Omen blinked at her words, his mind running on life support.
"I'm…a ghoul," she said.
For a second, his heartbeat stopped. Then he exhaled sharply, shoulders falling as an unexpected wave of relief washed over him.
A shaky laugh escaped his lips. "Oh, thank god…I'm still in the game. There's no way this is real."
It wasn't denial, no. It was logic. He remembered the draconic man he'd met before, the one who had claimed Omen was the first ghoul he'd seen in centuries.
There was no way that could just be a coincidence. No way this world is anything but virtual.
He placed a hand over his chest, feeling the wild beating of his heart calm. "Okay," he muttered to himself. "Just…part of the game. Just one messed-up event, yeah, that's it."
When he looked back at the girl, she was still watching him quietly. Her red eyes didn't glow as fiercely anymore, they were softer now, almost friendly.
"What's your name?" Omen asked, trying to sound calm.
"…Lilith." Her voice was small, and quiet and she didn't look up when she said it.
"Lilith," Omen repeated. "Alright, Lilith. How the hell did you end up here?"
The girl hesitated for a moment, then said in a trembling tone, "I…don't remember much. My family abandoned me. Sold me off, I think. That's all I remember before…before I woke up here, chained and assaulted for as long as I remember."
Omen frowned, feeling his skin crawl with disbelief. He wanted to ask more, but before he could, she suddenly went still.
Her eyes dimmed slightly, and her body began to glow.
"Hey, what's…" He stopped mid-sentence as the grime, the blood, and the filth coating her skin and clothes started to disappear.
Dust melted off her like water washing away dirt. The torn rags vanished, replaced by something entirely different.
It was like magic had brushed her clean.
A black choker formed around her neck, its edges sharp and gleaming.
Two small, darkened cups appeared over her chest, like a top made of smoke and silk, covering her plump breasts.
Her right arm was wrapped in a tight, lace-like sleeve while the left bore a single glove that reached her wrist.
The boy blinked as more of the outfit became visible to him, netted black leggings, sleek and royal-looking, a faint blue gem glowing faintly near her abdomen.
It pulsed slowly, as though alive.
"What the…" Omen whispered, his voice fading off as she looked down at herself, eyes wide.
"I…didn't do this," Lilith said quietly. "It just…happened on its own."
"Guess it's some sort of a ghoul thing," Omen muttered, scratching the back of his head. "So you said you don't remember much else?"
Lilith shook her head slowly. "No. Only…pain and darkness. I was here for a long time.
But I know what I am now and I also know what this ring does." She held up her hand, showing the bone-like ring again.
"It's called the Ring of Mourning. It binds my existence to whoever frees me while giving me lots of other benefits.
…this was the only thing left by my parents before they left me here to rot…and be defiled by those humans as much as they..." Her voice dropped down to a whisper. "That also means…now that you saved me, I owe you my life."
Omen's brain almost short circuited, the fact that it was humans who did this to her knocked a certain wedge inside his still innocent brain. "What does that mean exactly?" He asked, still confused about the whole owing her life thing. Then, without any warning, the half nude girl lowered herself to the ground. She knelt to Omen on both knees, her head bowed, voice trembling but firm.
"In return for saving me, I will become your slave. It is the old code of the ghouls. Until my life ends, I shall serve you."
Omen's eyes went wide. "Whoa, whoa, hold up! That's way too much!"
He stepped forward quickly, waving his hands. "No slaves! Seriously, that's not happening. Look, I just helped you out, that's all. You don't owe me anything."
Lilith raised her head slowly, confusion moving in her red eyes. "But…the code-"
"Screw the code," Omen said bluntly. "You're not a slave. If you want to repay me, then be my friend. At least until we figure out what's going on here."
Her lips parted slightly, as if she didn't understand his words at first. Then she nodded softly. "As you wish..."
Omen sighed and smiled faintly. "Good. That's better."
The two stood there in silence for a while, the heavy air pressing against them. Then Omen turned toward the staircase.
"Alright, Lilith. Let's get out of here before something else decides to scream at us."
They climbed the old steps carefully. The chains still swung faintly from the ceiling, making small, eerie sounds that echoed in the ruins.
When they finally stepped back into the hall, Omen glanced towards the throne again when something caught his eye again.
A book.
It was sitting right on the throne's armrest, as if waiting for someone to find it.
Its cover was dark, nearly black, with a faint eye-shaped engraving that shone when the light hit it.
Omen frowned. "What's this?"
He walked over and picked it up carefully. The title was faint but readable.
'The Thousand Eyes Sutra.'
"Sounds creepy to me," he muttered.
Lilith stayed behind him, silent but watchful as
Omen brushed the dust off the cover and flipped it open.
Well, only to have the entire air in front of him burst with a sight of red.
A massive warning flashed across his screen, covering his vision completely.
[WARNING]
[The host is being externally removed from the game!!]
"What-wait, what the hell!?" Omen yelled, shrieking.
"Omen?" Lilith repeated, taking a step forward. "What's happening?" She asked worriedly.
Before the boy could answer, his entire body started to glow. His arms, his chest, everything flickered like static on a broken screen.
"Lilith! Wait—"
***
Omen found himself surrounded by a familiar darkness.
The one that he hated the most.
He floated in silence, surrounded by that same damp emptiness he'd felt before he entered the game .
Omen's mind was foggy, and his body numb. The boy couldn't even feel his eyes.
Then, faintly, a familiar voice broke through the void.
"Omen! Can you hear me?" It was Rebekah.
Calm, sweet, but strained.
"Y-yeah," he whispered weakly. "I'm…back?"
"Finally," she said with a deep breath. "You've been gone for two hours. You didn't respond to any system pings, so I had to forcefully log you out using the emergency manual override.
Do you have any idea how worried I was?" Rebekah sat beside him, her black hair tied up, eyes half-angry and half-relieved.
"Two hours?" Omen muttered. "Felt like ten minutes in there."
"Yeah, well," she said sharply, crossing her arms. "Next time, maybe check in before you vanish into some game. Now shut up and rest. You're not going back in today."
"Wait, what?" The boy's figure trembled. "No, no, I need to go back, there's this girl, and a throne, and a book called the Thousand Eyes Sutra-"
Rebekah placed a hand on his chest and pushed him down. "You're not going anywhere tonight, hero. It's late, and you need rest.
The game isn't going anywhere. Trust me, it'll still be there when you wake up."
Omen frowned but couldn't fight the exhaustion creeping in.
He knew Rebekah was only doing this for his sake and she only took the game lightly because she hadn't seen it herself.
His eyelids grew heavy as he muttered, "Fine… but I'm logging back in first thing tomorrow."
Rebekah sighed, shaking her head as she watched him drift off.
The chamber lights dimmed, the world fading around him once again.
He didn't know it yet, but as he fell asleep, the world outside had gone completely insane.
Because the name "Sephora" was spreading like wildfire.
And everyone wanted in.
***