48 | concern; sleeping souls

A red-haired boy raised his body lethargically, dark eye bags hanging under his dull eyes as he yawned. His back was sore from sleeping in the front entrance waiting chairs, suspicious that one of the guests would try to escape or call somebody over.

The hospital was his solace, his utopia. The children and the doctor here were his only family compared to those who abandoned his weak body and blank mind.

In this domain that he protected, he could sense any abnormalities.

The teenager froze, an icy chill numbing his bones as if he had returned to the creaking metal bed, stuck and unable to even lift an arm.

Panic flashed in his eyes as he rushed forward, running towards the stairs with thin and awkward limbs. He hurried up, not minding whether he tripped, as he burst through the second floor.

Sweat dribbled down his forehead as he breathed heavily, cursing his poor stamina.

He saw a young girl with curly blonde hair, a child who often shared her sweets with him, sitting on the floor while scribbling on blank sheets of paper.

A sigh of relief escaped his chest.

'Was I... over thinking?'

He heard the crinkle of paper from her markers, before he walked closer with a tired face and bent over to look at her drawing with a calm look, intending to praise her and check on the other children upstairs.

He yawned, before his face froze.

Her hands weren't moving, and the white paper remained blank on the ground.

And yet he still heard paper crinkling from close by... the boy jerked his head down, seeing the floor unfold and separate as if made from layers and layers of paper.

His eyes widened in fear and realization.

"...this...!"

He swung his head back to the sweet little girl, who bent her neck backwards and smiled widely at him, her large blue eyes unblinking.

The boy stepped back in horror, before the paper at his feet separated completely, and he fell through. The ground consumed him, before returning to its natural state.

As if nothing happened.

A dazed red-haired boy with wide-open eyes stared at the little girl, before parting his lips and stretching his mouth into a wide smile that reached ear to ear.

———XXX———

"Lucas!" Nora had scooped the sleeping dragon, Shen, up into her arms, and rushed to the second floor, ignoring the grinning children whose heads twisted as she passed.

Lucas, having a staring contest with one of the strange, smiling children, glanced at her calmly. "I'm already aware."

"......"

Her feelings of terror had calmed down after seeing the funny sight, and she glanced at him, then at the child with a confused and worried gaze. Seeing that the child didn't move to attack, she calmed down more.

"This is... what is happening?"

"A Story has opened. Since we haven't triggered it, the announcement has been left unheard by us. This Story doesn't drag their physical bodies, but just their spiritual self."

Wren huffed, running beside Nora as she checked the woman's condition, and turned to Lucas. "Ugh... I hate it when Tellers mess around like this."

Lucas frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The creepy smiles are an effect of their spirits being stripped from their physical self. Right now, they're empty shells—essentially, they're 'sleeping'. It should be the Teller of that Story which made them appear like this."

"Is there any purpose for it?"

Wren's expression grew solemn. "I'm not too involved with other Tellers, since my existence as one is an abnormal and unlikely event. But for a Teller to mess around this much... they're dangerous."

"It might imply that they're amused by this situation. That they've chosen to do this." interjected Elias lazily, leaning against a wall.

The words stirred Lucas' thoughts.

According to the Hunter in the Snow White Story, he said that he became a Teller after failing to successfully make a wish. It wasn't something he desired, but a curse he wanted to destroy.

If the Teller of this Story was messing around... would that mean that they made the choice to become a Teller? They maliciously hoped to create chaos, and toy with lives?

"What are the requirements to enter?"

At that moment, Rome moved closer, still pale from the sight he'd seen alone, bright and early in the morning. However, he raised his small head and spoke carefully.

"I... I saw somebody change into that after approaching the child playing on the ground."

Kane tugged at his coat, his eyebrows creasing his skin with worry as he stared at the smiling young girl who didn't move. The children here were under his protection—he wouldn't allow them to be harmed.

The girl in front of him often gave candy to other patients, taking great care of them despite her bony arms.

He could see a brown-haired boy smiling further down the hall—he was rowdy and energetic despite being ill, always living his life to the fullest.

And the many more that Kane had taken care of throughout the years, the ones that had little time left and the ones who had decades. None of them deserved to fall prey to a twisted Story.

"Does the Story open if you step on a specific location, or if you stand near a child playing on the ground?"

After his thoughtful voice sounded, a startling crash came from outside, as if a million shards of glass had shattered onto the ground. Kane rushed over to the vast window of an open room, staring outside as an illusory barrier crumbled to the ground.

He stared with silent horror at the peaceful outside, the almost regular day if not for the abnormalities inside.

The hospital was now in a vulnerable state. And that also meant the teenager who'd been maintaining the barrier was in danger.

