CH 6

Evan slowly and cautiously proceeded through the dark corridor.

His footfalls were as light as a ghost's, though he remained oblivious to this fact. 

The corridor’s lighting caught his attention. The magic lamps had been replaced by flickering candles that spewed black smoke. Nobody knew how long they had been lying in the storeroom. 

Thin tin plates were placed behind the candles to reflect the feeble light, though it did not help much. The low light flickered in the vicinity of the candle, as dim as the gaze of a dying man.

In Evan's recollection, this corridor was not so dim (although it couldn’t be described as “bright” either. After all, who would use that word to describe the inside of the mage tower?)

After walking for a while, he reached the corridor's end, where a heavy, thick door stood. Eroded stone carvings inscribed with ancient characters stood on both sides of the door. The words could generally be interpreted as “Land of Consumption” (of course, it could also mean “Land of Devouring”, but who would even care about such semantics?)

This was the place where apprentice mages were provided with basic meals, yet it was obviously far from a pleasant dining experience. 

The mage apprentice cafeteria one floor up was not any better. The low arched ceiling was adorned with black oil stains and mold, and tall individuals would have to constantly keep a look out to avoid bumping into the swaying vintage chandelier. 

Regardless of the passage of time, this place remained dark and cramped. To the hapless apprentices who had no choice but to visit this place to obtain food, this damned place was more like a goblin lair than a dining area. 

The nauseating scent of inferior ingredients mingled with the musty odor. It not only destroyed the apprentices’ appetites, but also caused them great revulsion.

It was said that the mage tower cafeteria incorporated the corpses of ill-fated experimental subjects into their dishes. Evan had always dismissed such tales with a scoff, but this did not stop him from secretly envying true mages — they could create Vitality potions and ingest them in place of food, and thus avoid the nightmarish food served in the cafeteria.

Given the choice, Evan would have preferred to avoid this accursed place altogether. 

Pushing open the door, he immediately felt eyes on him.

Countless gazes and whispers rippled through the crowd, all directed straight at him.

Evan wasn't surprised by this. 

Even someone with a snail’s brain would be able to sense his abnormality.

These days, Evan had become very, very thin. He looked like a piece of thin skin clinging to a skeleton, and his sunken cheeks outlined the contours of his skull. 

However, contrary to expectations, he did not give off an aura of weariness, desolation, or madness. Instead, an inexplicable vitality radiated from Evan despite his emaciated state.

His aristocratic black hair now shimmered like the feathers of a high-ranking nightmare crow, iridescent and pitch-black. Though his thin lips, which once hid a faint smile, were now tightly pursed, they still retained a striking crimson hue, as if they had been pressed against the pure white neck of a virgin, savoring the gushing blood.

And his eyes — oh, his eyes — resembled two emeralds embedded in white jade. Emeralds were gems full of forest magic, yet Evan’s eyes were lifeless woods.

“Vitality” surged within that forest, yet it remained deathly silent.

These contrasting auras permeated not only Evan's eyes but his entire being.

The unnatural distortion and bizarreness attracted everyone’s attention, but it also made them afraid of maintaining prolonged eye contact or engaging with him in any way. 

It was a base instinct — or perhaps it could be chalked up to the intuition of spellcasters. Every last one of Evan's peers feared and recoiled from this abnormal, hapless man at the soul level.

Such behavior was akin to a young child clamping their hands over their eyes, believing that by doing so, the beast with crimson eyes and saliva-drenched yellow fangs before them would simply vanish.

Evan's temples pulsed rhythmically, as if he could hear the faint sound of blood coursing through his veins. Of course, this might not just be an “as if”.

Evan realized that his hearing seemed to be sharper.

Everyone's attention seemed to be fixated on the various mishaps unfolding within the Mage Tower. It was as if the momentary silence that had accompanied Evan’s entrance was just an illusion.

"Have you heard? The magic rune disks are failing one by one..."

"...The magic circuits have been obstructed. Who could have foreseen Mithril rusting..."

"Summoning... No one can successfully summon anything. Trust me, you won’t even be able to summon a single magic fly...”

