Droit approached the man in the hallway and expressed his gratitude, saying, "Hey man, thank you for the hint. I have trapped her with the mirror inside your bathroom." The man looked up, a smile adorning his face. However, as Droit glanced at the man's visage, his smile turned into tears.

"No! No! No! No! No!" Droit screamed.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" the man laughed, his left side horribly disfigured with red-black burn marks and deep wounds revealing bone on his face.

"Do you know how long it has been since I last tortured a human?" the man inquired.

Droit remained silent.

"Two hours! Can you fathom the agony of waiting that long? I was starting to go CRAZYYY!" the man exclaimed.

A room illuminated before Droit, revealing a blood-drenched body sprawled on the floor within.

"But you helped me. Please, let me go. Please," Droit pleaded.

"Well, did I stop you?" the man retorted.

Droit eased up and turned toward the exit, but the man grabbed his hand from behind.

"Please, let me go," Droit implored, tears streaming down his eyes.

"Cry, baby, cry. You were fooling around, and now you're trapped in the realm of hell with no way out," the man sneered.

"Please..." Droit's voice trailed off as he lost consciousness.

After some time, Droit regained consciousness, only to find himself chained to a wall in the same room where the lifeless body had been. The space had been tidied up, and the man was nowhere to be seen. Droit struggled to break free from the chains but found himself unsuccessful.

"Chunk chunk wishhhshshshss"

The sound of a flush emanated from the bathroom, and the man emerged, brimming with delight and energy. His appearance was peculiar, split between a human right side and a devilish left side.

"How are you? Is everything good? Comfortable?" the man asked.

"Please, let me go. I'll do anything," Droit pleaded.

"Anything?" the man questioned.

"Yes!".

"Are you sure?" the man probed.

"Yes, please! I swear I'll do anything. Just let me go," Droit begged.

"Okay, then. Let me torture you. I'll torture you oh so peacefully and get to witness my favorite color. I'll torture you to death, and then you'll be free on your own," the man declared.

Droit was left speechless. A briefcase on the table caught his attention, containing surgical tools.

"This is for you, or rather, for us," the man stated.

"Please, don't," Droit pleaded, tears streaming down his face.

The man took a small knife from the briefcase and slowly ran it across Droit's right cheek.

"Ah, the fun! The adrenaline. Can you feel it?" the man remarked.

He returned the small knife and retrieved a larger one, slashing Droit's chest from left to right. Blood began to flow, and Droit screamed in agony, while the man reveled in sadistic pleasure.

"Isn't this fun? Why are you crying? We're having fun! Why are you crying?" the man taunted.

"Why did you help me?" Droit managed to ask through his tears.

"Because you are my prey, not Caulisera's," the man responded.

"That was all an act?" Droit questioned.

"SHUT UP!" the man shouted, delivering a barrage of punches to Droit.

"Shhhhhhhhhh, take it easy now," the man tells himself, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"Sorry for what I've done. Silly me. We're just getting started. It's too soon to end this," the man mutters to himself, his voice tinged with disturbing excitement. Droit attempts to speak, but the man swiftly places a finger on his lips, signaling him to remain silent and enjoy the torment. Droit, tears streaming down his face, can't help but cry relentlessly.

"Why are you still crying? Okay, I'll set you free, but on one condition. You must remain completely silent throughout the next round of torture. No crying, no sound—absolute silence. Do you accept?" the man sneers, his sadistic grin widening.

"Please, just let me go," Droit pleads

.

"Taking that as a 'yes.' Alright, let's proceed," the man responds coldly, preparing to inflict further pain. He starts by piercing a knife into Droit's shoulder, causing an initial scream before Droit suppresses his cries, enduring the agony silently. The man's next action intensifies the horror as he inserts his finger into the wound, then proceeds to peel Droit's skin, methodically stripping it off all the way to his elbow. Droit's screams pierce the air, but he forces himself to silence as per the agreement.

