Kay’s body, blood streaming from it, was hurled across the space and slammed into the floor. At the same time, Nigel’s body was yanked violently backward.
“Haha. There you are.”
Even with half his head missing, Kay spoke nonchalantly. Nigel didn’t need to turn around to know who had ripped Kay’s head open and pulled him to safety. Only one person in the world could do something like this.
“Should’ve found him and killed him a long time ago.”
Inas muttered coldly, arms wrapped tightly around Nigel. Even though this wasn’t reality, the pressure oozing from him was suffocating. That ruthlessness in both skill and heart.
Still, being held in Inas’s arms was better than being exposed to that nightmare again. Even if Inas was the very cause of this mess.
Kay, collapsed on the floor, began to giggle, his body twitching as he sat up. Locking eyes with Nigel, he gave a crooked grin with half a face.
“If it were possible, you’d have killed me already. My life’s worth less than a fly to you, isn’t it?”
“What’s the difference between you and a fly?”
Inas answered smoothly. It wasn’t even mockery—just a cold, factual tone, like stating something self-evident. Kay’s face twisted, rage overtaking him after the complete dismissal.
“Keep acting smug. In the end, you’ll be left all alone.”
Inas covered Nigel’s eyes with his hand. Just as Nigel was about to brush it away, something burst with a thud, followed by the metallic stench of blood.
Paralyzed with shock, Nigel froze in place as Inas wrapped his arms around him. Brutal yet gentle, Inas softly patted Nigel’s trembling back.
Nigel had never been able to look directly at blood or wounds.
At first, he assumed it had something to do with Inas. But that wasn’t it.
Ever since that day, seven years ago, blood brought with it an overlay—someone else’s memory.
A crumpled car, smashed beyond recognition. The driver’s seat bent so badly no one could’ve sat there. Yet someone had been there. Nigel could still see the figure clearly, even through a vision blurred by blood.
His sister.
A sister whose face, whose name he couldn’t even remember—yet she shook Nigel to his core. As conflicting memories of someone foreign clashed violently with the identity of Nigel Grau Montstein, migraines stabbed through his skull.
Only Inas could calm that shaking. The one person who understood. The only ally he had—now, and forever.
“Inas…”
“Sorry I was late, Nigel. I should’ve come sooner.”
“Yeah…”
Terrified, Nigel clung to Inas. The oppressive dark and those haunting memories had cornered him completely.
But wrapped in Inas’s embrace, the tremors began to ease.
“I’m okay now…”
Nigel, finally settling down, lightly pushed Inas away. Yet Inas didn’t let go. Despite the earlier argument, he clung close—like nothing had happened. Inas seemed unaffected, but Nigel felt awkward.
Turning his head in embarrassment, Nigel saw that the spot where Kay had fallen was now empty. He shifted the topic casually.
“So… did Kay die?”
Inas’s expression soured instantly.
“Don’t say another man’s name while you’re in my arms, Nigel.”
“Are you serious? It’s not like I meant it like that…”
Then let go already, if you’re going to get possessive about it. Nigel tried to push Inas away harder, but Inas clung tighter, like a tree rooted deep into his skin.
“Don’t push me away.”
Instead of backing off, Inas leaned down. Nigel braced for a kiss on the cheek or lips—but Inas dipped lower. His lips brushed against Nigel’s neck. The soft, ticklish sensation made him flinch.
“Ow!”
Inas bit him. Hard. The pressure was strong enough to make Nigel wonder if Inas was trying to kill him with a bite. One bit more pressure and he might’ve drawn blood.
“Ow! What the hell?!”
“Sorry.”
Even while apologizing, Inas didn’t move away. Every time Nigel felt teeth graze his skin, he flinched, fearing another bite. Inas then licked the same spot.
“Ah—!”
The sensation was too much. As Nigel shivered and let out a startled gasp, Inas kissed his neck again—then shamelessly sucked and bit down before finally letting go.
“Agh… G‑Get off already…”
“You reek of him. It disgusts me.”
“What, are you a dog marking territory now?!”
Nigel snapped, incredulous, but Inas’s eyes lit up.
“Not a bad idea.”
“…Which part?”
The dog, or the marking? Neither sounded like a compliment. Not for a person, anyway.
Inas laughed at Nigel’s mortified expression, then finally let go, planting a short kiss on his neck before helping him to his feet. Nigel swayed, unable to stand on his own, so Inas steadied him.
“We can’t go all the way here, can we?”
“Of course not!”
Nigel blurted out, flustered. He immediately regretted not just saying “No, what are you even talking about?” because Inas’s eyes narrowed, full of suggestive anticipation. Panicking, Nigel shoved at him and changed the subject.
