Get comfortable, turn the page, and let’s see what this story has been hiding 🔥 ✦ Late at night.
Monica woke and found herself lying in a single bed.
She sat up, dazed.
Everything that had happened tonight flashed rapidly through her mind like slides.
The homicidal madman who had attacked her and her companions for no reason.
The desperate flight through the mountain forest.
The light that appeared in the distance.
And finally…
The calm, composed boy, and the corpse that had died in such a gruesome way.
As those images flickered back and forth in her mind, fear quietly emerged, turning into sheets of shadow that occupied her heart.
Even if she had escaped disaster…
The shadow that followed would probably root itself deep in her heart like a lingering ghost and stay with her for the rest of her life.
The room was very quiet.
Not far from the bed, a wall lamp hung on the wall, filling the room with soft yellow light.
In the silence, Monica slowly pulled herself free from that emotional state, then worked hard to calm herself.
Perhaps she should have felt grief or anger right now, but more than anything, she should have felt joy at escaping death.
“Where is this…?” After finally adjusting her mood, Monica had the presence of mind to examine her surroundings.
The room was about twenty square meters.
It had all the expected furniture, such as a wardrobe and a desk.
Beyond that, there were no eye-catching decorations.
Its first impression was simple and clean.
What drew Monica’s attention most was the bookshelf beside the desk near the window.
The shelves were filled with books.
The room’s owner seemed to have deliberately categorized them by cover color and placed them accordingly.
The uniform, orderly colors looked like a solved Rubik’s cube, pleasing to the eye.
Monica stared at the bookshelf.
‘This should be that boy’s room.’ “I…
hm?” Monica noticed something and raised her arm in front of her eyes.
Her arm, which had originally been covered in scratches, had already been properly treated and bandaged.
Clearly, that boy had done it.
Monica sat there in a daze.
The thought that she had actually fainted from fear in front of the person who saved her life made her want to disappear into the floor.
Creak.
The wooden door suddenly opened.
Kieran walked into the room and saw Monica sitting up at a glance.
“You are awake.” “Thank you for saving me…” Monica looked toward Kieran’s voice.
Her own voice was hoarse, and her face was full of gratitude.
If the boy in front of her had not pulled her out of that life-or-death swamp, she definitely would have died at that monster’s hands just like her companions.
“No need to thank me.
Thanks to you, I obtained something important.” Kieran walked to the chair in front of the desk and sat down slowly.
Obtained…
something important?
Monica froze for a moment, completely unable to understand what he meant.
Kieran did not care about her reaction and had no intention of explaining.
He took an expensive-looking phone from his pocket.
It was, of course, not his phone.
He had searched it out of Monica’s inner pocket while she was unconscious.
“Your phone.” Kieran controlled his strength and tossed the phone to Monica.
She caught it by reflex.
Seeing that she had caught it, Kieran continued, “After you fainted, I borrowed your phone without permission.
You do not mind, do you?” “Of course not.
I…
I definitely do not mind…” Monica gripped the phone tightly and nervously expressed her stance on Kieran’s “borrowing” it.
Then she naturally thought that this old temple built on a mountain might not have modern communication equipment.
The boy in front of her had probably taken the phone to call the police.
Although Kieran did not have a cell phone, the temple had a landline installed.
He had taken Monica’s phone partly to investigate the man outside and partly to confirm whether Monica had already called the police.
Monica knew none of that.
Looking at the boy sitting casually in the chair, she asked softly, “You…
um, I still do not know your name.” “Kieran.” Kieran gave his name casually, then said calmly, “About five hours have passed since you called the police.
I do not know how long they will take to arrive, but they should be close.
You can wait for them here in peace.” “Huh?” Monica was a little stunned.
Seeing her reaction, Kieran explained, “I checked your call records.
I know you called the police.” “So that was it.” Monica understood.
She reacted quickly, immediately considering the trouble the corpse outside might bring Kieran.
She took a deep breath and stated her position.
“When the police arrive, I will explain everything as a witness.
No matter what, I will not cause you trouble.” After escaping danger and calming down, this woman revealed a completely different side from before.
Kieran looked at Monica with some surprise, then shook his head.
“There is no need.” “Hm?” Hearing that, Monica’s pupils shrank slightly.
In an instant, she imagined Kieran disposing of the corpse while she was unconscious.
That was enough to show that he was the type who hated trouble.
Originally, she had planned to use a large donation to offset the obligation Kieran might have to cooperate with an investigation.
But now…
“I understand.” Monica forced herself to remain calm.
“When the police arrive, I will tell them the attacker already escaped.” “…” Kieran silently looked at Monica, understanding that she probably thought he had disposed of the body.
However, Monica’s words and behavior were beyond his expectations.
Compared with his first impression of her, she felt almost like a different person.
“Same as before.
There is no need.
Also, the corpse is still outside.” Kieran shook his head and rejected Monica’s proposal.
His answer left Monica confused instead.
Kieran adjusted his sitting posture slightly and said in a flat tone, “There is a condition known as homicidal addiction.
The man outside was most likely a textbook example.” “Hm?
I have never heard of that condition…” Monica widened her eyes in surprise.
“Simply put, it means a beast who ignores the constraints of law, becomes addicted to killing, and disregards life.” Kieran lowered his eyes.
There was one phenomenon he did not explain.
Nen was something that, while granting extraordinary power, could also imperceptibly magnify the good or evil within human nature and more clearly expose the strengths and flaws of a person’s character.
In fact, after awakening Nen, Kieran had vaguely felt certain changes in himself as well.
He did not think that was a bad thing.
But a homicidal addict who awakened Nen would be one of the most troublesome existences possible for society as a whole.
“Think about it a little and you will understand.
How could a beast who acts this recklessly have a normal identity?
I used your phone to search wanted criminal records.
Narrowing the range took some time.” “So that means…” Monica seemed to understand.
“Exactly.” Kieran nodded and said calmly, “The man outside is a wanted criminal.
When the police arrive, they will only…
hm?” His words stopped halfway.
Kieran’s eyes changed slightly.
As fast as possible, he snatched up a pencil from the desk and threw it with a flick of his hand.
Whoosh.
The pencil cut through the air and struck the wall lamp’s switch.
Click.
The room instantly sank into darkness.
“Someone is here.
Not the police.
Quiet.” Then Kieran used the shortest possible words to make Monica swallow the question she had been about to ask.
✦ ✦ ✦ Ready for more?
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS EmberHollow Thank you for reading.
I hope this chapter pulled you deeper into the story.
Stick around, because there’s still a lot waiting just ahead.