The corridor, unlike the outside, was silent and cold.
My body shivered as I stepped into the dark passage.
The inner corridor of the arena circled around it. Only a handful of doors along the sides granted access to it. He couldn't be far away.
In the distance, I could hear his heavy footsteps echoing against the stone walls.
I started running, the cold air rushing into my lungs and burning them from the inside.
At times, the echoes of spectators rising from their seats to cheer or shout the name of a competitor drifted through the corridor.
The footsteps of the figure seemed to grow farther and farther away, so I quickened my pace even more.
Sweat began to bead on my forehead despite the coolness of the corridor.
The footsteps still echoed ahead of me.
Slow and steady.
As if their owner had no need to hurry at all.
I gritted my teeth.
How could he walk so calmly while I was nearly sprinting at full speed?
The corridor curved slightly to the right.
I rounded the corner and finally caught sight of him.
The black figure.
He was walking about fifty meters ahead of me. His long dark coat brushed against the stone floor. A white mask still covered his face.
I slowed down.
Something was wrong.
Since the beginning of this pursuit, I had expected him to speed up or attempt to disappear.
But he did neither.
He simply kept walking.
As if he wanted to be followed.
As if he was waiting for me.
That thought immediately made me slow down even more.
Lena...
[Yes.]
You think this is strange too?
[What part?]
The fact that he isn't trying to get away.
[Yeah, that's true...]
But I still want to know.
I pressed the button to continue.
Every fiber of my body told me that something was wrong.
Yet my legs kept moving forward.
Because I wanted answers.
Because ever since I arrived at the Tower, this figure had appeared everywhere.
In the hall.
In the stands.
And now here.
The corridor suddenly opened into a vast circular chamber, completely different from everything I had seen so far.
I stopped abruptly and struggled to catch my breath.
The room was empty, aside from the figure standing motionless at its center.
Like a statue.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Then Lena's voice echoed in my mind.
[Kael.]
...
[I don't like this place. Let's leave.]
I understood her point of view.
But I needed to know.
Suddenly, the figure moved.
Caught off guard, I reached for my belt, only to realize I wasn't carrying a sword like I had in the arena.
My muscles tensed as I stared at the figure without looking away.
Slowly, he raised a hand.
Then removed his mask.
I froze at what I saw beneath it.
A man in his thirties with black hair and gray eyes.
Perfectly ordinary features.
Yet something in his gaze immediately sent a chill down my spine.
There was no emotion in it.
No anger.
No hatred.
Not even contempt.
It was the gaze of a man looking at an insect.
To him, I was merely an object.
A false smile eventually appeared on his lips.
"I must admit I'm surprised."
His voice was calm.
Almost gentle.
Almost pleasant to listen to.
"I didn't think you would actually follow me."
I kept one hand raised in front of me.
"Who are you?"
The man tilted his head slightly.
"A reasonable question."
His smile widened.
"But unfortunately, a pointless one."
A strange pressure suddenly filled the room.
My entire body tensed.
Like when I met Aldric.
Like in the forest.
Like when I faced the monster.
But worse.
Far worse.
My legs nearly buckled beneath my own weight.
I had to grit my teeth to remain standing.
The man seemed to notice my reaction.
"Interesting."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You resist better than expected."
A cold sweat ran down my back.
Who was this man?
No.
The real question was something else.
What was he?
Because everything in this room screamed that he wasn't normal.
Even the air seemed heavier around him.
As if reality itself rejected his presence.
Something appeared before my eyes.
Ding.
A system window.
[EXTREME DANGER DETECTED.]
[Survival Chance: 0.3%]
My blood froze.
0.3%?
The man looked at the window.
Then his smile widened.
"Ah."
He seemed amused.
"So you can see that too."
My heart skipped a beat.
He had looked directly at the window.
As if he could see it as well.
[K-Kael...]
Her voice trembled.
For the first time since I had known her.
[Kael.]
...
[R...]
She never finished her sentence.
As if something had cut her off.
The man took a step toward me.
And immediately every one of my senses went on high alert.
[The Incubus has taken an interest in you.]
The man stopped.
His smile vanished instantly.
For the first time, an emotion crossed his face.
He burst out laughing.
As if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Incredible."
His gray eyes locked onto me.
"Truly incredible."
Instinctively, I took a step back.
The man raised a hand.
Simply that.
No incantation.
No special movement.
The wall behind me exploded.
BOOM!
The blast hurled me several meters away.
I rolled across the floor in a cloud of dust.
My ears rang and my arm throbbed with pain.
I struggled to lift my head.
The man had not moved.
Still as calm as ever.
As if blowing up that wall had required no effort whatsoever.
A primitive fear seized me.
The man tilted his head slightly.
"You shouldn't exist, Kael."