"Oh, gods... none of the life magics are working. I thought it was just me... No... It didn’t... You can’t even perform the little tricks that require the absorption of free magic particles...”

"God, I really don’t want to stay here. This is awful...”

...

Expressionless, Evan passed by those people as they muttered amongst themselves. The cafeteria seemed busier than he had anticipated due to the failures of the various life magics. 

Some of them were queueing up and collecting mottled gray porridge, chowders with concerning ingredients, and sour beer dispensed from several wooden barrels about half a man’s height placed against the wall.

Fortunately, the Mage Tower still offered sour beer.

Evan suspected that sour beer was the only liquid his stomach could tolerate. 

He collected some sour beer and caused a brief uproar in the process. Some individuals were angered by his line-cutting, though the commotion quickly subsided. 

Evan paid it no mind. All he could feel was his intensifying headache and the tinnitus in his ears caused by his over-sensitive hearing.

Clutching a tin cup, Evan staggered until he found a table closest to the light source and took a seat.

Rustle...

He could hear the faint sound of countless tiny insect limbs scraping against crevices in stone, reminding him of the pitter-patter of rain.

That was the sound of innumerable minuscule creatures — so small that even mages using magical sight would struggle to spot — attempting to escape.

Crack.

Whoosh...

Crackle...

Amidst the insectile cacophony, Evan could also hear the sound of the Mithril-etched magic circuit contorting and deforming under unknown forces, the cracking sound of rune disks breaking down from their base materials, and the anguished screams and wails of a mage — possibly even a high-ranking one — as their spells backfired...

Oh, and there was that sound of friction, too.

Thud thud... thud... thud...

Evan thought his body was trembling slightly, for his vision was mildly distorted.

“...”

Evan’s breathing became heavy all of a sudden.

He lowered his pale face and gazed at his trembling hands.

The hand holding the tin cup was shaking unstoppably. His nails tapped against the metal surface, producing a series of soft knocking sounds, sounding like...

Thud thud...

Evan imagined himself screaming, jumping to his feet, and flinging that cup away. However, in reality, he could only sit frozen in place, drenched in sweat and overwhelmed by fear of the illusory sound in his head.

He had a strong sense that something was approaching.

Something wrapped in dense mist, illusory and indescribable by shape, color, or even words.

It was... “Him”.

“He” was coming.

"Hey..."

The light abruptly dimmed.

A young man appeared before Evan.

"Evan, you look terrible."

Evan slowly lifted his head, staring blankly at Alister, whose bright red hair constantly swayed in his field of vision like a cluster of flames.

Alister's voice seemed distant.

"... Evan?"

Noticing Evan's strange reaction, Alister furrowed his brow.

He reached out and touched Evan's shoulder, finding that his body was as rigid as a stone.

"Evan! Can you speak? Can you see me?"

Alister gently shook Evan.

It was only then that Evan came back to his senses.

He raised his mesmerizing green eyes and looked at Alister.

Those eyes belong to the abyss...

Alister had no idea why these words came to mind.

In fact, Alister didn't need to get close to Evan Reeves to sense that something was off. That abnormal thinness, that peculiar stiffness, and... 

That strange allure.

Since entering the mage tower, Alister's mind had been captivated by Evan. Yes, Alister found Evan's pale skin, emerald green eyes, and black hair appealing.

But Alister swore that until a certain point in time, the man before him had never possessed such poisonous appeal.

Right now, just looking at Evan caused chills to run down Alister's spine. A shaky feeling caused every hair on his back to stand on end. The reason was simple — he was just excited and nervous.

Alister's heart raced. He had no doubt that even in this state, if Evan’s vacant gaze turned to him and he asked him to rip out his own heart, he would do it.

But of course... Evan didn't make that request.

It took the dark-haired apprentice a while, but he eventually regained his composure (like a vampire thawing out bit by bit after being hit by a powerful freeze spell).

"Ugh... I think... I'm... great,” Evan murmured in a peculiar tone.