"No more, please let me go, or just kill me," Droit pleads in a broken voice.

"Okay, time for round three. This method is rather amusing. Let's continue for a while," the man taunts, callously ignoring Droit's pleas.

As Droit closes his eyes, he reflects on the events since entering the flat, desperately searching for a clue that might explain the man's transformation. He wonders if there's something that triggered the change in the man, who used to be good. Meanwhile, the man, Alnik, continues peeling off Droit's skin piece by piece, reveling in each anguished scream.

"Hmm, I'm getting bored. What should I do next?" Alnik ponders aloud, taking a momentary break to sit down on a chair.

"So, you're unaware."

"There isn't a single thing I'm unaware of."

"Well, you seem to be missing one important detail: your own name. You don't even know your own name."

Alnik rises to his feet and swiftly slashes the knife across Droit's face, causing significant damage to his left eye.

After losing his eye, Droit shouts, "Tell me your damn name, you despicable jerk!"

Alnik momentarily freezes, then responds with a smirk, "Melnik."

"Let me speak to Melnik, please," Droit pleads, hope flickering in his eyes.

"That's not possible. Melnik is gone. And why would I allow that?" Alnik responds his sadistic nature firmly in control.

"Because it wouldn't harm you, and I believe you love a good challenge," Droit persists, desperately seeking a way to reach the part of Melnik that remains.

"Shut up! You don't know what challenges me," Alnik retorts.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Melnik!" Droit exclaims, summoning all his willpower.

Alnik's facade momentarily wavers as he grapples with the call to his other side. In that vulnerable moment, Droit seizes the opportunity and spits directly into Alnik's left eye. As Alnik instinctively turns to face the assault, his previously concealed devilish face is replaced by Melnik's good side, completely hiding the sinister expression. In this critical moment, Droit weakly mutters, "Melnik, help," before succumbing to unconsciousness.

"Wake up, wake up, buddy," Melnik's voice calls out, pulling Droit back to consciousness. To his astonishment, Droit finds Melnik sitting in front of him, and his injuries have miraculously healed.

"My eye? My wounds? I'm okay! How?" Droit exclaims.

"Well, I did that, but you don't need to thank me since I was the one who caused you pain in the first place," Melnik responds a tinge of remorse in his voice.

"Thank you, Melnik. I knew you were still there. It wasn't you; it was Alnik," Droit expresses his gratitude.

"Well, yes and no. He's not a separate person within me. He's a part of me—a dark side. We share the same memories. It's complicated," Melnik explains, hinting at the complexity of their intertwined existence.

"So, you can become Alnik whenever you want?" Droit inquires.

"Yes, but only when I allow it. And the same goes for him. I can come out only if he permits," Melnik clarifies.

"So, he let you out to save me?" Droit probes further.

"Haha, no. He's not that good," Melnik chuckles wryly.

"That good? He's the worst," Droit remarks, still trying to comprehend the intricate dynamics between Melnik and Alnik.

"Actually, there's another way to call us forth. You need to address us by our depicted side. Mine is the right side, and his is the left," Melnik elaborates.

"So, I was right?" Droit asks, a glimmer of satisfaction in his voice.

"Yes, you're smart. You called me when my right side face was visible to you. That's how I managed to come out and save you," Melnik confirms, commending Droit's astuteness.

"Can you heal?" Droit wonders.

"Indeed, it's quite amusing, considering our inherent natures. While he destroys, I am the one who constructs," Melnik explains, shedding light on their contrasting abilities.

Droit's mind drifts back to the encounter with Melnik before everything changed. In his imagination, he envisions Melnik seated, only revealing half of his face—the good side. Drawing strength from this memory, Droit defiantly spits out the question that has haunted him, "By the way, when you helped me earlier, why was Alnik present instead of you?"

"Oh, that's because there's another way for us to emerge. If one of us is unconscious, the other can take control. At that time, he was so intoxicated that he couldn't remain conscious," Melnik discloses, shedding light on their shifting states.

