Chapter 28: Welcome to Arcana

Bang!

The employee room door burst open as Nica came stumbling out in a panic. She looked at the run-down convenience store, the darkness beyond it, and the police car waiting outside.

Relief washed over her as she realized she had finally made it out.

She tried to run, but a hand suddenly grabbed her arm and slammed her to the ground.

"L-let go of me!"

Another hand shoved her face against the ground as a stern voice spoke above her.

"Stop resisting. You are being detained by the A.E.G.I.S. Response Unit. My name is Elias. You will remain where you are and comply with our instructions. Any attempt to resist will only make this situation worse. If you have anything to say, you will have your chance during interrogation. Until then, keep your mouth shut."

Elias spoke with a serious expression, his grip on Nica showing no signs of loosening.

"You know you don’t actually have to introduce yourself, right?"

Marcus snarked, commenting on Elias’s way of handling things.

"I... I didn’t do anything! Let me go! I-if you want to interrogate someone, there’s a man inside that weird place! Interrogate him!"

Nica sobbed as she struggled against the restraints.

The exhausting events of the day had left her utterly drained, and she could barely muster the strength to fight back.

"A man? What? It was reported that there was only one person trapped inside..."

"Who’s the man? Do you know his name and identity?"

Nica gradually calmed down as she answered, though she couldn’t shake off the restraints around her body no matter how hard she tried.

"M-Moon! He said his name was Moon!"

Both Marcus and Elias froze at the familiar name.

Marcus, especially, flinched at the mention of it.

He slowly turned his gaze toward the employee room door.

...

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

That was the number one rule of [As Above, So Below].

It was a common proverb in my original world, originating from the three wise monkeys, each of whom covered their eyes, ears, or mouth.

They represented the idea of turning a blind eye to evil, refusing to listen to it, and refraining from speaking of it.

However, within the world of [Arcana], it was the safety measure that was most strongly recommended if you wanted to live.

As the world gradually revealed its paranormal and supernatural side, there was very little an ordinary person could do to protect themselves.

To see no evil meant looking away from the divinity and monstrosity of the world around you.

To hear no evil meant turning deaf to the malevolence that could corrupt your mind and twist your very perception of reality.

To speak no evil meant abandoning speech altogether, lest your own words lead you toward corruption.

Ding!

The sound of the convenience store door opening rang out as the being in red slowly emerged.

The way it walked was so gracefully soothing, but I had no eyes to witness it.

It hummed a melody so strangely pleasant, but my ears were covered.

It asked me questions, but my mouth was gone.

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

I ran as fast as I could, keeping my eyes tightly shut, my mouth closed, and my ears covered with both hands.

But even as I ran, I knew it was chasing me.

I knew it from the way my skin began to soften and peel away, sliding from my flesh as though my entire body had been left to dissolve in some invisible acid.

The skin around my arms loosened first, followed by the flesh beneath it, until I could feel something warm and wet running down my fingers.

I knew it from the way my bones began to bend in random directions, my ribs cracking one after another as they crushed inward against my torso.

With every movement I made I could hear my bones snapping, while my intestines twisted and knotted inside my abdomen, squeezing together until I could barely remain upright.

Yet I kept running.

Even as the soles of my feet dragged against the ground, even as my knees threatened to fold beneath me, even as my own body seemed determined to fall apart with every step, I continued running.

Blindly, deafly, and mutely, I ran deeper into the darkness.

I was going to die here...?

I thought to myself, how could that be?

I knew this supernatural space. I had planned everything out in my head, and I possessed considerable capabilities and a decent intellect.

I had dreams I wanted to accomplish, and I had thought this was only the beginning of my story.

I wanted to accomplish those dreams. I wanted to get out of here.

I wanted to live.

I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live.

Thump.

I could no longer walk.

My legs gave out beneath me, and I felt my body crash against the ground. Something inside my chest cracked and I heard a sickening crunch, and I could feel my ruined body twitching against the floor.

I opened my eyes, only to realize that I was no longer in the convenience store, but at the Neverending Staircase.

The monotonous-looking staircase...

I was back here once again.

I didn’t know how I had returned. I couldn’t even feel relief or pain. I couldn’t feel anything, think any thoughts, see anything, hear anything, or speak.

My body was already coming apart.

My skin stretched and sagged as though it no longer belonged to me, melting against the steps in bloody trails.

My organs spilled from my ruined abdomen, sliding across the stone one by one, while my bones softened and crumbled into something that no longer resembled a human skeleton.

And yet, I remained conscious.

I could not scream, and I could not cry out... I could not even close my eyes and escape the sight of my own destruction.

I could only lie there as the last remnants of my body slowly dissolved into the staircase, unable to do anything but exist through the process.

And as my body melted into the steps, my organs spilled out, and my bones rotted away, I couldn’t help but think of the introductory lines of [Arcana], the catchphrase that everyone knew and had memorized.

The catchphrase that made me realize just how truly morbid this universe was.

[Welcome to Arcana.]

[Within this wretched world, neither the graces of the divine nor the wisdom of the prepared will ensure your survival.]

[Blessed be your ignorance, damned be your stupidity, and praise be the death you are about to receive.]