TLWD 65

Chapter : 65. The Mystery of Nothingness (2)

Chzzzz—! Crackle—!

The grotesque sound of skin tearing echoed endlessly.

Kai and I kept walking, following the path the fleshy mass led us through.

After some distance—

A slab of flesh to the side, not the front, suddenly split open with a wet squelch.
From beyond, a faint glow seeped out.

It looked just like an exit.

Naturally, Kai and I began to slow our steps.
But just then—

Grrrk—

The veins of the Rulebook twitched again, and a new rule surfaced.

3. There is no exit in this place.

: If something appears to be an exit, do not stop and do not approach it. Ignore it completely.

No exit?

“What will you do?”

Kai asked after reading the Rulebook.
It meant he would follow my judgment—but even I was torn.

The options were twofold:

To trust the Rulebook and keep walking forward…
Or to ignore the Rulebook and dive into that glow.

“If you order me, I will go first into the light.”

Kai’s face was firm. If I gave the word, he would leap in without hesitation.

Perhaps because our bond had reached [Friendly], he trusted me greatly.
Or rather—he trusted his own ability, [Dependent Immortality E].
As long as Serapia lived, Kai could not truly die.

That was why it was such a difficult decision.
Above all, the very statement that no exit existed made no sense.

I checked the Rulebook again.

“For now, we follow the rules.”
“Understood.”

Kai obeyed without complaint.

We ignored the glowing passage that looked like an exit, and pressed on.

Only Kai’s blue aura lit the way.
Time itself felt distorted—I couldn’t tell how long we had been walking.

“Wait.”

I stopped.
Kai stopped too, letting his aura cast light around us. I looked around carefully.

Maybe it was my imagination, but…

“It feels like we’ve been going in circles.”

It was as if we were trapped in the same place, looping endlessly.
Like we had lost all sense of direction.

Kai must have sensed it too. He looked around, then said:

“Let me leave a mark.”

He began searching for a spot to carve one.
A common method when lost, but—

“No. It won’t work.”

Not here.

Rule 1 said this space could erase or distort traces.

“Then what do you intend to do?”

I raised Dragon’s Claw [A].
With a slash, I tore a chunk out of the fleshy wall—

Screeeeeech—!!

A horrific scream rang out, splitting the air.

“What are you doing?”
“Checking something.”

Again, I ripped out a piece of the wall with Dragon’s Claw.

Screeeeeech—!!

Another scream.
It was unbearable to hear—though it caused no mental damage.
Still, it was horribly unsettling.

Yet Kai didn’t even flinch.

“You don’t mind this sound?”
“It is extremely unpleasant.”
“Then how—”
“I’m protecting my ears with aura.”

…Aura really was too convenient.
A power that could manifest whatever one imagined.

Why couldn’t I use aura? Damn it.

Screeeeeech—!!

I tore more flesh—when suddenly—

Grrrk, grrk!

The wall began to heal itself, and strange symbols carved themselves across it.
Unknowable, unreadable glyphs.

‘Those are…’

I didn’t know their meaning.
But—I had seen them before.

The moment I focused—

【Ng’gha fhtagn, I’ ahorn wgah’nagl.】

A voice whispered in my ear, in an unknown tongue.

And yet—I knew it.
Not the meaning, but the voice itself.

If my memory was correct…

The six lords who served the Emperor.

‘The Lord of the Abyss…?’

The incomprehensible terror beyond reason.
That whisper belonged to a Lord of the Abyss.

【Tharanak li’hee fhtagn’nun.】

This was… dangerous.

No matter what—I must not encounter a Lord of the Abyss.
I needed to escape.

But—

My body was paralyzed.
It wasn’t mere fear or trembling; it was something deeper, impossible to describe.

The air thickened with suppressed despair and whispers—
The whispers twisted into unspeakable terror—
That terror became a wave I could not interpret—
And it shattered my mind.

Just trying to understand was enough to collapse my sanity.

Nightmares of my past life merged with the horror of the present—

And then, I finally understood Ian’s words.

