Passing Through

Heian Ciemnosc didn't let the hands get any closer to his face. He turned around and tried grabbing those wrists at the same time. He acted with precision but without being too fast or swift. He was slow but smooth at turning around and took his time to touch those wrists. By the time he was already turning around and his hands a second away from grabbing them, and those hands were still trying to cover his eyes, he heard a teasing, laughing 'heeee~~~h' before wrists suddenly disappeared, and he turned around to see nothing.

There was absolutely no one nor anything behind him, only the obscured hut with its wax lamps gone and the candle whose fire he extinguished still on top of a small table. Heian Ciemnosc walked forward twice before stopping as he looked at a window, immediately diverting his face from it. He suddenly felt like not looking there. This window was facing the other side of the hut where he came from, and the skies from that part seemed pale blue, showcasing a ghastly appearance to everything on that side.

Step, step, step. Heian Ciemnosc took another 3 steps to the hut’s center, prepared his mentality, and looked at the window directly. The window was 2 meters wide, contrary to what it seemed just a few seconds ago, only half a meter wide. This made Heian Ciemnosc frown, but his mentality was empty and blank, not trying to figure anything out. However, he suddenly felt his eyes incapable of moving away from the window.

It had an orange curtain hiding the other side, covering more than a third of the window from the left. At this moment, as if the world was about to start trembling, Heian Ciemnosc felt his head rumbling. He kept looking at the window, and suddenly, his eyes were focused on the fine line of separation between the orange curtain and the window glass. A peaceful silence ensued as if everything happening was just his mind playing tricks after waking up at night.

“!” But suddenly, Heian Ciemnosc’s eyes widened, and his pupils shrank. A face with the thickness and width of his torso appeared from the curtain, its body seemingly leaning from the curtain’s side as it directly opened its baby-head-sized eyeballs with large, beautifying eyelashes and locked them straight on Heian Ciemnosc’s body. Everything was dark. Heian Ciemnosc could no longer even see his chest if he were to look down at himself.

Still, no shadow was apparent on the other side. The curtain showed nothing but pale blue light slightly lighted the curtain up like moonlight. However, the big head and eyes looked at Heian Ciemnosc’s body directly, precisely knowing where he was and how to get to him as it started moving to reveal its body.

Without a shadow outlining its body, it nonetheless walked out of the curtain, and its face started moving with an overextended and agile neck that allowed its head to wobble in midair as its body kept coming out. Its back was lumpy, with 2 bumps behind each shoulder, mimicking a muscle’s image. Its eyes were black with little to no sclera. The black took 80% of its eyeballs as they remained locked on Heian Ciemnosc.

It opened its mouth as if trying to speak, but no sound came from its mouth. Only the creepy, skin-numbing image of its head parting in two, unlike any other living being, could be seen. Heian Ciemnosc watched as terror crept into his being. The thing’s hands were raised as it showed fingers the length of his arm appearing from below the window, poking the glass as if asking him to open it.

Heian Ciemnosc didn’t dare not move as he walked backwrds, instead of forth to help open the window. The thing immediately opened its eyes wider, creepier, as it showed tiny little hands forming the eyeball unlike any other living being’s eyes would. Inside his body, he started feeling his body something crawling. It wasn’t a single individual, nor one thing, but many and everywhere below his ribcage.

He didn’t send any dark Power Energy or Spirit Sense to check and quickened his footsteps towards the candle. But his steps somehow became heavier, and he could even hear the small table screeching as it slid away and further to the back. Heian Ciemnosc saw through the window still as the thing’s arms were revealed to be as long as a 2-story building. Its fingers and nails were one, made of meat and skin, ligaments, and veins.

Its legs finally showed up, its knees were as small as a baby’s fist, and its thighs seemed to be those of a typical person. On the other hand, its knees were… too long. They spread from its lower thighs to its shee for several meters before finally showing an adult’s index finger-thin legs. Its feet were average, but its toes were as bizarre as its fingers.

Stumble, troko- to, fwuughh~... Heian Ciemnosc’s bottom crashed against the small table. His eyes widened, realizing it had never moved and was instead just an illusion of sorts, and it got him. However, the small table fumbled, and he felt the candle falling down pitifully as if its life was to be over. The thing outside the hut on the opposite side became disordered and began trying to poke holes into the window!

