Morgan stared at the person who suddenly emerged from the darkness in front of them, as if the darkness itself had spat him into the light. He was standing exactly in the middle, a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. His hair was short and black, sharply wavy as if it hadn't been arranged for days, and his dark eyes were deep in an uncomfortable way, staring coldly with no emotion at all.
Morgan felt a chill run through his body, and he stepped two steps back without realizing it.
How did he appear out of nowhere like that?
Questions flooded his head one after another, heavy and worrying.
Is he a supernatural person? Did he also come searching for me?
He clenched his teeth in annoyance.
What bad luck… why are all these things happening to me at the same time?
While he was lost in his thoughts, the owner of the dark eyes turned his gaze toward Karl. Their eyes met for a few brief seconds, before the young man's expression completely changed. He sighed in irritation and then said in a tired, annoyed voice:
"Hey man, why did you wake me up at this time? I was having a beautiful dream, and you completely ruined it. Why do you always bother me during my sleeping times? What did I do to deserve this treatment? Or should I just resign?"
He began complaining without stopping, as if the words were pouring out of his mouth with no attempt to control them.
As for Karl, he was standing there with indifferent features, as if he had witnessed this scene hundreds of times before. He interrupted him in a dry tone:
"Stop the nonsense. You're hurting my ears with your ugly voice. And if you want to resign, you can do that simply."
The owner of the dark eyes sighed deeply and ran his hand over his face in exhaustion before replying:
"You know that I can't resign because of the contract you tricked me into signing. Otherwise, I would have left a long time ago. I don't know where my mind was at that time to sign such a contract."
Morgan watched this strange conversation in silence, standing a short distance away, as if he were just a passing witness who had nothing to do with it… but in truth, he was listening to every word.
So this is the friend Karl was talking about.
A faint feeling of annoyance crept into him, and he couldn't stop himself from thinking: why does he talk so much? Can't he stop for just one second?
The man's voice filled the place relentlessly, one sentence followed by another, then another, without leaving room for a reply or even to catch a breath. It seemed as if silence was his sworn enemy.
Morgan turned his gaze toward Karl and noticed the clear exhaustion on his face. It looked as though he heard this talk all day.
That must be really painful…
Without meaning to, Morgan felt a slight sympathy slipping into his chest. He knew this feeling well. During his university days, he shared housing with someone who never stopped talking. The moment he was given even the smallest opportunity, he would start talking endlessly, about anything and everything, without caring whether the other person was actually listening or not. He was like a machine that didn't know the meaning of silence.
Morgan came back from his thoughts when the owner of the dark eyes finally noticed his presence. He looked at him for just one second… then his face lit up in an exaggerated way, as if another person had taken his place in that very moment.
"You must be Rain, right? Nice to meet you. My name is Kevin."
Morgan nodded lightly in response to the greeting, but he didn't say a word.
At that moment, Kevin's gaze dropped to Morgan's hand and stopped at the tattoo drawn on it. His eyes widened slightly, and he said in a tone mixed with curiosity and surprise:
"Oh… you're exactly like me. You have the Shadow Tattoo too."
Shadow Tattoo… does that mean the tattoo on my hand? I saw it at that moment in my state, but I didn't focus on it much because of the excitement that I had become a supernatural person… but what does this tattoo mean exactly?
Morgan slowly raised his gaze toward Kevin's bright face, the face that hadn't lost its smile for moments, and said in a hesitant tone:
"Excuse me… but what does the Shadow Tattoo mean?"
Kevin looked at him with clear surprise, and a real question mark appeared on his features before he replied:
"You really don't know what it means?"
If I knew, why would I ask you from the beginning?
Morgan shook his head in denial, confirming that he knew nothing about the meaning of the Shadow Tattoo. The confusion on Kevin's face increased, and he leaned back slightly, saying in a sarcastic tone:
"That's strange… isn't everyone supposed to know the meaning of the tattoo? Where were you living? In the mountains, for example? Or in a place isolated from the world?"
