Confusion hit the entire group so intensely that they all placed their hands on their heads—not in the same way, but all of them did so—gripped by the pain they felt inside their minds.
An infinite thought colliding with another thought left them unable to think. No matter how much they tried, they failed…
As their hands touched their heads, it felt as if they were trying to pull those ideas out—to grasp them, to make sense of them, to find an answer to that one thought...
Yet, it wasn't infinite in any real sense. It could have been just one thought—an incomplete one that surfaced instantly, without knowing what it was, where it came from, or even if they were thinking at all…
And that's what made it infinite—its nothingness, a void that refused to let them think properly. And if they tried, it swallowed them whole, leaving behind only headaches… and the inability to think.
In other words, a black hole… devouring their consciousness.
Now, they all wondered if they even existed—if what they felt, what they experienced, was real… or if all of it was nothing but an illusion.
One by one, they collapsed to the ground. It was too much to comprehend—if something like that could even be comprehended.
The only one still standing… You could see their soul drifting away through their eyes, their gaze locked onto the village.
The awful memories surged back into their mind, and the black hole inside them twisted with a single, unbearable question—was that suffering real? Or…
They couldn't think.
They just stared, watching their soul leave their body… without the ability to process it rationally.
After all, how can you fathom a nonexistent thought?
C waited for everyone to calm down a little. He knew it was impossible for them to fully settle, but he still waited—to see those who had collapsed wake up.
He didn't have to wait long.
Some woke up without a problem. Some threw up. Others couldn't even stand, remaining on the ground…
C stood silently for a moment, just long enough to capture their attention. Then he said, "Follow me."
No one moved at first. But when he stepped through a door into one of the village buildings…
They all forgot, for a brief moment, what had been troubling them. Curiosity overpowered their pain. They wanted to know what lay beyond that door.
Strangely, everyone felt just fine enough to walk—except…
That building was a prison. The place where they had been tortured. The place where they had experienced every unbearable feeling.
And yet, instead of running from it, they felt an urge to step inside. As if something was pulling them toward it.
One by one, they entered.
C was already waiting inside.
It felt as if they had closed their eyes and reopened them in another world—but they hadn't even blinked.
Once they were all inside, they saw it—the same grim, suffocating room, partially swallowed by darkness. And yet, they could see everything clearly.
Perhaps because of their memories.
The ground was covered in dry, brittle hay—the kind meant for animals, not people. The scent of damp earth mixed with the faint, sour stench of old sweat and decay. It was suffocating, but familiar.
Scattered across the room were rusted chains, shackles, and heavy iron cuffs, some still bolted to the walls, others abandoned on the floor like discarded remnants of suffering. The walls, thick and unyielding, bore deep scratches—some chaotic, others deliberate, as if someone had tried to carve their thoughts into the stone.
There were doors. Heavy, wooden, and reinforced with iron. Some slightly ajar, revealing nothing but deeper shadows beyond. Others locked, their rusted hinges promising no escape.
It wasn't a place for humans. It was a cage. A barn meant for breaking something—whether beasts or minds.
And then, C spoke.
"Unveil."
The same glitch in reality returned. A sudden jolt, a flicker—then sparks burst across the room, crackling like fractured lightning.
And just like before, things shifted.
The dry, brittle hay that covered the ground shimmered, its texture twisting and curling until it softened into something unnatural. In mere moments, it transformed into polished wooden flooring, gleaming under a warm, golden light.
The rusted chains and shackles clattered as they loosened from the walls. They twisted midair, their rigid metal reshaping into delicate silverware—knives, forks, spoons—all neatly arranged on tables that hadn't been there before.
The thick, unyielding walls rippled as if they were made of liquid. The deep scratches and stains faded, replaced by patterned wallpaper—a muted beige with intricate gold accents. Where heavy iron doors once stood, now there were elegant archways leading into dimly lit hallways.
Tables appeared, draped in crisp white cloths, each one set with fine china and flickering candles. The oppressive stench of sweat and decay was washed away by the scent of roasted meat and warm bread.
The shadows that had once swallowed parts of the room receded, pushed back by soft, ambient lighting hanging from ornate chandeliers. The suffocating air was gone, replaced by the quiet murmur of something unnatural—like distant voices, whispering just out of reach.
The barn-turned-prison had vanished. In its place stood a restaurant, pristine and inviting.
The unknown man who had appeared suddenly furrowed his brows. "What is the meaning of this?"
C, unfazed, pulled out a chair and sat down in front of them. "Sit."
As he spoke, chairs materialized behind them, as if summoned by his words. The group hesitated for a moment before cautiously lowering themselves onto the seats.
The air was still. The restaurant around them remained pristine, untouched by the chaos from before.
Then, C spoke again.
"Decompose."
The moment the word left his lips, the chairs beneath them vanished.
Gravity took hold instantly. Their bodies dropped, backs slamming against the polished floor, some landing hard on their tailbones, others sprawling awkwardly as they tried to catch themselves. A collective gasp filled the air, followed by the dull echo of bodies hitting the ground.
Except for one.
D.
He remained seated, his chair unmoved, his posture perfectly still.
The others groaned, pushing themselves up, their faces twisted in confusion as they turned toward him.
Then, before they could question it, C's voice cut through the silence.
"That... was an...'' illusion."
.
to me continues...