I didn’t want to meet anyone who worshipped the ‘Distorted One’ or any Othergod for that matter.
But I need information.
“What’s the Prophet like?” I asked, trying to sound curious.
Andrea’s voice was thick with reverence. “He is the Lord’s Apostle, entrusted with the mission to restore order to this world.”
“Uuugh…”
Seojun let out a pained groan, frowning as he tried to work out the kinks in his back and shoulders with his gavel. He’d been so engrossed in the notebook that he hadn’t even noticed his muscles tensing up, protesting every time he moved. No surprise, really. Getting kidnapped by someone who knocked people out without a second thought and then tying them to a chair was far from a relaxing spa experience.
“Athanas?”
“Please just... give me a moment. Let me stay like this.”
“What?”
Before I could react, Athanas pulled me into a tight embrace.
I... I can’t breathe.
His heart pounded wildly against my chest, like he’d sprinted all the way here. But then, slowly, it began to steady, each beat calming as if settling after a storm. His voice, barely a whisper, reached my ear.
The Invisible Man’s Mansion... it’s this place?
Seojun stared at the diary, disbelief twisting across his face. He could still hear Tim’s voice in his head, the details hazy, but the feverish tone unmistakable.
“…What exactly are you planning to do with that?” I asked, trying to keep the apprehension out of my voice.
“Curious, are we?” He smirked, clearly enjoying this.
“Not really...” I muttered.
Actually, not at all. I really, really didn’t want to know.
It was an odd sentence. Seojun’s fingers hesitated above the paper, barely brushing its surface. At first glance, the words seemed to carry a hint of concern, but the sharp, stretched handwriting had a distinctly cold undertone. Could you really get a sense of someone’s personality just from the way they wrote? Or was his mind playing tricks on him again?
...Is he an idiot?
The thought flashed through my mind the second he blurted out his threat to kill himself.
How is that supposed to be a threat, exactly?
Is there even a law against aiding and abetting suicide in the Dark Realm?
These questions spun around in my head. Not that I’d find any joy in watching someone die—obviously, it’s not a pleasant sight. But deep down, I knew Athanas wasn’t serious.
The Wizard’s hands and feet were still untied, and his head wasn’t covered with a sack or anything. So, maybe he could still escape by trying out different codes, right? Seojun hoped he could get out first, call 911, and report the kidnapping. Still, it was always wise to hear someone out, even if they weren’t speaking in Korean.
I hesitated, unsure of how to respond. “...No?”
He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing with a sharp, probing intensity, like he was trying to peel away my skin and read whatever secret lay underneath.
“Do you ever feel... detached from your body? Like it doesn’t quite belong to you?”
The voice that cut through the dead silence of the courtroom was far from human, amplifying the eerie stillness that gripped the room. Seojun’s room had no windows, its heavy doors locked tight, trapping him in a suffocating, claustrophobic space. The air was thick and cold, buzzing with a sense of dread you could almost touch.