"So, when one of you falls asleep, the other can wake up?" Droit probes further.

"No, no, sleep is different. Think of it this way—you choose to sleep, but blackout occurs unknowingly. It's hard to explain, but I can assure you, my slumber is for your safety," Melnik clarifies.

"Okay, I guess there's not much I can do about it," Droit concedes.

Melnik smiles warmly, acknowledging Droit's acceptance.

"Alright, where are we?" Droit asks, trying to orient himself.

"We're in my home—or jail, you could say," Melnik reveals.

"What does that mean?" Droit inquires, puzzled.

"Well, you entered through the front door of the flat, right?" Melnik asks.

"Yes," Droit confirms.

"And you have already been to other flats in this building?" Melnik asked.

"Yes. Why?" Droit replied.

"Haven't you noticed any difference in the flats?" Melnik questioned, hinting at something more.

Droit glanced around the flat and was taken aback. This flat was unlike any he had seen before, and not only that, the flat across from his own was different as well.

"Damn, yes! All the flats are different, not just in design or structure, but in size too. How is that possible?" Droit exclaimed, bewildered by the discovery.

"Well, the flats you're referring to exist in different dimensions. The hallway is where they all connect," Melnik explained.

"And what's outside the building?" Droit inquired.

"I don't know. I've never been outside," Melnik admitted.

"Why not?" Droit pressed further.

"It's not easy," Melnik responded cryptically.

"Not even for Alnik?" Droit asked, thinking that perhaps Alnik's fearless nature would allow him to venture outside.

"He doesn't want to leave. He enjoys playing with other creatures in the hallways," Melnik explained.

"Man, he is scary," Droit remarked, recalling the horrors he had endured.

"Yeah," Melnik agreed, acknowledging Alnik's terrifying presence.

"Do you know how I can go back to my home? My world?" Droit asked,

longing for his familiar life.

"Sorry, but the answer probably lies outside this building," Melnik confessed.

"Hmm, yeah. I need to get out of here," Droit affirmed, determined to find a way back to his own world.

"Best of luck," Melnik wished him sincerely.

"Wanna come?" Droit offered.

"Nah, it's too risky," Melnik declined, aware of the dangers that awaited them outside.

"But you have Alnik. He will protect you," Droit reasoned, knowing that Alnik's ferocity could be an advantage.

"Alnik will not only protect me but also bring me back here and probably harm or kill you," Melnik warned, mindful of the consequences.

"Yeah, I forgot about that. He loved hurting me," Droit admitted, remembering the sadistic nature of Alnik.

"Exactly. It's a waste. If you want to die, do it on your own," Melnik cautioned.

"Hmm," Droit pondered, realizing the truth in Melnik's words.

"Or you could stay here with me. Just chill. I've got plenty to eat, drink, and smoke," Melnik offered, trying to tempt Droit into staying.

"No, I need to get out. I would rather die than live like this. I want to see my family and friends again. I want to live and experience life. I can't waste my life away in this hell. I'm getting out, and I can't do it alone. So, you're coming with me," Droit declared, his determination unwavering.

"You'll die by my hands, I'm telling you," Melnik warned once again.

"I accept that. I have no problem with that. But if we get out of here, we will be free and able to return to our worlds," Droit reaffirmed, resolute in his decision.

"Let's rest for a bit and eat until our bellies are full," Melnik suggested, acknowledging the need for strength and nourishment.

"So, you're coming?" Droit asked, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting bored here anyway," Melnik relented, realizing that the monotony of their existence had grown tiresome.

"Cool! High five!" Droit exclaimed, raising his hand for a celebratory gesture.

They high-fived each other, sealing their pact. After enjoying a satisfying meal and taking some time to rest, they felt ready to venture out from the confines of the flat and into the mysterious hallways, embarking on their journey toward freedom.