Chapter 08 : Celestine and the Backroom

Lloyd closed the store as usual and headed upstairs as the cold night settled on Valora's dimly illuminated streets.

He ate dinner in silence, with only the sounds of Blackie munching on the bones of a chicken carcass at his feet.

After taking a shower and changing into his sleepwear, he made sure Blackie was properly tied up before heading to his room.

"Good evening, Mr. Yeo."

"...Huh?!"

To Lloyd's surprise, a woman calmly sitting on the edge of his bed was waiting for him.

He has only seen her once, and only for a short moment, yet her captivating appearance had been printed in his mind ever since then.

"Do you remember me ?"

"Ah, yes... I do."

How could he not ?

Even if he tried his best, Lloyd was sure he wouldn't be able to forget such a gorgeous woman.

Her long and elegantly curled golden hair glistened under the faint moonlight passing through the window. Her bright blue eyes were as cold as ice, yet her gaze exuded a tranquility that Lloyd had never seen before in the eyes of someone else.

Whenever he looked at her for too long, he felt his entire being unconsciously drawn to this woman, as though something deep within him recognized her as one of his kind.

It was an odd sensation for Lloyd, especially since he didn't feel the same way the first time he saw her.

'I guess living alone for so long is starting to affect my mind...'

Her refined face, flawless in every aspect, seemed to have been sculpted by a god.

Surprisingly, despite the woman's perfect figure and her angelic appearance, what Lloyd felt was neither desire nor lust.

It was much more profound, but he couldn't put words on it. He had no idea where this odd feeling came from.

"My name is Celestine. I believe Master already informed you about my visit. He sent me here to help you open the Backroom."

"Ah, yes... Mister Igor said that you would come in a few days, I just didn't expect you to arrive so soon though."

"I can see that."

Lloyd's fancy pajamas caught the woman's attention, and she let out a soft chuckle.

When Lloyd realized, he scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed look and quickly went to his wardrobe.

"...Give me a second, please."

He took out a long coat and put it on, before gesturing the woman to follow him.

"This way."

Lloyd led the mysterious woman called Celestine downstairs. He passed through the store lobby and stopped in front of the wooden door behind his counter.

"I believe this is the Backroom, right ?"

"Indeed."

Lloyd has always been intrigued by what lies behind this seemingly normal door. He found it strange that no matter how hard he tried to open this door, it never budged an inch.

'Now that I think about it... Back on earth, the only times I've seen grandpa Cheon entering this room was when Igor visited as a customer...'

At that time, Lloyd didn't know the real identity of this mysterious gentleman, who was now his boss.

"Please step aside for a moment, Sir Yeo."

Celestine approached the door and gently put her hand on the handle.

Lloyd saw her close her eyes, before a ghostly aura that looked like purple smoke slowly wrapped around her body.

"What the...?!"

Lloyd couldn't believe the scene in front of him.

The woman, who was as gorgeous as an angel just a few seconds ago, was slowly transforming into something completely different.

A strange substance crawled out of the pores of her pale skin and coated every inch of her body. This unknown matter, which seemed to be organic, soon moved around the lady and took the shape of a full suit of armor as dark as the night sky.

"..."

Lloyd couldn't even see Celestine's face anymore, her beautiful visage now hidden behind the dark visor of her helmet.

"I understand that seeing this for the first time might be startling, Mr. Yeo, but you'll eventually get used to it." The lady said, her hand still on the door handle.

Even the tone of her voice sounded different. Rather than her usual cold but melodic voice, she now had a hoarse voice that sent shivers down Lloyd's spine.

The fact that her voice was muffled by her helmet only added to the ominous vibe of her odd appearance.

"...I doubt I would ever get accustomed to such a scene. Is this some sort of magic ?"

Lloyd felt uncomfortable when the fully armored Celestine turned her head toward him. Through the tinted glass of her helmet, he could see the dim reflection of her icy blue eyes fixed on him.

It was the first time Lloyd experienced such an intense fear, freezing him to the bones.

Celestine didn't emit any murderous intent. Lloyd's reaction was just an innate response of his body, similar to how a defenseless prey would shiver in front of a deadly predator.

"It is not magic, but a power that has been bestowed upon me by Master. Even you may be able to wield it, one day." Celestine said with a low voice, before turning the door handle.

"Although Sir Cheon asked for this door to look plain and ordinary, it remains nonetheless a precious artifact crafted by Master himself. It can recognize the people touching the handle, and only those with the 'key' can open it."

As she slowly opened the door, Celestine continued her explanation.

"You haven't been able to open it by yourself because the 'key' within you hasn't been activated yet, it is still in a state of dormancy inside your body. The reason of my presence here today is to awaken it, and assist you in connecting it with the Nihil Conscientia resting inside the Backroom. Only then will you be allowed to use all of the Backroom's facilities."

Lloyd was speechless.

He didn't know what was the most scary : the unimaginable scene of Celestine transforming into some sort of otherwordly Dark Knight, or the fact that she had to be in this state to open up this door.

Nothing made sense to him.

"W-wait, this key you're talking about... You said it's inside my body ?!"

"Yes. Master bestowed this gift upon you before transporting you to Lunaris. Without it, you wouldn't have been able to survive the travel between the two universes. You also needed it to connect with the Nihil Conscientia anyway."

"...and what is this Nihil Conscientia you keep talking about exactly ?"

"You'll have to see for yourself."