Alister observed as he held the glass with both hands, sipping the sour beer like a small animal. Clearly frightened, Evan's hand trembled continuously, causing the beer to splash out, dampening his grayish apprentice robes.

"God, did... did Mage Doug do something to you?"

Alister struggled to control the surge of emotions within him and lowered his voice to ask softly.

However, Evan's reaction made it seem as though it took him a long time to remember who Mage Doug was.

"No, that’s not it.”

Despite his answer, it was apparent that Evan felt better after hearing Alister’s question. He shook his head, a bitter smile flickering at the corner of his mouth.

"I wish it were him instead," Evan said ambiguously.

For a moment, Alister almost feared that the youth before him would shatter completely, just like a precious emerald or some other valuable gem after being struck hard. He’d break apart and turn into floating fragments of colorful powder.

It was a strange thought, but Alister couldn't help but worry.

"I can help you," Alister leaned closer and held Evan's hand, "just as you helped me before. I can give you my life. After all, you gave me this life.”

Evan's hand felt like ice.

"Help me?"

"Yes, all you need to do is ask..."

For a brief moment, Alister sensed the black-haired man in front of him wavering.

Like a drowning person unable to resist a piece of driftwood floating towards them, Evan seemed to have made up his mind to grasp on to Alister’s extended hand.

"Do you know about the room?" 

However, Evan abruptly asked a rather peculiar question.

"The room among the stars, the visitors, and Them."

“Room...? What room?” Alister couldn't help but ask.

He regretted it a second later — immensely.

Because he realized that his answer had destroyed everything.

Despair filled Evan's eyes, breaking Alister's heart. Slowly, he withdrew his hand from Alister's grip.

"No, forget everything I said. Thank you, Alister, but you can't help me no one can help me no one—"

Evan abruptly stopped talking. From Alister's perspective, it seemed as though he was listening to something, and it was evident that this "something" terrified Evan.

"No... no..."

Evan's teeth chattered, and he muttered a series of incoherent words.

Just as Alister was about to probe further, a black figure burst through the door and crashed onto the greasy, dark floor of the cafeteria.

"Apprentice Evan Reeves, Apprentice Evan Reeves—"

Immediately afterward, the figure leaped up from the ground.

It was a crow-shaped communication bird that was powered by a magic stone, which explained why it still functioned.

However, the inexplicable magic malfunction had clearly affected it as well. All the artificial feathers on its body had fallen off, leaving only the white skeletal frame and the continuously pulsating and flashing red magic stone inside.

It had twisted and broken its neck in a previous flight incident, so it could only hang its ugly bird head and emit shrill screeches with its bright red eyes unblinking. It then flopped toward Evan's direction.

Alister caught it and carefully handed it to Evan.

"Instructor Doug... is... looking for me... I should go..."

Evan read the message delivered by the communication bird, muttering intermittently, a dreamy daze still lingering on his face.

"Evan, wait, you have to be careful—"

For some reason, the communication bird, with its lolling neck that was the result of an accident and bizarre, screeching voice, filled Alister with a horrible feeling.

Just like how Mage Doug filled him with a horrible feeling.

However, Evan’s feelings were evidently contrary. He even looked better than before.

"No, it's fine, he... he's still alive.” 

A strange shiver ran down Alister’s spine. Evan's words seemed to suggest that he had already confirmed that Mage Doug was no longer alive.

Alister had correctly interpreted Evan's thoughts. 

Indeed, based on Evan’s understanding, Mage Doug was not supposed to be alive — he hadn’t forgotten the nightmarish sound he heard when he closed the door on the latter.

He even felt a hint of relief. 

This was the first time in days that he’d felt his heavy stress ease up.

Perhaps even Evan himself would never have expected that he would one day be rejoice over someone like Mage Doug being alive — even if only for a brief period.

Evan's relief lasted only until he pushed open the heavy door to Mage Doug's laboratory. 

It was extremely dark inside.

That was the first thing Evan noticed after entering.

Mage Doug had not lighted up the magic lamps, nor did he burn fluorescent stones, much less activate any light magic. He did not even light up a single magicless candle.

