Haunted
The meeting was over. I didn't know what else I wanted to do for now—I just wanted to formulate a strategy for the assault I planned to launch tonight.
Every Monarch and King shared similar responsibilities, and each had rather difficult tasks. Wein glanced at the temporary scoreboard, which would be updated every six hours.
Currently, the highest points were held by the Velraptoris dorm, followed by Pyraenix and Drakvary, while the lowest was Tigravorn.
While waiting for a task, Wein Arcveil decided to leave the dormitory, walking alone to analyze the surroundings.
He grabbed some equipment and checked his revolver to ensure everything was in order—this game never prohibited the use of weapons.
At the moment, each class was busy chasing points. Wein rose from his chair and put on a coat that covered his entire body.
But then, he felt something—a chilling and terrifying sensation. The stench of blood, strong and pungent, reminded Wein of his last incident.
The smell grew stronger. Wein lifted the hem of his long coat to reach for his revolver, cocking it.
Raising his head, he released a strong surge of mana that caused some nearby glass to tremble.
The scent of blood overwhelmed his nose. He raised his revolver and looked around.
"Who's there?!" Wein shouted, moving from where he'd been standing for several minutes. He heard the sound of a door—at first, he thought someone had entered the room.
"Something that no one has ever defeated," a voice murmured, before multiplying into many, haunting Wein Arcveil's mind.
Wein strengthened his mental focus, pushing aside all disturbing thoughts and worries.
He trembled slightly upon hearing the voice but still managed to hold himself together, turning his body again.
He stopped and opened his mouth, raising his voice. "Show yourself if you dare face me!"
After challenging the mysterious figure, Wein Arcveil began to recall what he had learned while studying his memory fragments.
He had learned how to summon a sword from his magic storage—something extraordinary, as Wein Arcveil was quite skilled in swordsmanship.
"With that pistol?" the figure laughed loudly, echoing through the room. "You'll die, little boy." It mocked him.
A deep crimson veil mixed with dark black mist surrounded the room. The once-blue sky outside the window began to darken—it was no longer morning.
Wein checked if someone had entered the room—but there was no one. Then he realized the earlier sound was the door being locked.
He swallowed hard. He had gone too far by challenging someone—or something—he didn't even recognize.
The dark mist thickened, like hot volcanic smoke, but the air was cold and crisp, which made Wein even more tense.
His mind was disturbed, and his thoughts clouded. He had fallen prey to the enemy's mental assault. Once he realized this, Wein quickly tried to suppress it before the enemy could fully attack his body and mind.
"How are you feeling, Your Majesty?" The figure laughed again—this time it sounded like sixteen voices laughing at once, echoing in the room.
"Are you scared?" the voice echoed, coming from everywhere—near, far, all at once.
Wein Arcveil, trying to calm himself, was starting to succumb. He trembled slightly as the crimson veil began to seep into the room.
"I think the King has lost his mind," the voice mocked again—this time more successfully than before.
Wein coughed and covered his mouth with his fist. He looked up sharply and tried to regain control of his shaken mind.
Once again, he spoke to the mysterious figure. "A coward never shows himself—not even if the world ends." Wein challenged boldly.
His legs trembled from the pressure, trying to endure it all alone before he broke.
Suddenly, he released mana more rapidly, flowing from his core to his legs in a quick surge. The mana gathered in his legs, giving him a bit more energy.
He started to think about escaping—realizing the mysterious figure was only targeting his mind. Wein finally understood that this was a mental assassination technique—inhuman and slow in its execution.
He looked around and strengthened the output of mana through his whole body, flowing together with his blood—but even this wouldn't last long.
At least it would buy him some time… Wein thought to himself. He recalled a walkie-talkie-like device in his pocket.
His pocket watch.
"You're just a coward, huh? HA HA HA HA HA." The laugh echoed again, bouncing off the walls like a muted sound trap.
"Come out and face me with your weak body!" He could barely speak—the assault had started damaging parts of his brain.
Wein Arcveil pulled out the pocket watch, pressing a button that released a strong transmission energy. He scanned his surroundings.
He looked at the pocket watch, tinkering with a few buttons and springs at the back. Wein was quite skilled, and eventually, he pressed a specific button.
The watch began to vibrate in a steady rhythm—different from the usual pattern when receiving calls. It vibrated more uniformly when making a call.
He lowered the watch from his view. The crimson veil began to melt, dripping onto the ground. The previously thick fog started to dissipate in square patches.
He was confused—what just happened? But his heartbeat started returning to normal, and his breath calmed again. Wein slowly relaxed.
For now, he didn't know what had just occurred.
The veils that had emerged began to fade, and the fog nearly vanished completely. The veil no longer imprisoned him from the outside world.
The terror had moved on… Wein muttered softly, trying to regain control of his body, mana, breath, and blood circulation—all returning to normal.
He looked at his pocket watch. Four hours had passed, and only two hours remained before the scoreboard update. Wein tried listening in again—but no new voices came.
He then checked if there were any new tasks—usually tasks came in the form of cards with written instructions—but nothing appeared yet.
Consciously, Wein walked to a chair. For a moment, he sat and relaxed his entire body, leaning back wearily, completely drained.
His eyes slowly began to close on their own…
"Wein!"
"Wein!"
"Wein!"
"Leon!"
"Leon!"
"Leon!"
"Wein or Leon?"