Echoes of Hollow

'You felt it too, didn’t you..?'

'Impossible not to. Does he really think he’s doing a good job? It’s amazing that woman didn’t notice.'

'Well, now she’s worried about other things...'

Hye walked down the empty street, his path illuminated by streetlights scattered all around and the blue glow of the full moon overhead. With his hands in his pockets, his eyes wandered as his steps continued toward the southwest of the city.

'He’s definitely persistent, but why is he doing this...? I don’t remember upsetting anyone for this to happen...'

'What if it’s not exactly because of you..?'

'...Alyia?'

'It’s a possibility. I can’t read his mind or do anything else while stuck inside your body, but the glances I saw were mostly not directed at you.'

The asphalt ended, and with no more streetlights to illuminate the path, only the dirt road and moonlight remained ahead. Trees rose alongside, and on the other side of the fence, several presences approached slowly.

'What is this guy doing? Why is he coming to this godforsaken place? ...Has he realized he’s being followed...? But if so, is he trying to escape or...'

His legs felt heavy, and after something hit the back of his knee, the man fell to his knees on the ground.

[The skill Invisible Steps has been deactivated]

'How...? It was right in front of me just now... this is impossible!'

Thinking of looking back to see the face of the one who struck him, the man lifted his head, but...

"Move again and your head will fall off before your eyes can even see anything."

His eyes flickered, and trembling, he glanced at the shining blade beside him, reflecting the moonlight intensely.

"Who are you and why are you following me?"

"Are you sure you want to do this...? I heard your previous conversation and..."

The blade reflected in his eyes, and before it actually touched his skin, the dagger came closer.

"Answer my question, just that."

"I... I am..."

The veins in the man’s neck bulged, his eyes rolled, and blood dripped from his nose and ears.

'A soul contract...?'

'No. If it were, he’d be dead for even considering going against it. Maybe a binding ability similar to an agreement where the maker could add rules and restrictions.'

"Then why are you following me?"

"I..."

Blood leaked from his eyes, and, caught by surprise, it spilled out of his mouth, making the man lurch forward as he coughed.

'Now! If I can hit him...'

Having moved away from the blade, the man quickly turned his body and swept Hye’s legs.

'Now I just need to grab the dagger and it’ll be over... But what...?'

"What are you trying to do..?"

His eyes trembled, looking up and seeing Hye standing still, as if the attack had never happened. The tremor didn’t stop, and his eyes, constantly oscillating, slid toward his feet.

"Ah.. ah... aaaaaahhh!"

The attempt to move a foot whose leg was twisted at almost a ninety-degree angle failed utterly, forcing him to pull his leg with his own hands. Dragging himself back, blood dripped from his orifices, and, without the terror allowing him to notice, it dripped onto his hands.

'Impossible! I’m... I’m rank A! Even if he’s rank S, this is impossible! ...So that means it wasn’t a lie... they really are...'

His vision momentarily darkened, and in a moment of weakness, his hands gave way, causing him to fall to the ground. The bluish moonlight disappeared, and when the light hit his eyes again, everything was red. Turning and looking at the sky, a massive blood moon loomed in front of him.

'...a whole family of monsters... and Samael, that name...'

Darkness returned, and with the flicker of crimson light, his vision came back, allowing him to see directly into Hye’s face, whose impassive and cold expression awaited him.

'...The devil..., of course... obviously, these two monsters would be connected in some way...'

[The enemy was poisoned by the poisonous dagger]

"And in the end, he said absolutely nothing..."

Sighing, Hye grabbed the man’s heel and jumped. The pressure generated was enough to scatter and stir up the dust in the area where they were, hiding the easily visible part of the blood on the ground from the less observant. He crossed over the fence and many of the surrounding trees, falling into a small forest.

'You came all this way just for this? To get rid of this man?'

His breathing and gait were calm, but this did not match the current state of his heart. The rapid and strong beats hit his chest, creating at times the sensation that it might even leap out of his body. Was this guilt...? Or was it because the man said he had heard his conversation with Samantha...?

'No, but.. if what that man said is true and he really did overhear the conversation I had with Aunt, this could be problematic. Especially since I don’t know if he told anyone else or not.'

Stopping next to a black portal, Hye shook the man’s body, preparing to throw him inside. However, after a faint vibration reached his hands and ears, he stopped.

Lifting the man’s body, his eyes passed over a tattoo of a creature with several heads marked a bit above his heel, and following the vibrations, he found the cell phone in his pocket. After retrieving the smartphone, Hye turned the screen only to see it flashing with what appeared to be a call from someone named: "The Body."

"The Body...? That should be some kind of code..?"

Attempting to use the device, he soon realized it was useless, as the screen kept flashing even before he touched it and went completely dark upon contact. So, after throwing the body into the portal, Hye did the same with the smartphone in his hand.

Walking toward a rock where he soon sat down, the system messages caught his attention momentarily.

[You killed a monster]

[175 points acquired]