The only thing that could be considered a source of light in the huge laboratory was the unicorn blood on the testing bench, which emitted a grayish-green glow after losing its activity. 

Evan could bet that the deteriorated unicorn blood there was the same one he had handled during his last visit.

Mage Doug was seated in a corner with his back to Evan, his shoulders raised high while his hair hung loose.

“...”

Evan contemplated leaving the moment he laid eyes on Mage Doug, but he was still a step too late. 

An invisible, ice-cold string seemed to trip him, causing him to stumble into the laboratory just as the door slammed shut behind him.

"Mage Doug?" 

Evan attempted to steady his breathing as he addressed Mage Doug softly.

After the door locked shut, the darkness within the laboratory seemed to intensify.

A peculiar odor permeated the entire laboratory. Evan once again smelled that ominous, dizzying metal scent that never failed to make him tremble. He could also smell rotting potions, the stale scent of moldy objects, and the scent of excrement after a person went too long without a wash.

The overwhelming stench filled Evan's nostrils, prompting him to cover his mouth. 

He widened his eyes and stared straight at Mage Doug's direction.

There was only silence.

For a moment, Evan thought that Mage Doug was dead. Now, he would rather Mage Doug be dead.

But soon, he heard muddled giggles.

It was Mage Doug’s voice, but it also was not.

"Hee hee..." 

Evan truly wanted to bolt out the door and escape. However, some part of him was telling him clearly that there was no way he could open that door.

Under such circumstances, Evan had no choice but to suppress his fear. Clenching his teeth, he carefully made his way to Mage Doug.

“You called for me?”

Evan hoped that his voice sounded calm enough, but god knows how badly he was shaking right now.

The communication bird that was still in his grasp abruptly let out a muffled cracking sound. Its skeleton had been completely destroyed by Evan.

Evan recalled that Mage Doug kept his laboratory relatively well-organized, but that was not the case now. A chaotic mess was all that was left. 

Precious scrolls and ancient texts lay torn and scattered on the ground like discarded trash that nobody cared about. Fragments of the broken sculpture of the goddess of magic and funnels filled with alluvial gold were strewn about. 

The remnants of these objects were stained with traces of rotting unicorn blood, painting a faint green line reminiscent of a graveyard illuminated by will-o'-the-wisps.

As for Mage Doug, he played the role of a "zombie in the graveyard." 

“Heehee... I have a little kitty... my kitty is the cutest...”

Mage Doug squatted on the ground. He crouched not with the posture of a mage, but with that of a wild dog.

The humming of the nursery rhyme continued.

Evan stepped closer and got a clearer look.

He originally thought that Mage Doug was dressed in mage robes, but that was not the case.

The mage who was no longer young but always paid attention to his appearance (he would even use beautifying magic seriously) was completely naked. 

All he had was a plush blanket with kitten print draped over himself. His pale thin thighs stretched out from beneath the blanket. His muscles and skin hung loosely on his frame, and the bones on his knee seemed to almost jut out of his skin.

"Goddess of Magic above..." 

Evan felt his teeth chattering.

“He hopes for you to see... His existence... hopes for you to acknowledge His greatness...” Mage Doug murmured.

His words were not enunciated clearly, for his mouth was filled with fresh blood.

His arm was unevenly broken from the shoulder. His white bones looked faintly green under the light, while his blood looked pitch black.

Evan began to stagger backward in horror. 

Mage Doug tore off one of his arms right before Evan before meticulously drawing symbols on the ground with the profusely bleeding limb.

"Mage... Doug... what are you doing?" 

Evan almost thought that he was trapped in another nightmare, just like the ones that visited him endlessly in his recent disoriented days.

Mage Doug abruptly ceased his humming upon hearing Evan's question. 

Still grabbing on to his arm, he slowly turned his head. His face had become dry and withered, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"He wants to see you...” Mage Doug rasped, his chin stained with blood.

“He realized that you belong to Him the moment he laid eyes on you... You stood at the window like a pale dead star... a deceased nebula... You should witness what He has prepared for you... You should... return... to the palace He constructed for you..."

