A small, frail girl with a sunken expression on her face, her skin pulled tight over her skull and spine as if to mock the living. She’s holding a staff made from the bones of a corpse.
What’s the most intriguing thing about this person being here?
The girl had looked almost like a piece of dried leather at the moment of her death, plummeting toward me while still alive.
Then she twisted away and vanished without a trace, as if she never existed.
At least, she’s not someone I recall meeting.
If we’re in my mental world, it’s strange for Hyungkesuni to be here.
Wonsi Cheonjon called me the master, so I thought perhaps I was in a typical mental realm from a story, but then there’s Hyungkesuni. And Daegon said I was a guest.
So, is someone lying?
Makes me think of a devil somewhere.
What kind of place is this? The simplest yet sure way to find out is to face it head-on.
I approached Hyungkesuni.
“Third meeting!”
“Should be the second.”
Hyungkesuni says something odd. The second?
Now that I think about it, the dream’s atmosphere suddenly shifted. If earlier there were twisted fairy tale images mixing meat, corpses, and trash, at some point, I began encountering past figures.
When was that?
After meeting Hyungkesuni. Then, familiar faces started appearing—not some nameless corpse or animal remains.
Well then, I should pose this question.
“What do you think about people who smile in scary situations?”
Hyungkesuni’s expression crumpled suddenly. She looked genuinely horrified.
“Are you mocking me?”
Yep. This truly seems closer to the real thing than I expected. The Hyungkesuni I first met isn’t the one before me now.
No warmth or light remains, so she’s ultimately a fake.
“Yes, I am. You’re a witch, right? Answer the question.”
If this is a mental world, I should be able to speak freely. Her face twisted in distaste before she flinched and lowered her head, looking up at me in fear.
“I think it’s pathetic.”
So she views herself as pathetic. Surely not the real Hyungkesuni’s words—just empty mutterings devoid of value.
“I’m going to enter the castle I see ahead.”
Then Hyungkesuni looked at me, glanced slightly away, and peered behind me. There must be something back there.
I intentionally don’t turn around.
Probably a witch. An unnamed witch.
Since something started changing after I questioned Hyungkesuni, what exactly went wrong?
If she’s following me, she ought to show me all the way.
I can guess what lies beyond those overbearing black castle walls.
“You know that’s the opposite side of the exit door, right?”
Hyungkesuni asked, to which I nodded. Yes, I am aware. I initially thought reaching the castle might lead to the Queen of Hearts or something—it felt like stepping into a fairy tale.
But I lost track halfway. It wasn’t like a fairy tale at all; suddenly, only figures from the past began appearing.
So I just moved by inertia, and then I found a reason to push through to the end.
“Yes, I know.”
Hyungkesuni hesitated, dragging out the moment. I stared at her, and she genuinely grimaced at my gaze before she walked toward the wall.
Then, she tapped her staff against it lightly.
Boom!
With a loud crash, the wall cracked open. The stones that made up the wall began to shift and form a door-like shape. But it was just a void, revealing an endless abyss of darkness inside.
And beyond that darkness? A pure white castle was visible.
Without hesitation, I stepped into the shadows, becoming enveloped in a thick, sticky darkness.
My body met the darkness.
There’s no sensation. Just the cold I always felt. It’s the same cold I’m feeling now. The endless chill that grows stronger, making it impossible to become accustomed to. It’s maddeningly cold. Am I going insane from the chill? I start moving again. I need to walk without wandering from my destination.
AAAAGH!
Suddenly, a scream rang out from above me.
A pitch-black lizard leaped down right above my head! When did that thing get up there?
Screaming, the lizard rushed frantically back through the darkness, dashing toward where I had come from.
Between the shadows, I glimpsed a faint flutter of wings. Is it a dragon rather than a lizard?
But it forgot to use its wings, scrambling away like it was desperately fleeing something terrifying. Definitely a lizard.
In the middle of that lizard’s body, there is light. The only light I’ve seen thus far. The only entity that has warmth.
I suspect it’s the witch who brought me to this place.
But didn’t it forget something? If it had been clinging to my head, it should’ve remembered everything I did up until now.
The lizard crashed into an unseen wall at the exit, bouncing back helplessly. Poor thing couldn’t progress any further.
Just one step forward, and it could escape the darkness, yet it can’t.
The light is so close.
But its body is stuck in the shadows.
Hehehe.
Standing in front of the lizard is Hyungkesuni, laughing at the miserable creature.
“You can’t go this way.”
“Open it! Let me out!”
The lizard screamed, its voice a bizarre mix of male and female. I glanced at it before taking another step forward.
The witch.
Intriguing, but right now, I’m more interested in what lies beyond this side.
