"Uh!" Eldric was at a loss for words. He hadn't expected such an out-of-the-blue confession. For a moment, he even wondered if Ellic was playing some kind of bizarre joke on him. But the grave expression on Ellic's face dispelled that thought immediately. After all, this was the same Ellic who didn't even seem to understand jokes, let alone make them.
"I....." Eldric hesitated, his mind racing to find the right words. The shock lingered, but he finally sighed heavily, gathering his thoughts. "If it's just the five of you... then I guess it makes sense."
He played it safe, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the bizarre statement. However, he could understand their desperation. In a world where only a handful of people remained, with no hope of escape, there wasn't much room for moral choices. In fact, considering everything he'd seen so far, Ellic marrying his sister might be the least disturbing thing in this place consumed by despair.
"Is that so?" Ellic's voice carried a hint of disappointment as he looked away, his expression clouded. He had been hoping for a clearer answer, something to validate his own conflicted thoughts. Instead, all he got was a vague response. He shook his head slightly in pity.
"Why are you telling me this?" After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Eldric couldn't hold back his curiosity. He could understand someone sharing something personal like this with a close friend, but he had barely spoken more than a few sentences to Ellic. Why confess something so intimate to a complete stranger?
"It's because of you." Ellic's answer caught Eldric off guard, making him point to himself in disbelief.
"Me?" Eldric repeated, utterly confused. He hadn't even been in this place for more than three days. How could any of this have anything to do with him?
"Yes. Now that you're here, everyone wants the two of you to get together. The sooner, the better."
"Uh!?" Eldric stared at Ellic as if he had just spoken another alien language. His thoughts spun, struggling to wrap his head around the absurdity of what Ellic had just said.
"Shouldn't you all be more worried about escaping this place and finding other people rather than planning for the next generation?" Eldric couldn't help but ask, his voice laced with disbelief. Surely, finding a way out should be their top priority, not playing house.
"You think you're the first to come up with that idea?" Ellic let out a bitter laugh, his frail body trembling under the weight of emotions he could barely contain. His forced laughter did nothing to mask the sadness in his eyes.
"For years, we've tried. Over and over again. It doesn't matter what we do or where we go—nothing ever changes in this cursed place." His voice grew hoarse, raw with frustration and defeat. "So, instead of wasting what little time we have left, we choose to live. It's better to die with family than to die alone, surrounded by nothing but darkness."
Eldric frowned at his words. Maybe it was because he hadn't spent as much time here as they had, or maybe it was because he hadn't experienced the same crushing despair. Like the first generation of people trapped here, Eldric still clung to the hope that there might be a way out. He refused to believe this was it.
"So, are you upset because your father wants me to marry your sister instead of you?" Eldric asked, changing the subject. If reason couldn't bridge the gap between their thoughts, perhaps a direct question could.
"No." Ellic's answer was firm, his expression unreadable. "On the contrary, I'm relieved."
Under Eldric's surprised gaze, Ellic took a deep breath before continuing. "Sarah, on the other hand... she's not too fond of the idea."
"Is that why she wasn't at dinner?" Eldric asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.
"Yes," Ellic confirmed with a nod. "Her father wants you two to get to know each other."
"Her father?" Eldric blinked, his gaze narrowing as he turned to Ellic. "Isn't she your biological sister?"
Ellic's eyes darkened slightly. "We share the same mother... but different fathers."
Eldric was stunned before a figure flashed passed by his eyes. "Then... your father...?"
"Yes," As if sensing his thoughts, Ellic nodded. "Jeron is my father."
"Hiss..." Eldric sucked in a sharp breath, shaking his head in disbelief. "What a tangled family tree." The complexity of their relationships only underscored how different this world was from his own.
"And your mother?" The moment Eldric asked, Reona's face flashed in his mind, sending a chill down his spine. Surely, it wasn't...
Thinking about mother and sons birthing the next generations, Eldric's body trembled visibly. Thankfully, Ellic's next words brought his wild imagination to a sudden halt.
"Died giving birth to me." Ellic's voice softened, the weight of his words hanging in the air. Though he spoke gently, Eldric could feel the underlying grief in his tone. He raised his hand, intending to pat Ellic's shoulder, but stopped midway. He didn't know what to say, unsure of how to console the boy.