Depression clouded over Kane's thoughts as he turned back to the group. "We'll have to split up. Not all of us can enter the Story."

"Ah? Isn't that stupid? It's going to be dangerous, and we should use all the manpower that we have." protested Elliot, scooting away from the smiling girl.

"That would be more dangerous. There have been rumours of a person stealing faces in the area. If this Story leaves our physical bodies here, then it's likely we'll become victims to them."

"Don't you have a barrier around the hospital? That brat who almost killed me."

Kane shook his head, gloominess lowering his voice. "He has also fallen prey to the Story. Anybody can enter the hospital now."

"Then we'll divide the group." said Lucas steadily, as he stepped into the center, expressionless. "I will enter the Story—I have a range of abilities that may be useful in the case of emergencies."

At least, he had experience with several Stories and some items that could be used to change a situation around. With the ability to charm and also manipulate darkness, as well as using animal corpses, it could cover a variety of scenarios.

He turned to Elias, who looked surprised at his sudden stare. "You will stay here and make sure the face-stealer doesn't enter."

Lucas then pointed at Rome and Wren. "You'll enter with me."

He gestured to Kane, Nora, and Elliot. "You'll stay behind with him."

The man's idea was simple. Although Kane and Elias were formidable allies, it wasn't wise to send the most powerful figures all together into an unknown situation.

The former's use of manipulating thoughts in humans and objects would be essential in protecting the hospital, alongside the many children inside. Nora's skills with shooting could provide cover if necessary, and Elliot's recklessness was too unpredictable to bring into a Story.

On the other hand, Rome needed to develop his abilities in a Story to gain enough strength to protect himself and his Title, while Wren was a reasonably powerful Teller that could turn the tides in a crucial moment.

If anything went wrong, then the other members could enter the Story after him and not be lacking severely in ability.

In other words, Lucas prepared himself as a test dummy to gage the situation.

He had the confidence to find a way for Rome to temporarily survive until the others came to save him. As for Wren, she would likely find a method herself.

Elias and Kane spoke up at the same time.

"I disagree."

They glanced at each other before Elias spread his hands, behaving in an indifferent, casual manner. "Why do you think I'll do as you tell me, darling?"

Kane glared at the nickname and turned to Lucas with a frown. "It's dangerous. You should stay behind."

In fact, Lucas had the same intention when making Kane stay in the hospital. He didn't want this person to face any severe dangers, and although he wasn't certain of the reason, he decided to protect Kane until he understood.

Lucas said in a tone that couldn't be denied, "My decision is final. It's your choice whether to follow it, but it's what I think will work the best."

Of course, he couldn't force anybody to agree with him.

He moved his snowy gaze over to Elias, tilting his head slightly. "I'll enter the Story no matter what. When I do, my body will be at risk of having its face stolen."

The words were statements, but it implied that Lucas was entrusting the task of protecting his body to Elias. It was a silent notion of trust—Lucas believed Elias would neither betray him, nor fail to meet his expectations.

Elias fell into silence before chuckling to himself. He raised his hands in surrender and took a step back in a tacit agreement.

"How can I say anything now?"

How could he refuse the rare trust that the stubborn sponge had placed upon him?

He wouldn't dare.

However, he looked Lucas over and asked a few questions. "Does your wound still hurt, or has it mostly healed? How's your mental condition—I can't read your emotions, so you have to tell me. How long should I wait for your return before entering?"

There were still the strange stirrings of emotions from back in the Snow White Story, memories that were still merging from his body that had been split into two sides.

Not that Elias didn't feel odd after asking these questions like a concerned friend, but he'd instinctively blurted them and couldn't take them back anymore. Therefore, he simply said them with confidence.

Lucas stared at him oddly, but surprisingly, diligently answered every question. "It has healed to 75%. My head is fine. If I don't return in three days, then assume I'm dead."

"That's a dreadful thing to assume."

"It'll be likely."

Elias smiled and nodded slowly. "I'll wait two days."

"Three."

"One."

"...two."

Lucas was worried the time limit would go down to a few hours, making it entirely unreasonable and also troublesome to keep arguing, and instead chose to agree. He already felt tired, imagining himself rushing to complete the Story.

Kane stepped forward, pushing aside his urge to continue convincing Lucas otherwise. "Don't rush to enter and let's wait for a moment to observe any additional changes that may occur."

If anything, he wanted to delay it for a moment longer, even if it was selfish. Because what if Lucas didn't come back? What if...

Dark thoughts spiraled through the doctor's brain, splitting between his concern for his sibling, and for the children of the hospital.

