Magister Insanity

Grant and I continued talking for a while.

Honestly, I mostly just listened to his story. Still, being in a situation where I didn't have to worry about making the atmosphere awkward by speaking felt surprisingly refreshing. Listening was part of a conversation too and in this moment, that was my role.

Time ticked by.

Eventually, the broad-shouldered adult yawned, clearly showing signs of fatigue. Before lying down, he glanced at me once more.

"Try not to stay up too late. If you start feeling tired, wake me, okay?"

"Yes."

"And keep an eye on the fire. But if… something shows up, put it out and wake everyone immediately."

With that, he lay down and closed his eyes, slowly drifting off while silently entrusting me with the role of watchman.

Just like that, I was on my own. And for the next few hours, it would probably stay that way.

The gray sky above cast a pale light over the harrowing shores, but the crimson seas drained even that faint liveliness from the picture. A strange, blood-tinged sun hung over the mountains, shrouding everything in an eerie glow.

Sitting alone, my eyes roamed uncontrollably. Despite having climbed so high the previous night, the scene of the slaughter lay clearly below.

Tiny dots scattered across the ground were the bodies of the dead.

Further away, several creatures moved toward the corpses. They resembled wolves, only far larger and more imposing, their bodies cloaked in a thick, shadowy hide that seemed born from darkness itself.

Monsters like these… did they even exist in Shatterverse? I tried to recall, searching my memory, but came up empty. These were clearly species the game had never introduced.

Upon reaching the fallen, the demons tore into flesh and bone with savage fervor. Some devoured immediately, while others dragged the corpses deeper into the ashen forest — perhaps to feast later, or to bring the bodies back to their pack. Either way, it was gruesome.

Thankfully, I was far enough up the mountain to be out of earshot. Otherwise, the sounds alone would have driven me insane.

'Though… why does watching them eat look so… appetizing?'

Gradually, my eyes widened in realization. Thinking like this was dangerous.

Was I running mad? Was this the curse of the mountains?

Something was different.

Today felt strange, though I couldn't tell whether that was for better or worse. Shaking my head, I tried to mentally banish that scary thought, and the darker ones, away.

"How quaint. I usually like staying alone. But now it feels... different. The feeling of loneliness is heavier somehow. At least I have you, right?"

I glanced up briefly, then let my eyes drop to my shadow as I muttered, smiling bitterly. The shadow didn't respond, seemingly not impressed.

"Oh, right. You're a shadow, so you obviously can't speak… or can you? What exactly can you do?"

The shadow unceremoniously shook its head.

"Huh? What kind of response is that? Does that mean you don't know either?"

The shadow seemed to think for a moment then shrugged.

I was speechless.

'On second thought, what exactly could a shadow do?'

At that moment, the description of the [Temple Shadow] incarnation resurfaced in my mind:

...Temple Shadow is an almost forgotten and powerless entity, rarely seen and even less understood, lacking any notable skills or abilities. Like any ordinary wretched shadow, it possesses no influence over the world.

'Wait... doesn't that mean it's completely useless?'

As if reading my thoughts, the shadow glared at me.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, okay," I muttered quickly, holding up my hands. "I guess… we'll just have to figure things out together… somehow."

Then I sighed.

Luckily, everyone was fast asleep. If they weren't, I was sure they'd be giving me strange looks. From an outsider's perspective… I probably looked insane, talking to my own shadow.

Maybe I was.

"Ugh, I want to go home."

† †

Tap! Tap! Someone gently tapped my shoulder. Groggy and disoriented, I blinked a few times. As my vision cleared, Choi Minho's face came into focus.

'So… it wasn't a dream, huh?'

How lovely. My mood would've improved if waking up had revealed it was all just a nightmare.

Were Mom and Dad looking for me? They were probably worried.

"Get up. It's time to move."

A yawn escaped.

"Just… give me a second."