Instead of answering his question, Celestine stepped inside the room and engulfed herself in the darkness.

Lloyd couldn't see what was inside the Backroom from the outside ; a thick mist was preventing him from doing so.

He hesitated for a few seconds in front of the door, before steeling himself and following Celestine inside the room.

"Celestine...?"

Lloyd grew nervous as he walked alone in complete darkness, unable to see his own feet.

"Keep advancing."

When he thought about going back on his steps, Celestine's voice sounded from afar.

Walking in the direction of the voice, Lloyd noticed the mist gradually dissipating as he progressed. After a few minutes, he could finally see his feet again.

"How big is this place exactly ?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Lloyd continued to walk while conversing with Celestine, until he could finally see the curves of her slender figure obscured by the mist in front of him.

"Took you long enough."

From her melodic voice, he could tell that she wasn't in her armored form anymore.

As he approached, he found her waiting for him next to a tall structure that looked like a pillar. It was made in a pitch-black material that was as polished as jade.

He also noticed a stone tablet floating above the floor in front of the structure.

"What is this ?" Lloyd asked, still dumbfounded that such a place was hidden in the old man's shop.

Lloyd had no idea what was this place, but he assumed that the door he went through behind the store's counter was some sort of portal. He had the feeling that he was no longer in the shop the instant he walked into the mist within the Backroom.

"This area is a pocket dimension extracted from the Void that fills the space between universes. The only entrance is the door behind your shop's counter."

Lloyd wouldn't have believed it if this happened a year ago, but after living in Lunaris for so long, he wasn't so surprised.

After living in a world where logic-defying magic was used in daily life, dragons roamed the skies freely, and floating islands existed... Lloyd developed a certain tolerance for strange phenomena and things out of the norm.

"Aren't you surprised to learn that you just stepped inside a completely different realm ?" Celestine asked curiously.

She didn't expect Lloyd to remain so calm.

"Well, I heard that thousands of people use teleportation gates every day to travel on the continent... I guess this place is kinda similar. When it comes to this world, I know that it's pointless to follow the same common sense as when I lived in South Korea."

"I see."

Everything Lloyd witnessed since Celestine's arrival made no sense to him, but as she said earlier, he would have to get used to it eventually.

What's the point of stressing out about every little thing out of the ordinary ?

He isn't on Earth anymore, after all. Lunaris is a different world, with different rules.

"This chamber serves as a control room for the Backroom, and by extension, the entire store. Please, put your hand on the the tablet."

Lloyd approached the floating stone slab in front of the monolith and put his left hand on it.

"What about now ?"

"Do not move until I say so."

Celestine went behind Lloyd, and gently touched the back of his neck with her fingers.

The moment her finger touched his bare skin, Lloyd felt a strange warmth skim over his entire body.

The sweet fragrance he could smell from Celestine, who was so close behind him, only helped in relaxing him.

"What... Is... Happening...?"

This was all he could mutter before his eyes closed against his will, his consciousness slowly drifting away.

___

After a while, Lloyd, who was lying down on his bed, cautiously opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Celestine's angelic face looking at him, expressionless as usual.

He checked his surroundings, but to his surprise, he was not in the Backroom anymore. He was back inside his bedroom.

"Was that a dream...?"

Lloyd was confused.

His mind was foggy, as if he had just woken up from a century-long slumber.

He tried to recall what happened after he touched the stone slab and Celestine placed her hand on his neck, but he couldn't remember anything except for the warm energy running through his entire body.

"No, you didn't dream. The last protocol has been successful."

As if she was reading his mind, Celestine answered before he could ask her what happened inside the Backroom.

"What do you mean by protocol ?"

Lloyd straightened up himself and looked straight at her icy blue eyes.

"The Nihil Conscientia, which was lying dormant within the monolith, has been successfully implanted within your soul. It may take a day or two for it to awaken, but you can now unlock the Backroom on your own and use all of the store's facilities."

Celestine gently stroked Blackie's head, who was sound asleep at the foot of Lloyd's bed, before adding.

"My mission here is complete, you'll have to learn the rest by yourself."

She stood up, and put a flask filled with a translucent liquid on Lloyd's bedside table.

"Your body might ache for a few days, so drink this before you go to sleep. May you have a good night, Sir. Yeo."

Before Lloyd could say anything, Celestine vanished into thin air, leaving just a trail of purple smoke behind.

"What the fu-urgh...!"

Lloyd wanted to get up, but a sudden headache struck him.

His entire body was hurting like hell, as Celestine had predicted. Just the pain alone made him collapse on the bed.

"Keuk!... Let me drink this first..."

As he gulped down the liquid inside the vial, he couldn't help but curse internally at Celestine for leaving so suddenly without giving him a proper explanation.

"It's alright to act mysterious and all, but they could at least warn me before knocking me out. For god's sake, do they really think I enjoy loosing consciousness and waking up in another place ?!"

Celestine's way of handling him reminded Loyd of her master, Igor.

Up to this day, he still remembered how confused he felt when he woke up in a completely different world just after signing a mere piece of paper.

"I guess she takes this from him," Lloyd sighed.

When he attempted to figure out what happened in the Backroom, he realized that his mind was way too exhausted for him to think straight.

"Screw this, let's get some sleep first. I'll deal with this tomorrow." Lloyd grumbled, before going under his blanket and closing his eyes.

He didn't have to wait long before the Sandman brought his tired mind to the Land of Dreams.