Chapter 25: New reality
Oswin was exhausted. He cursed Caro for pointing him toward the subject settlement but failing to mention how far it actually was. How far did he have to walk? Miles? Days?
His two new, skinless arms made balance a nightmare. Every step felt awkward, unsteady. The extra weight threw him off, forcing him to constantly shift them, trying—failing—to get used to them. The exposed flesh, raw and vulnerable, tingled with every gust of wind. The sensation wasn't quite pain, but it was close enough to make him grit his teeth.
Still, it was better than what had happened earlier. That moment when his organs had been Unboxed—when his flesh had unraveled into strands like thread being pulled from a frayed cloth. Even thinking about it made his skin crawl.
However, Oswin had gained something valuable—mystical knowledge. A lot of it.
And unlike before, Caro hadn't stolen his voice. Maybe she forgot. Maybe she left it intact on purpose, just to see what he would do. Or maybe—just maybe—she had sent something to observe him from the shadows, unseen and unnoticed.
The thought unsettled him, but at least… not everything was bad.
For now, he was exhausted and searching for shade. There was no sun in the sky, yet a light—like sunlight—still scorched the earth, heating the surroundings.
Trees were plenty, but trees with enough shade to rest under were few and far between. And right now, no such tree was in sight.
***
Aria stared into the void, her thoughts consumed by her brother—by Fray—and everything he must be facing right now. She was truly worried.
Hours had passed since they were separated. In that time, she had learned more than she ever thought possible about the hidden world beyond civilian knowledge—about spirits, hymns, and the Church. Arthur had told her much.
Looking back, she realized just how blind she had been.
She had never imagined that such terrifying power could be wielded by a single entity. And the Church—the very institution she had trusted, the one she had attended every week with her late father and brother— worked for the betterment of humanity and yet, it held so many secrets.
The spirits she had prayed to? They weren't distant yet unknowable beings. They could be spoken to. Bargained with. That realization unsettled her. Something she once saw as sacred and mysterious was now disturbingly... accessible.
Turns out, Arthur sang to the Spirit of Mind. He didn't need to physically sing, which meant their exchange of information through telepathy was incredibly fast. Through this, he had even taught her a basic hymn dedicated to the Spirit of Mind—one she was now practicing.
Since the hymn was meant for the Spirit of Mind, singing it mentally was enough. Unfortunately, this ability was exclusive to that particular spirit—no other spirits would respond to a hymn sung solely in thought. Still, if she could master even a few hymns, she would at least be useful.
They had found the settlement long ago, much closer to the entrance of the Blood Cavern than expected.
For a while, they had wandered aimlessly, searching. Then, Ignis had noticed subtle signs of human interference—trampled grass, disturbed soil, faint traces of movement. It didn't take her long to track them here.
Now, Ignis was discussing living arrangements with the leader of the subjects. However, since none of the subjects had a voice, Arthur had to act as a medium for their communication. That left Aria alone for the time being.
At the very least, the subject leader had given them clothing—simple garments woven from plant fibers. Aria now wore a single-piece outfit that extended from her shoulders to her thighs, sleeveless and rough against her skin. But it was better than nothing.
The subjects in this settlement were mostly former Church bards, along with a few civilians. All of them had been rendered mute by that fiend—Caro. Just thinking about that monster filled Aria with hatred.
At the very least, the people here were welcoming. Though they couldn't speak, they expressed their goodwill through gestures and gifts. Despite having arrived only hours ago, she had already been given edible fruits, flour, and other essential supplies.
That being said, most of the subjects weren't… normal. True to their name, they were experiments. Some had been modified to rely entirely on their sense of hearing and smell, their sight stripped away. Their eyes were blind, yet their ears twitched at even the faintest sound, and their noses flared as if scent alone could paint the world around them.
Arthur had gossiped about one of the subjects they had interacted with—how her control over her limbs had been completely reversed. If she wanted to move her right hand, she had to will her left hand instead. If she tried to step forward with her right leg, it was her left that obeyed.
It was a bizarre condition, one that made Aria's skin crawl just imagining it.
Would she ever have to go through what the subjects had endured?
Maybe not. Fray had made a deal with that abomination—perhaps she would be spared.
But… would that fiend truly keep her word? What was stopping her from breaking the deal?
The thought of what kind of horrifying things Fray might be going through sent shivers down Aria's spine.
When would this suffering end?
Could they ever escape? Could they ever return to the old chapter of their lives?
These questions echoed in her mind, yet to be answered.
But at least the houses the subjects lived in looked comfortable. With interior made of wood, with simple yet sturdy furniture—a wooden chair, which she was currently sitting on, and wooden walls reinforced with mud for extra durability.
It wasn't luxurious, but it was stable. A small comfort in an otherwise nightmarish reality.