Waking up from his frozen state he felt a strong gaze peeling under his skin.

Not even after finishing his conversation with Icarus and going to wash himself did the gaze disappear.

It bore deeper and Hildebrant needed to turn around a few times just to make sure no one was standing there.

But gaze still bore into his back, chest, and mind.

Something stared at him, but it did not matter how hard he tried he could not remember why he felt like that.

It was as if the entire room observed him, watched him, and gazed at each part of his body.

Even when he lay down to sleep, the gaze did not disappear.

It bore into him even more as if the creature that observed him wanted to bore a hole into his small body.

Falling asleep same dream repeated itself.

His body weak and thin was surrounded by crimson blood vessels that drilled into his body while he lay on an old and rusty bed built from agate wood.

This time his body looked weaker than days before and the surrounding red space dripped blood from cracks and gaps in walls and ceiling.

As blood rained, small eyes would open and blink while observing his every move.

Their inhuman irises would merge with blood and then repeat in another part of the room.

The entire room observed him and gazed at his being while crimson blood vessels would try harder to drill into his flesh under their gaze, like a child trying to impress their parents.

Amid this vision, he would wake up and after wiping his eyes he would go talk to Icarus, take a sip of tea, and eat something.

With each bite of breath, his stomach would twist, and in the end, he would end up in toiled vomiting everything out.

Why did he feel he had forgotten something?

This is a question he asked himself every day, but each day he would forget what he asked himself and today was no different.

But this time as he vomited, the toilet he was touching turned into a bloody pit with crimson red vessels surrounding it. Waste that just went out of him was swallowed by blood and then transferred back into his body through blood vessels on his hands and back.

Blinking, the world returned to normal but even Hildebrant knew already something was not right.

Gaze bore into him and his mind brewed trying to remember something, his family, friends, or even the name of his painting.

His mother always told him to be wary of strangers when he got out but who could he believe other than Icarus in this forgotten place?

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

From where did he even know Icarus?

Of course, they met in the sanctuary the place where Heretic Juliana built her forces to fight against eight gods.

Icarus told him that.

It was also Icarus who told him not to go out, so he should not go out.

Icarus was good, he was his guardian, his friend, his…...

The world flickered and Hildebrant froze when he observed the golden mask of a demon hanging from the door gazing at him with its lifeless eyes.

His heart began to beat faster, and his flames raged while fighting against the blood vessels that invaded his body.

New clarity filled his eyes, but his gaze flickered again, and the golden helmet was replaced by normal wooden doors.

But he was sure there was a head of boy he met or was there?

Yes, there was a head he was sure of but was there?

Was there really a head?

Golden, lifeless, head?

Head?

Grasping his head Hildebrant wanted to remember, he wanted to go home for something he cared about, something names he had forgotten.

Following the feeling in his heart he even scratched his skin the gaze now boring deeper into him than ever before.

"Go away! Go away!"

He shouted and the sound of rushing footsteps came from the other room.

Not understanding what was happening he moved on instinct and dashed to the doors and closed them with his own body.

When footstep finally stopped before the doors someone knocked on them hurriedly.

"Hill are you alright?"

Blood dripped down Hildebrant hand as the force of Icarus's knock almost sent him stumbling back.

He even tried to open the doors forcefully five times, but Hildebrant held them tightly not letting him inside even if it would cost his life.

"Hill! What are you doing? Open the door immediately!"

A banging sound intensified, and Icarus's scream flowed into his ears.

Why did he even close the doors to begin with?

Icarus was his friend, his only guardian if he let him in, he was sure Icarus could explain the weird gaze boring into his pores even now.

But his body did not move even when his thoughts began to turn chaotic, and blood began to pour out of his eyes.

"Open the door!"

Icarus's voice turned into screams and then knocking stopped but Hildebrant knew Icarus still stood behind them.

With raged breath and trembling body, Hildebrant almost fell on his knees but somehow, he was able to keep himself on his feet and perk his ears to listen to Icarus's raging breathing.

"Fine Hill stay here and come out when you feel like it. We have time."

Even after he finished, Icarus still did not move from behind the doors.

Or at least Hildebrant did hear nothing which made his heartbeat even faster when he remembered Icarus's battle style that enabled him to move almost with no sound.

Focusing even more on surrounding sounds his head rested on a cold wooden surface while thinking about what just happened.

Why did he even close doors to begin with and why was he afraid?

Tears almost rushed into his eyes but he suppressed them the same way he did the day he found out he lost everything to the sun.

He promised himself that…that..what he promised himself?

He needed to escape.

But why?

He needs to talk to Icarus more.

No! He needs to escape!

"Finally found you."

Came from behind and when he turned around the world around him changed again.

Clean agate wood and marble walls became rusty and old, with various cracks and gaps from which crimson blood and blood-red vessels came out.

Lustre also became dim submerging the entire room into a slight state of darkness but that was not what made Hildebrant freeze in place.

When he turned around faceless crimson face observed him from above, boring its invisible gaze deep into his being.

Its four thick arms and towering thin body were releasing a strong smell of blood and decay, and blood vessels surrounding it connected to being with happiness while pulsing with unknown strength making the creature before him look even bigger, thiner, and more inhuman.

"Let's go home Hill. Just you and me."

Face moved from the other side, but no lips opened.

Nevertheless, the voice still came out of it.

Frozen in place Hildebrant just kept staring into the faceless face of a towering man.

Its voice being familiar and unfamiliar at the same time made his brain ring and beg for him to escape.

Just the presence of being made his knees weak but when it tilted its head even without any expression Hildebrant could tell it was perplexed.

"Why such a face?"

It asked and flames in Hildebrant body rushed out of his body.