In a dark place, a voice echoed through the hollow structure.
"Hey… Caeson. Caeson, wake up."
Caeson slowly opened his eyes. Everything around him was blurry. A foul smell filled the air.
Where am I?
He tried to move, but his body felt heavy. Something cold and wet touched his back.
"Am I… sleeping on something liquid?"
The taste reached his mouth.
He immediately spat it out.
"Ugh! What the hell is this? It smells like sewage water!"
As his vision slowly cleared, he noticed something resting on his chest—a small, old scrap box with rusted edges.
Caeson picked it up. "Hawker? You're here too?"
The box slightly rattled before a voice came from inside. "Of course I'm here. Where else would I be?"
"Good question," Caeson muttered while looking around the dark tunnel. "Do you know how we got here?"
"No idea," Hawker replied calmly. "When I appeared, it was right after the summoning of the Emo-Circle."
The Emo-Circle was a strange phenomenon connected to mythical items like Hawker. It measured the emotions of the person carrying the item. When those emotions reached a certain limit, the item would be summoned from the Mind Palace into the real world.
"Anyway," Hawker continued, "you should quickly take an item. It's my time to move again."
Caeson frowned. "I can't even see the place properly? I don't know where I am, and you're already telling me to hurry."
"Oh," Hawker said suddenly. "You need a torch."
The lid of the scrap box opened. A bright light burst out, instantly illuminating the surroundings.
Caeson blinked as the darkness faded. He finally saw where he was.
A long sewage tunnel stretched ahead of him, damp and filthy. Dirty water slowly flowed along the ground, and the walls were covered in dark stains. The entire place smelled unbearable.
"Well… now I can see," Caeson said. "But if I want to go further, I still need a proper torch."
He reached his hand inside the box and pulled something out.
Then he froze. In his hand was a fluffy rhino soft toy.
Caeson stared at it in disbelief. "…What?"
He turned it around, examining it from every direction. "This is not a torch."
He pulled the toy's tail, thinking it might be some kind of switch.
Nothing happened. The box suddenly snapped shut.
"That was a technical issue," Hawker said.
Caeson looked at him with a deadpan expression. "This isn't the first time. You never work properly."
"Well," Hawker replied, "aren't you the one who always causes trouble? Look at your situation. How do you even end up in places like this?"
Caeson glared at him. "Hey. Isn't it time to leave?"
"Nah," Hawker said lazily. "There's still one more turn left. You triggered the Emo-Circle twice in a row."
Caeson paused. Then a smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Wait a second… Normally there's a one-hour cooldown before the next item appears after the Emo-Circle activates."
Hawker stayed silent.
"But since it activated twice…" Caeson continued, looking at the box.
Hawker sighed. "You're planning something."
After a while, a circular iron cover above the tunnel slowly opened.
Caeson climbed out of the sewer and stepped onto solid ground. He held Hawker in one hand and opened the lid slightly, using the light like a torch. The fluffy rhino toy rested in his other hand.
The fresh air felt completely different.
Soft sunlight spread across the area. It looked like early morning.
Caeson closed Hawker's lid.
"Why are you so mad?" he said while stretching his arms. "Look at this atmosphere."
A gentle wind brushed across the grass.
Caeson placed Hawker on the ground, spread his arms wide, and balanced the rhino toy on his shoulder.
"I don't know what kind of place this is," he shouted toward the sky, "but it feels good. It's full of positive energy!"
He laughed lightly.
"My old life was miserable anyway. Maybe this is my chance. From now on, I'm starting a new chapter!"
Hawker remained silent on the ground, clearly unimpressed. Then suddenly, Hawker noticed something moving in the distance.
"Caeson," he said sharply. "Open your eyes."
"What now?" Caeson replied lazily.
"This place isn't safe."
"Come on," Caeson said while stretching.
"Look over there." Caeson squinted in the direction Hawker pointed.
A figure was running toward them. "It looks like a man," Caeson said slowly. "But why is he running like that?"
The figure got closer.
Its skin was dark and rotten, covered with scars and dried blood. Black stains spread across its body. Its eyes were completely white.
And it was running straight toward them.
Caeson blinked. "Is this some kind of cosplay event?"
"He's a real zombie, you idiot!" Hawker shouted. "RUN!"
"Then give me a gun!" Instead of running, Caeson immediately opened Hawker's lid and pulled out an item.
It was a rope.
Caeson stared at it in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me." "This is not a gun."
"You didn't keep any gun inside me," Hawker replied.
"Before this you gave me useless things too! Like this stupid rhino toy!"
"Technical issue."
By now the zombie was only a few meters away.
Escaping was impossible.
Caeson nervously waved his hand. "Hey… are you acting or something?"
The zombie roared and jumped toward him.
"ARE YOU STILL THINKING THIS IS FAKE?!" Hawker shouted.
For the first time, real fear struck Caeson.
He raised his arms to protect himself.
Then—
The rope suddenly moved.
It shot forward like a living snake, wrapped tightly around the zombie, spun him around violently, and hurled him far away.
Caeson stood frozen. "…What just happened?"
The rope slowly lifted into the air, twisting like a snake.
"Oh," Caeson said. "So you saved me."
But Hawker had already disappeared.
Because Caeson had drawn the second item, Hawker returned to the Mind Palace.
"…Great," Caeson muttered. "Now I have to explore alone."
He looked at the floating rope. "Well… maybe not completely alone."
Then he heard something.
Heavy footsteps. Many.
Dozens of zombie figures emerged from the distance, moving toward him.
Caeson sighed. "Well… that was a short adventure."
He stood still as the zombies approached.
"Looks like our exploration ends here."
Just as the creatures closed in—
A sudden rain of arrows shot through the air.
The arrows struck several zombies, forcing the rest to retreat.
Moments later, a group of armored riders galloped into the area on horseback.
Caeson looked at them with surprise.
They looked like warriors—but not from ancient times.
He raised his hand. "Hey—"
"Seize him!" one of them ordered.
"Wait, what?"
Before he could react, several small pins shot toward him.
They pierced his clothes.
Caeson's vision began to blur. "H-hey… I was just—"
Darkness swallowed his sight. His body collapsed.
…
When Caeson opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on the cold floor of a prison cell.
Iron bars surrounded him.
A guard stood outside the cell.
Caeson slowly stood up and approached the bars. "Hey, can you tell me what's going on?"
The guard glanced at him coldly. "Keep quiet." "Tomorrow will be your execution."
Caeson blinked. "…Execution?"
His voice echoed weakly inside the prison.
"Wait… what?"