Chapter Text
It started with a delivery at your door, a strange tablet inside, and a burning curiosity you couldn’t resist.
What was supposed to be a normal tablet turned out to be one with a strange app you couldn't delete.
At first, you didn’t think much of a device that hadn't been reset. After all, it was a second-hand one. The owner could have forgotten to erase everything. However, not only did the tablet open without a password, but you could also not factory reset it. So, instead of doing the reasonable thing and contacting the previous owner right away, your curiosity drove you to look through it.
There was one app that was unfamiliar, almost bizarre. It was the only app you couldn't delete or move. If it were any sane person, they should have grown suspicious and had the tact to not interact with the tablet any further. However, any sane person would also realise that too much curiosity was a human’s vice.
Indeed, it was yours.
You opened the app and found that it was a private forum that asked you to register for an account.
'...'
Since you already came so far...
You registered an account for the forum.
To be honest, you weren’t really thinking at that moment. You just did everything on a whim. It wasn’t like anything mattered in the grand scheme of things, anyway. Sure, your actions weren’t a great idea, but—
Unexpectedly, your reckless curiosity served some use.
You couldn’t believe it.
You were seated down, watching a wedding—or was it more of a funeral?—that you had never been informed of. Just minutes ago, you had been standing outside a bridal boutique, looking through the glass at the gowns. Who would expect that in the blink of an eye, you would find yourself at an actual wedding? Much less one where the groom was apparently a mass of shadows and tentacles, while the bride was dead.
All the tables were filled with confused people. If you had to guess, they probably got transported here the same way you did. Pure panic and bewilderment filled their voices.
“Where are we?”
“Is this a wedding?!?”
“I-is that a monster?!”
“Shit. What the fuck is this?”
You wanted to ask that too.
Before you could join in any of the conversations, the light above your heads suddenly went out. You were forced to drag your attention to the front, where the spotlight had fallen onto the groom. Everyone’s voice instantly died down.
"Ah! Esteemed guests, welcome, welcome! I am pleased to see you have all arrived safely! I ask that you all sit back and relax. This is a day of joy and new beginnings. I wish you all to celebrate it with me!" The groom tilted his shadowy head, a grin split across his face, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
Agh... was it really a day of joy and new beginnings when the bride was dead?
You felt like I was hallucinating. It was just too bad that your mind was clear enough to realise this was reality. Seriously, reality sucked. You would file a complaint if you could.
“Who is this fucker?!”
"Crazy…"
“Hell no, I’m leaving!”
Yeah. Those were the type of people who died first in a horror movie. Too impulsive for their own good. Not that you could say much.
“Hush now, I am sure that everyone–”
A group of teenage boys stood up and made a mad dash for the door.
Bad idea.
Crack.
None of them even took more than ten steps before they all shattered.
Yes. Shattered.
All that remained were broken rubies scattered across the floor. In a split second, the creature had turned them into precious stones and shattered them.
The more you saw, the more the sinking feeling in you grew.
“Hm. The floor got dirty," the groom said impassively. He clicked his fingers and instantly summoned mini shadows to clean the mess up. “Apologies for the delay that has occurred, everyone! But no worries! The cleaning staff will take care of it.”
Nobody moved.
Your eyes flickered over the scene.
This whole situation you were caught up in was eerily similar to one of the so-called ‘Darkness’ that the strange forum had been discussing a week ago.
After registering for an account, you had done nothing but browse through the few posts on there. You hadn't tried to post anything, since in the end, it was terribly suspicious, even if you nearly burned up from curiosity. Although... you were pretty sure you got scammed, since the previous owner had ghosted you when you asked to return it.
But! That was not the point.
The point was, the forum seemed to be a fan club for this novel... game? wiki of some sort? called ‘Dark Exploration Records.’
And coincidentally, one of the ‘records’ matched what was happening to you to an eerie degree. From the wedding to the shattered people, you were almost certain it was exactly that.
« Ruby »
I recently read A Wedding With No Bride, and if you think about it, it’s actually kind of romantic? The entity is so distraught after losing his lover that he holds this wedding every year on the same day she died. It’s a bit sweet.« Garnet »
It’s sweet if we ignore the mass death that occurs every time he holds the sacrificial ritual to try to bring her back« Topaz »
Isn’t it an A class managed by the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau? so like you’re practically doomed the moment you get trapped in.« Ruby »
Yeah it is. But it’s not completely doomed! There are some irregular escapees.« Amethyst »
???I just read it cuz of this thread, but why does he lwk sound kinda attractive??? Shadows and tentacles omg—« Garnet »
… are you okay« Amethyst »
lol. Though, on a more serious note, I’m a bit confused. How did those women escape? I don’t get why?? Also, how are the sacrifices supposed to bring her back?« Ruby »
From what I understand, they reminded him of his dead fiancée, so he let them go. Like I said… romantic. As for the sacrifices, it’s not stated explicitly what it’s for other than to bring her back in some way. But it’s implied that the reason he mass sacrifices the men first, and then carefully one by one sacrifices each woman, is because he’s looking for his fiancée (it’s also funny to note that even if the woman isn’t his fiancée, he asks them what stones they want to turn into, but for the men, he couldn’t care less lmao). So I’m guessing it’s not a bring back life to her dead corpse thing, but maybe reincarnation? Idk, it’s pretty ambiguous.« Amethyst »
Oooh I see tyty
In summary, you were doomed. No matter what you did, you were dead. Well, unless you reminded him of his dead fiancée, which was kind of unlikely.
Yeah. Great. Sounds amazing, didn't it?
You weren’t even surprised when all the men shattered into precious stones without warning. The woman who remained at their tables gasped. One even started to sob.