Besides, I still have an unused key in my pocket. I wonder what could be unlocked with this key.
I keep walking forward, moving toward the castle that now looks close.
“This is an order from Maleficent! Open the door! Open it! Why, why isn’t the magic working?! Let me out! Please! Let me go! It’s too cold here!”
Hehehe. Silly fool. If you wanted to flee after your head burst from stressing over the dreams, you should have done so earlier. It’s already too late.
The faint back-and-forth between the two faded away, leaving an echo in my ears. It’s been a while since I’ve heard a genuine Hyungkesuni remark. And now I’ve also learned the witch’s name.
With this newfound information, I can make good use of it.
I thought this while continuing my advance.
Step, step.
The sounds behind me fade into nothingness. The distance feels bizarre. That castle, which was just before me, seems unreachable no matter how far I walk.
I vaguely sense what this world is.
If my prediction is correct, to break through this darkness, I’ll need to walk quite a distance.
Step, step.
I walk, taking small steps for quite a while.
A cold, dark space that is simply cold.
When I lose track of how much time has passed, a city appears before my eyes.
A dull city, devoid of color and sound, resembling a black-and-white silent film.
The city where the faded memory of a man lived.
A place I’m supposed to long for.
In a way, I’ve almost come home. Though not the real home.
Looking up at the sky, it unfurls a brilliant blue, contrasting against the city’s gloom. A towering spire stands high above. It’s a building that is quite far from where I used to live.
It looks like the tower from some movie, and from a distance, it appears castle-like.
But the black and white oddity makes it shine a particularly bright white. Outside the black-and-white realm, it’s either black or white. It can’t be both.
Isn’t entering such a place usually triggered by some awakening event?
I never expected to end up in a place like this. I take a step forward, heading toward the neighborhood where the man from the faded memory lived. I know the way to his house.
A path longed for in the darkness.
I walk that path.
After what feels like a short or long time, I arrive at the front door—the place where the lock should be.
A massive keyhole is visible.
I pull out a key with faded lettering from my pocket and insert it.
Clank!
But the key won’t fit.
Huh?
Could it be that I was supposed to get the key somewhere else and missed picking it up? Or did I need to bring that witch with me? If they tell me to go back now, it’ll be quite a laborious task.
So, I prowl along the corridor and decide to follow the wall to hit the elevator button. But it remains still, so I head for the staircase.
Upon opening the emergency exit door to descend the same stairs I had climbed earlier…
It won’t budge.
What’s going on? Is this a bug?
No matter how I look around, I can’t find a way back. Eventually, I return to the door once more. Considering whether I could jump down, I attempted to climb over the corridor wall, but it’s blocked by a solid surface.
The door lock has transformed into a keyhole, and the key won’t go in.
Just in case, I press the doorbell.
No sound at all.
This time, I knock on the door.
But even after waiting, no one comes out.
Looks like I might have ignored and left my companion behind. What do I do now?
As I stood silently in the corridor, I suddenly sensed a presence.
The elevator door opened, and a man stepped out.
It’s me.
His face wasn’t painted over with black paint, but I recognize him as me.
The man walks toward me, pulls out a key from his pocket, and unlocks the door.
Glimpsing the key, I see the word “Past” inscribed on the end.
The door opens, revealing a small, modest home. The man enters, and I follow him inside.
He acts as if he doesn’t recognize me.
Memories gathered up together.
What should I do here?
As I ponder while scanning the room, the man changes his clothes, eases into a relaxed posture, and switches on the TV.
Then, out of the blue, he addresses me.
“It’s the exit door.”
Pointing at the flickering screen.
“Is the theme park over?”
“Did you do any self-reflection?”
“Impossible.”
There’s no way I could manage that. Shaking my head in denial, the man smiles knowingly, his only visible lower jaw grinning.
“Right. Why would we have such a thing? If the show’s over, you should go back.”
“True.”
As I ponder, I happened to pull out the key from my pocket.
“Do you know what this is?”
“Why would I know what you don’t?”
“Seems useless.”
“Past memories are usually like that.”
Maybe I passed by without finding the room to enter. Having idle chatter with the jaw-man, I stepped into the TV. I don’t feel overly worried.
I’m the type to leave games at a 60% progress without a second thought.
Suddenly experiencing the sensation of a fall from a high place, I awoke in my bed.
In the luxurious accommodation in front of the Royal Academy. The ceiling of that very place.
I’ve returned to the original world.
Not sure what anything means, but since I got the witch’s name, I guess it’s all gone well. Plus, there’s the heavy metallic feel lingering around my backside.
So, the witch’s name I got is Maleficent?
What a classic name.
