"A small frame with a subdued expression, a face stuck like a skull of someone who was once alive, holding a staff made from the bones and spine of a person."
"The most surprising thing is that this person is here."
"When this girl died, she was almost nothing but skin and flesh, and she fell to the place where I am while still alive."
"Then, she twisted and disappeared without leaving a trace, as if she had never existed."
"At least, she's not someone who references my memories."
"In my mind, it’s strange to have Hyoukesuni here."
"Since the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign said I’m the master, I thought this place might be a mental world, like in many works, but Hyoukesuni is here. And Daegon said I’m a guest."
"Is one of them lying?"
"A demon from somewhere comes to mind."
"What kind of place is this? To figure it out, the simplest and most certain way is to face it."
"I approached Hyoukesuni."
"‘We’ve met for the third time.’" "‘It should be the second time.’"
"Hyoukesuni said something strange. Second time?"
"Now that I think about it, the atmosphere of the dream changed suddenly. If there had been many mixed forms of flesh, corpses, and trash, like a cruel fairy tale, from some point, I started meeting past people."
"When was it?"
"It was after meeting Hyoukesuni. From then on, people I knew began to appear. Not unknown corpses or animal carcasses."
"Then, I need to ask this question."
"‘What do you think about people who laugh when they're scared?’"
"Hyoukesuni’s expression twisted sharply at my question. Then, she made a face of disgust."
"‘Are you mocking me?’"
"Yes. This is definitely closer to the real Hyoukesuni I know. And the first Hyoukesuni I met is not the one in front of me."
"There’s still no light or warmth, so she’s probably a fake."
"‘Yes, I’m mocking you. You’re a witch, right? Answer the question.’"
"If this is a mental world, it should be fine to speak casually. Hyoukesuni’s face twisted in disgust, then, when I insisted, she flinched and looked up at me, her face filled with fear."
"‘I think it’s pathetic.’"
"She thinks it’s pathetic. But this isn’t the real Hyoukesuni’s words. It’s just meaningless mutterings."
"‘I’m going to enter the castle ahead.’"
"Hyoukesuni looked at me, then subtly turned her gaze away and looked behind me. There’s probably something behind me."
"I didn’t turn around intentionally."
"Probably, it’s a witch. An unnamed witch."
"Since something started to change after I asked Hyoukesuni the question, I wonder what went wrong there?"
"If she’s following me, she should show me everything."
"I can predict what’s beyond the pitch-black walls with no depth."
"‘You know this is the opposite side of the exit, right?’"
"At Hyoukesuni’s words, I nodded. Yes, I know. At first, I thought I was watching a fairy tale, thinking maybe I’d meet the Heart Queen if I went to the castle."
"But halfway through, I forgot. It wasn’t a fairy tale scene anymore, suddenly, I started meeting people from the past."
"That’s why I moved toward the castle. And midway, I found a reason to keep going."
"‘Yes. I know.’"
"Hyoukesuni hesitated, wasting time. So, I stared at her. When she caught my gaze, she made a truly disgusted face, then finally walked to the wall."
"She placed her staff against the wall and knocked it lightly."
"Boom!"
"With a loud sound, the wall cracked and opened. The stones that made up the wall moved and formed the shape of a castle gate. But there was no door, only endless darkness inside."
"And beyond that darkness, a white castle appeared."
"I didn’t hesitate and stepped into the darkness. I was engulfed in dense darkness, so thick it seemed to stick."
"My body touched the darkness."
"I felt nothing. It’s the same coldness I always felt. The coldness I’m feeling right now. The cold that endlessly grows stronger, making it impossible to get used to. The cold that drives me mad. Is it ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) the madness that’s making it cold? I kept walking, not wandering aimlessly, but walking toward my destination."
"‘Kyaaaaa!’"
"Suddenly, I heard a scream from above."
"A pitch-black lizard jumped down from above. When did something like that get up there?"
"The lizard screamed as it hurriedly ran toward the opposite side of the darkness, desperately heading for where I came from."
"I could faintly see wings fluttering in the darkness. Is it a dragon, not a lizard?"
"But it seemed to have forgotten how to use its wings and was crawling as if it was desperately trying to run away from something scary. It’s a lizard."
"In the middle of the lizard’s body."
"It’s the only thing with light here. The only one among the people I’ve seen, it has warmth."
"I suspect it’s the witch who brought me to this place."
"But did she forget? If it had been attached above my head, it should have remembered everything I’ve done so far."
"The lizard ran and then collided with an invisible wall at the exit. It was helpless, unable to go any further."
"It just needed to take one step forward to escape the darkness, but it couldn’t."
"The light area was right in front."
"But its body couldn’t escape the darkness."
"‘Khehehe.’"
"Before the lizard, Hyoukesuni stood, mocking the poor creature."
"‘You can’t get out this way.’" "‘Open it! Open it!’"