In all honesty, if it were the past you, you would have wanted to sob too, but your current mind seemed to have numbed itself. Even if you tried to grasp for a semblance of emotion, you couldn’t find any. You just sat there, blankly waiting for your end.
The echoes of cries and pleas faded into the background. You stayed still, frozen.
You couldn’t help but feel detached from this world. Like everything wasn’t real. One day, you woke up, feeling lost and empty, with the gain of a certain awareness. Something in you gnawed away at your heart. It whispered to you, called out for you to notice it.
( Now that you thought about it, it was on that very day you placed an order for that scam of a tablet. )
You thought that strange sensation of loss would disappear the next day, or maybe the next week. Maybe it occurred because you were tired.
But no. That didn’t happen. Instead, it grew stronger.
Stronger and stronger, till you couldn’t ignore. A puppet. An empty husk. An ignorant being who couldn’t see the truth.
The truth. Reality.
You felt like a character in a novel, one that only those in the true reality would laugh at. You were a being with a predetermined fate and path. All your thoughts, actions and emotions were controlled by invisible strings. You moved without thinking, without realising you weren’t thinking.
So, you couldn’t help but think that if you weren’t real, would there be any need to fear death? You never existed in the first place. All these people never existed in the first place. Nothing ever existed in the first place.
Shattered pieces of diamonds rained down beside you.
Your end was inevitable. But, as the only silver lining in your current situation, at least you could go out beautifully as the stone of your choosing.
“Now, esteemed guest!" the voice asked, smooth and practised. "What is your favourite stone?”
It was your turn.
The shadowy figure stopped in front of you.
“Is it rubies? Sapphires? Diamonds are a popular choice too!”
You lifted your head and said simply, “Alexandrite.”
If you had to become a gemstone, then the colour-changing beauty of alexandrites would be one of your top choices. Beautiful, rare, and unique.
“Ah–” The figure was frozen.
You tilted your head.
Now that you looked closely, his appearance was quite fascinating. A face obscured by shadow. A body looking like that of any well-built man. Shadow tendrils wrapped around his arms and legs. And a suit to top it all off.
You tilted your head to the other side.
Hm.
It was too bad you didn’t have any art materials with you.
The creature was still frozen.
You decided to help him. “Are you alright?”
He snapped out of his trance. “Oh yes! I apologise.” He cleared his throat. “It seems you haven’t decided yet. I’ll come back to you.”
He then left without giving you the chance to respond.
…?
You swore you said alexandrite aloud. Other than losing your mind, were you also losing your coherency?
Probably.
You stared at the broken pieces on the ground and promptly sat down with them. Since you were going to wait, you might as well do something other than, well, waiting. It wasn’t as if watching other people die was an entertaining pastime, even if they were just characters in a false world.
You started to piece together a flower out of the fragments.
Seeing that there were such strange things in this ‘world’—things that those on the forum saw as part of a horror media—reinforced your idea that none of this was real. Everything was part of a novel, a game, a fictional world where nothing mattered. And you were just some cannon fodder that gained awareness one day.
Maybe the tablet was a final gift from the real reality, showing you the truth before you meaninglessly die.
What was the point?
“What is this, dear?”
You flinched, causing your hands to slip.
“You–! Don’t creep up on me like that!” you snapped. For the first time since forever, a flicker of emotion was sparked, although it was far from a pleasant one.
Anger.
A whole petal of the flower had become distorted. Messed. Scrambled.
Argh. You hated it when such things happened. Still, it wasn't like you could do anything about it now.
You inhaled a sharp breath, eyes darting up to catch the creature’s obscured face. “What?” Your tone was clipped.
The figure deflated. He looked as if he was… sulking??
“I apologise…” he mumbled dejectedly. “I keep forgetting.”
Huh?
“What are you–” You couldn’t find the words.
His eyes didn’t leave you. He just waited and watched. “Yes, dear?” he said, encouraging you to continue.
“…why are you calling me that?”
He seemed confused. Or, as confused as he could appear to be without any expressions. “Because… I love you…?”
You were taken aback. “What?”
Yeah. No. You were hallucinating.
“You don’t remember…?”
You thought back to the forum messages and carefully said, “I’m not your bride, though? Shouldn’t you be offering me as a sacrifice to bring her back?”
You thought you couldn't remind him of his fiancée, but apparently you did. Or kind of did. It was a weird situation you didn't get.
He cocked his head. “Ah! You know about that!” His rows of sharp teeth flashed at you. “I’m so happy to see it worked! I missed you a lot.”
He completely ignored how you said you weren’t her.
“I’m not your fiancée,” you stated again.
The creature’s smile never faltered.
Creepy…
“It’s okay! I was prepared for this. Of course you wouldn’t remember everything!”
It wasn’t getting through to him at all.
“…”
You didn’t think you cared to die in this way anymore. It felt like the beauty of it was tainted.
“Can you let me leave then?”
According to the forum, the previous woman who reminded him of his bride escaped, and they were recorded as one of the few escapees. You might as well just take the opportunity and go back to your own life and forget about this. Surely you would be able to brush this off as a dream, even if you could clearly tell it wasn't. You glanced back at your ruined artwork. There were a few things you wanted to draw. Maybe this whole 'dream' would finally help you get out of your art block.
You were so prepared for a yes that you nearly choked when you heard, “No.”
Didn’t the forum say he let those women go? Were they wrong, after all?
“Why?”
Tendrils of shadows sprawled around you, crawling closer and closer. A few brushed against your skin experimentally, as if they were gauging your reaction.
“I can’t just let you go now after I finally found you.” His shadow tendrils began to wrap around your limbs.
Just what was happening?
“I want to go home."
"But–"
Oh, fuck this.
