The atmosphere grew far more bleak.
The cold that once filled the place had turned into something else entirely—like a scorching, boiling bath. Blood dripped onto the ground, and a severed head lay near the feet of the red-haired man, who stood there with his hand covering his mouth.
Even the other three were frozen in shock.
But the one most stunned by what had happened was Eliah. He stared at the knife in his hand, muttering to himself:
"Did I… just kill a human?! Since when did I have the nerve to do something like this?"
"Wasn't entering the Gates of Night always about killing monsters? Then why did I kill an innocent human?"
"And the most terrifying thing… I felt a pulse of life flooding my heart. As if it were vitality itself—or something close to it."
Eliah slowly raised his head and looked at the three standing before him, all of them staring at him in disbelief. One of them pointed at the knife he was holding, his finger trembling.
"A normal knife like that cut off his head? Are you really one of the nightfarers… or a Nightwalker?"
One of the three drew his sword from its sheath. He had dull eyes, and his expression was soaked in dark anger.
"It seems what we were told was true. We must be wary of monsters… and humans alike. It seems both are the same coin."
Eliah was just as confused. He was trying to understand it himself—how that small knife, which should have caused nothing more than a scratch or at most a deep cut, had severed a human head so swiftly and precisely.
Eliah suddenly began to laugh, covering his mouth with his palm. Blood started to stream from his eyes, trailing down his cheeks.
"It seems I am death itself. And just as you said earlier, dull-eyed one—we should be cautious. So be careful… of me."
The dull-eyed man lunged forward and landed a powerful punch, sending Eliah crashing into a chair and then into the wall, causing him to spit a large amount of blood onto the floor.
The blow was saturated with magic—enough to kill an ordinary human.
"Don't tell me you're going to die from such a simple hit?!"
Eliah rose to his feet as if he had returned from death itself. He charged forward like a madman, swinging his small knife, its blade clashing elegantly against the sword's edge.
"Do you really think that knife will break my sword or kill me?! Nonsense!"
Eliah pressed forward with overwhelming force, driving him back, his expression twisted into pure madness.
"Just as I made your friend's head roll, I'll make yours swing as well."
The other two appeared at once, each flanking him from a different side. Eliah noticed too late. He leapt backward, but one of them grabbed his leg and slammed him into the ground, knocking the air from his lungs.
The other raised his sword high, aiming to stab him through the chest—but Eliah twisted to the side, barely managing to get partially to his feet, gasping for breath.
"So then, nightfarer… what will you do? Three against one, and you're al—"
The dull-eyed man turned toward the red-haired figure, who was staring silently at the head near his feet.
"Why don't you join us in this little party?"
The red-haired man did not answer. He remained standing in that same strange posture.
The dull-eyed man turned away again, indifference clear on his face.
"It doesn't matter… it seems another warrior is heading to hell bef—"
Eliah lunged at him at incredible speed, but his attack was intercepted by the other man, who struck him. The blow landed directly on the knife. They began attacking from all sides, while Eliah evaded only by leaping or lowering his body at the last moment.
"What impressive skills you have. But anyone who looks at your body—and that face of yours, so delicate it resembles a girl's—would never expect much from you."
Eliah suddenly changed direction. He leapt onto the wall and ran along it, then struck like a snake, aiming to stab the dull-eyed man in the chest. But the other grabbed him by the hair and punched him hard, slamming him into the wall—then drove his sword into Eliah's abdomen, pinning him there.
"Ghhhhh!"
Eliah screamed in agony, trying to pull the sword out, but his hands were unable to do so.
The dull-eyed man stepped forward and punched Eliah in the face repeatedly until blood flooded the ground and soaked his clothes.
"You filthy brat. You've annoyed us with those strange movements of yours—jumping around like a monkey."
He twisted the sword violently inside him. Eliah gasped in agony, clutching the blade as his abdomen was torn apart.
"Am I going to die like this? Am I really going to die at the hands of these filthy bastards?!"
He lowered his head, staring at the blade piercing his insides and the blood dripping down.
"Why am I afraid? I wished for death… but when it came in its true form, I began to tremble."
"What a fitting end for a contradiction like me."
The dull-eyed man leaned close, placing his ear near Eliah's mouth, speaking mockingly:
"What nonsense are you babbling, idiot?!"
"He's scared. Begging for his life, hahahaha."
