7

"So, let me start from the very beginning." Reona's voice carried a weight that immediately filled the room. She took a deep breath, her gaze distant as she began to recount the events etched into her memories.

"I don't know the exact date, but it happened more than eighty years ago. As for the date… No one could be sure of it." Her voice faltered for a moment, and her head nodded slightly, as if reaffirming what she was about to say.

"One day, everything was swallowed up by darkness. No one knows what happened, and to this day, we are still trying to find out. But no luck."

She paused, her eyes narrowing as if searching for some forgotten detail in the recesses of her mind. Then, with a slow exhale, she continued, "After that, everything just fell apart."

Eldric listened intently, his hands unconsciously tightening into fists as Reona's words painted a grim picture of the past.

"This small town of Aernos was cut off from the world. Any form of communication stopped working. Not only communication, but even the cars, buses, and bikes… everything stopped working at the exact same moment."

Reona let out a hollow laugh, her gaze drifting toward the barred window, as though she could see the world outside through it. Her fingers absently traced the edge of the table, the motion betraying a nervousness that her calm tone tried to mask. After a few moments, she turned back to Eldric, her expression darkening.

"But you know what the craziest part about all this is?" Her lips curled into a mocking smile, tinged with bitterness. "Other than humans and buildings, everything else disappeared."

Eldric's eyes widened in disbelief. He leaned forward slightly, trying to grasp the enormity of what she was saying. Reona's eyes closed briefly, and her eyelashes trembled as she struggled to contain the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.

"Plants, trees, flowers, animals, insects, sun, moon, stars… Everything just vanished."

Her hoarse voice echoed through the bleak room, plunging it into a heavier silence. Eldric felt a shiver run down his spine. The stillness of the room seemed to deepen, making the air feel thick and suffocating.

"For a while, people almost went crazy. Hell, in fact, some of them did…" Reona's voice grew louder, tinged with a desperate energy that made Eldric flinch. She spoke with a strange excitement, as if the horror of those days had left an indelible mark on her soul.

"People tried to run out of the town… They wanted to escape this godforsaken place. But no matter what they tried, they just couldn't get out."

By now, Reona's voice had turned hollow, filled with a hopelessness that seemed to echo off the walls. Eldric could see her desolate and helpless expression, the lines on her face deepening as she relived the memories.

The silence that followed was suffocating. Eldric couldn't help but feel the weight of the years that had passed, the desperation that had seeped into every corner of this town. He swallowed hard, his throat dry as he struggled to find his voice.

"What happened then?" His voice was barely above a whisper, thick with the anxiety he tried to suppress. If Reona's words were true, if no one had managed to escape, what did that mean for him? The thought of being trapped in this town forever made his chest tighten.

Reona nodded slowly, her eyes still lost in memories. Her fingers tapped a slow rhythm on the table, the only movement in her otherwise still form.

"Everyone was scared and aimless at first. A few people even turned mad. But over time, the remaining people banded together to find a way."

She hesitated, her voice trembling as if the words were too heavy to bear. "And it was then… It was then that these damned monsters appeared out of nowhere."

Eldric stiffened, his pulse quickening. Reona's body shook slightly, and she wrapped her arms around herself as if to ward off a chill.

"Under the guise of darkness, they began to hunt humans. Their way of hunting was… sophisticated. At first, people didn't even realize that there were monsters roaming this town. It wasn't until a large number of people disappeared that they finally figured it out."

Her voice grew hoarse, and she coughed slightly, her breath hitching as she tried to compose herself. With a deep sigh, Reona closed her eyes, an inevitable chuckle escaping her lips—a bitter sound, filled with the kind of laughter born from despair.

"With no way out, people grouped together and took shelter in large places. No one knows why or how, but the electricity and water remained functioning. Perhaps… God took pity on us." Her voice was distant, lost in thought as she recounted the strange phenomena.

"Perhaps it was his way of compensating us," she murmured, her eyes glazed over as she tried to make sense of the chaos. "The only good thing about living in this damned place is that every week, the food and water would automatically reappear in the places where it was on the day darkness swallowed everything. And no matter how long it's left untouched, the food and water won't spoil."

Reona finally stopped speaking, her shoulders slumping as though the weight of the memories was too much to bear. Eldric sat in stunned silence, his mind racing to process everything he had just heard. Even though he had expected something like this, hearing it confirmed with his own ears sent a shock through his system.