“You ruined my piece.”
“……”
“I want compensation.”
Start throwing out bullshit 101.
If it were the old ‘you’—the one who was still terribly ignorant of the truth—you probably wouldn’t be so calm. To her, she would have seen the art materials as corpses of ‘people’. But to the current you, they were all just characters, and there wasn’t any point in concerning yourselves with characters you had never met. All of them were just passing words on a page, once again, just like you. As for the gemstones, yeah, they were fake stones that didn't exist in reality, but they were beautiful nonetheless, and beautiful things deserved to be displayed.
However, unlike you, their predetermined death was written to stop here. You, on the other hand, seem to have another end written.
The creature huffed.
You pretended not to notice how he was pouting in his own unique shadowy way. You weren’t in the mood to deal with this nonsense today. Since you were alive, you might as well entertain yourself.
“Quickly.”
“…always so demanding,” he murmured.
You also elected to ignore his words.
One of his tendrils briefly curled and tightened around your ring finger, cold seeping into your skin. Then, as you tried to pull away, it left. In its place was an intricate alexandrite ring sitting delicately on your finger.
You stared at it.
“No,” you said flatly.
Somehow, he deflated even more. “I didn’t even say anything.”
“I already know what you were going to say.”
“Dear–”
“No.”
He mumbled something you were pretty sure you weren’t meant to hear. “…so different yet… unchanged…”
You had a feeling you were going to get quite good at ignoring things.
Even if you wanted to argue that everything was probably a coincidence, you knew he wouldn’t listen, so you didn’t try. Even if you somehow matched the appearance of his fiancée and somehow said the same words as she did, you were not her.
If you gave an infinite number of monkeys an infinite amount of time, eventually one monkey randomly hitting keys would be able to produce any given text. That was basically what he had been doing. You weren't going to ask how long he had been holding these mass sacrifices. Undeniably, one of the participants would match his fiancée. So, it was most definitely a coincidence.
He spoke up again. “Please, at least wear it? It doesn’t have to mean anything.” His shadows curled around you, nearly engulfing you completely. “It’ll protect you.” After a second, he added, “If you wear it, you can return home then.”
You glanced at your ring, at the shadows around you, then back at the ring.
You sighed.
You were so very tired.
With an unceremonious movement, you plucked the jewellery off your ring finger and slipped it onto your middle one. Then, you showed him your hand. “Is that good?”
He lit up. “You’ll wear it?”
You nodded.
“Forever?”
You stifled another sigh. “Depends on the circumstances. But I’ll try to wear it when I can.”
“Promise?”
Did you have any other choice?
“…sure.”
His grin returned. “If you break your promise, I’ll bring you back!”
Great.
You thought you would be able to go home after the ordeal, but instead, you were dragged away to a strange place and interrogated.
Okay. Maybe interrogated was too strong of a word.
Apparently, the people who found you were part of a government group specialised in handling supernatural phenomena. They were decently nice to you and offered a very, very generous compensation for both the information and the stress that it caused you.
You told them everything except for the ring part. It wasn’t difficult to realise that if you told them, they would take it away, stating it could be dangerous or something. If that happened, you would be breaking your promise, and you really didn’t want to be dragged back to that place.
You just weren't the type of person to suit a wedding. It was uncomfortable, especially after knowing that it wasn't some final, artistic venue for your death.
Life went on surprisingly peacefully. As promised, you kept the ring on whenever you went. It didn’t stand too much in the way of you doing anything, and it was also quite irrefutably beautiful.
Who didn’t like beautiful things?
You also began to utilise the tablet instead of letting it rot in the box. The previous owner obviously wasn’t going to respond, and it wasn’t as if the device was a fake.
No, quite the opposite.
The tablet may be the only real thing in this ‘world’.
So far, you haven't posted or commented on anything. You weren’t even sure you were allowed to post anything, considering the people on the forum were clearly from a reality that saw your ‘world’ as fiction. You just kept surfing through the posts. The more you read, the more certain you were of your hypothesis.
Truly, the ‘world’ you lived in must be false.
Unlike the true reality, your ‘world’ contained things called Darknesses, which were ghost stories written by people from the real world. There wasn't much information on the different Darknesses there were or the fictional world as a whole, since the forum was quite new. Including you, it seemed that the community only had twelve people, each one had an anonymous username corresponding to a birthstone.
Yours was Alexandrite.
Yeah. That was where you got the inspiration of turning into one from
With your pencil in your hand, you started to sketch on paper.
Time passed quickly.
You spent over a week on the picture, barely eating or drinking the whole time. Every time you were away from your desk, all you could think about was your unfinished piece. It hung over your head relentlessly, sank its teeth into you unforgivingly. All your waking hours were dedicated to it.
In the end, you finally finished it, tired, fatigued, and ready to crash. It was as if all your exhaustion had crawled its way out at this very moment.
You slept for over a day.
It had been so long since you last had the motivation to draw, much less create something that wasn’t hard to look at.
On your easel displayed a realism piece depicting the wedding venue from your memory.
A groom stood in front, cloaked in shadows. Tendrils occupied every corner and every edge. Precious stones, of tens of shades of colours, were scattered across the marble floor. It appeared as if the viewer was looking up from the ground, mimicking your final position. At the edge of the frame, there was a heap of shattered stone placed to look like a flower with one imperfect petal.
It was the kind of scene that bridged fantasy and realism. The type of piece that could only be created after seeing it. Even if your memory wasn’t completely accurate and you took some creative liberty, one look at it and a person could find the same essence of its original place.
Looking at it, you couldn’t help but think that you had fallen in love with art again.
Again?
