s satisfied.”

Clara gritted her teeth.

“Ha! Get out now, that’s my prey!”

“Not anymore.”

And then something began to reveal itself. Chains that bound my body from the heart, heavy chains glistening with black liquid, emitting an eerie sound.

I finally understood why I didn’t feel free even after leaving that room. How could I not have known? I groaned softly. My body felt like it was breaking.

The old man yanked the chains violently. Just pulling the chains felt like my soul was being dragged. The chains twisted and resisted like a living snake, hissing and trying to bite the old man’s hand, but it seemed powerless. Maybe the old man’s strength was greater.

The writhing chains finally slackened and burst. Soon, they dissolved into black mist and scattered. Only then did the crushing pain lift. My body felt light for the first time.

A small notification sound appeared. Something seemed to return, but I saw nothing distinct.

Maps and quest lists had long disappeared. I now had the same view as a normal person. So what was my last remaining function? There was only one answer.

With trembling hands, I took out my notebook. Biting my lip, I opened the last page and shivered.

All the records that had covered me were gone. The existing saved data had been overwritten and erased. It was a significant loss, but it was alright. At least it had returned to me.

The tattered notebook slowly began to mend itself, glowing with a golden light. It was successfully saving again!

“How…”

I murmured in a hoarse voice, as if entranced. The old man smiled gently. His salt-encrusted cloak wrapped around me protectively, and the horse nuzzled my cheek affectionately.

“Jane Osmond!”

Clara screamed. Turning to her voice, I saw her bright yellow eyes. The horns and black shadow growing behind her indicated Clara Barnum was also a servant of the Black King.

Oh my, a servant! I can’t believe I’m using such a “Greenwich” style word! I felt a surge of self-loathing.

Regardless, Clara—no, the Black King—continued to curse me with a chilling malice.

“Don’t think this is the end. I’ll come for your soul! You must give it to me!”

The old man scoffed and waved his hand.

“Leave. This is the extent of my mercy.”

The Black King ground her teeth and melted into the darkness. I watched as Clara’s body slowly turned. Crack. A dry sound. The sound of something breaking and falling like a dried log. Clara’s body, devoid of life, looked almost skeletal.

How? My mind couldn’t process this phenomenon, and the old man gently patted my head. The cool touch eased the heat in my forehead.

As my confusion subsided, the old man bent slightly to meet my eyes. His eyes were the colour of the sea, a deep, endless blue. I could see waves in his eyes as if I were gazing into the ocean.

“Sir, there’s a sea in your eyes…”

I mumbled, and the old man chuckled softly. The horse playfully nuzzled my shoulder.

“It’s been a while since this one has been so friendly.”

“What is it usually like?”

“Very fierce and carnivorous.”

Wait, what? A carnivorous horse?

I couldn’t control my expression. This gigantic horse that looked like it only ate carrots and dew… carnivorous? Well, its first impression was certainly intimidating. Huge and scary. But I thought it was gentle.

“…Are you joking?”

“Unfortunately, no. This one loves to tear into the meat I hunt. It has a peculiar taste.”

“I didn’t want to know that.”

The old man grinned and lifted me up. I awkwardly stood, glancing at Clara’s body with unease. The old man noticed where my gaze fell and explained further.

“It’s a body that lost its life long ago. It traded its life for power.”

He said Clara’s contract had been in effect long before I met her, and she would have died when the contract holder left anyway. It felt strange.

“Today, I merely drove it out unilaterally.”

“That, um, …the Crawling Chaos…”

“You know it well. It’s not something to be celebrated.”

He sounded just like Liam.

“Knowing too much drives you mad, right?”

“He taught you well. I thought he was aimlessly dragging you around.”

I smiled awkwardly.

I didn’t know whether to welcome my return from the brink of madness. There were too many unknowns. It felt a bit reassuring that I didn’t need to go insane just yet.

The old man walked slowly, hands behind his back.

“Cursed child.”

“…Me?”

Liam was the cursed man, and I was the cursed child. Why were we both cursed like this? Misery loves company, they say. We must have been incredibly unlucky.

A hollow laugh escaped me.

“Don’t think of what you have as a blessing.”

“I’ve never thought of it that way.”

“You speak like someone who doesn’t know what a curse is.”

The old man’s gaze fell on the notebook in my hand.

This? A curse?

“Don’t rely on it too much, don’t abuse it. It’s better to use someone else. Find someone to go mad in your place.”

Why did it sound like he meant Liam Moore?

I averted my gaze and walked quietly. He seemed to trust that I would manage on my own. The old man watched as I carefully put away the notebook. He didn’t nag further as we walked back the way we came.

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