Chapter 4
The laughter echoed all around him.
Low. Twisted. Repeating.
Again and again.
Aeren covered his ears, but it was useless. The sound wasn't just in the air anymore — it was inside his head.
He shouted, "Stop it!"
But the laughter only grew louder… and darker.
Then it stopped.
Just like that.
Total silence.
He opened his eyes slowly.
There — just ahead — was the shadow again.
Still there.
Still watching.
But even now, with the fog slightly cleared… he couldn't see its full shape. Only its outline.
Aeren wanted to run. Every part of him told him to run.
But he didn't.
His legs were shaking.
His hands were cold.
His eyes were blurry — not from tears, but from fear.
And still… he stepped forward.
One shaky step at a time.
As he got closer, the shadow started to take shape.
Not completely. Just enough to make his heart pound louder than before.
It was… human-like.
Two legs — but thin, like sticks.
Arms that hung down strangely, bent like twisted tree roots.
And its head…
Its face…
It wasn't round.
Not like a normal human face.
It was square — not perfect, but sharp-edged and flat. Like someone had carved its face from a piece of stone and then forgotten to finish it.
There were no eyes.
No mouth.
Just dark cracks… like something was hiding inside.
Aeren's breath caught in his throat.
And then —
The square face turned toward him.
He gasped and stepped back.
But before he could run —
The creature raised one arm, slow and stiff… and pointed directly at Aeren's chest.
And something inside him sparked.
A flicker.
A strange pulse.
Like something hidden deep in his soul had just been woken up.
The arm of Mr. Faceless stayed raised, still pointing straight at Aeren's chest.
And the space between them began to pulse.
A strange light.
Slow at first… then faster.
Each pulse hitting Aeren like a silent drumbeat inside his body.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Panic rose in his throat.
He wanted to move.
He wanted to scream.
But his legs…
They weren't moving.
They weren't listening.
It was as if they weren't even his legs anymore.
Aeren tried to turn his head, to look away — but his neck stiffened.
His body was no longer under his control.
And Mr. Faceless?
He was changing.
Long, branch-like structures started to grow out from his back — slowly twisting, curling like they were alive.
Aeren watched in frozen horror as the branches began to bloom — not with leaves, but with eyes.
Dozens of eyes.
All of them opened at once.
And all of them stared at Aeren.
But that wasn't the worst part.
Between those twisted arms…
Held tightly in one of Mr. Faceless's claw-like hands…
Was something familiar.
Aeren's eyes widened.
His heart skipped.
It was… his own face.
His exact face.
Lifeless.
Expressionless.
Like a mask carved from his soul.
His mouth opened slightly in disbelief, but no sound came out.
He couldn't feel fear anymore.
He couldn't feel anything.
It was as if he had become like Mr. Faceless — cold, silent, hollow.
In that moment…
Aeren wasn't sure where he ended and the creature began.
End of Chapter 4
(To be continued...)