Eldric didn't know how much time had passed. It was a sharp, cold pain throbbing in his wrists that yanked him from the depths of unconsciousness.
'Ugh… I'm not dead?' This was the first thought that floated sluggishly through his mind, cutting through the thick fog that clouded his senses. His head pounded, and when he tried to lift his hands to rub his eyes, a wave of cold dread washed over him... He couldn't move.
"W-what the hell?"
Panic surged through him, his heart hammering in his chest. He forced himself to focus, blinking rapidly as his vision adjusted to the gloom around him. The darkness wasn't complete—an eerie, dim light flickered somewhere nearby, casting long, twisted shadows on the walls. As his sight cleared, the horror of his situation sank in. Thick iron chains bound his wrists, stretching his arms out to either side, suspending him in a cruel T position. His legs were tied together with rough, fraying ropes that dug painfully into his skin.
"Damn it."
He bit down on the urge to scream, his breath quickening.
'The last thing I remember…' His thoughts raced back to the white abomination that had dragged him into the darkness. But the more he remembered, the colder his heart got. Judging by his position, it was clear that he was being kept captive and the last thing he remembered was that abomination dragging him in darkness.
'Why the hell am I still alive?' His mind spun with wild thoughts. He couldn't help but think that the creature was planning to fatten him up before devouring him. But the more he thought about it, the less sense it made. Why would a monster go to such lengths to keep him restrained? And how could something so large even fit through a narrow door?
As his gaze darted around the room, another chilling detail caught his attention: the walls were scarred with innumerable scratch marks. Some were deep and jagged, while others were shallow and erratic as if made in a frantic, desperate attempt. The scratches overlapped, telling a silent tale of horror, with both old and fresh marks blending together in a chaotic mess.
"This..."
A shiver ran down his spine.
"Is this some kind of torture room?" The very thought made his skin crawl. What kind of fate awaits him here? The more he thought about it, the more panicked he got. Even though it was the month of December and it was biting cold, Eldric's back was drenched in sweat.
"I can't stay like this." Eldric's voice wavered, but the determination in his eyes grew. Staying still was the perhaps most stupid thing to do in this situation. He couldn't just sit here and wait for whatever horrific fate was in store for him.
With a grunt, he struggled to his feet, wobbling as the ropes around his legs resisted his movements. He tried to bring his left hand closer to his right, but the chains only allowed his hand to reach halfway up to his chest. Desperation clawed at him.
"AAAH!" Gritting his teeth, Eldric pulled with every ounce of strength he had, trying to rip the chains from the wall. For a fleeting moment, it felt like the metal might give way, that he might actually break free.
But the reality was cruel. The chains held fast, unyielding against his efforts.
Time blurred into a haze of exhaustion and despair. He didn't know how long he had been struggling, but by the end, his strength was spent. His legs gave out beneath him, and he slumped to the ground, his back resting against the cold, hard wall. His eyes, once bright with hope, now stared lifelessly at the floor.
Just when he was wondering how was he going to escape from this predicament, a faint sound broke through the oppressive silence—footsteps. They echoed through the gloom, growing louder, closer.
"Fuck."
Eldric's heart sank. This was it. The end. For a moment, he even wanted to slap himself for making such loud noises. In his panic, he had almost forgotten that he was now being held captive in a dark place, and doing anything was equivalent to drawing attention to himself. And it wasn't the good kind of attention...
He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the inevitable. His life flashed before him in disjointed fragments: his carefree childhood, the faces of those he loved, moments of joy and regret all swirled together in a bittersweet whirlwind. He prepared for the unimaginable pain he was sure would come next.
But it didn't.
The footsteps stopped, and a heavy silence settled over the room. Eldric could feel the presence of someone—or something—standing nearby, but the anticipated attack never came. Confused, he hesitated, his fear keeping his eyes firmly shut.
"If I'm going to die, I'd rather not see it coming."
He had made up his mind. If he was going to die, he might as well die with his eyes closed. He didn't know whether it would lessen his pain or not, but at the moment, he refused to see the grotesque face.
The silence stretched on, and just as his mind began to spiral into deeper terror, a gruff, hoarse voice shattered the tension.
