Rise of the OtherGod Apostle: Not a Cult Leader, but a Serf?!

#113Reader Mode

#113

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?”

“Not at all,” I said, frowning.

“Is that so? Then we might have a bigger problem than I thought.”

What kind of problem?

I thought my answer made perfect sense. Wouldn’t it be more alarming if I said I felt like my body wasn’t mine?

“Identifying the problem is just the first step in finding a solution,” Colomba explained, his voice measured. “But without understanding the underlying cause, we can only apply a temporary fix for now.”

“A temporary fix?”

He nodded towards my arm. “Your arm, Fabio—it’s only staying intact because I’m keeping it that way. If you wander too far from me, it will return to its… original state.”

A cold shiver crawled down my spine. “So, what you’re saying is…?”

“I’m saying that until we figure out what’s going on, you mustn’t leave my side.”

The weight of his words hit me hard.

If I tried to leave, my arm would just… crumble into a heap of bugs?

Part of me wanted to scream, “Don’t mess with me!” but I swallowed it down, forcing myself to stay calm. This was just a dream after all.

“So, as long as I stay close by, I’ll be okay?”

Colomba arched an eyebrow. “You’re taking this rather well, Fabio. I expected more… shock.”

I shrugged. “What’s the point of fighting it? It wouldn’t change anything anyway.”

“Haha. Is that so?”

How do I get out of this nightmare?

Smashing my head against a wall was off the table. Last thing I needed was the Research Director fussing over me, worried I’d given myself a concussion. And I definitely wasn’t keen on experiencing the sensation of bugs wiggling under my eyelids again.

“Well, since you’re here, might as well make the most of it,” Colomba said, his eyes alight with a disturbing excitement. “How about a tour of my lab?”

“No thanks,” I declined immediately, but Colomba either didn’t hear me or just pretended not to.

“Actually, this is perfect timing! There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

With a dramatic flourish, he swung open a door beside us, and inside… well, there were two heads that turned to look at me. But it wasn’t two people. It was one body. With two heads.

“Fabio!” The head protruding from the left shoulder beamed at me, all teeth and cheer.

The other head, attached on the right shoulder, chimed in, “You’re finally awake! How’s that arm of yours holding up?”

I stared, completely horrified. “…What the hell is that?”

The left head’s smile faltered, looking almost wounded. “‘That’? Ouch, Fabio! A little harsh, don’t you think? I used my own body to help reconstruct your arm!”

“This is Callister,” Colomba explained calmly. “And, well, that’s also Callister.”

The left head’s cheerfulness quickly bounced back. “Exactly! I told you we’d meet again!”

The right head nodded enthusiastically, mirroring the other’s energy. “Pleasure to finally meet you, I’m Callister.”

I felt like I was losing my mind. My subconscious was really outdoing itself with this bizarre scenario. No matter how many times I saw this, I doubted I’d ever get used to it.

“Do they share memories?” I asked, my voice more incredulous than I intended.

“Of course not. Their heads aren’t connected.” Colomba replied patiently.

Right. So they were basically two separate people sharing a single body. Over time, they’d probably develop their own personalities, their own ways of thinking. But wouldn’t it get confusing, calling them both Callister?

Honestly, I’d just call them by numbers. Way easier.

“But…why is there a second head attached to his shoulder?”

The Research Director looked at me like I’d just asked the most obvious question in the world. “Because without a body, Callister would die?”

…Right. Naturally. In a dream full of nonsense, nonsense is the only thing that makes sense.

I decided to just roll with it and accept the absurdity. It would actually be stranger if this whole two-Callister thing started making any sense.

“Is this who you wanted me to meet?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation back to some semblance of normalcy.

Colomba shook his head. “No, the person I want you to meet is further inside.”

A sense of unease crept over me. The idea of going deeper into the room made my stomach twist. Because inside, there was…

No, I’ve never been inside, I reminded myself firmly.

Which meant I had no clue what was in there.

And I’m definitely not about to accept an invitation to go in now.

I wasn’t reckless. I’d always been the cautious type. I hadn’t gone in before, hadn’t seen anything. That felt like the safer, smarter choice.

“Fabio.”

I flinched at the sound of my name. I turned to see Athanas standing there, looking like he was about to collapse. His face was ghostly pale, his eyes hollowed by exhaustion. Sweat glistened on his clammy skin. I half-expected him to start bleeding from the nose any second.

“What should I do?” he pleaded, his voice thick with desperation.

The question blindsided me.

What is he talking about?

“I did everything you asked. But now… now you believe this is all just a dream.”

I blinked. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Fabio,” he urged, his eyes searching mine with a desperate intensity that made me uncomfortable. “What reality do you truly desire? Where does your heart long to go back to?”

The reality I desire?

What a ridiculous question.

Reality is a shitty place—a place I have no desire to return to. But the longer I stay in this dream, the harder it is to imagine going back. I have to force myself to wake up.

“A dream! How fascinating! So, this is all taking place inside Fabio’s subconscious?”

Colomba chuckled, clearly amused by the unfolding drama.

“What an incredible experience, to find yourself as a character in someone else’s dreamscape!”

Athanas raised a hand, cutting through the Director’s amusement. “Please, give us a moment alone.”

“Haha, shouldn’t that be up to the dreamer?”

