After a whole day of classes, Luke finally returned to his house and started preparing his dinner.
While cooking, his mind wandered to the condition of his house, wondering whether it had been tampered with or trespassed upon. However, with only his eyes darting around, he couldn't confirm anything and decided he would check more thoroughly later.
Suddenly, in the middle of his preparations, he heard the door click and footsteps entering.
Luke froze momentarily, fearing that his long-dreaded mistake had finally caught up with him. But when he recognized the familiar footsteps, his eyes lit up with joy, and his body moved instinctively.
"Uncle, you're here?" Luke wiped his hands and turned to face a man in his early thirties, whose hair was already streaked with white. The man bore a striking resemblance to Luke, sharing the same brown hair and green eyes.
"Yeah," Johann Lorence replied calmly, his tone detached, as though his mind was elsewhere.
"I couldn't find you last Saturday. The teaching assistant said you were at another university," Luke said, watching his uncle closely.
When he finally got a clear look at his uncle, he immediately became stupefied.
It was because, just like Inigo, his uncle's eyes weren't dull, instead they were very humane!
Though shocked on the inside, Luke's outward expression gave nothing away. It was as if he didn't notice anything unusual.
"There was a breakthrough at another university's research lab. They invited me because it matched my area of study," Johann explained, his words precise and to the point. "It was a sudden trip, so I didn't think to let you know."
Johann rarely stayed with Luke, as he usually lived in the university's dormitory for convenience. He only came home once or twice a week to check on his nephew and to get some of his things.
"Cook something for me. I'm going to wash," Johann added before heading to his room.
When the bedroom door clicked shut, Luke turned his attention back to the kitchen counter. His eyes carried a mix of emotions.
***
Twing. Twing.
At night, half an hour before midnight, Luke awoke to the sound of his alarm clock. In an instant, he quickly jumped out of bed and dodged the incoming golden strings.
After tying the strings, he turned off the alarm clock.
He set the alarm before he went to school this morning so he could free himself from the strings' control this night. This was part of his plan when he decided to let them control him completely earlier.
With his hair disheveled, Luke turned and walked into the living area. His expression grew darker as he headed toward his uncle's room.
Since he couldn't control himself earlier during dinner, he hadn't been able to confront or observe his uncle closely. With no other option, he had to wait for this moment to come and spy on his uncle while he was sleeping.
As Luke slowly opened the bedroom door, he quietly peeked inside.
To his surprise, his uncle was sleeping with the golden strings attached to him! This was completely different from Luke's own condition.
'Why is my uncle's situation different? Shouldn't the strings be gone when someone is sleeping?' Luke wondered.
'Or maybe it's because I'm here? After all, the strings will always attach to a person as long as another human is around.' Luke thought his speculation was correct and quietly closed the door. He decided to sound his uncle tomorrow morning.
Luke felt greatly relieved. The pressure he had been carrying these past few days had finally lessened. He had finally found someone in the same situation as him. And the person wasn't just a dangerous stranger like Inigo, but a close relative.
Upon remembering something, he immediately went to the kitchen and tucked a knife into his clothes. This was his preparation in case someone came to see him because of his painting.
After confirming there were no signs of tampering or trespassing in his house, he then went to his parents' bedroom to look for something.
Just as he found what he was looking for and tucked it into his clothes, he suddenly heard a noise from the living room.
Kring! Kring!
It was the sound of the telephone. Someone was calling him.
'Who could it be?' Luke frowned. He didn't know who would be calling him at this ungodly hour.
He went to the living room, picked up the phone, and before he could say "Hello," a loud, urgent voice echoed on the other end.
"Luke! What the hell? Am I hallucinating!?"
Upon hearing Rogan's voice, Luke's eyes instantly glimmered with joy as he quickly asked, "Do you see it?"
"You mean these golden threads like your painting?! Hell yeah!" Rogan's panicked voice was almost music to Luke's ears.
"What about the threads? Did you let them catch you?" Luke's voice then went calm and methodical, as if he were running through a checklist.