Morgan could no longer tolerate his style. He stepped forward and said angrily, his patience starting to run out:
"Stop dodging and just tell me. If I knew, I wouldn't have asked you from the beginning, right?"
Kevin's eyes widened slightly in surprise, then he raised his hands in surrender and said with a light laugh:
"Alright, alright, calm down a bit. I'll tell you, just don't spit your saliva on my beautiful face."
The veins of anger stood out on Morgan's face from his provocation, and he almost replied harshly, but he pulled back at the last moment. He took a deep breath, then turned toward Karl, trying to control his tone:
"…Forget him. Mr. Karl, can you tell me what the Shadow Tattoo means?"
Karl felt a sudden acceleration in the pace of events. He opened his mouth to speak, but before any words came out, Kevin's voice quickly interrupted him:
"No, no, let me handle it."
Kevin straightened his posture, and the joking tone disappeared from his voice for the first time, as if he had suddenly switched into a more serious mode.
"Alright, let's start from the basics. Let's talk about the Liberators. It's clear you don't know anything about them, since you don't even know the meaning of the tattoo."
He paused for a moment, then continued:
"The Liberators are people who are chosen to undergo the Trial. When you are chosen, the tattoo is engraved directly onto your hand. Very few people survive that experience… and when you survive, the tattoo engraved on your hand becomes what distinguishes you from others. It reflects your traits, your nature, or the power that awakened inside you.
When you become a Liberator for the first time, each person gets one trait. But in rare cases, some may get two or three traits. And there is a very rare group of people who may get four traits, and those are considered rarer than the rarest."
Kevin lowered his gaze to Morgan's hand and fixed his eyes on the Shadow Tattoo adorning it. He examined the tattoo for several seconds before lifting his eyes again and continuing in a confident tone:
"You must have two traits, right?"
Shock appeared on Morgan's face, and he felt strangeness. How did he know that? This thought repeated in his mind as he tried to comprehend the matter. He looked at Kevin, who had a childish smile on his face that carried a hint of arrogance,
"You must be thinking… because how did I know that? You're really a stupid person who knows nothing!"
Anger flared inside Morgan when he was called stupid, and he replied quickly:
"If I'm stupid, then you're a chatterbox! Mr. Karl must want to kill you just to get some peace. If I were in his place, I would have killed you a long time ago!"
Kevin's features tightened for a moment. He felt insulted, but he tried to control himself. He never thought he would be described as talkative; people always used to call him a quiet person, so how dare this child lie like that? But, whatever… he's just a stupid person who knows nothing anyway. Kevin decided to ignore Morgan's words and continued speaking in a more serious and focused voice:
"Alright, let's talk about the tattoo. For example, Karl possesses the Plague Tattoo, and that gives him traits completely different from those who carry the Shadow Tattoo. Usually, the traits you get are directly connected to the tattoo drawn on your hand. The Shadow Tattoo grants you abilities related to shadows. For example, I have an ability that allows me to move from one place to another through shadows. As for Karl, he has two traits related to plague, such as the ability to infect your organs and control you, or something like that… did you understand what I mean?"
Morgan nodded, confirming that he understood, while remembering the previous moments.
So… that's how he was controlling my body at that time.
He paused for a moment and directed his gaze toward Karl, thinking: but how did he know that I have two traits? Morgan was about to ask Kevin about this matter, but he didn't find the time, as Karl interrupted him calmly:
"You can continue your conversation later. It's a bit cold here, and we should leave before I freeze."
Kevin and Morgan nodded at the same time, agreeing with his words. Kevin smiled and said:
"You're absolutely right… it's really cold here, isn't it?"
Then Kevin began moving toward the darkness and gestured to them with a nod:
"Let's go…"
Morgan remained standing in his place for a few moments, hesitating before moving forward toward Kevin as well.