You surveyed the street in front of you, then looked back to where you came from. In front of you was a fog-covered street you didn’t recognise, and at your back was the dead end of an alley that was clear a second ago.
...did you pass through a wall?
You were just trying to get home, only to be seemingly caught up in some supernatural event. Again. You knew it must be a Darkness, because there was no other explanation. You did not take anything to be hallucinating. Unfortunately, you never read about anything like this in the forum. The discussion of Darknesses seemed to be limited only to those they were interested in.
You held up the tablet you were holding and opened it. What was the chance that there was a signal here?
You checked.
Yep. None.
However–
The app didn't need any signal to operate. Convenient, yet also expected. It was connected to reality, after all.
You hesitated for a moment.
There was no better time than to try it out, was there? You were always going to post something just to test things, but you never thought of what to post exactly. On the off chance it worked, you didn’t want those in reality to look at it strangely.
« Alexandrite »
If someone were to walk down an alleyway while heading home, then find themselves in an unfamiliar alleyway, facing a fog-covered street, what Darkness would it likely be? Oh, also. When they turned around to check, they found that the alleyway they were walking out of was blocked off.« Tourmaline »
Welcome, Alexandrite.« Aquamarine »
welcome!« Peridot »
Oh. Our final member! They finally showed themselves. I was wondering when you were going to post!« Amethyst »
ooh is this a riddle? there’s a few that come to mind when I hear that. you gotta be more specific.« Emerald »
Damnit, I betted on Pearl. I can’t believe it’s Alexandrite.« Diamond »
I thought it was going to be Moonstone! It’s such a pretty name.« Sapphire »
Topaz is going to be so happy lolol« Amethyst »
waittt, I just thought about it. the person got in by walking through a normal alleyway, right? Is it nighttime?
The enthusiastic response wasn’t what you quite expected. Because it was a forum, you expected to wait for a bit, but people quickly jumped in.
You ignored the welcome messages, making a mental note to respond to them later if you survived.
« Alexandrite »
Yes
A new message notification popped up the moment you sent the affirmation.
You reloaded the page.
« Amethyst »
could it be the slit-mouthed woman then? The class C one?
You weren’t given a chance to respond before someone tapped you on the shoulder, causing you to nearly instinctively jump out of your skin. Turning around, you were met with the gaze of a young woman wearing a surgical mask.
“Do you think I’m pretty?” she asked in a low murmur, voice muffled by her oversized mask.
What the–
You looked around wildly. Wasn’t the path behind you blocked??
“How did you get behind me?”
She didn’t answer, and instead repeated, “Do you think I’m pretty?”
Right. Of course. Asking her how she got behind you was futile. It wasn’t like she would answer. This was a Darkness, ghost stories written by those in reality. How could you forget when you were just asking the forum about this?
The masked woman was still staring blankly at you.
You probably should respond.
“I’m sorry, Miss, I didn’t quite catch what you said. Could you please say that again?” you asked, adapting a more polite tone.
She showed no reaction and just repeated her question, “Do you think I’m pretty?”
You scanned the part of your face you could see. Elegant, hooded eyes that shone under the dim lighting of the moon and lamps. Long, silky hair that touched her back. A beautiful, pale coat wrapped around her slender figure.
Was this a guessing game?
“…yes.”
She blinked.
Then, she took off her mask.
Your eyes widened.
A Glasgow smile. A slit mouth. Pale flesh stretched unnervingly. Blood clung to her torn skin, red and raw. Yet, as grotesque as it all was, there was something morbidly beautiful about it. She looked like a porcelain doll with a face cracked and painted red.
“Even like this, do you think I’m still pretty?”
You thought back to the scattering of corpses-turned-stones, all twinkling and glistening under the chandelier light; your canvas and your pencil; and the frustration you felt as you tried to capture the details that had escaped from memory.
Why should you let this escape you again?
You reached out, taking one of her hands in yours. The only thing in your head that existed was the burning need to print her on a canvas.
“Miss, you’re so beautiful. Can I please draw you?”
· · ─ ·🗎· ─ · ·
The newcomer was a strange artist. She had walked these streets for so long, and it was the first time she had met someone so… strange
She didn’t like it. It made her uncomfortable. Not only did the person make her repeat her questions three times, while staying completely impassive, but the artist’s face didn’t even twitch when they answered her question. She had nearly assumed that this person was ‘dysfunctional’.
Didn’t people usually show at least a bit of emotion on their faces? Even if it was a pretence? Were they just not expressive, or were they so good at hiding their emotions that they could even fool her?
It was only when she took her mask off that their face changed. However, it wasn’t in fear or panic, or the normal reaction she was used to seeing.
Their eyes lit up like they just struck gold, like they found the perfect, most beautiful painting—the exact one they had been trying to find for ages. They grasped her hand tightly without a second thought, their gaze filled with a certain craze.
In all honesty, she was creeped out.
“Miss, you’re so beautiful. Can I please draw you?”
Their voice was filled to the brim with excitement barely contained. It hitched and spiked, and dropped and spilled out in a frenzy.
She was wrong about her previous assessment. This newcomer was expressive. And guileless.
So it seemed they really didn’t feel any fear then.
She was good at telling sincerity from falsehood. Even if one didn’t know, there was always a tell of some sort. A twitch of a muscle. A blink too fast. She could read humans like a book. Rarely was she ever wrong.
Every time someone lied and told her ‘yes’, she would pretend to allow them to leave, only to finish them off the moment their back was turned. That was her unfortunate curse. Nobody would ever find her beautiful again. They could lie and tell her all the false flattery she wanted, but she knew. She could always tell the truth.