Looking closer, I noticed Choi Minho didn't look well. His face was paler than before, and his voice sounded raspy when he spoke.

If someone had told me that a vampire had drained every drop of blood from his body, I would have believed them.

"What happened? You couldn't sleep?"

Minho shook his head.

"It's difficult to sleep properly in this kind of environment. But if there's anyone you should be worried about, then it's Grant."

"Huh? Did something happen?"

"Why don't you take a look?"

He pointed towards the rest who were around up and ready.

Under normal circumstances, a good rest would have helped them recover. But starved of food and water, even a few hours of sleep did little to improve their condition. Hoping for a full recovery after such a short rest was wishful thinking. Somehow, they looked even worse than before.

Even at a glance, it was painfully clear that Grant was in the worst shape. His face was ghostly pale, his eyes unfocused, half-conscious and lost.

...What is this?

Just a few hours ago, he had been cheerfully sharing his story with me. Now, he looked no different from a zombie.

This didn't make any sense at all. How could someone's condition deteriorate so drastically in just a few hours?

"We suspect he must have caught some sort of infection. Considering we spent a total of three — well, including yesterday, four — days in this god forsaken place, I would've been surprised if one of us didn't fall sick."

He let out a long, frustrated sigh.

"And it's such a shame too. Out of everyone, why did it have to be him? He might not have much time left."

I swallowed hard, feeling a cold dread settling in my stomach.

If the leader of a group fell ill or weakened, the entire group's condition would suffer in turn, spiraling into unnecessary chaos. This was one of the worst scenarios that could happen.

"Get ready, everyone. We have to reach the top of the mountain before nightfall, so no more lingering."

Despite his sickly appearance, Grant put on a front, refusing to look weak. Margaret doused the fire while Minho moved off to pack his belongings. Surprisingly, Ezra approached me and asked a strange question.

"Did you see anything?"

"Sorry?"

"I mean… did you see anything while we were asleep?"

I tilted my head.

"Not really. Just some monsters feeding on the dead."

Ezra's eyes narrowed.

"Then what about that… thing? The creature that attacked us back then."

Realizing what he meant, I quickly shook my head.

"I didn't see anything… nothing at all."

He frowned.

"Really? Are you sure you didn't see anything? Like something resembling a horseman?"

A bit taken aback, I replied:

"No. I didn't see any creature falling under that description."

Disappointed, he moved to the edge and peered down, searching for something. After a minute or two, he clenched his jaw and muttered something inaudible under his breath.

Thank goodness he left when he did. If not, he would have seen the expression I was making.

Gathering resolve, everyone began the torturous ascent once more. Doing this again was beyond grueling. Each step demanded more strength than I thought I had, further draining the little I had left. Loose stones shifted underfoot, and the wind howled mercilessly, tugging at my clothes and hair as if trying to push me off the mountain. Every now and then, a small rock dislodged, tumbling down with a sharp clatter.

If there was something called Hell, then it would be this.

Climbing, stopping and repeat. All over and over.

At this moment, everyone's breathing had become strained including mine. The more time we spent climbing, the more the Sun began to set, nightfall drawing closer and closer.

Suddenly, Grant stumbled.

He barely caught himself, swaying on the narrow ledge. My body froze, panic begining to rise, but Choi Minho's voice filtered out the fear.

"Hold on to me!"

Grant's lips pressed into a thin line, but he nodded. He reached for Choi Minho's hand. Then, something strange happened at that moment.

Puh! Accompanied by silent sound, the narrow ledge Grant was using to support himself suddenly collapsed, exploding like something had slammed into it at high velocity.

It happened in an instant.

Powerlessly, I could only watch as he plummeted at great speed. For a brief, horrifying second, our eyes met. A smile could be seen on his face as though already accepting his fate. Without uttering a scream, he fell further and further until his body vanished from view.

An unbearable silence followed, broken only by a heavy thud echoing from far below.

... There was no need to check if he was alive.