However, with Heian Ciemnosc’s realization came enlightenment. His left hand dexterously grabbed the candle. He didn’t dare to use any dark Power Energy, let alone his Claws Out, so he used his fingers to stop it from falling and gain enough time to close his palm. When he was about to push it down with his left palm, his fingers clutched, and the candle was safe.

Tok- crush, tok tok tok tok tok tok tok tok tok tok~.

Nonetheless, the thing outside never stopped, and it became more rapid and addictive as if it only exited to poke through the glass. Heian Ciemnosc looked at it, his senses alarmed and his mentality at its top defenses. The thing’s noises started increasing in volume and consistency as Heian Ciemnosc turned around, gave it his back, and grabbed the candle with both hands. Still, nothing happened as the window behind him was already starting to crush under the thing’s incessant and increasingly obsessive assailant.

Heian Ciemnosc’s eyes were fully opened, and he furiously looked at the candle. It wasn’t lighting up again! Even as he sent Spirit Sense to enhance his eyes, it did not respond and was like a meek, child, trickster god not telling him what to do. Heian Ciemnosc was anxious as he heard one stomp, then two… then three, and more as he was left without options!

STOMP… STOMP, STOMP… STOMP, STOMP, STOMP…

Finally, his eyes gleamed with the unknown. He didn’t dare disobey his Master’s order to never use that strange dome again, but he could still try something else. Immediately, he felt his Soul ‘waving’ down as an image formed in Heian Ciemnosc’s heart and one that was definitely that of the candle’s topmost. Instantly, the candle seemed to see something as Heian Ciemnosc felt his neck about to be crunched down by the thing’s creepy mouth, already behind him and drooling on the floor.

Fwop. The candle lit with an ordinary, orange, yellow tiny sparkle that turned into the previous flame it used to have before.

Warp. Heian Ciemnosc’s eyes suddenly saw the hut lit up once again. The small table wasn’t moved, and the saliva on the floor, caressing the back of his feet was no longer trying to seep into his dark shoes. Heian Ciemnosc looked around, and at that moment, those outside the hut seemed to finally see their leader. Observing their faces and his situation, it seemed, to Heian Ciemnosc, that he had never stepped away after extinguishing the candle’s flame.

He returned his gaze to the candle atop the small table, where his right index finger and left thumb had worked together to extinguish the same candle. It was already put out, but Heian Ciemnosc felt no alarming sensations. He separated his fingers and retracted his hands, only for the candle to reveal a little, bright yellow flame dancing around at ease. Heian Ciemnosc looked at the smallish yellow fire and felt some apprehension. This thing was alive, both the candle and that flame. In separate circumstances.

He grabbed the candle and raised it up to his face to inspect it before placing it back down on the table. Seemingly, the hut was illuminated brighter than before, but there were more shadows from any object around. But the outside from the opposite side was also better illustrated. Heian Ciemnosc turned his body and looked past the window, whose curtain no longer existed.

“!” The face was there, showing itself, and an extremely forced, ugly smile plastered all over it. Its eyes squinted to its utmost, but the eyes were still wide open. Its nose was terribly-looking, but had not too many wrinkles except close to the glabella. Its temples and forehead were smooth but had their corners, with the rest of the skull wrinkled to unbelievable degrees. The window had become smaller again but still showed the thing’s face and tongue lapping around the lower sections of its face as it looked at Heian Ciemnosc.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“...” Looking up, Heian Ciemnosc saw that the drool, which had previously disappeared from the floor, reappeared on the ceiling as it fell around the candle’s small table.

“!!” Heian Ciemnosc’s eyes widened, and he rapidly came out of the hut, making signals with his hands as his arms were up in the air for his COs to see. Immediately, Victor, Aleksander, and Violet came towards him. When they arrived, Aleksander had Gloria beside him. Heian Ciemnosc looked at those two first as he gave signs to them before pointing at the half-meter-wide window. Aleksander nodded, and Gloria solemnly did as well.

