Chapter 19: A Face in the Dark

Chapter 19: A Face in the Dark

Sam stood there, breath still uneven, the remnants of Elias's presence lingering in the air like an afterimage burned into his mind.

He had seen him.

A part of him feared that if he so much as blinked too long, the memory would unravel, like waking from a dream he could no longer grasp.

But this wasn't a dream.

Elias had been right there.

And now, he was gone.

Sam took a step forward, his body tense, his mind racing. The room had returned to its normal stillness, but it felt different—charged, as if something unseen still stirred beneath the surface.

He wet his lips, heart hammering.

"…Elias?"

His voice barely made a sound, but the name still cut through the silence.

Nothing.

Sam clenched his fists.

"Elias, I know you're here," he tried again, firmer this time. "I saw you."

The shadows didn't move. The air didn't shift.

Sam exhaled sharply, frustration creeping in.

He was just here. He had stood right there. So why wasn't he answering now?

"Elias."

Silence.

"…Elias."

Still nothing.

His fingers twitched at his sides. This was different from before. Before, the presence had always been there—watching, waiting, reacting. But now, there was an emptiness where something had once been.

Sam wasn't sure if that was better or worse.

But one thing was clear.

He was going in the right direction.

Elias had responded. Elias had manifested. And if that was possible, then…

Sam's pulse thrummed.

He needed answers.

---

Sam didn't waste any time. He turned on his heel, crossing the dimly lit hall toward the study where he had left the ledger.

The moment he stepped inside, he spotted it—resting atop the desk, its darkened pages still splayed open as if waiting for him.

He pulled the chair back and sat down, pressing his palms against the wooden surface as he exhaled.

"You saw that, didn't you?" Sam muttered, his voice quieter now, measured. "He was here."

The ledger's pages remained still.

"I called his name," Sam continued, watching the book carefully, "and he—changed. He was almost… fully here." He hesitated. "And then something pulled him back."

A long pause.

Then—

Ink bled onto the page.

> It is not easy for them to stay.

Sam's brows furrowed.

> The laws of this world are heavy. The longer they linger, the more they are noticed.

And when they are noticed…

The ink trailed off for a moment before the words darkened, as if etched in warning:

> They are erased.

Sam stiffened.

"Erased?" he echoed.

The ink continued to bleed, reshaping into new words.

> This world does not tolerate what should not exist.

Sam's fingers tightened over the desk's surface. What should not exist. The way the words were phrased… it made his stomach twist.

He thought back to Elias—how his form had glitched, how he had been dragged back as if something had yanked him from this world.

"So… that's why he disappeared," Sam murmured. "He wasn't running away. He was forced back."

> The locked guest room.

The words bled onto the page almost immediately, confirming his suspicion.

Sam leaned back in his chair, exhaling.

So that's where Elias had gone.

The guest room.

The one place in this house he couldn't enter.

He stared at the ledger for a long moment before licking his lips.

"…Then tell me," Sam said carefully, "how do I unlock it?"

The ledger didn't respond.

Sam waited.

Seconds passed.

Then a full minute.

"…Where is the key?" he pressed.

This time, ink spread across the page immediately.

> You have the key.

Sam's breath hitched.

He leaned forward, hands gripping the desk.

"What?"

The ink sat there, stark against the aged paper. But nothing else followed.

He waited.

Then waited some more.

"…What does that mean?" Sam demanded, his voice rising slightly. "I don't—I don't have any key! If I did, I would've used it by now! Where the hell is it?"

No answer.

The ledger remained silent.

Sam let out a sharp, frustrated breath, slamming the book shut.

"You're so damn cryptic," he muttered under his breath.

He sat there for a moment, staring at the closed book, before finally pushing himself up from the chair. There was no point in pressing it further—not if it refused to talk.

Fine.

At least now, he had a clue.

---

Back in His Room

Sam flopped onto his bed, exhaling heavily. His mind was still spinning, but he forced himself to slow down.

He had the key?

How?

He'd searched this place before. And it's not like his uncle had left him anything important—no secret drawers, no hidden compartments, no key.

But the ledger wouldn't lie, would it?

His fingers drummed against his stomach as he stared at the ceiling.

Elias was interested in acting. That much was clear.

But why?

Was he fond of me?

The thought made Sam snort. "Am I really that good of an actor?"

Yeah, right. Never.

So it wasn't about him.

Then it had to be acting itself. Something about it must have interested Elias.

But what?

Like he wanted to… play acting with him?

Or—

Was he implying something else by that?

…Something that wasn't even acting?

Sam frowned. His thoughts were spiraling in circles. None of this made sense, but the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

There was something deeper here.

Something he hadn't put together yet.

He sighed, rubbing his temples. No use overthinking it now.

"Tomorrow," he muttered. "Tomorrow, there's rehearsals. I'll figure more out then."

His eyes flickered toward the window, the night stretching beyond it.

"…Not that he can even come to rehearsals with me."

Still, he had a feeling that something was going to happen.

Something that might bring him even closer to the truth.

Sam let out a breath, closing his eyes.

"…Let's just see what happens tomorrow."