Rarely was anyone ever sincere. The few that were—or at least, the few that managed to deceive her to the point she didn’t know if they were genuine or not—she allowed them to leave. There were also other types of people. Some offered her favourite candy, which she gladly took in exchange for allowing them to slip away. Some tried to confuse her with vague answers, those she could never quite decipher, and thus allowed them to leave.
But this? This was new.
They gazed at her as if she were their muse, examining and taking in all that she was. There was no judgment or fear in those eyes, just the fascination and curiosity of an artist.
When she nodded, confused and curious, the human immediately looked down at the gadget they were holding and started moving a pen across its surface.
She didn’t know how long she stood there, allowing herself to be the subject of examination. The human looked at her from all angles, constantly moving, humming, and even making conversation at times.
They were surprisingly fun. Maybe even a little cute.
As the human continued to work, her attention turned to their hands and the ring that adorned one of them. She narrowed her eyes.
Wasn’t that…?
Huh.
An idea popped into her mind.
How convenient! Just as she was thinking how nice and cute the little artist was, a perfect opportunity landed in her lap.
She smiled mockingly, all blood and teeth, at the human’s shadow.
· · ─ ·🗎· ─ · ·
You paused, furrowing your brows.
Your shadow just moved. The lighting never changed. You didn't move.
"…"
You had a sinking feeling you knew what it was. Once again, it was best to ignore it.
“Hm. I still need to do some finishing touches, but the base is roughly done. I don’t want to make you wait for too long. I should be able to finish the rest at home.”
You weren’t sure exactly how long had passed, but from your experience, you usually spend at least a few hours on such pieces.
You flipped your tablet over, showing her the product.
She blinked her wide, glassy eyes. Long eyelashes brushed against her cheeks as she did so. “It’s…”
“Entrancing, right?”
She didn’t say anything, but you could tell from the flustered yet startled look that you weren’t wrong.
Without warning, she suddenly wrapped her arms around you, and instinctively, you tensed.
She murmured something into your shoulder, something you were quite sure wasn’t for you. Shadows shifted from underneath you. Her mumbling voice grew a little heated.
You weren’t sure what to do. Cautiously, you reached out to try to hug her back. However, your whole body went lax when you felt the sharp press of a blade on your back.
Then, a snipping sound.
Scissors?
Would dying by a pair of scissors be painless? Or beautiful?
Surely, she could clip your hair or some of your organs after your death, and arrange them aesthetically, right? She seemed to be the type who cared about beauty. Just maybe not the beauty of the dead?
Hm.
If only you could become a reader after your death, and see what occurs after your ending then maybe you would know for sure.
You waited patiently.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting.
However, contrary to your expectations, the blade never touched anything but the surface of your clothes.
They were still talking. Somehow.
Oh, how you wanted to finish your current piece.
“Are you guys done yet?”
She froze.
“Just tell him to shut up. I’m tired.”
Silence.
Then—
“Bhahahaha!” The slit-mouthed woman burst out laughing, shaking involuntarily in your arms. “I– Ahahaha. Yes. Yes. That's a great idea. So you knew, didn’t you!”
She was suddenly talkative in front of you.
Your shadow morphed and enlarged until it popped out. Did that thing have a name? Should you name him, or could you just call it shadow?
[ Dear! ]
…why even bother.
Just be Yeong.
“No,” you said flatly before he could say anything else. “Go away. I’m pretending I don’t know you’re following me.”
"....."
You twisted your ring.
Immediately, he left.
At least the shadow knew how to take a hint.
You turned your attention back towards the woman. She was smiling now. Actually smiling. “Thanks. I don’t think I ever laughed in ages.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
She smiled wider, flesh stretching and blood staining her teeth. She took hold of your hands. “Then, I’ll just thank you for the drawing.” With a playful look, she brought your hands up and pressed a bloodied kiss on your ring.
The alexandrite flashed different colours in rapid succession, before returning to its original hue.
…was this what they had been arguing about?
Ah. Oh well. Best to ignore it as well.
“So, do you like it?” you asked after she dropped your hands.
The Darkness stilled at the question. “It looks…” She struggled for a second. Her lips moved to form words, but no sound was heard.
You waited.
You were good at waiting.
She shook her head gently, as if making fun of herself. Then, she quietly said, hesitant and uncertain, “…it looks pretty.”
She actually said it–
“Oh.”
Something warm and sweet, like fresh honey, wrapped around your heart.
Hm.
You hadn’t expected to feel such ever again. You didn’t even know why you were feeling this way.
Pride.
Now it was your turn to feel uncertain. A small, careful smile broke out on your face. “I’m glad.”
« Alexandrite »
You’re right. It is the Slit-Mouthed Woman.
Over the next few days, you finished up your piece and started using the forum more.
The people there were… fun. Kind.
At the start, you weren’t sure what to post, so you just posted the two artworks you made of Darknesses. It instantly gained a lot of recognition within the group.
« Aquamarine »
whoa« Ruby »
I was horrified for a second lol. The first one is so realistic, and the second one is exactly what I imagined her to be like. Good job!« Topaz »
ahhh the slit mouth woman! is that why you asked the riddle last time?
It was easy to talk and banter with them, partially because you knew they were real, and partially because of the screen that separated you from them. They didn’t know you truly, just as you didn’t know them truly.
It was barely two weeks after the incident with the slit-mouthed woman when a person finally raised the important question:
What exactly is this forum? Who invited you all? Why is it specifically the twelve of you?
Nobody knew. Everyone had their own invitation story, each one as suspicious as the next. It ranged from a shady link sent by a person who deactivated, to accidentally clicking on an ad.
Each and every one of them, despite initial suspicion, stayed. It was almost like whoever did the selecting knew who would remain and specifically chose them.
Yours was by far the most suspicious. Because seriously, a whole tablet?