Questions flooded his mind all at once:
Will he transport us through the darkness? Or will we literally enter it? What if this darkness is deadly?
Despite the excitement that crept into his chest at the thought of the method Kevin would use to move them, a hidden feeling of hesitation never left him. He had hated dark places since he was a child.
At that moment, he heard Kevin's voice say calmly:
"Hold my hand."
He said it while extending his hand toward him. Morgan hesitated again, but in the end he obeyed and reached out, grabbing it.
Before he could even catch his breath, Kevin burst out laughing and said with clear sarcasm:
"You idiot, do you think I'm your girlfriend for you to hold my hand like that? Get your hand off me!"
Morgan's expression froze for a few moments, and he felt a light heat rise to his face.
But… you're the one who asked me to do that!
Was he just mocking me?
Morgan lifted his gaze toward Kevin's face, but he couldn't see it clearly because of the thick darkness surrounding him. Even so, he managed to make out Kevin's white teeth as he smiled an irritating smile.
A real urge to punch him surged inside him at that moment, but before the thought could fully form, Carl's voice cut in with a warning tone:
"Stop messing with the boy and let's go before I'm forced to make you.
Didn't you say I woke you up from your sleep? Aren't you going back to sleep again?"
Kevin sighed tiredly and said while yawning:
"Alright, alright… you're right. I'm very sleepy. Let's go so I can go back to sleep again."
Carl didn't give him a chance to reply. He stepped directly into the darkness, this time holding Morgan's hand with clear seriousness. Morgan hurried after them without hesitation.
The moment they entered, the darkness swallowed Morgan's vision completely.
He could no longer see anything…
Seconds passed that felt far longer than they really were, before he heard Kevin's voice:
"Let go of my hand. We've arrived."
Morgan felt extremely confused.
Arrived?
Where?
I can't see anything at all.
He wondered anxiously inside himself: Do they live in darkness like this? How can anyone adapt to such a place?
He remained lost in his thoughts until the sharp sound of clapping pierced the silence.
And suddenly—
The lights ignited.
Light exploded into Morgan's eyes harshly, and he quickly raised his hand to protect his sight, squeezing his eyes shut from the intensity. He needed a few moments before he could open them again.
Morgan stared inside, and as soon as his eyes landed on the room, he felt a strange tightness in his chest. It was a dark white room, if that expression made sense. The walls were worn out, filled with light cracks and dark stains that suggested long neglect.
On one of the walls hung a picture of someone, but their features were unclear, which made the image give off an uncomfortable feeling.
In the middle of the room was a narrow bed, barely big enough for two people, with an old couch beside it that had lost its original shape. Clothes were scattered around the corners, some piled on top of each other, and from them came a foul smell that hit Morgan's nose hard, forcing him to hold his breath for a moment.
He froze in place, thinking in shock:
This… is worse than the garbage dump I woke up in before.
He wasn't given time to absorb the scene further when Kevin's voice suddenly thundered:
"Get out of my room right now!"
He didn't give them even a second to think. He lunged forward, grabbed them forcefully, dragged them out of the room quickly, then slammed the door shut behind them.
Morgan and Carl stood in the hallway, staring at each other in silent shock, the signs of what they had just seen clearly etched on their faces. They both wished they could erase that scene from their minds forever.
Carl finally cleared his throat and looked at Morgan, saying in a low voice:
"Let's… not talk about what we saw in there."
Morgan nodded in agreement, rubbing his eyes as if trying to push the images out of his mind, before hearing Carl's voice again:
"Let's go—"
Carl didn't finish his sentence before stepping forward, and Morgan quickly followed him. As they walked down the hallway, Morgan noticed three offices lined up along the wall. Some of the doors were tightly closed, while others were open, revealing a person inside reading nonstop, their eyes fixed on the books as if the world around them didn't exist.
Is he one of those reading-obsessed people?
Morgan shook his head slightly as he continued following Carl.