Turning to face Violet, he gestured for her as well. Violet nodded with each gesture until he finished and pointed at the entrance and to the rest of the students. Violet started walking to the students and made them hand signs they knew. They had to form a line and mentally prepare before coming in. Anyone messing up the order or inside the hut would be terminated. She started from the front and would continue until the students’ line’s rear.

Facing Victor, Heian Ciemnosc signaled with his eyes more than anything, ensuring Victor understood the importance as he left and began selecting a few brave students to go first. Everything happened smoothly, and before 1 minute was up, students were ready to go through the hut in groups. First and foremost, they had to see how it was done. Thus, Heian Ciemnosc had Victor and another 11 form a group to make a demonstration.

Everyone was watching, keeping silent, and feeling nervous. But the students were dutiful and determined as they watched Victor and his group walk across the hut and reach the other side. Only when they saw the last one from them achieve a 10 km distance from the building did the first group stop but didn’t look back and start placing yellow barriers everywhere, forming a perimeter before sitting cross-legged to meditate without looking back.

Only when they saw all of this and Heian Ciemnosc gave them a dark stare did everyone understand. Don’t look back or to the sides. If you do, you might fuck things up, and that means death one way or another. Those yellow barriers were illusory array formations, and they could only cover one’s image from the enemy, from any angle, but only that. Any attack coming towards them would destroy them, especially since these yellow ones indicated they were low quality. Only First Step cultivators could employ such limited array formations as with the low protective array formation with a light green barrier.

Heian Ciemnosc then started the advance, positioning himself before the candle’s small table and guiding everyone to lick their fingertips before pinching the candle’s flame. A drop of their blood essence would come out and feed the candle, making them surprised but not to linger. They would then step through the hut, trying their best to not look elsewhere but the road ahead.

There was no pathway or empty space showing that people or animals crossed through recently. It was like a forest with medium vegetation where one could walk straight ahead, but only if they were capable enough. Without Spirit Sense, that proved to be difficult to some if they hadn’t been shown the way by Victor’s group of 11.

Step, step, step, step, step, step, step, step.

As they walked through the hut and pinched their fingertips to pay the toll and cross the passage, Aleksander stood tall with his back against the window. Gloria didn’t notice as she was still not experienced enough. But Aleksander felt his entire back’s skin prickle every 2 seconds with the noises of pleading voices and indistinctive cries of terror from those he knew. He resisted them and continued blocking the direct sight.

“!!!” At one point, Gloria, already a young woman, couldn’t hold herself anymore and looked backward, only to see the thing staring at her with its smile’s lips closed. Like a grandpa trying to make his baby granddaughter smile and content, that sensation left her utterly out of her mind. But after being trained and seasoned by Aleksander, she held it and returned her head to face the line of students. Her motions were filed with baleful influence, like a robot and deathly cold, attracting a few curious gazes.

In the end, some students would look past the window. However, they would instantly look elsewhere upon seeing those ‘beautiful’ eyelashes and bizarrely large eyes. The swift response wasn’t because of knowing it would mean their demise if they ended up doing something by just looking, but knowing Heian Ciemnosc was close to them, probably with the intention to end anyone who did just what they did.

Fortunately, most saved themselves even as they felt their skin escaping their bodies ever since seeing the face. Heian Ciemnosc could only imagine how fast their deaths would come if they had seen its authentic appearance. They might’ve bloated with the sensations Heian Ciemnosc felt when he was close to his ultimate death. As they continued advancing, Heian Ciemnosc looked around himself and the small table before looking at the ceiling, noticing everywhere on the floor surrounding the table’s legs, and saliva started drooling onto its corners.

“...!” However, just then, a student seemed helpless as he looked to his left, past the window, just as he was at the closest point to the window and 2 meters before the exit’s doorstep. Heian Ciemnosc looked at the student. The latter seemed lost. To the student, the world suddenly stopped. He saw the big eyes blink at him as if flirty, causing him to slowly blink. When his eyelashes went back up, he was right at the doorstep, looking into the dark as something seemed to be moving within it towards him.

He was just at the doorstep, but the darkness seemed to engulf him, too. Although there was no sound, he knew there was something moving. He could ‘see’ it in a way he could not explain. Then, a finger and meaty nails came from the dark towards his body, extending to just and lightly touch his skin…

Pshift-click, phhshk~~~~...