All three laughed—until the red-haired man finally stepped forward, his tall frame and eerie presence dominating the space.
"Oh? It seems the mysterious boy wants to join in."
The red-haired man stood near them and lifted his head. His features were revealed—a massive mouth filled with teeth like a moving saw blade, rotating like a wheel.
He approached the dull-eyed man and devoured his head in a single bite. The body collapsed to the ground, headless, leaving everyone frozen in disbelief.
The shift in the atmosphere was horrifying. One of them trembled as he spoke:
"Nightwalker."
Shock spread through every corner of the place.
Most parts of his body elongated grotesquely. One of the nightfarers attacked him, but the Nightwalker caught the sword blade and shattered it—then pierced the man's body and lifted him high with elongated nails shaped like claws.
Eliah was utterly stunned, trying to comprehend what was happening around him. When he saw the two remaining men fighting the creature, he began pulling the sword from his abdomen.
The pain burned through every part of him—but still he persisted.
He did not want to die this time. He wanted to survive, no matter the cost.
The Nightwalker grabbed one of the nightfarers and struck him with a punch that sent him crashing into the hut's door, blowing apart part of the structure. The impact was explosive.
"Damn it… there's only one left. I have to— I have to get this cursed blade out."
Eliah pulled with all his strength. Blood poured heavily onto the floor, but his survival instinct dulled the pain completely.
The sword slid out of his abdomen and fell onto the blood-soaked ground. He could barely move. He began crawling on his stomach toward the door, but an unfamiliar sensation spread through his body.
"I feel my energy returning in a strange way… as if it takes something from me and gives me something in return. But I can't understand it."
Before he could reach the door, Eliah grabbed its edges and forced himself upright. His legs refused to support him, yet he resisted—despite the pain that made him want to scream… and die.
Eliah leaned against the side of the door, struggling to steady his breathing.
But elsewhere, the Nightwalker abandoned its fight with the nightfarer and turned its gaze toward a new prey—Eliah.
Eliah paused, clutching his abdomen in pain, when a strange sensation crept up his spine. He looked back—and found the Nightwalker standing there, staring straight at him.
In that instant, Eliah bolted forward at full speed, rushing through the snow that blanketed the ground. Visibility was nearly nonexistent; thick fog swallowed everything.
He pushed himself to his absolute limit despite the pain slicing through him like knives. He would do anything to survive.
As he ran, he heard the sound of the Nightwalker behind him—like a roaring saw.
The fog thinned, and Eliah burst into a forest.
It was enormous… vast… and terrifying. But there was no time for fear. Escape was the highest priority.
He dodged trees and rocks scattered across the ground, refusing to waste such a precious chance.
The footsteps of the saw-toothed creature echoed along the tree branches.
"Damn it… I just want to get away from it. I need to treat my wounds… God, I don't want to die…"
The Nightwalker leapt onto Eliah, slamming him to the ground and lunging for his head. But suddenly, a massive avalanche erupted behind them, hurling both of them in different directions.
"Ghhhhh…!"
———
Half an hour after the avalanche…
Eliah slowly opened his eyes, barely conscious, staring around him. He awoke clutching his head as pain throbbed through it.
"Where—"
Before he could finish, he lifted his head and froze.
The sky above him was a towering wall of fractured rock, from which waterfalls poured like rain—yet their color was horrifying… crimson.
Different realms, floating cathedrals suspended in the sky, and abysses swallowing entire cities—one misstep, and you would fall endlessly.
"What is this terrifying place?!"
As he tried to rise, he felt a faint pain in his abdomen. Looking down, he saw that the deep gash had already healed.
"What…? How did it heal so fast?!"
"Is this… one of the abilities I possess?"
Before Eliah could stand on his feet, several swords were suddenly pressed against his neck. A sharp voice spoke:
"It seems we have a new slave. Welcome to the Prison of Darkness."
Eliah looked around him.
Knights clad in black armor surrounded him—engraved with deep, ominous patterns. Their helmets covered the upper halves of their heads, leaving their faces indistinct and unclear.
"What is this cursed energy coming from them…? And even more terrifying—the armor they wear…"
When Eliah tried to rise again, the swords closed in tighter. The voice spoke once more:
"Stay where you are, or your head will fly through the air. You now stand in the presence of the Crimson Cascades."
The speaker pressed the blade against Eliah's throat and continued:
"Nightfarers are nothing more than another kind of monster that overruns this world."