The place began to look older than he had imagined. Dirt was clearly visible on the walls, and the lighting was dim, suggesting the place hadn't been renovated in a long time. Morgan furrowed his brows in irritation, thinking:
Is this really an organization's headquarters? My room is better than this… well, no, nothing is worse than my room, but still…
Carl noticed Morgan's inspecting gaze and frown, and said calmly:
"This isn't the president's headquarters. It's just one of the organization's branches, and it's been left like this on purpose for the sake of concealment."
Morgan's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing that.
Man… are you reading my thoughts? Is my face really that easy to read?
He let out a small annoyed breath and continued walking in silence.
They walked for a while through a straight corridor lit by dim lamps, until they reached an intersection. Morgan then glanced to one side, and his gaze stopped on a strange room with a long iron door.
Morgan paused for a moment, staring at it, trying to guess what was inside, before Carl's voice interrupted him:
"This way."
Morgan followed until Carl stopped in front of another room. He paused for a moment, then raised his hand and knocked on the door three times in a row:
Knock… knock… knock…
"Enter."
The voice came calm, sweet, and friendly.
Carl reached out and opened the door, which wasn't locked to begin with, pushing it gently before stepping inside.
As soon as Morgan entered, he quickly scanned the room. It was orderly, unlike the rest of the corridors; five chairs neatly arranged around a simple table, and warm lighting that gave the place a sense of calm.
Behind the table sat a woman with long black hair flowing smoothly like silk, shining as if it absorbed the light around it. Her lips were well-shaped with a faint smile, and her features were calm yet confident. As for her dark eyes, they were streaked with a faint blue color, like the reflection of a distant sky in a deep night, giving them a strange, captivating depth.
Morgan couldn't stop himself from staring for a few seconds longer than he should have.
…Beautiful.
Before she interrupted him with a gentle tone and a smile:
"Why are you standing there? You can sit comfortably."
She then turned her gaze to Carl and added in a friendly tone with a hint of reproach:
"Carl, didn't I tell you to be more relaxed in front of me? Why don't you learn from Kevin?"
A subtle feeling of humiliation crept into Karl when he was compared to Kevin, so he clicked his tongue before he and Morgan sat down.
She returned her silky-haired gaze to Morgan and said with a simple smile:
"You must be Ryan. Nice to meet you. You can call me Zoe."
Morgan stayed silent for a moment, unsure how to respond, then nodded quietly.
Zoe turned her gaze back to Carl and said with calm seriousness:
"You can start teaching him what he will do in the trial. Its date must be close. You must have summoned Kevin specifically to transport you quickly, isn't that right? Make sure he knows everything he needs. And don't forget to treat him kindly… I don't want him to end up like the previous one."
She finished speaking, then looked at Morgan, who was listening to everything in silence, and added in a less formal tone:
"It seems you don't eat well. Your physical condition isn't good. I'll order suitable food for you, new clothes, and a bathroom so you can wash up."
What a kind person…
But Morgan didn't allow himself to relax.
A person who doesn't know me, yet does all this? There must be a motive.
He was cautious by nature, not trusting those who showed excessive kindness without a clear reason.
Either way… I have no choice.
And a bath would be a blessing—my smell is really awful.
He lifted his gaze toward Zoe and said in a low voice:
"Thank you."
Zoe shook her head with a smile:
"No need to thank me. I'm just carrying out orders."
Then she added in a lighter tone, as if thinking out loud:
"But… you're a nice person. I truly hope you don't die in the trial."
She turned to Carl and said:
"You can leave now and begin his training."
Carl stood up quickly from his chair, bowed respectfully, then headed toward the door. He grabbed Morgan by the neck and dragged him outside.
Morgan stumbled slightly in surprise and said irritably:
"I can leave on my own. Or do you think I can't walk? Or are you trying to choke me so I die before the trial?"
Carl sighed deeply and said in a tired tone:
"Just follow me…"