“!!!” The stunned students watched as Heian Ciemnosc walked to the paralyzed student whose mouth was starting to drool with saliva that wasn’t his as if someone was spitting from behind his body and nape to the front of his teeth. The drool spread to the paralyzed student’s uniform and hands, whereas tiny little worms sprouted. But those weren’t worms… they were fingers! They were so slim yet extremely long that they could pass off as maggots!

“Leader, what are y-?!” A student reacted, but Heian Ciemnosc ignored it as he went Claws Out and dismembered the paralyzed student’s body from his right thigh to his head. Everything became pierced and torn flesh as it flew upwards, landing on not the ceiling as it fell before it could reach it. The tiny fingers sprouting from his skin wriggled a bit before turning to smoke, but they still ate some of the flesh before dissipating.

Heian Ciemnosc remained motionless after killing the student. However, just as everyone thought he was pained over killing this student, he looked to his left at the one who spoke, just to his left, with stressed, darkest eyes. The student slowly realized that he had talked in a strict rule not to do so. His eyes widened, and he began backing away, not from Heian Ciemnosc but from the door, as if he had just seen something coming in.

As if having practiced as a group for thousands of days, hundreds of students blinked and lowered their heads. When they reopened their eyes, they were looking at the floor. Only Heian Ciemnosc was still looking at the student. However, they suddenly blinked again and raised their heads, opening them to look at a student’s body flying in midair, slowly spinning and with its body slowly layered inside out as organs, flesh, and bones came out as if an invisible hand expertly harvested them from a corpse. But the student was fully alive throughout the ordeal.

“ARrARAAaaaaAarrrRRGGGHH!!” From the exit’s door, as the students kept advancing with their eyes tightly shut and their minds blank to the illusory yellow array formations, a thing seemed to walk around the exit’s corner, trying to get in as the second student to fail in his simple task was no longer breathing. Perhaps wanting to both corpses with it. However!

Nom, nom, nom, nom…

Heian Ciemnosc began eating from the first student’s corpse, piece by piece, and fearlessly looked at the exit. The thing seemed to stop as the second student’s uniform fell on the floor. For minutes, Heian Ciemnosc continued eating the first student’s corpse. Only when more than half was eaten, each piece grabbed by the same hand’s fingertips, did the thing recede with a soundless grunt, back to stare at them through the window.

Heian Ciemnosc watched the exit and window some more. Meanwhile, Gloria, Aleksander, and the rest of the students still at their side looked elsewhere. After a few more minutes, he returned to the table and saw a drop of saliva had fallen in the middle of the small table. Then, he looked at the candle, placed slightly more to his side. Heian Ciemnosc arranged it there after ‘returning’ to the brightly lit hut and inspecting it.

The advancing resumed, but strangely or not. This time, the students took a peek at the thing outside the hut through the window. Not curiously, and much less filled with fear… They looked at it coldly. Because if they could, they would have ganged on it until it became a little wisp of filth.

They felt no aversion to Heian Ciemnosc’s actions. It even seemed that only by doing that would they have been saved, and the thing wouldn’t have gotten to eat both students’ corpses. If anything, it was better if their fellow students ate them rather than such a creepy, greedy, and cunning ghost. As for others eating their own Race or that of others so openly and even relishing a little, maybe only those like Heian Ciemnosc were capable.

Others might not have even considered it and would let danger befall their people because of their inaction. Everyone advanced through the hut, and thus, Heian Ciemnosc left after ensuring his COs went through the exit and reunited with everyone safely, including the silly Gloria, whose face was crestfallen. Only then did Heian Ciemnosc leave the candle’s small table and walk outside the hut.

As soon as he departed from the candle, it extinguished, just a few steps away from it. However, as everything turned gray and blue inside the hut, Heian Ciemnosc calmly exited it without looking to the left, where the thing was already showcasing its happy, smiley face to Heian Ciemnosc. If the others looked back, they would’ve seen the thing just 1 inch to Heian Ciemnosc’s left, but Heian Ciemnosc ignored it.

‘If my Soul wasn’t locked… you wouldn’t dare look at me, you pet.’

…