"The lizard cried out. It had a strange voice, overlapping a male and female voice. I watched them, then continued walking forward."
"The witch."
"It’s interesting, but right now, I want to see what’s inside here."
"Besides, I still have an unused key in my pocket. I wonder what’s inside what this key can open."
"I kept walking forward, toward the castle that now seemed close."
"‘It’s Maleficent’s command! Open the door! Open it! Why? Why isn’t magic coming out! Let me out! Let me out of here! Please! I beg you! It’s too cold here!’" "‘Kihihi. You fool. You should have run away when you got hit by the memory of the dream. It’s already too late.’"
"The faint sound of their conversation lingered in my ears before disappearing. I heard something like the real Hyoukesuni for the first time in a while. And I also heard the witch’s name."
"Now that I have new information, I’ll be able to use it well."
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"I thought that and kept walking forward."
"Step by step."
"The sound from behind faded and eventually disappeared. The distance was strange. The castle, which had been right in front of me, didn’t appear no matter how much I walked."
"I vaguely started to feel what this world is."
"If my guess is right, I’ll have to walk through this darkness for quite a while."
"Step by step."
"I walked for what felt like a long time in the cold, dark space."
"Just when I had lost track of time, a city appeared in front of me."
"A dull city, like a black-and-white silent movie, with no color or sound."
"The faded city where the man from my memories once lived."
"A city I should be nostalgic for."
"In a way, it seems like I’ve barely made it home. Though it’s not the real one."
"I looked up at the sky. Unlike the city, the sky was bright blue. And I saw a towering spire high up."
"It’s a building far from where I originally lived."
"I’ve heard it resembles a tower in some movie, so from a distance, it might look like a castle."
"But in black and white, it’s shining so brightly. A space in black and white is either white or black when viewed from outside."
"But isn’t entering such a place something that happens when there’s a trigger of awakening?"
"I never expected to end up in such a place. I kept walking, heading toward the neighborhood where the man from my faded memories lived. I know the way to the house."
"It’s the path I wished for in the darkness."
"I walked down that path."
"And after what seemed like a short but long time, I reached the door. The place where the door lock should be."
"I see a large keyhole."
"I took the key with the erased letters from my pocket and inserted it."
"Clang!"
"But the key didn’t fit."
"Huh?"
"Could it be that I was supposed to get a key somewhere, and I missed it? Or should I have brought the witch earlier? I could go back now, but it would be quite a laborious task."
"So, I moved along the corridor, pressed the elevator button, but it still didn’t move, so I headed for the stairs."
"I opened the emergency exit door to go down the stairs, but it didn’t open."
"What’s going on? Is this a bug?"
"I looked around, but I couldn’t find a way back. Eventually, I returned to the door. I wondered if I could jump down, so I tried to climb over the wall of the corridor, but there was a hard wall blocking the empty space."
"The door lock turned into a keyhole, but the key still didn’t fit."
"I wondered if I should try the doorbell."
"No sound came."
"This time, I knocked on the door."
"But even after waiting, no one came out."
"I guess I wasn’t supposed to ignore the companion and leave. What do I do now?"
"Standing still in the corridor, I suddenly heard footsteps."
"The elevator opened, and a man walked out."
"It’s me."
"Though my face doesn’t look like it’s been painted black, I know it’s my face."
"The man walked toward me, took a key from his pocket, and opened the door."
"I glanced at the key, and the word ‘Past’ was written at the end."
"The door opened, and a small house appeared. The man entered, so I followed him inside."
"He acted as if he didn’t recognize me."
"The total sum of my memories."
"If it’s like that, what should I do here?"
"While thinking that, I looked around the house, and the man changed clothes, relaxed, and entered the room to turn on the TV."
"Then suddenly, he spoke to me."
"‘It’s the exit door.’"
"Saying that, he pointed at the crackling screen."
"‘Is the theme park over?’" "‘Have you done some self-reflection?’" "‘Impossible.’"
"I couldn’t possibly do that. When I shook my head to deny it, the man smiled with the only visible lower jaw, as if he expected it."
"‘Right. What would we do with that? If the show’s over, just go back.’" "‘Right.’"
"Then suddenly, he took the key from his pocket."
"‘Do you know what this is?’"
"‘Do you think I know when you don’t?’"
"‘It’s useless.’"
"‘That’s how all memories of the past are.’"
"I must have missed the door I was supposed to enter. I talked aimlessly with the man, then went into the TV. I wasn’t too worried."
"When I play games, once I clear the scenario with 60% progress, I just leave it behind."
"Then I felt a sensation of falling from a high place, and I woke up in my bed."
"The luxurious accommodation in front of the Royal Academy. The ceiling there."
"I’ve returned to the real world."
"I don’t know what’s going on, but since I got the witch’s name, let’s say everything turned out well. And I can also feel the weight of something metallic near my buttocks."
"So the witch’s name is Maleficent?"
"It’s a very classic name."