His eyes were burning as if they'd suffered without any rest. His head ached as if he'd been tortured for sleep.
His eyes were widened.
Not once did they move.
Not once did he move his head.
Not once did he think till now.
He leaned against the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling—it was almost midnight. His eyes were red, and the dried traces of tears stained his pillow and cheek.
He hadn't slept at all. But how could that even be possible? It made no sense. Staying awake for half a night was one thing, but not even blinking once? That wasn't normal. Yet, this was the reality.
Though it was said that some could sleep with their eyes open, that wasn't common—and he was certainly not one of them. He had always slept with his eyes closed.
But Ibaan was defying reality till now with his power—Concept of Order. He had ordered nature, his own mind itself. That's why he couldn't sleep. He just lay there, staring at the ceiling all night, locked in a silent war against his own subconscious.
However the subconscious controls almost everything—it's a being no one can truly defeat. Yet Ibaan still stood against it, for now. Though slowly, he was starting to lose himself to it, bit by bit.
'Was it supposed to happen—just like that?' Just then his eyelid shot down slowly… slowly on its own.
Darkness enveloped him and then he found himself back at the familiar corridor of the mysterious tower where he had been last time.
His eyes didn't wide nor his heart beat faster, it was now normal as it was before. He'd already expected what'd happen. The divine sword was already in his hands.
He didn't move at all. Just waited for something to appear.
Just then, he heard wet and clawing noises coming from the passageway ahead.
Something appeared before him. It floated in the air, lifted by its twisting tails that moved like snakes. Its limbs were bent at strange angles. Under its gray skin, the ribs glowed faint red, shifting with every breath. A low, broken sound—half growl, half whisper—came from its mouth.
The tails curled into the ground and rose again, holding it steady like the roots of a nightmare. Its claws hung just above the surface, dripping something dark. It looked both heavy and weightless, the air around it trembling as if reality itself struggled to keep it there.
Although his body remained calm, a strange feeling in his heart kept growing.
He didn't attack the creature, nor did the creature attack him. He had already accepted there was no way out—so he needed to adapt to this hell. After all, he was human, the most adaptable being.
'That's right.'
He knew the creature was going to enter his body, just like the petals—and the creature formed from those petals—had done before.
Then, the sharp tails moved, charging toward him, drifting behind him, and splitting as they reached his spine.
A chill ran down his back, followed by a torrent of pain. He jolted forward, coughing out blood.
The creature's twisting mouth and glowing ribs moved closer—to his mouth and chest—slowly, deliberately, as if intending to devour him completely.
He didn't fear death. No—he knew he wouldn't die that easily. He had already guessed that these creatures wouldn't stop entering his body until he reached the final destination of this realm—or until the Dead Eye entered the human world. It was just a theory, but one that felt true.
The creature came closer and closer until it enveloped his mouth in its own. Darkness consumed his sight. Heat and a foul stench filled his senses. His body turned cold, and he felt a cold hand touch his heart—and pull it slightly from its place.
At that critical moment, irritation spread through his mind, ears, eyes—his whole body screamed in pain. His head felt like it would burst.
'Urgh!! Damn it!' was the only thought echoing in his mind. His lips moved, but no words came out—only silent thoughts.
Then, the heat returned, spreading through his body and replacing the cold.
…
When he opened his eyes, the creature was gone—perhaps it had already entered his body. Or maybe it was a dream… though he doubted he could dream here. This world itself felt like a dream.
He could feel something growing inside him—something terrible, strong, yet making his body feel lighter. But that strange feeling in his heart didn't fade, which meant danger still lingered—something unlike those creatures that merely entered him.
To his surprise, the darkness ahead was gone. The passageway was now visible, lit by a faint red glow from an unknown source. It led to a staircase spiraling upward—to the second floor of the tower.
But he wondered, "Then why the hell does the tower stretch so far upward if there's only one passage leading to the next floor? There must be something beyond these walls… yeah, there must be."
He tightened his grip on the sword's hilt and stepped forward, the strange feeling in his heart growing stronger.
For the first time, he felt energy flowing through his veins from his chest, where the branches were located—they pulsed with heat.
Something was awakening inside him—something old, familiar, like déjà vu, as if he had experienced this once before in his own world.
And deep within, he sensed it—
something was waiting for him in this tower.
Something that could truly threaten his life.