One Callister chimed in, “Exactly! Who are you to tell us to leave?”

The other Callister scoffed, “One might think you owned the entire laboratory.”

God, this is so chaotic…

Every time Colomba spoke, the Callisters had to jump in with their own comments, making my head feel like it was about to explode.

“Fabio! A word of advice from one fellow dream denizen to another!”

“…What is it?”

Colomba leaned in close, his eyes glittering with mischief. “Since this is all just a figment of your imagination, why not indulge a little? After all, what happens in a dream stays in a dream! None of this is actually real!”

The Callisters nodded eagerly, their voices overlapping with the Research Director’s.

“Let’s start by getting rid of the eyesore! You know, the one who makes us uncomfortable just by existing!”

“Exactly! Then we can have some real fun…”

“In that case, I’d be thrilled if you, Mr. Research Director, and the Callisters would just disappear from my sight. Immediately.”

Colomba’s jaw dropped, eyes widening in disbelief. “Was it I… who was the unwelcomed guest all along?”

Isn’t it obvious?

The Research Director let out a wail, burying his face dramatically in his arm. “Boohoo! How could this be? Such injustice! This is my precious laboratory!”

“If this is my dream, then doesn’t that make it my laboratory?”

He stopped mid-sob, blinking rapidly like a cartoon character caught off guard. Then, with a flourish that belonged on a theater stage, he straightened up. “Ah! Brilliant deduction! Your reasoning is impeccable! I surrender to your superior logic!”

With a slight bow, the Research Director, followed by the two-headed Callister, slipped behind me.

“What are you doing?” I demanded, spinning around to catch sight of them.

From somewhere just behind my left ear, the Director’s voice piped up, muffled and sly. “As you commanded, we have vanished from your view! Human sight, you see, is limited to what lies before the eyes!”

I tried to turn around again, but it was like they were stuck to my back, mirroring every movement perfectly. We spun in circles, like a weird dance nobody wanted to lead, going absolutely nowhere.

Colomba taunted playfully, “Haha! Can you see us? No? Then we must not be here!”

What the hell is wrong with this guy?

I was beyond frustrated.

“…Fabio.”

Athanas’ voice sliced through the chaos.

“Am I… your nightmare?”

His tone was soft, almost a whisper, so unlike the clamor around us. I turned to face him, his face pale, shadows like bruises under his eyes.

If anyone here’s trapped in a nightmare, it’s you.

He looked like he hadn’t seen a bed in weeks.

“Just say yes, Fabio!” Colomba shouted from behind me.

“Exactly, let’s tell him to get lost already!”

“I never liked him, not from the first moment I saw him!”

This is insane. I can’t take much more of this…

Couldn’t Athanas see the ‘Cluster’ behind me?

The noise was unbearable…

“Fabio, when you wake up from this dream… would you rather I didn’t exist?”

What’s he even talking about?

Frustration surged inside me. “If that were true, why would I be trying so hard to wake up?”

The real Athanas would be waiting for me on the other side of this dream. Not this fake one!

“…Why do you think I’m fake?”

Does he seriously expect me to answer that?

Explaining how I could tell the difference between the real and the fake would only help my brain craft a better illusion next time. I couldn’t risk escaping one dream only to land in a more convincing one.

“If you don’t tell me, you’ll never wake up. Because the ‘real’ Athanas… doesn’t exist.”

Great. Now he’s resorting to threats.

Like that’s gonna scare me…

“Perhaps that’s not such a terrible outcome!” Colomba added in from behind. “In dreams, you’re practically a god! Fabio, you can do anything—as long as you believe you can!”

If I could really do anything, I would’ve gotten rid of this Research Director first.

“Still unwilling to tell me…?” Athanas’ voice was strained, a pitiful plea bubbling just beneath the surface of his words. His hand shot out to his side naturally.

For a second, it seemed like he was grabbing at thin air. But then, his fingers curled around an invisible hilt. With an effortless pull, Athanas drew a sword from the empty space beside him, the blade shimmering into existence.

…Does Athanas seriously think I’m going to believe that this isn’t a dream after a stunt like that?

And why does he have an inventory already?

“That, that rude scoundrel!” Colomba sputtered. “Brandishing an unauthorized weapon in someone else’s laboratory!”

“Technically,” one of the Callisters said, “this is Fabio’s dream. We should stick to the established setting.”

“Even in a dream, a lab is a lab!” the other Callister argued. “It’s Lady Ledeia’s domain! How dare he!”

Well, it’s just a dream, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.

Actually, this might be exactly what I need.

A big enough shock could be what finally wakes me up.

Maybe getting stabbed by that sword will do the trick.

“Fabio! Fear not! I, Ledeia’s Apostle, am by your side. As an Apostle, I can control others within my domain…”

“But Athanas seems to be moving freely,” I pointed out.

“…There are occasional exceptions. However, even then, there are countermeasures. Callisters! Restrain him!”

“Oh, come now, I’m not even a month old! Send someone with more experience!”

“Indeed! Use someone less… fresh than me!”

Ignoring the Callisters’ protests, Athanas turned the sword toward his own throat. “…I’ll use my last resort.”

“Your last resort?”

“If you keep insisting I’m fake, I’ll kill myself right here, right now.”