Hah…hah.
Yul pressed a hand against his chest, feeling the erratic rhythm of his heartbeat pounding through his ribs. He dropped into a squat tiredly, leaning against the cold stone wall behind him.
He was safe. At least, for now.
For the first time since he opened his eyes in this crazy place, he finally had a moment to breathe.
This place… whatever it was, felt like a ridiculous maze, pulled straight out of the pages of a dark folktale.
The stone-paved alleys twisted in unnatural directions. Tall chimneys and timber frames jutted out like broken spires, casting jagged shadows that stretched across the streets.
And the weirdest part about this place? He hadn't seen a single soul. Of course, not one that was alive.
Outside, the sky bled a strange, suffocating hue of red. The horizon sagged like a curtain of dried blood smeared across the heavens. Every inch of this place felt wrong to him.
How did I even end up here? Yul stretched out his legs and collapsed fully onto the cold, dusty floor. He beat his thighs, hoping it would stop them from shaking like crazy.
His whole body felt like jelly. He'd run so far, but the terror was still sitting in his chest like a weight.
Eventually, when the trembling dulled to a manageable tremor, he finally had the strength to examine his surroundings.
The place he was in looked like it had once been a home. A small stone house, maybe.
A crooked wooden chair sat in one corner, half-buried under what looked like a moldy cloth. The fireplace was choked with debris.
Judging from the layer of dust that piled as high enough to coat his boots and the cobwebs that clung to every corner, this house had probably been abandoned for years… even longer.
"Achoo—!"
A sneeze shattered the silence, loud enough to make him flinch. Close, and definitely not his!
His whole body jerked. But the more disturbing part was, there was no one else in the room besides him!
At least… There shouldn't be.
"Who—?"
Yul immediately reeled back into the corner, facing the four empty walls. He held his breath, eyes darting around the room nervously.
A ghost? It didn't sound like it.
To be fair, he was this close enough to shitting himself.
But luckily, at this time, a muffled groan was heard.
His ears perked up immediately. It came from near the crooked chair. It was like someone was stuffing a cloth over their face to stifle the sound.
Yul tensed. He picked up an old fire poker nearby, gripping it with both hands. He edged forward, one step at a time.
Just then, as if the other could no longer hold it, a series of loud sneezes erupted.
"Ac–achoo! Achoo! Ah—."
The voice was definitely very human. A male's at that.
Whew… as long as it's a human. Human is good, manageable.
Still, Yul didn't allow himself to let down his guard.
"Who are you? Show yourself!"
There was no reaction from the other party, and the whole place went silent again. For a moment, it really felt like he was talking to the floor like a mentally ill person.
Hah.
"So you won't just come out nicely, would you? Do you think I don't know where you are?"
Of course, he didn't know, but he could make a rough guess.
I'm just planning to draw out a reaction. As long as he takes the bait…
Sure enough, Yul paid attention to the sound, and he was right.
Whatever magic or sorcery the other party did, it couldn't block off the sound.
He heard a small rustle, almost inaudible, but he caught it. A soft shift under the moldy cloth. Bingo.
He immediately acted, lifting his arm high as if he were ready to swing.
Almost naturally, a panicked voice interrupted his action.
"W-wait, wait a minute." He yelped. "I was here first, okay? This was originally my hiding place! You barged in!"
Yul didn't lower his hand. "It doesn't matter. We'll talk after you appear in front of me."
Talking to the air felt even weirder than holding a weapon against it.
The other party negotiated.
"I don't mean any harm!" the voice insisted. "But I can't come out right now. Why don't we talk about it after the red hour ends?"
"No."
"What if you let the monsters eat me?! How can I trust you?"
"Come. Out."
Yul narrowed his eyes.
Do I look like an idiot? If I had that ability, I wouldn't be hiding here in the first place.
He waited.
Then, something changed, and the space in front of him started warping, disorienting the air.
Yul's grip on the rusty poker tightened instinctively.
Slowly, a crouching figure came into view—a young guy with messy brown hair, watching him alertly.
Yul couldn't express how relieved he was after he finally met his kind. A human. A normal-looking one at that. His stiff shoulders relaxed visibly.
But it can't be said the same for the other guy. With a stinky face, the guy took a step back and snorted.
"What do you want? I wasted a fairly good conceal just now. I only managed to get that one."
Obviously, pretty unfriendly.
Yul calmly glanced at him and sat down without answering, still not letting go of the poker. To protect himself, like a security blanket. Just in case.
To be honest, he had no idea what this guy was ranting about.
I don't get why this world is suddenly a magical place where monsters run wild and people can even be invisible.
I don't even know how I ended up here. It's honestly insane.
But hey, life is all about confidence.
And for some reason, he was quite confident that he wouldn't be disappointed. Must be innate.
Yul naturally had that cold resting face, and when he deliberately narrowed his eyes. He exuded that calm and quiet menace.
He thought about all the things he encountered today and pieced them all together before speaking.
"You see…" Yul said, looking up. "I just saw a man get eaten alive by a monster."