If anything, Ellic's situation still seemed better than his own. At least Ellic had a family, people he could call his own. What about Eldric? As that thought crossed his mind, a bitter smile tugged at his lips. His eyes blurred slightly as faint, hazy memories of faces surfaced before him.
"I think you should try talking to her," Ellic suggested softly, unaware of Eldric's internal turmoil. From the moment Arian and Reona had told him to prepare for marriage, he had been searching for a way out. Now, with Eldric's arrival, he saw a glimmer of hope.
"Yeah, right." Eldric chuckled, shaking his head. From the moment he'd met Sarah, he could tell she wasn't interested in him. And nothing had changed since. The last thing he wanted was to get entangled with someone like her, much less for life.
"Good." Ellic, unaware of the true meaning behind Eldric's words, nodded in relief.
"..." Eldric looked at him as if wanting to say something more, but in the end, he just shook his head. "Forget it."
After a few more exchanges, the two parted ways, each heading toward their destination.
-------
"Should I leave?"
After parting with Ellic and returning to his room, Eldric couldn't help but ask himself that question. He had ended up here by chance. While he was grateful to Reona for saving his life, he wasn't about to marry her granddaughter as repayment for that debt.
If Sarah had shown the slightest interest in him, maybe he would have considered it. But it was clear from her tone and words that she had no such intentions. In that case, Eldric had no desire to wade into this mess. His priority was finding out more about this world, figuring out how to escape, and, if possible, returning to his own.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Eldric began doubting his decision to stay. He had a vague idea of what the world outside was like, but the memory of the monster that had chased him and the horrifying festival where he had almost lost himself still haunted him.
"Forget it," he muttered. Wandering alone in the darkness would be suicide. As long as he had food, shelter, and other humans around, it made no sense to risk his life needlessly. With that thought, he made up his mind to stay—for now.
"Have you rested enough?" A sudden voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Hmm?" Eldric's eyes narrowed as he saw the bald man standing at his door. "Jeron?"
"Follow me." Jeron didn't waste time with explanations. After signaling Eldric to follow, he turned and made his way toward the main hall.
It didn't take long for Eldric to find himself in an empty room, with only an old wooden table in the center. On it lay a small piece of paper, and beside it stood Reona and Arian, their expressions grim.
"What's going on?" Eldric asked, a knot of unease forming in his chest. The serious looks on their faces made him worry. His mind began racing with worst-case scenarios. Just as he was about to ask again, Reona tapped the paper in front of her.
"Do you remember the location of your house?"
"Huh?" Eldric was taken aback by the question, shaking his head in confusion.
"I ran away in a panic and passed out. I don't even know where I am now, let alone where my house is," he replied. After a brief pause, he added, "And didn't you say the locations of the houses change all the time? Even if I did remember the direction, it wouldn't matter, would it?"
The three of them looked at him in silence. They didn't need him to remind them of that—they already knew. But they were desperate. In this world, even the faintest glimmer of hope was worth pursuing. And if exploring the area where Eldric had come from gave them even the slimmest chance of discovering something new, then they were willing to take that risk.
"The direction, please." Ignoring his protest, Reona tapped the blank piece of paper again, her eyes fixed on him, waiting for him to point the way.
"Fine." With a shrug, Eldric stepped forward, picked up the pen from the table, and drew a rough circle on the blank piece of paper.
"This is the festival where I lost consciousness." He marked the top corner with a circle and, after a brief pause, sketched a square on the opposite end of the page.
"I don't know the exact distance, but there should be a supermarket here." Tapping the nib of the pen on the square, he drew a few more small squares in between, tracing a zig-zagging path that connected them. Finally, at the bottom of the paper, he drew another circle.
"This is my house, where I woke up."
As Eldric finished drawing the crude map, he looked up, his eyes scanning the people in front of him. He watched for any flicker of reaction, hoping to glean some insight into what they planned to do with it. A lingering doubt crept into his mind—what if the buildings constantly shifting was just a lie to keep him from leaving?
For a moment, silence stretched between them. Reona studied the map, her expression unreadable, while Arian and Jeron exchanged glances.
"Is this enough?" Eldric asked.
Reona finally nodded, her lips pressing into a thin line. "It's enough."
She folded the paper neatly, placing it into her coat pocket, her eyes still distant and cold, making it difficult for anyone to guess her thoughts.