Chapter 68: The Ward (Part 2)
It felt like a smell that stung the eyes, a grotesque mix of some unimaginable potion and something that had decayed beyond recognition. I couldn’t say if it was good or bad, but it definitely tickled the nostrils—almost a tad spicy on the eyes.
“Achoo!”
I sneezed uncontrollably. Shaking my head, I scrunched my nose and peered carefully into the room.
The first thing I noticed was an old wooden table facing the door, stacked high with books, next to a lit silver candlestick. The flickering flame cast a glow on a row of dark wood cabinets on the left side of the table. Those cabinets looked like some sort of display case, filled to the brim with yellowed glass vessels of various shapes and sizes, some of which were filled with… wait, what?
I feel like… I’ve seen that before in a flash of memory!
What are those?
A bad feeling crept in… or rather, an uncomfortable sensation. It felt like my instincts were screaming at me to reject this place, to stay away from whatever was inside. Yet my body unconsciously moved forward, and before I knew it, I had stepped into the room.
The space was not big, and the decor was relatively simple, resembling an office but filled with the same musty smell that permeated the corridor outside. The lighting was dimmer than I had expected.
So dark…
I walked straight to the desk, reached for the candlestick, and suddenly noticed a thick book sitting squarely on the desk.
…Hmm?
For some reason, I picked it up first, holding it in front of my eyes to examine in the candlelight.
The book was heavy with a very ornate cover. Silver and gold inlay decorated it, with delicate carvings of white animal bone. The meaning of the patterns eluded me, but I could make out a line of small text in the center of the relief: “The Book of Songs—The faith of rebirth is the foundation of all service.”
What does that even mean?
Is this some poetry collection published by The Holy Church?
I flipped one page, then another… after several pages, I realized the book was completely blank, no ink to be found anywhere.
What the heck…
This is so confusing.
I shook my head slightly and returned the book to the desk. I picked up the candlestick and moved to the cabinets, holding the candlelight closer to examine the vessels… Each one was filled with a translucent liquid, and there appeared to be… meaty bits floating in it—
“Eek!”
As soon as I got a closer look at the contents, a shriek escaped my lips, and I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth, my face going pale as I stumbled backward.
What is that?!
Those chunks of flesh… organs? Whose… no, what animal is that?
Those bright red chunks of meat were still twitching slightly in the vessels, as if they were still alive, but they were clearly severed pieces. My scalp tingled, and a cold shiver ran down my spine. I stood frozen for a moment, then began tiptoeing backwards towards the door.
I need to get out of here. This place is too disgusting and a bit terrifying…
Crash!
Suddenly, a round vessel fell from the cabinet and shattered, liquid splashing just inches from my feet. I jolted, shoulders tensing as I held my breath, blinking rapidly. Then I saw, through the flickering firelight, a dark brown, vein-laden chunk of flesh slowly crawling toward me from the floor.
“Yuck—”
In that instant, I felt my hair stand on end.
What a disgusting thing!
My brain kicked into high gear, weighing two options in my mind: should I just stomp on it and run, or should I turn and dash away? I barely thought for half a second before I chose the latter without hesitation.
No way I’m stepping on something that gross!
I bolted out the door, spun around, and slammed it shut in one fluid motion.
“Phew—”
I sighed in relief, but my anxiety spiked again.
Where exactly am I…?
What kind of creepy place is this? What was going on in that last room? Were they doing some kind of live-horror experiments?
Those squirming bits of meat reminded me of Teresa… This strange place surely has something to do with the terrible power of The Gate of Truth, right?
As I left, I caught a glimpse of a black cloak hanging from a coat rack beside the door. I had sprinted too quickly to see clearly; I only noticed that it looked somewhat like the Pope Knight’s cloak, but the pattern on the back… looked like a bl**d-red thorny flower.
Is that the owner’s cloak?
I had no idea, but I didn’t want to confirm anything.
I need to leave this place…
I quickened my steps deeper into the hallway.
If it’s just me, I might be imagining things, but the further I went, the darker it became. The candles on either side of the corridor still burned, but it felt like an unseen darkness was swallowing their light, illuminating less than half a meter around them. I cradled the candlestick’s flame carefully to ensure it barely lit up my immediate surroundings. Although I could hardly see my feet, that little glow still provided some comfort.
This can’t possibly be real…
Reality doesn’t work like this; it’s a dream…
But how do I get out…?
Drip, drip.
The sound of water still echoed in my ears, never fading, growing clearer the deeper I ventured.
I was scared.
But I didn’t know what to do except to press on.
After a while, I spotted another door slightly ajar, with a faint glow seeping through the crack. This time the door was on the right side of the corridor, and from several meters away, I could hear someone babbling quietly.
“Deity bless… I’m not evil… Deity bless… Where are you… oh my God! Are you in my stomach? Ahahaha—”
“Alive… d*e… alive… d*e… I will not d*e… hehehe…”
The eerie whispers floated like fog, seemingly coming from within the ajar door, yet upon closer listening, they felt unnervingly close, blending with the sound of dripping water—a sinister symphony in my ears.
Alive… d*e… drip… Rabishixemos… drip… alive… d*e… Rabishixemos… hehehe…
I stood frozen not far from the door, my body feeling electrically frozen in place. My cheeks twitched, my breaths grew heavy, and my heart felt like it was about to jump out of my throat.