« Diamond »
I get why you were hesitant. I would have too.
None of them even knew what the forum was for, if not for the heading that specified this was for discussing ‘Dark Exploration Record.’
It made sense. The one commonality that everyone shared was that they were a fan.
Except for you.
What in the world?!
Okay. This was definitely happening because of that tablet.
[ Ah, dear! I missed you! It’s been so long! ]
Why? Just why did you get stuck in a Darkness again?! Much less one with a classic haunted house one??
[ …are you ignoring me? ]
Nothing was interesting in a haunted house. Nothing. It was cliché and boring, and so cheap in its scare techniques.
Oh wait, was that a corpse?
You stared at it, cocking your head to examine all the angles.
[ I only get to see you every once in a while… ]
Yeahhh no. There was no artistic value in this. It was just a normal corpse. Even your shadow, which was frantically moving around, was far more interesting.
“Shouldn’t there be some effort spent to make it creative, at the very least?”
[ I have to agree on that! ]
Moving on.
…?
Was that another corpse?
This time, its broken limbs were arranged in a star shape.
Your shadow shifted underneath you. Was it snickering?
“Tacky. I prefer flowers.”
· · ─ ·🗎· ─ · ·
A mischievous haunted house with winding hallways and ever-shifting doors—that was the place he got trapped in.
One second, he was looking at the poster for a new horror film, and the very next, he was dropped right into that film. At first, it felt like a nightmare, but the more steps he took, the more everything seemed real.
He nearly had a heart attack multiple times. Ghosts, jump scares, and even corpses. Each time, the scares and traps got worse, more personal, as if the house was watching his reactions and deliberately aiming at his weaknesses.
“You.”
"ASKJDH?!"
When did they start mimicking humans???
He jumped so hard he lost his balance.
Someone caught him.
“Don’t be scared.” When he regained his footing and looked back, he saw a stern-looking man in uniform. He didn't even have time to feel grateful before the man continued stoically, “This house feeds off your fear, and after your fear level reaches a certain threshold, you’ll die.”
“What?” No, that wasn't the most important, was it? "...who?"
The man sighed. “I’m with the government, and was called here as part of the rescue team.”
Oh.
Then... that meant he was saved!
Wait.
Hold on. Didn’t he say something about… death?
“…”
Oh god, he was fucked.
· · ─ ·🗎· ─ · ·
You continued your way down the hall, looking for the exit, when you passed another room and paused.
Another corpse.
“There’s no scare factor. It’s tasteless.”
[ Agreed ]
You entered the room. The floorboard creaked under your weight.
“…or not?”
Now seeing the scene fully, you decided it was best to retrack your previous assessment. Upon closer inspection, not only were the limbs organised in a simple four-petal flower shape, but the organs had also been pulled out to form bees around the flower.
Oh.
Hey.
You could totally work with that?!
Instantly, you plopped down, uncaring of the blood smeared across the floor, and took out your sketchbook. You were so glad that you brought it with you just in case.
Why, weren’t you quite lucky?
You got to work.
[ The residents are so loud ]
You ignored him.
[ They keep questioning me about you ]
“Just ignore them.”
[ They’re– ]
“Yeong.”
[ That’s not my– ]
“I’m working.”
[ … ]
“I’m already doing you a favour by not questioning why you’re following me, so be a dear and be quiet, okay?”
Your shadow vividly deflated.
Ever since you called out his stalking last time, he stopped trying to hide it, which made you wish you had never done so.
[ Hhaa… ]
So incessant.
· · ─ ·🗎· ─ · ·
The first sign of other life forms was the eerie humming echoing through the halls. The next sign was the sight of a young woman unnaturally sitting in a pool of blood alone.
If it were up to him, he would have run out of the room before she noticed him. However, the civil servant he was with didn’t share his idea.
“Hello.”
The chilling humming stopped, but the scratching of pen on paper didn’t.
“Um, sir…” He leaned towards the agent, voice lowered. “Shouldn’t we run when we can? We still need to check if there are other survivors, right? Then, uh, we can leave…”
He really wanted to leave! He couldn’t stand it anymore! If he stayed any longer, his fear would reach the threshold, and he would be dragged off.
The civil servant nodded. “Yes. That’s what I’m doing.”
He followed his gaze towards the creepy woman. He didn’t mean…?
“I-is that a survivor?”
“Yes.” He didn’t seem to be in the mood to entertain questions any longer. “There are no reported sightings of living organisms other than humans who get trapped here.”
His eyes latched onto what the woman seemed to be drawing and froze. His blood ran cold.
Oh god.
Oh god.
No.
No way.
He wanted to throw up. He needed to throw up.
A corpse lay there. A corpse that was more morbid than all the others he had seen on his way here. Limbs twisted in bizarre ways. Organs pulled and stretched out the skin. Rotting, charred flesh.
No no no, he couldn’t be scared. If he were scared, he would die. He needed to calm down. Quick. Calm calm calm calm he was calm he needed to calm yes he was calm deep breath he wasn’t thinking yes calm calm calm super amazingly calm nobody would even think he was scared yes just like the person next to him—
Just as he was about to suggest they shouldn't trust the person who was sitting in blood next to a rotting corpse, and was obviously ignoring them—which, thank god!—that said person looked up.
Never mind thanking anyone.
She turned towards them slowly, tilting her head at an unnatural angle that, if her neck belonged to a human, would have broken. Blood stained her skin, dripping, gurgling, leaking onto her clothing. Her gaze was blank, almost dead. It was the look of a ghost that had just been roused from sleep.
“Hi.” The voice echoed far longer than what was considered normal.
Fuck.
He should have run when he had the chance.
