Eternal Malediction (RE)

Chapter 122: Dead Eyes

The chamber remained silent after the wooden Orion disintegrated.

Dust drifted slowly through the air where the creature had vanished, mixing with the lingering smoke from the woman’s cigarette as broken wooden bodies covered the floor beneath her feet like a graveyard carved through sheer force.

Then she inhaled again, slowly; the ember at the end of the cigarette glowed brightly before dimming once more as she released the smoke from her chest in a long, tired breath.

Only then did she finally turn toward the sound she had heard earlier. The group by the door. Her gaze swept across them lazily from where she stood atop the pile of shattered monsters.

One face. Then another. A mixture of emotions moved through the group, from fear and confusion to shock, but none of it seemed to interest her. That was until her eyes landed on Roy.

And stopped.

Roy felt it immediately, not the pressure but the attention of her sharp gaze that was directed at him. For some reason, it caught him off guard.

Not because she was intimidating. But because of how intensely she looked at people, like she was searching through them rather than at them.

Then she spoke. "Stop looking at me."

Her voice echoed calmly through the chamber, and everyone immediately looked away except Roy. Marcus was the first to recover enough to speak.

The middle-aged man adjusted the cloth wrapped around his injured arm before stepping forward slightly. "We just got teleported here and we don’t know how to get out."

His voice remained steady despite the exhaustion. "Please. Can you help us?"

The woman stared at him for a few seconds and then exhaled smoke to the side. "Not my business."

The answer was immediate and cold. "If you want help, go ask someone else."

Several expressions in the group visibly shifted. Disappointment and frustration grew, and this caused Sophia to frown slightly. "That’s it?"

The woman shrugged faintly. "You surviving or dying has nothing to do with me."

Marcus stepped forward again, more desperate this time. "We have injured people. We don’t know what’s deeper in this place. You clearly do. Just tell us where to go."

She didn’t even look at him. "Walk. Or don’t. Not my problem."

Sophia’s voice cracked with frustration. "You just killed all those things! You clearly know what’s happening here!"

The woman finally turned her head, eyes half-lidded. "Knowing isn’t helping."

Harsh but honest. Roy narrowed his eyes slightly, and the woman noticed instantly as her gaze shifted back toward him. "You got a problem?"

Roy blinked once. "...Problem?"

"Yeah." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You."

The room became awkwardly quiet; Roy stared at her flatly. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The moment the sentence ended, she vanished and a shockwave cracked through the air as she appeared directly in front of him instantly.

Several people flinched backward, and her hand grabbed the front of Roy’s shirt tightly before anyone even processed the movement.

Fast. She was extremely fast.

The chamber went silent again, and the woman stared directly into Roy’s eyes with visible disdain on her face. "You have the eyes of a dead fish."

Roy’s expression flattened slightly, and one thing crossed Roy’s mind as she said that. Damn.

"You should change that."

Silence.

Then... Roy grabbed her coat too, firmly. The sudden movement caused Daniel to almost choke on air; Roy stared back at her without backing down.

"I don’t go around telling people to change themselves."

The woman’s gaze didn’t shift even slightly. "That’s because you haven’t lived long enough to see what staying the same costs."

The words landed harder than expected. For a brief second, neither moved, and then Roy reached upward calmly and took the cigarette directly from her fingers.

And inhaled from it and exhaled it to his right, where no one stood. The group stared in absolute disbelief; even the woman looked mildly surprised. Roy exhaled the smoke slowly back toward her face.

Then spoke calmly. "If you want change so badly..."

He handed the cigarette back toward her. "Change yourself. Don’t go around telling others to change."

The atmosphere snapped instantly, with pressure flooding the room of pure tension.

The woman’s eyes narrowed sharply, and Roy’s grip tightened slightly. For half a second, it genuinely looked like they were about to attack each other. Marcus quietly stepped backward.

Daniel whispered, "...Why is he provoking her?"

Sophia looked equally horrified. "I don’t think he knows he’s doing it."

The woman suddenly let go first. "Tch."

She pulled her shirt free from Roy’s grip before wiping her hands lazily against a cloth hanging from her coat. "Don’t care."

Completely dismissive, like the argument already bored her. Then she turned around casually and started walking toward the next massive door deeper within the chamber.

No goodbye: she just turned and left.

Marcus called after her, voice cracking. "We’re going to die if we go blind!"

She didn’t stop walking. "Then die quieter."

Sophia stepped forward, furious. "You can’t just leave us!"

The woman paused only long enough to flick ash off her cigarette. "Watch me."

The survivors parted instinctively to let her pass. Even Victor avoided eye contact, and Roy remained standing silently where he was.

His eyes followed her briefly before narrowing slightly.

Problem?

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Who was she to tell him he should change himself?

Roy looked down at his own hand briefly.

I don’t go around telling people who they should become. If someone changes, that should be their own decision. Not because someone else forced it onto them.

His jaw tightened slightly. If you’re so obsessed with change... Then change yourself.

The thought settled heavily in his chest. Because Roy refused to let someone else decide what kind of person he should be. Even if they were stronger. Even if they thought they understood him after one glance.

He exhaled slowly through his nose. "... Annoying woman."

But despite that, her words lingered longer than he wanted them to.

Roy muttered under his breath, loud enough for the group to hear, "And for the record... I’m not responsible for anyone’s worries. I don’t want responsibilities; I didn’t ask for others to care about me."