"The monsters outside…" After what felt like an eternity, Eldric finally found his voice again. He leaned forward, his brows furrowed in concern. "How many of them are out there?"

Reona's eyes opened slowly, and she fixed him with a piercing gaze before shaking her head. "No one knows. But the number is definitely more than fifty."

"SHIT." Eldric couldn't stop the curse from escaping his lips. His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to imagine the horror of facing even one of those creatures, let alone fifty. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he wiped it away with trembling hands.

"Relax." Reona's voice was soft, almost gentle, as if sensing his fear. "As long as you're in a proper, closed space and aren't in complete darkness, you should be fine."

Eldric let out a shaky breath, feeling a small measure of relief wash over him. But the dread lingered, gnawing at the edges of his mind.

"So… what do we do next?" he asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty. The enormity of the situation weighed heavily on him, and he struggled to think clearly. Should he try to find a way out of this town? But how could he succeed where so many had failed? The odds seemed insurmountable, and doubt gnawed at him.

Reona's voice cut through his thoughts, bringing him back to the present. "First, you need to get some rest." Her tone was firm, leaving no room for argument. "Clean yourself up and get accustomed to this world. As for what we're going to do next… we have a lot of time to think about it."

She stood up slowly, stretching her stiff limbs as she prepared to leave. Eldric watched her, feeling a strange mix of gratitude and fear. Just as she reached the door, Reona paused, turning back to him with a faint smile.

"Oh, and do not run outside. You've been marked by one of them." Her voice was almost playful, as if she were sharing a casual piece of advice. But the seriousness in her eyes betrayed the gravity of her words. "Of course, you can try to kill that thing. That way, you wouldn't have to be afraid of roaming in the darkness."

"..."

Her last words were like a thunderclap in the middle of a silent night. Eldric's mind went blank for a moment, too stunned to react. By the time he processed what she had said, Reona was already gone, her footsteps fading into the distance.

"Damn it." Eldric cursed under his breath, his frustration boiling over. He didn't know whether to believe her or not, but something told him she wasn't lying. If he really was marked by one of those monsters… what chance did he have?

"Forget it," he muttered, rubbing his temples in frustration. Since he couldn't go outside for now, there was no point in dwelling on it. He sighed heavily, trying to push the thoughts from his mind as he headed to the bathroom to take a bath.

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Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room elsewhere, Reona walked in to find two figures waiting for her. She barely acknowledged them as she made her way to a leather sofa and sank into it with a weary sigh.

"Really? A parallel world?" Jeron's voice was laced with annoyance as he spoke, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh, I think it's a pretty good idea." Reona didn't even look at him as she dismissed his words with a wave of her hand, her tone casual.

"You should have told him the truth." Jeron shook his head, disappointment clear in his eyes as he looked at his mother. He couldn't understand why she would hide the reality from Eldric.

"Oh?" Reona finally turned her gaze toward him, a slight smile playing on her lips. "So, you agree with me, then?"

"Agree with you about what?" Jeron's brows furrowed in confusion.

"About the fact that the boy is human and not a monster."

"Hmph." Jeron just snorted in response, his silence betraying his agreement.

"He's right, you know," Arian spoke up, his voice calm but firm. From the moment he first met Eldric and escorted him to his room, he was certain the boy was human.

"We should have told him the truth."

"Hmph!" Reona snorted in dissatisfaction, her eyes narrowing as she looked at her sons. For a moment, she wondered if they were truly hers. How could they be so naïve? But she swallowed the harsh words she was about to utter, remembering the solitary lives they had led since birth. With a sigh, she softened her tone.

"He's just a child." She didn't mince words as she got to the heart of the matter. "It's already a miracle that he's accepting this new world. What do you think he'll do once he knows the truth?"

Her words hung in the air, plunging the room into a deathly silence. The only sound was the steady breathing of the three people within.

"Let's give him some time to adapt to his new reality. He'll have plenty of time in the future to learn the truth." Reona's voice was firm, her decision final. Her sons, though hesitant, couldn't argue. As much as they wanted to talk about it with Eldric, they knew their mother's reasoning was sound.

"Fine." Though they wanted to argue more, in the end, they spoke in unison, their voices heavy with resignation. Although they didn't agree with her, they would respect her decision for now.

Just like their mother said... the only thing they could do was to wait and let nature take its course.