"Yeah… uh, no. They got stuck in my blanket. And if I let go, they'll follow me!"
"Good. Good. You're doing well," Luke replied, his tone steady. "Now, tie them together, but keep it quiet. Don't wake anyone up."
There was a long pause before Rogan spoke again, his voice trembling. "Luke… please, tell me what's happening."
"I was just thinking about your painting earlier before I went to sleep. How did it suddenly become real?" Rogan asked, confusion evident in his voice.
Luke furrowed his brow, trying to stay logical. "Calm down," he said, his voice almost like a command.
"Just explain to me what happened to you earlier. How did you suddenly see them?"
Rogan paused for a moment. "Like I said, after you shared your inspiration, your words kept echoing in my head. I kept thinking… what if I'm a marionette? What if I your painting is true? What would I do?"
Luke nodded, thinking it through. "I see. And then?"
"It was just a brief thought at first. But when I went to take my painting in the storage room and saw yours covered in black cloth… my curiosity kind of took over. I stared at it for a couple of minutes but then Professor Collins called me out and asked me to leave."
Luke listened carefully, his mind clicking into place. "And then?"
"Since then, after I left, I've felt... off. My movements feel sluggish, my thoughts are heavy, and I'm so tired. Like the effort to even move is exhausting."
"Uh-huh," Luke muttered. "So, you went to bed after that?"
"Yeah. I thought I was sick. But when I woke up a few hours later, I was now seeing myself in your paintings... and those damn golden threads appeared."
Luke didn't interrupt. He let Rogan speak all his emotions out.
"After I dodged them, I thought, 'I need to call Luke,'" Rogan said, his voice soft now.
Luke paused for a moment. "You did the right thing," he said, a small hint of reassurance in his voice. But his mind was already racing ahead, analyzing the situation.
Suddenly, Luke heard a door creaking behind him and quickly ordered Rogan on the phone.
"When the strings get untangled later, let them attach them to your clothes and go back to your bed. Remember do no let them touch your skin. Then act like you are asleep for five minutes after midnight. I'll call you later."
Rogan snapped back, "Why do I need to do that? Hey don't drop the phone. Luke! Luke!"
Luke dropped the phone and turned toward his uncle. His focus was sharp.
"You woke up?" Luke asked, his voice low.
The golden strings were still there, controlling his uncle. He found this odd. He had initially thought that his uncle was like him, but if that were the case, why hadn't he detached the strings upon waking up? Was his uncle suspicious of him?
Luke's mind whirred as he processed this new information. Johann's situation might not be like his own, nor was it like anyone else's. It was something entirely different.
Upon thinking this, Luke subconsciously stepped back.
When his uncle appeared, the tied strings in his room had also instantly became untangled.
Luke secretly scanned the strings coming toward him, then glanced at his uncle. Did his uncle see them and realize that his strings weren't with him?
"Was that your loud friend Rogan?"
Yet, contrary to what he feared, his uncle seemed to not notice anything unusual and just went to drink water in the kitchen.
Luke blinked, his confusion deepening. When his uncle turned around, he quickly took his strings and let them attach to his clothes.
"Yes," Luke answered, his voice flat. "I'm going back to sleep."
"Yeah. Yeah," Johann mumbled, almost distracted.
When the door clicked shut behind him, Luke sat down on his bed. His hand unconsciously played with the knife in his pocket.
He was confused. He felt there was something missing and information unknown to him.
His foot tapped the floor in rhythm as his thoughts raced. He was eager to uncover the truth quickly, but he had to be careful not to make an obvious mistake again.
Seeing that the time was nearing midnight, Luke jumped into his bed and pretended to sleep.
He had already confirmed that, aside from noon, time also stopped at midnight. In short, it happened every twelve hours.
For the whole duration of five minutes, he saw nothing horrifying like the ghostly travelers he had encountered before. It was silent and uneventful, just like the past few days.
However...
"Nice meeting you Luke Lorence."
Suddenly, just as he was about to get out of bed, a voice echoed behind him. Without thinking, his hand quickly turned, and he plunged the knife in the direction of the voice.