· · ─ ·🗎· ─ · ·
[ Hooo, who is this? ]
Huh. So there were also other characters who got caught in the Darkness this time.
Might as well be polite.
“Hi,” you said, greeting the two men standing in the doorway.
One of the men—the one who looked like a scared mess—was frantically saying something to the other in a low voice. He waved his hands around in vague gestures. His face was a pale white that was currently turning green.
The second man—the one who was strikingly calm and obviously had experience—shook his head at whatever suggestion the other offered.
You waited.
Finally, the man in uniform turned back to you, clearly settling whatever debate they had just had. He started to speak, voice practised and still. “I’m part of a government rescue team. We got a call about this supernatural phenomenon dragging in multiple civilians.” His eyes flitted over you, focusing on the drying blood on your clothes. “Are you hurt?”
Oh. It was them again... the government group that interrogated you the first time. You remembered they gave you quite a lot of compensation.
“I'm fine. It’s not my blood.”
“Argh…” The other man turned away, covering his mouth as if he was holding back his nausea.
“That’s good.” The civil servant remained unaffected. He walked towards you and offered a hand. “Can I ask what you were doing then?”
There wasn’t any harm in answering him, was there?
You accepted his hand and showed him the page you were working on. “Drawing,” you said simply.
Another gagging sound came from behind the agent, followed by a quiet protest, “Why would any sane person willingly sit down in flesh and blood just to draw?!”
Both you and the agent ignored him.
People sure were close-minded. Why wouldn’t you be willing to do so? Sure, it was a bit filthy, but not everyone was squeamish.
[ I don’t think it’s about that ]
Did they mean fear?
“You…” The agent was staring at you, his brows furrowed. “You seem quite used to all this.”
He meant desensitised.
“You could say that.” A blink. “It would be more of a surprise if I wasn't, since I've been thrown into three of these things in the last month.”
“Wha–” A choking sound came from his back.
“I see. May I ask what phenomena the other two were?”
It seemed you were getting roped into another interrogation.
[ Boring ]
Yes. Quite so.
“I think I told you guys about the first one already. It was the wedding one.”
The man froze.
Oh fun. You liked that reaction. And so, you continued.
“As for the second one, it was this slit-mouthed woman. She was quite pretty. I managed to convince her to be my muse.”
"Ugh..."
The agent looked to be at a loss for words. Was there no protocol for dealing with such things?
After a long, awkward second, he seemed to have finally found his words.
“...do you usually draw these?” he asked, flipping through your sketchbook.
[ Egh, such a rude person, flipping through another's sketchbook so causally ]
You didn't mind that much, since except for the first page, the book was empty. It was a new one, after all. You couldn't put these new pieces with the old ones. There were so many pictures from your past you didn’t want to look at again.
You nodded. “The other two are not on here, so don’t bother.”
He paused. “I see.”
Then, he handed you the sketchbook back, along with something else.
A business card?
“We’re hiring right now,” he explained.
"What the fuck is going on?"
You wanted to know too.
“It’s a guaranteed job until the age of 65, with a grade-based salary system. Since it’s a specialised position, there are additional allowances."
[ Ugh. He’s such a bore. Go away already ]
"...why are you telling me this?"
You just met this guy, so why was he trying to recruit you after just a few minutes of conversation? Even the other civilian who was with him looked confused. His face screamed ‘wtf’.
“I think you’ll be suited for our line of work. Also…”
“Also?”
"Getting caught as a civilian in so many supernatural occurrences in such a short time frame is unnatural.” He cleared his throat. "What I mean is... since you’re prone to being drawn into supernatural phenomena, wouldn't it be better to have a job that can offer financial stability and institutional protection?"
"...."
Well, a government agent just helpfully confirmed your suspicion.
[ Dearest, before you accuse me, it’s not my fault! I’m cut off from you when you’re not in the Darkness. As much as I enjoy it, even I didn’t expect to see you so much ]
It was the tablet. It was definitely that scam of a tablet. Something in your senses itched, telling you it undoubtedly was the root cause. Was this a side effect of possessing an item linked to the real world, or something? It made sense, didn’t it? There was no way something so good could be true without any catch.
Ugh.
You might as well be polite.
“Thank you. I’ll consider it.”
Getting paid to do something you couldn’t avoid would be a good idea. Although... you didn't really want to be associated with the government.
He nodded.
“Let's go then." Turning around, he returned his attention to the matter at hand. "Follow me. I know the exit to this place."
You heard a relieved sigh from the other man, who was no longer pale and seemed to be more bewildered than scared.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The floorboard underneath you creaked.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Finally, the exit came into view. In the end, you guys only found one other survivor.
[ You guys can just work on it ]
Ah. Yeong was talking to the ‘residents’ again.
[ We’ll come back next time ]
…?
No?? What did he mean by we?! You never wanted to come back again. There was no artistic or entertainment value in this house.
[ Mhm, yes. Goodbye ]
To your despair, the misfortune of getting caught up in Darkness never ended. No matter if you went out or stayed at home, somehow, someway, you always managed to trigger an entry condition.
At this point, seeing Yeong was a common occurrence. You were even starting to tolerate him a lot more. While you still didn’t particularly like how he was calling you ‘dear’ and thinking of you as his dead fiancée, you had to admit he was helpful.
Once, he even managed to save you.
Though, in all honesty, the people from the forum did most of the work. They were warm and friendly, and offered you the only touch of solace in this false world. You had debated whether you should tell them about your condition, but ultimately decided not to.
They wouldn’t believe you, anyway.
At least you knew they were there for you. They loved and praised the artworks you posted. You could ask them questions about Darknesses, and there was always someone to answer you. You could trick yourself into believing that they would always be there for you.
