The darkness didn't move.
It watched.
Arav could feel it.
Not with his eyes… but somewhere deeper. Something inside him had changed the moment that mark appeared.
The air itself felt different now.
Thicker.
Heavier.
Alive.
He stepped out of the narrow crack in the wall, his movements slow and controlled. His heart was still racing—but not wildly like before.
Now… it was steady.
Focused.
"…So this is how it starts."
His voice echoed faintly through the hall.
No response.
But that didn't mean he was alone.
Arav glanced down at his wrist.
The broken crown symbol pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat.
With every pulse… the darkness around him became clearer.
Not brighter.
Just… more visible.
He could see the edges now.
The way shadows bent unnaturally.
The way certain parts of the wall seemed to breathe.
"This isn't just a place…"
He muttered.
"It's watching me back."
His phone vibrated again.
Arav didn't flinch this time.
He calmly pulled it out and looked at the screen.
[Abyss Mark: Hollow King Fragment][Ability Unlocked: Shadow Perception (Passive)]
A small smile tugged at his lips.
"So I can see them now…"
That explained it.
Before, he was blind.
Now—
Not completely.
But enough.
A faint sound echoed from behind him.
A step.
Arav turned instantly.
Someone was there.
A boy.
About his age.
Messy hair. Pale face. Eyes darting around in panic.
"…You… you're alive?"
The boy's voice trembled.
Arav said nothing for a moment.
He studied him.
Breathing fast. Hands shaking. No control.
Weak.
"…For now," Arav replied calmly.
The boy swallowed hard. "What… what is this place?"
"Trial."
Arav's answer was simple.
Cold.
The boy stepped closer. "Do you know how to get out?"
Arav didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he asked—
"Did you see the message?"
"…Message?"
Arav's eyes narrowed slightly.
So not everyone processed things the same way.
Interesting.
"Never mind," he said.
The boy looked desperate. "We should stick together, right? I mean—there's something in the dark—"
"I know."
"…Then we need a plan!"
Arav tilted his head slightly.
"A plan?"
The boy nodded quickly. "Yeah! Like… we move together, watch each other's backs—"
Arav let out a quiet breath.
Then he said—
"That's how you die."
The boy froze.
"…What?"
Arav's gaze hardened.
"Didn't you read the rule?"
"What rule?!"
Arav raised his phone slightly.
The screen flickered.
[Rule #1: Your mind is not your ally.]
The boy stared at it.
His face went pale.
"I… I didn't get that…"
Arav lowered the phone.
"That means one thing."
"…What?"
"You can't trust what you think."
Silence filled the hall.
The boy took a step back.
"…That doesn't make sense."
"It doesn't have to."
Arav turned away.
"Sense isn't part of the system."
He began walking.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Just… steady.
"W-wait!"
The boy rushed after him.
"You're just going to leave me?!"
Arav didn't stop.
"Yes."
"Why?!"
Arav glanced over his shoulder.
His eyes were calm.
Too calm.
"Because I want to survive."
The boy's face twisted.
"That's messed up!"
Arav stopped.
For a moment… silence.
Then he said—
"No."
He turned fully.
"This place is messed up."
His gaze shifted slightly.
To the darkness behind the boy.
"Look behind you."
The boy frowned.
"…What?"
"Just look."
Hesitantly, the boy turned.
Nothing.
The hallway was empty.
"…There's nothing—"
Arav moved.
Fast.
In a single step, he grabbed the boy's arm and yanked him sideways.
A second later—
Something sliced through the space where the boy had been standing.
A black blur.
Silent.
Deadly.
The boy screamed.
"What was that?!"
Arav let go and stepped back.
His eyes locked onto the creature.
Now that he could see clearly…
It was worse than before.
It wasn't just a shadow.
It was… layered.
Multiple shapes overlapping each other.
Like several bodies trying to exist in the same space.
"…So that's what you really look like."
The creature twitched.
Its "head" tilted.
As if… it was curious.
The boy stumbled backward, breathing heavily.
"I—I didn't even see it!"
"Of course you didn't," Arav replied.
"You're blind."
"What?!"
"To this world."
The creature moved again.
Faster this time.
Arav didn't hesitate.
"Don't scream."
He said it sharply.
Commanding.
The boy froze.
That one moment of hesitation saved him.
The creature passed right by him—
As if he didn't exist.
Arav's eyes narrowed.
"So sound isn't the only trigger…"
He stepped lightly, testing.
The creature twitched.
Its body shifted toward him slightly.
"…Movement too."
A pattern.
A rule.
Everything here had one.
He just needed to figure it out before it figured him out.
The boy whispered, barely audible—
"What do we do…?"
Arav didn't look at him.
"We survive."
"That's not a plan!"
"It is."
The creature lunged.
Arav moved instantly.
Not away—
Toward the wall.
He pressed himself flat, minimizing movement.
The creature missed.
Barely.
It turned again.
Faster now.
More aggressive.
"It's learning…"
Arav muttered.
The boy's breathing became uneven.
"I can't do this…"
"Yes, you can."
"No—I can't—I'm going to die—"
"Then be quiet and die."
The words were cold.
Sharp.
The boy went silent.
Not because he agreed.
But because fear had crushed his voice.
Good.
Arav's mind worked quickly.
Sound.
Movement.
Reaction speed.
This wasn't random.
This was a system.
And systems could be broken.
He looked at the boy.
"…Run."
The boy blinked.
"What?"
"Run straight."
"What about you?!"
Arav didn't answer.
He just watched.
The boy hesitated.
Then—
He ran.
Fast.
Loud.
Desperate.
The creature reacted instantly.
It chased him.
Of course it did.
Arav didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't think.
He just listened.
Footsteps.
Screams.
Then—
Silence.
A long silence.
Arav closed his eyes for a moment.
"…One less variable."
No guilt.
No hesitation.
Just truth.
This wasn't a world where kindness mattered.
Only survival.
His phone vibrated again.
[Trial Progress Updated][Remaining Participants: Unknown]
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Good."
His mark pulsed again.
Stronger this time.
Warmer.
Like it was… responding.
To him.
To his choices.
Arav opened his eyes.
The darkness ahead seemed thinner now.
Weaker.
Or maybe…
He was getting stronger.
"…Let's continue."
He stepped forward.
Deeper into the hall.
Where the shadows waited.