"Just how long are you going to keep lying there?"
"Huh?!"
Eldric's eyes snapped open, his heart skipping a beat.
'Can… can this thing talk?' Shock rippled through him, his mind struggling to process this new development. He had prepared himself for a mindless beast, not an intelligent being.
"If it can talk…" Eldric's thoughts raced. "Maybe I can reason with it. Maybe there's a way out of this!"
His eyes darted towards the source of the voice, and he was stunned by what he saw. Emerging from the shadows wasn't the grotesque figure he had imagined, but a man—a human—standing there, watching him with a mix of impatience and wariness.
"It's… it's a human…" Eldric muttered, almost in disbelief. The man looked to be in his late thirties, his face gaunt and pale, framed by messy hair that hadn't seen a comb in days. His eyes were sunken, dark circles betraying a severe lack of sleep. He wore a thick, worn leather jacket, and a belt bristling with knives and other sharp tools hung low on his hips.
"Who… who are you?" Eldric's voice trembled as he spoke, his mind still reeling from the shock.
The man didn't answer immediately. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Eldric, suspicion, and exhaustion etched deeply into his features.
"Where did you come from? What were you doing out there?" Instead of replying to Eldric's question, the man asked questions, his voice rough and demanding.
"I… I don't know anything," Eldric stammered, his mind still trying to catch up with the situation. He couldn't offer any answers, not when he barely understood what was happening himself.
One moment he had been safely asleep in his own bed, and the next, he was being hunted by a monstrous creature, only to wake up chained in this nightmarish room. The more he tried to make sense of it, the more surreal it all seemed. Was this all just a dream?
"Hmph!" The man's snort was filled with disbelief, and his expression darkened, clearly unsatisfied with Eldric's vague answers.
"I really mean it," Eldric blurted out, his desperation growing. He didn't want to anger this man, not when he didn't know what he was capable of.
"The last thing I remember is going to bed. When I woke up, everything around me was dark. I tried to find other people, but there was no one. Then that giant white monster started chasing me…"
The words spilled out of Eldric in a rush, his voice trembling with fear. "I ran towards a festival, hoping to find help, but before I could even reach it, I lost control of my body. The next thing I knew, that monster grabbed me from the darkness."
He paused, his throat dry, and looked at the man with a mix of hope and uncertainty. "Did… did you save me from that thing?"
The man remained silent, his eyes narrowing slightly as he seemed to consider Eldric's words. But instead of answering, he simply stood there in silence for a long time. It wasn't until almost ten minutes passed that he nodded to himself as if reaching some internal decision.
Without another word, the man turned and began to walk away, disappearing into the shadows.
"Huh?! Wait… what about me?" Eldric's voice broke with panic as he called after the man, his fear of being left alone in this hellish place overwhelming him.
"Oie…" His voice grew weaker with each shout, until eventually, the only sound left was his own labored breathing. The man didn't return.
Helpless and frustrated, Eldric could do nothing but slump back against the wall, his heart sinking further into despair.
----------------
While Eldric's desperate cries echoed in the distance, the man who had interrogated him sat slumped in a wooden chair, a bottle of water in his hand. His expression was unreadable as he stared blankly at the table in front of him.
Behind the table, a large leather sofa held two other figures: a middle-aged man and an old woman in her sixties, both watching him in silence.
"How was it?" The old woman finally broke the silence, her voice calm but laced with curiosity.
"Weak," the man replied, taking a long gulp of water. His body relaxed slightly as he leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a brief moment.
"I had a conversation with him. He might be human… for now."
The middle-aged man beside the woman hesitated, his brow furrowing in thought. "I still think we should wait before doing anything."
"Did he say anything useful?" The old woman ignored the man's comment, her attention focused solely on the interrogator. Her fingers tapped rhythmically on the leather sofa, though her expression betrayed her interest in the man's findings.
"A lot..… but nothing concrete." The man's eyes opened, and he recounted the conversation he had with Eldric, detailing every word, every reaction.
As he spoke, the room fell into a tense silence, the implications of Eldric's presence hanging heavily in the air.