I took the first stairwell I saw in the corridor to reach the third floor. I'm not a big fan of using lifts, especially since doctors use them frequently, and they're crowded even at night.
The awkward atmosphere where you just stand, contemplating what to say while the lift slowly ascends, is incredibly stressful.
When I reached the first floor, I glanced around. It was mostly dark, with only a few room lights on. It felt oddly creepy, but I ignored it and made my way to the second floor.
I glanced again and noticed flashlights moving in the darkness of the second floor.
"Must be the guards patrolling," I muttered and continued toward the third floor.
By this point, the staircase lights were flickering, but I didn't pay much attention.
The sound of my shoes echoing on the clean stairs filled the silence around me. I didn't encounter a single person nearby.
When I finally reached the third floor, I took a look around. Unlike the other floors, it was pitch black. I couldn't see a thing.
"What the hell? Who's in charge of this floor?" I cursed under my breath, glancing at my watch.
It was 9:45 p.m., which meant there should still be at least one guard around.
I took out my flashlight from my suitcase and lit the area in front of me.
From where I stood, I could see only a straight corridor that split into two in the middle.
I searched for a switch to turn on the lights, but I couldn't find one.
"Maybe it's farther inside the floor," I thought and made my way into the dark corridor.
Since patient sleeping hours start at half past eight, I didn't find it odd that the rooms were dark. But for the entire corridor to be pitch black with no guards patrolling? That seemed like a major problem to me.
Even after walking halfway through the corridor, I couldn't find any switches. All I saw were broken parts of old stretchers and syringe needles scattered around.
The rooms were blocked by steel gates with five-digit passcode locks. Peering through the gaps in the gate, I tried to spot any patients, but the rooms were empty. Only a cot and a toilet stood as silent occupants.
I debated whether to go deeper into the floor. After all, this was solitary confinement for the most dangerous and unstable people in the world.
I decided against it and took out my phone to call Mr. Talvagate. The call rang three times before abruptly ending with his voicemail saying he was busy and asking to be contacted later.
I left him a voicemail asking him to call me back as soon as possible.
I returned to the stairwell and headed to the second floor. If I remembered correctly, there were still some guards there.
"Come to think of it, isn't this whole situation strange? The number of guards I've seen pales in comparison to Zone A," I thought, stopping halfway down the stairs.
"If I'm not mistaken, Zone D is supposed to have stronger, more experienced guards. Someone who's been on the job for just three months wouldn't normally be the head of security for a building this important—not even for a week. Something's definitely wrong here."
"I need to get out of here and find Mr. Talvagate as soon as possible."
Countless thoughts swirled in my mind, but I calmed myself by closing my eyes and taking deep breaths.
After a while, I opened my eyes and saw the stairs leading to the second floor. At the landing, there was a little girl with black hair and green eyes sitting quietly, wearing a patient's robe.
My eyes widened—not because of her presence but because of how she was sitting.
Her body was facing forward, but her head was twisted unnaturally backward, staring straight at me.
"Would you like to play a game of tag with me, big brother?" the little girl asked in a sweet, sing-song voice.
Her face was deathly pale, contrasting sharply with her surroundings, and her green eyes seemed to glow faintly with an unnatural fog.
My body went limp, and I couldn't move. I tried to summon a spell, but my body wouldn't respond. Whatever this girl was, she was strong enough to render me completely helpless.
Suddenly, a warm sensation coursed through me, dispelling my fear.
I bolted back to the third floor, stumbling multiple times on the stairs. I couldn't even scream—something seemed to block my vocal cords.
I ran into the corridor without thinking and turned right at the split.
The discomfort in my throat forced me to stop and catch my breath.
Gasping for air, I tried to vomit whatever was blocking my voice. After several attempts, I finally retched, and a green and yellow fluid poured out of my mouth.
I slumped back against the wall, exhausted, and muttered weakly, "Noah Kralier is the most handsome guy on the planet."
My voice came out hoarse but audible.
"I guess only the truth prevails," I muttered to myself with a faint chuckle. After testing my voice with a few more sentences, I looked down at the vomit.
"What the hell was blocking my voice?" I wondered aloud, shining my flashlight on the mess.
Mixed in with the fluids was a small piece of paper, roughly the size of my palm. Curious and uneasy, I picked it up, shaking off the fluids as best as I could.
Using my flashlight, I examined the paper. Written in blood-red letters—or was it actual blood?—were the words:
"Make your way to the head guard's room."
I trembled as I placed the paper beside me. I tried to vomit again to see if another piece of paper would come out, but nothing else appeared.
As I calmed down, I reviewed my experiences leading up to this moment.
The guards? Everyone seemed normal, to an extent. That's just how they act since the security here is strict.
The receptionist? She was fine. Did her job without any issues.
Honestly, this whole situation felt off. Even Mr. Talvagate, with his odd punishments, wouldn't have sent someone as weak as me to solitary confinement—let alone assign me as head of security.
"Did I come into the wrong building or something?" I muttered, then quickly dismissed the thought.
Everyone should have heard about my assignment to Zone D solitary confinement. There were no communication issues, or else I would have been denied access to the zone.
So the only question left is...me?
"Am I tripping?" I said aloud, sitting cross-legged a little away from the vomit. I tried to focus and channel mana through my body.
A warm energy surged through me, coming from my mana core in my gut.
I traced the path of my mana from my gut to my brain, moving slowly to check for any mental corruption.
"It's clean... well, as far as I can tell," I said, relieved, but still cautious.
I got up, trying to maintain the mana in my body.