Maybe living a life like this—entering Darknesses, creating artworks, making conversation with your friends on the forum, and posting your art—wasn’t too bad. That small connection to reality comforted you, even a little. But at the same time, it also makes that void inside you grow.
So close, yet so far.
You wanted to reach out, tear open the cage and get out. However, even with the singular link, you had no way to do so. No hope. No nothing.
Until–
For the first time since the forum started, a post by the Creator was created.
« Creator »
I’m happy to see that everyone is getting along. For the past two months, I’m sure you have all been confused why you’ve been gathered here.
The truth is that not only did I invite you all to talk about our love for DER, but also because I want to ask the eleven of you to help me beta read this new novel set in the DER world. It’s currently still in development and I wish for it not to be leaked. I have sent the eleven of you the link for the novel in your dms. Please check.
I chose you guys because I know how much you all love this world, and I trust that you guys can keep a secret. However, as a precaution, I have disabled the the copy-paste and screenshot mechanism on the app.
Thank you all, and happy reading. The novel will be updated in real time.
P.S. @Alexandrite, it’ll be easier if you just tell them. I chose them for a reason, after all.
P.P.S I made this all to help you out specifically, so utilise it, yeah?
The Creator vanished right afterwards.
The animal masks were your interrogators now. You had coincidentally bumped into them during one of your runs in a Darkness, and when you guys got out together, you were sent again to be interrogated, or interviewed, or whatever they called it, again. The only thing different this time was that it wasn't the government group.
From the tidbits you got here and there from the forum, they must be Daydream Inc. Unlike the government, whose goal was to contain the Darkness and protect civilians, Daydream Inc. worked to exploit the materials from the ghost stories to create miracle potions. As for what type of potions exactly, you weren’t quite sure, since nobody mentioned it in the forum.
Whatever it was, you didn't care much. Hearing how much of a predatory corporate workplace it was from the forum already made you want to leave. So, while this was the first time you encountered them, you hoped it was also the last.
…
You came back to face them three more times.
The interrogator stared at you.
You stared back.
He looked at the computer in front of him.
You followed his gaze.
He looked back at you.
You looked back, too.
“Riiight,” he said, finally breaking the silence. “You’re sure you gave the correct name?”
“Yes.”
“Mm. Okay. Right.” He stood up. “Just… wait here. I’ll be right back.”
“…”
When he came back, he handed you a business card.
...was this déjà vu?
You looked at it, then looked at him. “What is this for?”
“We’re hiring.”
“…”
“The salary is very generous.”
“…”
Yep. Definitely déjà vu.
“There will be a new employee orientation next week. Usually, you would need to apply through the standard channel with your resume, but we can make an exception and register you right now. You just need to come to the orientation next week.”
“…why are you offering this to me?”
You wanted to know if it would be any different from the explanation the civil servant gave.
“Because–” He rubbed his neck nervously. His mouth opened and closed, fumbling for words. Then—
“Ah shit. I’m not really supposed to be telling you this, but I don’t know how they’re expecting me to recruit you without giving you any information.”
You didn’t say anything.
He sighed. “Basically, we’re a company that ventures into Darkness, and collects materials from it.”
You already knew that. "So, why me?" you asked again.
“Well, as an ordinary civilian, you have been caught up in multiple Darknesses and managed to escape unharmed each time,” he deadpanned, “Can’t you see why?”
"Yeah... that makes sense." It was similiar yet different to what the agent said. In the end, the root of the reasons all seemed to be the fact that getting caught so many times in a Darkness and escaping unscathed wasn't normal.
Damn tablet.
"So, does that mean you'll accept the offer?"
You shook your head. “I'll consider it, but... I met someone from the government group that handles Darkness, and they offered a job as well.”
The man in front of you flinched, then muttered under his breath, "Ugh, those bastards again."
"...."
It seemed the two groups didn't have a good relationship.
Anyway, it didn't concern you. Better go home and consider each option. Maybe even ask the forum where they would hypothetically work if they could choose.
Just as you started to get ready to leave, the interviewer exhaled a deep breath and said, “I’ll be honest, the work here is dangerous, but the reason everyone stays is not because of the generous salary. It’s because of something known as the Wish Ticket.”
Huh?
You froze.
“After you earn a certain number of points from your job, you can buy a Wish Ticket. We explore the Darkness not only to gain points, but also to obtain Dream Essence, which can be used to make miracle potions. One of such miracle potions is the Wish Ticket. It can grant you any wish, even one to revive a dead loved one. There is no restriction.”
For the first time in a long time, you felt something almost warm, almost hopeful.
He must have seen something on your face, because he added, "I'm sure you have an impossible wish you would want to be granted, right? The Wish Ticket can grant that."
...you do.
If you get this Wish Ticket, then could you...?
Wait.
If this were a fake, fictional world, of course, it would be able to grant anything in the confines of its narrative.
Everything crashed back down again.
Still, you asked, “Would it be able to send someone to a whole different realm?”
There was a moment of hesitation. He narrowed his eyes as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. Then, with a tone more certain than what his face shows, he answered: “Yes, I think so.”
Maybe you should still be a bit hopeful.
“…”
It wasn’t as if you were going to reject it in the first place. You didn't want to be associated with the government, anyway. You might as well make some money and gain some purpose if you were going to be dumped into Darkness no matter what (thanks to your scam of a tablet). As for the Wish Ticket, you would hate to hold onto false hope, but… just maybe… since it was an item that could alter this false world, it was a ‘true’ object? Just like your tablet?
It could be another link to the true reality outside.
Maybe. Just maybe. Getting it would give you a chance to access the real world that your online friends exist in.
So—
"Okay. Please register me."