Shun POV:

“Ugh...”

I wiped the tears away from my eyes as I compressed myself into a ball in the corner of the room. I wanted to vomit, but I was scared that the mess I’d make would bring Chloe right back here.

The light in my eyes had almost burned out, and my mind stopped thinking at some point. I sat there alone, staring at the door, waiting for the guards to enter the room and beat me.

‘...’

Hours flew by, but they never came. I mustered up what little courage I had left and got to my feet. I approached the door at a turtle-like pace; each step making me sweat. My heartbeat rose and my pupils dilated as I grew closer to it.

“!”

The pathway to the door extended. I watched the exit grow in size till it cast a long shadow over me. The two doorknobs were placed so high there was no way I could reach them; there was no way I had the strength to open such a gigantic door.

I flopped to my knees as I stared at the impossible. My parched throat stung every time I tried to swallow and parts of my body began to convulse, causing me to froth at the mouth as my head crashed into the ground. Haziness entered the corners of my eyes, spreading across most of my vision.

The world blurred, and I passed out.

***

When I came to, I was no longer in the same position as before. I had been moved to the bed and Chloe’s sweet, but disgusting smell drifted into my nose. The quilt, the pillow, the duvet—they were all dowsed with her scent.

‘...’

I got out of the bed and punched the wall with rage. My bloodshot eyes bulged as I destroyed my hands against the hardened surface. Blood splattered across my cheek before I stuck my broken fingers down my throat. I used my right hand to cover my nose.

“Keuk...!”

Saliva mixed in with blood splattered everywhere as I dropped to the ground, unable to achieve my goal. I grabbed the duvet containing her filthy scent and... Hesitated. I wanted to wrap it around my head to cut off my air supply, but the thought of dying to her sweet smell was simply too revolting for me to accept.

‘...She did it on purpose...’

I was confident that the bed had smelled this way long before last night happened. She knew I wouldn’t want to sleep in the bed or be anywhere near it, but she also knew at some point I’d try killing myself.

‘...’

But she miscalculated one thing: I no longer had any pride left. I wrapped the duvet around my head while smearing my bloodied fingers across the part covering my face.

I made sure the knot was as tight as possible before pressing my face against the wall. Her scent assaulted my mind, forcing me to gag as I tried to hold back the vomit waiting to erupt out of my throat.

I hit my head hard enough against the wall, several wounds opened up. Blood gushed out, pooling up in the duvet and putting my life at further risk. I’d rather drown in a pool of my own blood than smell her abominable scent.

As planned, the iron in my blood gave off a metallic-like smell that overlapped hers. My blueish lips curved into a hysteric grin as I smashed my head against the wall over and over.

My consciousness soon began to fade. The strength left my body, and I flopped to the floor as darkness encroached upon my vision.

‘Finally...’

I ignored the violent pain assaulting my mind. I resisted my body’s desperate urge to survive as my head slumped forward. My broken fingers felt numb and soon, the darkness had taken up most of the view before me.

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‘It’s so painful though...!’

Internal screams verified just how painful suffocating was. It felt like my head was about to burst open while every second may as well have been treated as separate hours. The agonising process of cutting off my own supply of oxygen was unbearable, but I had to do it.

*Bang*

‘?’

Did my eardrums burst from the pressure? Or was it the door being kicked open? Had the guards finally arrived? Was my beating just later than usual today?

Dozens of questions filled my throbbing mind when I saw the faint shadow of a hand through the bloodied duvet. It grabbed hold of the sheet, ripping it off my face in one smooth motion as Chloe peered down at me.

‘Ah... Damn it.’

Her eyes curved upwards while she blushed. She crouched down and hugged me. Chloe’s hand rubbed my back in a circular motion.

“If you wanted to hug me, all you needed to do was say so.”

‘...’

I gasped for air as my blood splashed all over her clothes and face. She pulled away and stuck her tongue out, licking my blood clean off her cheek. The act alone caused her eyes to quake, followed by her arms trembling. She gripped me by the hair and lifted me up.

“You can’t die.”

I locked eyes with her while gnashing my teeth together. I wanted to wrap my hands around her soft neck and squeeze the life out of her, but that too was also impossible.