I looked at the paper again, resolving that no matter how I looked at it, its appearance in my throat seemed too strange to ignore.
I closed my eyes and focused on the paper in my hands. It felt warm, almost alive, so I reached out with my mana to make contact with it.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw a trail of highly dense mana, glowing in rainbow colors, spreading throughout the facility.
The white mana seemed to lead back to the stairs I had just run away from.
"Definitely not going there," I muttered under my breath.
I followed the red-colored mana instead, reasoning that since the text on the paper was red, this was likely the correct path.
It only took me two minutes to reach a room where the red mana was most concentrated. Above the entrance, the words were clearly visible:
(Head of Security)
I hesitated in front of the door, deep in thought, as I weighed the possibilities of my situation.
Possibility 1
I've been hallucinating all this time, and my mental state is so corrupted that I can't even recognize it. (Highly likely)
Possibility 2
The facility has been taken over, and I'm being lured into a trap to unlock the cell gates control system, which is in the security room. (Moderately likely)
Possibility 3
This is a test conducted by the people of Zone D. (Unlikely, since they would know my last name and who I am)
Possibility 4
This is an escape attempt by one or more patients who are skilled in illusion magic, trying to disable all the locks in the head security room. (Highly likely)
I personally leaned toward the fourth possibility. It seemed that the mental illusion attack had been ongoing for some time, and the guards, being highly resistant to such attacks, likely hadn't noticed. Being weak in every aspect, I was obviously the target.
More questions flooded my mind.
"Why did the call to Mr. Talvagate connect? Is this illusion so real that it replicates reality?"
"Even if the guards have high mental resistance, they're not dumb enough to ignore changes in their environment."
"Each cell is made of mana-resistant material. Plus, all patients are always in handcuffs made from Tilent, no matter the situation. So how did this person use mana to manipulate the surroundings to accommodate their illusion?"
After a few minutes of thinking, I realized I didn't have the answers. I decided not to go inside and retraced my steps to the stairwell.
I used my senses to check if anyone was in the stairwell. All I could sense was white, dense mana scattered throughout the building, except on the third floor, where the mana was in different shades.
I couldn't sense any other people's mana, which further strengthened my theory that I was in an illusion.
But then, one question lingered: Even if I helped them open the doors, I would still be doing it within the illusion.
"Am I doing the same things in the illusion that I'm doing in the real world?" I muttered, carefully making my way down again.
I checked the spot where the little girl had been sitting. To my relief, the stairs were empty, as if she had never been there.
I carefully descended to the second floor and froze in place when I saw what lay before me.
In the darkness, countless guards' bodies were hanging from the ceiling, swinging like pendulums. Their guts were spilled, and their guard uniforms were stained with body fluids.
A chill ran down my spine, and my eyes widened.
Unlike before, I didn't run. I stood still, observing the scene with calmness, calming my mind with mana.
"What the hell is going on here? I hope this is just an illusion, or these are some poor souls," I whispered under my breath.
I stepped forward cautiously to get a better view in the darkness. But as I approached, I froze.
The guards' intestines were arranged on the floor in an eerie pattern. I knelt down, using my phone's light to examine it more closely.
After a few moments, I realized that the guts were arranged in a word: "Don't"
"Don't what?" I muttered with a slight shiver.
"Don't run away again, big brotherhehe" A voice echoed through the entire floor, breaking the silence.
I quickly located the source of the voice, and my heart sank.
The little girl, now covered in blood from head to toe, stood before me. Her black hair was fully stained red, and her eyes, once clouded with fog, now gleamed with an unsettling, manic gleam that no child should possess.
I turned to run, but before I could take a step, I was lifted into the air effortlessly. I crashed into the wall to my left, slamming into some of the hanging bodies.
I whimpered in pain and tried to stand up, but the pain from the impact was unbearable.
I reached out to channel mana for a spell, but again, I was lifted off the ground.
While I floated in mid-air, the girl appeared in front of me, holding my phone in her small hands.
The screen showed an incoming call from Mr. Talvagate.
She clicked 'Accept' after a few moments and held it up to my face.
"Noah, what happened? Is everything okay?" Mr. Talvagate's voice came through the speaker, calm but laced with concern.
Before I could speak, my mouth moved without my control.
"It's all good, Mr. Talvagate. I just wanted to let you know I started my job and thought I'd inform you," I said in a calm, normal voice.
I struggled to shout for help, but my body refused to obey. It was as if I was no longer in control.
"Is that so? I hope you'll adapt well. By the way, I placed you in the lower level of solitary confinement in building number 10 so you wouldn't face any difficulties."
"I could have placed you in building 16, where the most dangerous patients are, but I didn't, as it would have been too much of a shock."
As I processed his words, I thought about building 17, the one I was in. To my surprise, my mouth moved again, completely on its own.
"What about building 17?"
After a long pause, Mr. Talvagate's voice came through, now filled with palpable fear.
"Building 17 was something that existed when my father was the CEO of Talvagate Inc. It was closed due to the mysterious deaths of all the patients overnight. I'd advise you not to go near it, as it's a restricted area."
My eyes widened in realization, but before I could respond, my mouth spoke again without my consent.
"Got it, Mr. Talvagate."
"Well, I guess this is it. I'm running late for a dinner appointment, Noah. I'll check in on you later. Good luck."
"Thank you, Mr. Talvagate."
The call ended, and the silence returned.
The little girl looked at the phone, then tossed it against the wall, where it shattered into pieces.
She snapped her fingers and, with a smile that sent chills down my spine, said sweetly, "Good luck, big brother~~"