“This really isn’t the time for this. We need to get out—fast.”
Inas didn’t reply, only stared at him. That gaze was so intense it felt like it could burn holes in Nigel’s face. Feeling overwhelmed, Nigel looked away, and Inas gave a casual shrug.
“Not like we can leave right now.”
“What?”
“Look over there.”
Inas calmly raised a hand and pointed. But there was nothing but darkness. Nigel scanned the area, searching desperately—but still, only pitch black.
Frowning, Nigel turned back to Inas, who gently guided his face back toward the direction he’d pointed.
“Look carefully. You’ll see a blue speck. Try to identify it.”
Nigel focused, squinting into the darkness. After a long pause, a faint dot appeared. Once he noticed it, it was almost strange he hadn’t seen it sooner.
Eye of the Abyss
An ancient artifact created from the core of a vanished shadow spirit. It traps the target in darkness and reveals the abyss within their soul.
When activated, the Eye of the Abyss draws the consciousness of its target into a subspace. Any target can be trapped inside, but no target can be imprisoned twice.
If the target dies within the subspace, their consciousness returns to their original body.
A troublesome artifact—but it could only be used once. As long as they survived today, it wouldn’t be a threat for the rest of this loop. Escaping it was also easier than expected.
“So all we have to do is die and we’re out?”
Nigel offered the obvious answer. Inas gave him a strange look.
“You’re awfully eager to die.”
“It’s all fake anyway.”
“I didn’t expect you to say that.”
Nigel blinked. He’d only meant it literally—because it was fake. He opened his mouth to explain, but the words caught. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say.
“Dying’s not a good idea. The description doesn’t mention it, but resurrection takes time.”
“How long?”
“It’s random. Once, I was trapped in here for over a year. Kay owns the artifact, so he could revive in a few days. But we’re intruders—so we’re stuck.”
“You got trapped too?”
“No. I knew you entered and found a way in after you. But since I don’t own the artifact, I’m still stuck like you.”
So, in the end, they were both prisoners here. The situation wasn’t looking good.
“So what do we do?”
“Find the exit. It’s a maze in here—too complex to see, but I’ve escaped it a few times. Don’t worry.”
“We need to move fast. The monsters…”
Who knew how many were out there? Nigel quickly explained the updated Foresight he saw before entering, and the conversation with Kay. While Nigel panicked about the state of things outside, Inas simply nodded with composed professionalism.
“I’ll do my best, Nigel. But don’t worry too much about the monsters. I trained the knights and defense forces in the spare time I could’ve spent thinking about you—for situations just like this.”
“Thanks. But that’s not our only problem. A second prophecy appeared, unreadable—just garbled text. I think it’s connected to Kay and the monster invasion. Do you have any guesses?”
Inas fell silent, then nodded.
“Yes. A few. If Kay knows it, I know it too. Don’t worry. No matter how desperate he gets, he’ll never be a match for me.”
“Obviously he’s not doing this to beat you directly.”
No matter what tricks Kay pulled, he couldn’t defeat Inas. Nigel habitually opened Inas’s status window and confirmed his absurdly high numbers. Even during their arguments, he’d never wanted to see Inas broken. Seeing those overwhelming stats brought a sense of stability.
But numbers alone weren’t enough. If they were, Inas wouldn’t be stuck reliving this loop in endless pain.
“Kay said he wants you to suffer.”
“Then he’ll target you.”
Inas didn’t even hesitate.
“The only time I suffer is when you’re hurt.”
“Oh…”
That simple truth, spoken so matter-of-factly, turned Nigel’s face red. If that was the case, the danger was very real. He should’ve been more alert. But whenever Inas dropped pure declarations of affection like that—it still made his heart flutter.
That same possessive affection had often frustrated him, but here he was, falling for it again. Nigel sighed, resigned.
“Nigel.”
Suddenly, Inas reached out and pressed a hand to Nigel’s forehead. His hand, usually burning hot, felt surprisingly cool now. It was a pleasant touch—but Inas’s face grew serious as he pulled back.
“You’re burning up.”
“My Foresight penalty was [Fever]…”
“This place isn’t fully illusory—it’s partially connected to reality. The effects are bleeding through. We need to get out quickly.”
Without warning, Inas scooped Nigel up. Nigel almost said he could walk on his own, but the heat radiating from his body made him fall silent.
Ahead of them, the depths of the maze yawned—dark and bottomless.
As he gazed into that unnerving black, Nigel leaned into Inas’s arms.
