Chapter Three: Strange Meal, Part One

Nox looked at the darkness, unsure of what to feel. "... What?"

"'I know, human, I know. You're so overwhelmed with the new status that you're too shocked to breathe! Hahahahahah! Isn't One the best?!"

Nox looked at the darkness with a deadpan expression, then covered his face with his hands and breathed in slowly. 'I must be suffering from brain damage from the accident... Yeah, that's it...'. The rich heir was reconsidering his life choices up until that point.

The Darkness, Veil, kept rambling about his greatness while Nox just laid back down and slept. "'... Hmm, as weak as he is, his constitution can keep up with the corrosion of my power... He's a suitable Vessel for now...'"

Those were the last words he heard before succumbing to the embrace of sleep.

...A Few Hours Later

Nox's eyelashes fluttered as he slowly opened his eyes. The sun, which hung proudly in the sky, had begun to set, painting the sky in a beautiful view of orange and pink. He stretched, rubbed his eyes, and snapped his fingers. The lights came on.

A tray on a metal disc floated towards him, stopping right at his side. He lazily took the tray and looked at the porridge. "Tsk!" He wasn't pleased with the food, but his stomach growled like a caged beast. Without much of a choice, he ate the plain porridge, albeit aggressively, finishing the meal in what seemed like seconds.

"'That's impressive, my Apostle, you will have no problem eating the Ruach Ra'ah!'"

At this, Nox shot Veil, who was floating around the fridge, a glare full of disdain. "I'd rather eat dog shit than eat those things!"

He got out of bed, preparing to take a walk and get some fresh air. He moved out of his room and into the hallway like he owned the place, with an unmistakable air of supremacy around him. As he walked with his IV drip, other patients couldn't help but notice him; some scoffed, others avoided locking eyes with him, and some couldn't help but stare at him and wonder if he was acting out a scene in a movie.

Nox didn't care; he'd been receiving these types of stares since he could remember. He simply walked forward, out of the building, and into the yard. Once outside, he took a deep breath, smiled, and began to slowly wander around.

He walked for a long time, eventually settling down on a bench by a fountain. As he sat, he thought back to the accident. '... Those bastards betrayed me... They even wanted to kill me! After all I've done for them!'

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He struggled to fight back tears but failed, and they flowed unimpeded. Then he thought about his childhood, how alone and miserable he felt, how he hated being who he was, and just when he was about to commit suicide, he met his so-called friends. He thought he found a family, unaware that they would be the ones to push him to his death.

That pain was something he felt deep within him. He was bawling so hard he didn't notice, but his body gave off a black glow for a brief moment before vanishing like it never happened. "... Damn it!"

He shouted in frustration. 'I'm so useless... Even those bastards only want me dead...' He laughed self-deprecatingly, then suddenly froze as a thought came to mind. '... What if I just go along with what that thing said? Sure, eating things like that caterpillar is nasty, but if I can get stronger... It's worth it!'

As he thought this, he failed to realize that there was no one around but him. The air shifted, taking on a colder and more sinister atmosphere. '... What the heck am I thinking? There's no way I'm so crazy as to belie-'

"Um... Are you okay?"

At that, his head snapped up to look at who disturbed him. Immediately, his face paled, and he felt like a hand was squeezing his heart as he came face-to-face with what he was trying to avoid. It was the nurse again, and somehow, she had managed to get worse in appearance. Her features looked even more grotesque, and poor Nox was frozen in fear.

As one of her hands stretched out to wipe his tears away, he slapped her hand away on reflex and, with a scowl, said defiantly, "Who are you looking down on, worm? Touch me again, and you'll miss your arm!"

He turned with his IV drip and began to walk away, praying to get to a safer place. That's when he heard an eerie voice, like multiple people speaking at the same time, "... Can you see me?..."

Nox's blood ran cold, and the hair at the back of his head stood on end. He forced himself to keep moving. When he was a dozen meters away, thinking he was escaping smoothly, he heard an eerie chuckle. "... So you can see me..."

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***