A sinner is someone who walks knowing the ground beneath them is ruined. Someone who laughs while the world burns. Someone who refuses to kneel, even when heaven itself demands it.
In short: a sinner is the worst kind of villain.
So… who was the 'sinner' the voice had spoken of?
Was it me?
The thought sank into me like a stone. I shook my head, trying to dismiss it. What could I have done to deserve such a title? What had I done to be called a sinner?
Am I… really a sinner?
The lights flickered in the guest room. I sat on the soft mattress, my hands trembling uncontrollably. My heart thumped against my ribs like a drum. Fear clung to me like a second skin.
The voice fell silent after that. Nothing. Not another word. I wished it had said more. Something or simply anything. Maybe then, I could have found my answer.
After that, We reached the royal castle and then Jihoon and I seperated as his room was on the first floor while mine was on the fifth floor.
Knock. Knock.
"Esteemed hero, are you ready?"
I turned to the grand door, pulling my cloak over my face once more, and cleared my throat. "I'll be out in a minute."
I rose and took in my surroundings. The royal guest room lived up to its name: the Sapphire Room. Every surface was bathed in shades of blue, the walls, the curtains, even the carpets seemed to shimmer faintly like polished lapis lazuli. The sunlight filtering through the high windows painted the room in a soft, serene glow.
I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. I wore a black tunic with red stripes, black boots, and a fresh cloak draped over my shoulders. At least now, no one could see the cavity in my abdomen. Yet, I couldn't shake the worry that a gust of wind might betray me, revealing the hollow that had once been my stomach.
I opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
It was just as grand as the room behind me, long, wide, and lined with identical doors on both sides, stretching farther than seemed necessary. My footsteps echoed softly as I started walking.
Then the door behind me opened again.
"Mmm. That was a nice bath."
I stopped and turned around.
It was her, the girl who had saved me.
She walked toward me with her eyes closed, rolling her shoulders lazily. Her soft brown hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, a few damp strands clinging to her neck. Then her purple eyes opened.
And met mine.
Silence.
"AAAAAH!"
She screamed and jumped back."It's you!"
Her eyes dropped straight to my abdomen.
She froze.
"…How," she said slowly, like her brain had hit a wall, "are you still alive after that?"
She must've seen my secret at the graveyard.
I shrugged. "Good question."
She stared at me for another second. Then her brows knit together.
"Wait. You can talk?"
"…Yes?"
Her lips parted. Closed. Opened again. She dragged a hand through her hair, pacing once before stopping.
"This is insane," she muttered. "Absolutely insane."
I said nothing.
She exhaled sharply, then finally looked at me properly.
"Everyone is talking," she said, quieter now. "They don't think you're human. They think you're… something pretending to be one."
"Wow," I said. "That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me today."
She flinched, then scowled. "Just...stay away from me. Okay? Don't come near."
I gave a small nod.
Wasn't planning to.
BOOM.
The door across the hallway exploded inward.
Smoke poured out.
I didn't need anyone to tell me, trouble had arrived.
I looked up.
Player 67 stood there, smoke practically curling from his nostrils.
Why the hell was this psychopath placed right next to my room?!
Our eyes met.
He grinned, wide and unhinged, then cracked his knuckles.
His hands suddenly froze over, ice crawling up his arms as they reshaped themselves into twin blades. Crystalline shards formed along the edges, polished enough that I could see my own reflection staring back at me.
Holy Cow.
My hand moved on instinct.
My dagger.
…It wasn't there.
Shit. I'd left it in my room. I swallowed.
"So that's where you were hiding, zombie boy~"
The girl beside me muttered something and pointed down the other end of the hallway.
"I...I'll just leave you two to… chat-"
I grabbed her and threw her straight at Lee Sehun.
"AHHHH!"
The moment she left my hands, I turned and bolted in the opposite direction.
I wasn't about to fight a man with knife-arms using my bare fists. That was just stupid.
"HEY! Get back here!"
Behind me, Lee Sehun dodged her easily.
She slammed into the wall with a thud.
I bolted toward the corner and cut sharply to the side, not without sticking my tongue out and flipping him off.
Very mature. I know.
Then-
Something snapped.
The world lurched.
My feet barely touched the ground before it blurred beneath me. Wind slammed into my face, my cloak whipping violently behind me. Every step sent me farther than it should've, like the ground was rejecting me, throwing me forward instead of holding me back.
I felt weightless. Almost flying.
"Huh?! Wait!"
I tried to slow down. I really did.
My legs kept moving anyway, faster. My stomach dropped, not that it helped much without one.
"I-STOP!"
Player 67 was shrinking behind me, his shouting fading into the distance. I didn't know whether to thank the gods or start panicking.
A window rushed toward me.
"WAIT WAIT WAIT!"
THUD.
I burst straight through it.
My body slammed into the side of a stone tower, the impact knocking the air out of me. I slid down the rough wall, skin scraping, before hitting the rocky ground below in an undignified heap.
"…Argh."
Stars danced in my vision. I shook my head, groaning.
When my eyes finally focused, I realized I wasn't alone.
People surrounded me.
Knights in polished armor stared like statues, mouths half-open. A few soldiers had their hands frozen mid-reach, like they didn't know whether to help or stab me.
And then I saw her.
She stood a little apart, draped in flowing silk the color of moonlight. Delicate flower-shaped ornaments were woven into the fabric, shimmering softly with every tremble of her breath. Her long white hair spilled down her back like snow, framing a pale face and wide blue eyes that reflected nothing but terror.
She gasped.
Her fingers trembled as they pointed at me.
"M… monster!"
…Fuck.
TO BE CONTINUED...