Lucas observed the changing expressions on the man and complied readily. "We won't rush. For now, avoid the children that are sitting down and playing, and attempt to ignore them."

Wren shrugged. "Fine with me. I'm in no hurry to enter that Story."

"You and Nora check that the doors are locked, and find a way to block the entrance as best as you can."

The hospital was an easy target for both resources to steal, and victims to attack if a person pleased. The broken barrier would likely be noticed soon.

Wren nodded, pulling Nora down the hall with her without hearing any further instructions.

"Elliot, check the third-floor windows and make sure they're all locked."

"Sure thing, Ghost." The youth didn't have anything to do, so he happily agreed and spun on his heels to rush up the stairs.

Then a small hand grasped his pants tightly, making him stumble.

"Hey!" Elliot turned around, dramatically glaring at the little boy. He pulled up his pants that had almost been tugged down, exposing his underwear. "What? I almost fell, you know? That was dangerous!"

"I'll go with you."

"Ha?"

Rome stared ahead and repeated in a thin voice, "I'll check the third floor with you."

Elliot lowered his gaze at the calm boy who had been frightened and almost in tears earlier, entirely confused. "Really? Don't you dislike me, kiddo?"

"I dislike you."

"...right, I was the one who asked. Then...?"

Rome said once again, "I'll check the third floor with you."

The pair, one big and one small, had a staring contest for a minute before Elliot gave in, shrugging. "Whatever, let's go then."

Rome paused, running up to Lucas with a solemn nod. "I can make sure there's nothing weird on the third floor. I'll keep an eye on the strange mister."

Lucas blinked in surprise and crouched down, tilting his head. He stretched out a hand to ruffle the boy's hair, praising him quietly. "Yes, thank you. Be careful."

"Yes!"

After being praised, Rome ran over to where Elliot waited with crossed arms, eying the child as if looking at a strange animal. Rome didn't care, happy that he was able to help in some way.

Earlier, he'd been unable to properly talk after receiving a fright from the smiling children outside. The boy clenched his fists, thinking to himself.

He had to help out, even if the grinning children frightened him.

Kane watched the scene, waiting for Lucas to stand up again before commenting, "You're good with children."

"...Thank you."

Elias watched, deeply amused by the painful awkwardness between the silent pair.

Even to somebody like himself, he could tell that the doctor eagerly hoped to make conversation with Lucas, while the latter wanted to desperately avoid the former.

Lucas abruptly turned, frowning at Elias.

The man smiled teasingly. "It looks like you're cursing me out with your eyes."

"That's because I am."

"I'm thrilled that you gaze at me with such passion."

"Passionate hatred." replied Lucas dully, reflecting Elias' remarks with a will of steel. "If that's what pleases you, then I won't interfere in your... interests."

Elias fell silent, debating whether to continue teasing or to deny such accusations.

Kane cleared his throat, circling between the two. He straightened his coat and nodded down the hallway. "Should we check the windows on this floor, then? We'll also gather the children in one location."

Lucas stared, spinning around to the little girl he held a staring contest with earlier. He crouched down, staring once again before directly grabbing her from under the arms and standing up, holding the girl at a distance.

He waited for a few moments as the child dangled in the air, still smiling at him with a limp body.

It was incredibly creepy as Lucas grimaced, wanting to drop the girl back on the ground. After nothing happened, he slid the girl over his shoulder so that he wouldn't have to face her expression.

Then he gazed at the speechless men, who watched his actions. "It should be safe to pick them up."

Kane snapped out of his daze and hurried forward, reprimanding. "That was reckless. You couldn't be certain if touching her would've harmed either the child or yourself—you need to be careful in such situations."

Lucas blinked, listening quietly. He hadn't really considered anything, grabbing the girl with a one-track-mind.

They needed to move the children, so he picked one up.

Simple as that.

The doctor rubbed his temples, feeling a familiarity from the past. Back then, Lucas had been a child who touched or grabbed anything that he held any curiosity about, without regard for consequences.

It was a mindset of, 'Oh, that looks interesting? I'll grab it.'

Or, 'Consequences? What's that?'

The most frightening thing was that Lucas' chubby and small face had remained indifferent, even after picking up a bird that clawed at him, or a red fire ant that bit him.

His entire small body would shudder in surprise but press his lips shut tightly, refusing to show any reaction.

Although their parents had believed it was the young boy being dishonest and stubborn, refusing to react after making a silly mistake.

Kane sighed, shaking his head helplessly. "Since you've confirmed we can touch the children, that'll make things easier. Let's hurry to gather them."

Lucas nodded obediently, walking around and scooping up another child along the way, before proceeding ahead. Kane sighed again, following the man closely behind to prevent any accidents.