Mage Doug crawled towards Evan while muttering.

"Mage Doug, ugh, NO—!”

Evan screamed, retreating while casting sobriety spells at Mage Doug.

However, just like before, the little spells proved useless. The glow of the spells were as weak as static on a winter’s day. It could only spark at Evan’s fingertips before disappearing.

"I'm terrified... Ugh... He is horrifying... horrifying... heeheehee, I have a cute kitty...”

Mage Doug would display fleeting moments of sanity once in a blue moon, but oddly enough, these glimpses of lucidity frightened Evan more than his madness did.

He whimpered, cried, erupted into wild laughter, and sang songs. His movements started out clumsy and slow, and Evan could just barely keep his distance, but Mage Doug’s movements soon became swifter. Of course, he also looked less and less human.

His knees knocked against the floor. His remaining arm supported his weight from the front and his back arched high.

In theory, maintaining his balance should have been challenging for Mage Doug, yet to Evan's astonishment, the latter had found an inexplicable solution.

The mage's severed limb — the one that had previously been oozing blood — seemed to have softened.

It became pliant, boneless, flexible but resilient.

A bunch of things that resembled tentacles surged out from his young and circles of purple-red suction cups could be seen embedded in the flesh-toned appendages.

Evan turned his head and sprinted frantically.

"He loves you... loves you... He'll come for you... for you... huff... huff..."

Mage Doug's voice stretched out, growing harsh and distorted.

Later on, Evan would find this game of chase humiliating and pathhetic, devoid of any noteworthy details — his mind had gone completely blank. He couldn't comprehend why things had turned out this way, and he didn't want to dwell on it. He robotically ran along the wall and the experimental equipment placed high and low, like a tiny trapped monster running blankly in a mouse wheel.

As for Mage Doug, his situation appeared even more tragic.

Even a dog possessed better hunting skills than him. Stripped of his wisdom and humanity as a mage, he aimlessly pursued Evan, letting out howls devoid of any intelligence.

Finally, after countless laps, Evan staggered around the test bench, panting. He mustered his strength and forcefully pushed the display rack housing numerous bottles and cans.

"Shut up! I told you to shut up, damn it!"

Evan roared, his voice filled with despair.

BOOM—

The crystal vessels all emitted cracking sounds.

A reaction occurred between some reagents, creating a bright light that abruptly pierced through the oppressive darkness of the laboratory.

The light crawled along the water stains on the floor and illuminated the entire laboratory, bathing it in light so bright it seemed to be day.

“AHHHHH—”

Behind Evan, Mage Doug let out a cry of pain.

Evan swiftly turned his head, catching a glimpse of a figure.

It might have been Mage Doug, or maybe not.

Evan recognized the ridiculous blanket adorned with countless yellow kittens, but it was difficult to accept that the soft-looking white entity beneath the blanket was the mage he once knew.

It had countless entwined white tentacles with purplish-red suction cups attached to it. Its head appeared wrinkled. Gray and black strands of hair fell off, causing splotches of baldness.

It was evidently terrified of light.

The moment light flooded the room, it darted towards a particular corner, where the laboratory discharged wastewater (and excess experimental subject blood).

The pipe's opening was no wider than a bowl, yet as Evan turned his head, he witnessed a multitude of tentacles squeezing into the narrow opening.

"Huff... huff... huff...”

Evan gasped for air.

He heard squelching sounds coming from the pipe. It was the sound of a moist invertebrate being crushed.

He even caught a faint scream.

The blanket fell by the drain, covered in mucus resembling snot.

The luminosity emitted by the potions gradually faded.

Evan shifted his gaze from the drain and looked at the spot where Mage Doug had been squatting earlier.

Upon seeing what Mage Doug had painted with his own blood, Evan's body froze once again.

"He wants you to witness... witness His existence..."

In his daze, Evan heard Mage Doug's hoarse and eerie murmur resound by his ear.

***

Translator's Note: I'll be overseas for the next couple of weeks, so there won't be any new chapters. Releases should resume mid/late July.