“Yes...”

A soft moan escaped her lips as she tried to cover the ecstasy written all over her face with her slender fingers.

This girl was insane.

“Those eyes...”

She arched her back, trying her best to remain composed before abandoning it all. She dived into me, kissing me against my will as my back hit the wall behind us.

‘!’

She pulled away and wiped the blood off her mouth.

“No. Later. I’ll be back later.”

Chloe licked my lips with her tongue and rested her soft hands on my chest. They ran down the centerline of my body before grabbing my crotch. My eyes flared, and I tried to push her away.

She smacked my hands to the side as if she was reprimanding a child for not listening well. She placed her hand against my cheek and stroked it.

“See you tonight.”

Chloe stared at me with those large, loving eyes, and then...

My consciousness disconnected.

***

As expected, once I woke up, my hands were bandaged up once more. My clothes had been cleaned and repaired while I smelt fresh. I had grown accustomed to waking up like this.

I was fed, but there was no memory of me ever eating here besides the birthday cake Chloe brought me. At one point, I questioned whether I actually woke up from that collision with the truck. What if, after I pushed Amelia out of the way, I fell into a coma and everything right now was just a by-product of my imagination?

Didn’t the system more or less say that I often get ‘lost’ in my own world? Well, the system wasn’t reliable, but supposing that was indeed the case... What would be the solution? No, more importantly, why would I even think up such a disgusting scenario in the first place?

‘If it was me, I would want to be strong and confident...’

My thoughts trailed off as a sudden sense of danger washed over me. Wasn’t it those kinds of thoughts that got me in this mess in the first place? Didn’t the system itself use that against me to make me suffer?

‘Ha... There’s no way this is all some warped dream coming from my own mind.’

“You’re awake.”

‘!!’

I spun my head around to see Chloe sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing a black nightdress. She licked her lips, prompting me to bolt away from her. My gaze flickered to the window, confirming that the time was only around the late evening. In other words, she shouldn’t be here right now.

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead as my heart rate skyrocketed. Fear and hatred mixed together, causing me to shake like a leaf despite the glare aimed at her.

“I was worried, so I came to see you earlier.”

Chloe got up from the bed and slipped on a dressing gown. She took her time approaching me in order to heighten the anxiety coursing through my body. My fists tightened, but they didn’t dare move. It was embarrassing, yet frightening at the same time. She gave off this pressure that crushed my spirit every time I gazed into her eyes.

Chloe’s feet stopped in front of me, and my eyebrows curved into the sky. The same sadistic smile embedded on her face widened.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back tonight.”

She raised her hand, and I flinched. I cursed myself for being weak, but as much as I hated her, I was scared. Chloe licked her lips while the constant blush on her face darkened. She walked past me and closed the door.

‘She’s gone...’

A sigh of relief escaped my mouth, only for me to punch the wall again. Relief? Are you serious, Shun?

“...W-what can I do...? S-she’s superhuman... And she’s not dumb either...”

‘Pathetic. You read all those light novels, all those books and played all those games, yet this is the best you can do? What a disappointment.’

I crashed to the floor and gripped my head as blood gushed out of my nose.

“...N-no... T-this is... Real... This isn’t like those stories... Y-you just don’t understand!!”

‘So? You’re just going to accept it then?’

I smashed my fist into the floor as I screamed.

“ACCEPT IT?!! A-are... You BLIND?! I-I tried... To kill myself... Multiple times... But s-she must be watching me... Ugh...”

My head flopped forward and the voice inside disappeared. I could feel my mind beginning to fracture from the enormous stress I had been put under this past week.

There existed a door I couldn’t walk out of, and a room that was no different to the cage I was once held in. At night, I was a puppet used to bring her the satisfaction she craved from me.

Tell me, just what can I do to escape this hellhole?

“M-mum... D-dad... Help me...”

I cried out for my parents and grandparents in vain, knowing full well that they couldn’t do anything for me. My disappearance would fracture their hearts, and I knew they would stop at nothing to find me, but...

They wouldn’t be successful.

I would never be able to go back to that world. This world known as Ayadell was my reality now.