There might be someone in that room…
He was murmuring Rabishixemos, the name the Abyss told me!
Regardless of whether he was a true human or not, regardless of whether this was a dream, he must know something… that person must understand something.
Should I go in?
But I’m too scared! I don’t want to…
“Hey…”
I clenched my fists, standing still while nervously whispering, my soft voice trembling uncontrollably.
“Is… is anyone there?”
As soon as I asked, the babbling abruptly stopped.
“Uh…”
Why did it go silent?
I hesitated for a moment, then slowly—oh so slowly—moved toward the door, lifting my hand to gently push it open.
Creeeak—
Bright white light flooded my eyes and momentarily blinded me. I squinted, and after two seconds of squinting, I adjusted to the glare and rubbed my eyes, looking into the room.
What met my eyes were dozens of shabby, single beds draped in sheer white curtains. Those small beds almost filled the entire large room. Each bed had an equally pristine white bedside table. On one table nearby, I noticed… were those tongs and vials?
This seems to be a ward… but where is everyone? What about the person talking just now—
“Rabishixemos.”
The Demon’s Whisper erupted suddenly in my ear.
!!!
It felt like my soul had jumped out of my body. My head buzzed, and then something snapped inside with a loud “crack,” my pupils dilating as my consciousness faded into nothingness. For a fleeting moment, I lost track of time before my heart surged twice and my eyes widened.
Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth: “Eek ah ah ah—”
I’m going crazy.
I felt like my soul had split from my body, disregarding everything as I turned and bolted.
I just ran, not caring about the path.
Run faster… even faster…
This is a terrifying nightmare.
I need to wake up… please let me wake up…
I didn’t know how far I had run, but I continued until I gasped for breath, my lungs burning like fire, not wanting to stop.
I’m so scared…
Crack, crack.
The chilling short sickle formed in my hand again, a fierce cold air rushing outwards, yet it still failed to offer me a shred of comfort.
Thud thud thud thud…
The sound of my shoes hitting the floor was painfully loud. Now that I was running, I felt the floor beneath me seemed to be suspended, the gaps in the wood below leading to an even darker abyss. I dared not look closely, simply swinging my legs wildly to escape.
I finally slowed down as I reached the end of the corridor.
I was at a dead end, with a thick iron door that looked like it belonged in a prison, complete with a viewing window.
Is this… the exit?
I tightened my grip on the sickle and hesitantly stepped forward. Suddenly, the iron door creaked loudly as it turned on massive gears.
Creeeak—
Boom!
It slowly opened, as if welcoming me.
Drip, drip.
This time I clearly heard the water dripping from inside the iron door. But there was barely a glimmer of light, visibility was nearly zero, like a terrible black abyss ready to swallow everything whole.
What should I do…
At this point, I could only go in and see.
With one hand raised to hold the candlestick, the other tightly gripping the sickle, I cautiously stepped into the iron door.
Aside from darkness, there was nothing inside.
No cabinets, no beds or whispers, not even a ceiling or floor. It resembled a different dimension, with only endless shadows.
Drip, drip.
The sound of dripping water was clearer than ever, so much so that I could tell where it was coming from. Following the sound, I spotted a beam of white light glowing in the dark.
That white light was like a stage spotlight breaking through the darkness, illuminating a patch of shadow below… something was there.
I had to go see…
Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself and walked toward the beam of white light. As I got closer, I realized lying beneath the light was an old, rusty operating table. On the side of the table stood a similarly rusted IV pole, still holding an uncompleted IV bag, red liquid flowing down the tube and dripping from the needle that dangled beside the table—drip, drip.
The liquid was swallowed by the darkness, making a sound.
I was suddenly frozen.
This is—
A surge of emotions I couldn’t describe crashed over me.
Fear, anxiety, rage, and… indescribable sorrow.
I didn’t know what was happening to me; I dropped the sickle and candlestick, letting them fall into the darkness with the liquid, gradually moving closer to the operating table. I reached out to touch the hard leather, tears streaming silently down my cheeks.
…?
What am I crying about?
I didn’t know; my vision became blurry.
In that daze, I saw many figures in black cloaks bustling before me. Soon they approached, holding syringes in their hands… I couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality, unable to react at all.
The next moment, an overwhelming sensation of weightlessness swept over me, and I fell into the darkness.
“Do you remember now?”
A child’s voice echoed in my ears.
“Sister Peilo…”
…………
“Ah!”
With a short gasp, I suddenly opened my eyes.
“Phew—phew—”
My little chest heaved rapidly, soaked in cold sweat, my legs shaking violently… but I couldn’t afford to care about that, I quickly looked around and realized I was back in the manor.
I was still standing on the terrace from before. No crows, no dripping water; before me were the railings entwined with vines, not having moved an inch. Turning back, I saw the familiar second-floor corridor, the chandelier in the living room illuminating it brightly, devoid of the narrow dark hallway.
I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, sweating profusely, then fell into contemplation.
Was it a nightmare?
No, it didn’t feel like a nightmare. Can I even sleep standing?
But what in the world was that…?
My emotions were a jumble, and without thinking, I glanced back at the familiar house behind me, feeling a surge of fear.
I don’t want to be here…
Turning around, I bent my knees and jumped off the terrace without a second thought. Landing on the lawn, I bolted towards House No. 2 without looking back.
I can think about it later—one thing is for sure, there’s no way I’m doing a solo sleepover here tonight!