What I was seeing was—

—The final evil, rising from the center of eternity, whispering chaos.

What was rending my mind was—

—The last unholy being, born at the edge of the abyss, writhing endlessly through timeless chaos.

What was devouring my existence was—

—Shapeless evil of infinite eternity, a negative existence forged in the pit of hell, thrashing forever in the core of chaos.

The instant I realized this—

Hope plummeted into despair.
My vision distorted, space itself warped.

When the glyphs spread across the fleshy walls—

Kai saw a new rule surface on the Rulebook.

4. If strange glyphs appear on the wall, leave immediately.

: Sometimes incomprehensible symbols will be etched on the walls. Do not look at them, do not attempt to understand them. Your consciousness will be consumed.

If they begin spreading onto your hands or arms, kill yourself.

Kai immediately moved, following the rule.

But—

“Adrian?”

Adrian didn’t move.
He stood frozen, as if entranced.

Then—

Grrrrrrk!

The fleshy chamber rippled.
Faces with eyes and mouths bulged out of the walls, ceiling, and floor, watching.

Grotesque limbs and tentacles extended, slowly consuming the space.

“We must move!!”

Kai shouted desperately, but Adrian remained still.
His eyes were unfocused, vacant.

At that moment—

The Rulebook twitched, revealing another rule.

5. Never stop reminding yourself of who you are.

: This place erases memory and identity little by little.
You will lose your name, forget yourself, and finally merge into this place.
Remember your existence at all costs.

“Wake up!!”

Kai shouted in Adrian’s ear, but he remained unresponsive.

A sinister energy rose from the Rulebook, and glyphs began to spread across Adrian’s hand.

Kai didn’t understand what was happening—
But one thing was clear.

He had to tear the Rulebook away from Adrian.

Kai grabbed it—

But it would not come off.
It wasn’t Adrian refusing to let go—
The Rulebook itself wouldn’t release him.

It was fusing with Adrian, merging into his skin as though becoming part of his body.

“What is this…?”

Kai raised his sword to destroy it—

But then—

Screeeeech—!!

The Rulebook’s flesh lashed out, enveloping him, writhing like a slimy mollusk mixed with stone.

Kai leapt back.
The Rulebook’s surface pulsed, and a new rule appeared.

7. Under no circumstances damage the Rulebook.

: This is your only guide.
If you harm it, this place will know—and it will not forgive you.

The Rulebook’s veins writhed violently, emphasizing the rule.

Clearly a wicked artifact.
But what unsettled Kai more—

Was the numbering.

“Rule… seven?”

He had just seen Rule Five.
Meaning—Rule Six was missing.

The moment he realized it—

The veins carved a new message.

8. Rule Six does not exist.

: If you happen to find Rule Six—

Could that even be called a rule?

9. Kill yourself.

: There is no hope for you.

The Rulebook fused to Adrian’s hand swelled, its fibers splitting and creaking—

And then—

10. Once again: there is no exit here.

: Just die here. Die, di—. Die, di—? Die—!?

The words cut off abruptly.

At the same time, Adrian’s arm—merged with the Rulebook—began thrashing uncontrollably.
It bent at impossible angles—

Crack! Crunch!

Bones snapped with grotesque noise.

Suddenly, his own hand shot to his throat.

Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die.

Adrian’s hand squeezed his neck with crushing force.

His face turned blue in an instant.

Kai lunged forward, aura surging into his blade—

Grrrrrk—!

But tendrils burst out of the Rulebook, blocking his path.
No matter how many he cut down, more grew.

“Wake up, Adrian!!”

Kai shouted—but shouting changed nothing.

Crunch!

A wet, crushing sound rang out.

And Kai saw it—

A twisted grin forming on Adrian’s lips.
The sudden spark returning to his once-vacant eyes.

Within those eyes, tangled emotions swirled violently.

Fragments of feeling converged into a storm.

“I found it.”

The moment he spoke—

Screeeeeech—!!!

The Rulebook, fused to Adrian’s hand, let out a scream that seemed to rip reality apart.