She no longer knew what she was supposed to do.

Immediately, she crawled toward Ophilia’s bed. Both of them were still sleeping soundly.

Olivia pulled the blanket over herself and lay down trying to sleep. But that figure was still playing in her mind, followed by the man who had fallen.

Did he fall on his own or was he pushed by someone

She whispered in her heart. But something inside her chest felt like it was being pressed down, she gripped it tightly.

What is this

She said quietly. Sweat covered her whole body. She suddenly felt hot, her head felt like it was being hit, dizzy and painful, it kept switching positions inside her head. Olivia gripped her head tightly. Slowly her whole body felt cold. Numbness began to spread, she could no longer feel the touch of her own hands on her head.

She panicked and tried hitting her legs. But what shocked her even more, she could no longer feel her legs and hands, as if they no longer belonged to her. Her hands and legs moved without Olivia doing anything. Her body felt weak and her vision became blurred.

No no what happened!!...

She said quietly in her heart. She forced her eyes to stay open, but all her efforts were useless. Her vision became more and more blurry, the sounds around her began to sink...

And finally, everything went pitch dark, as if she was falling asleep.

Ting!

She opened her eyes. The entire room was dark, nobody was there except herself. She who was still lying flat slowly tried to sit up.

"Hello! Is anyone there"

She called out loudly but nobody answered, her voice echoed throughout the room.

In that cold and dark atmosphere, she could only see herself alone in that dark room. She turned her head around to look at her surroundings.

"Where am I" she said half whispering. She walked around the room but couldn’t find any exit or any clue about that space. After a while, she was already tired of walking back and forth. She sat back down where she had been before. But,

Pakkk pakkk.

The sound of slapping came from that dark room.

HELLOOOOO

She called out as loud as she could hoping someone would hear her. But nobody responded. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

PAK PAK.

The sound of very hard slapping was heard again from above her head. She quickly looked up. She was shocked when she saw her own hand slapping someone. That person was not a stranger to her but, that person was Javien himself. Olivia was shocked.

Noo, dont do this

She said shaking her head while screaming. Her heart ached watching Javien’s cheek that had already gone red. But what pierced Olivia’s heart even more, Javien only looked down without looking up at her.

Javien only looked down, his jaw tightened, but he didn’t resist at all. Olivia was confused.

"Why is my hand moving without control"

She said. Her lips pouted.

"Why did it become like this." She tried to stop her hand that wouldn’t stop slapping Javien.

"No, Javienn dodgeeee"

She screamed with a disappointed face.

"Why? Why won’t you dodge... do what you did before" she called out with all her heart but she knew Javien wouldn’t hear her call that wasn’t really hers.

"Give him more of this" a man’s voice was heard whispering beside her ear. Olivia went still, her whole body dropped, she recognised that voice and recognised it very well.

She wanted to turn her head but she was powerless, as if her whole body had been controlled by someone as if her body was nothing but a puppet... and those threads were controlling her every movement.

She couldn’t do anything. But without meaning to, after that man finished speaking Olivia’s hand immediately reached for Javien’s chin.

"This isn’t me!! Javienn! Javien" Olivia screamed with all her heart. But as her hand lifted Javien’s chin, her heart startled, his eyes that used to be filled with loneliness and sadness now reflected disappointment and surrender. Olivia sat watching Javien who was calm and not dodging. She knew something wasn’t right with her situation now.

She tried hard to scream so Javien could hear her scream. But her voice was like it was sinking into that darkness.

"DODGE EVERYTHING I AM DOING RIGHT NOW" she said while trying to stop her hand that was now reaching for the bottle in that man’s hand.

Olivia tried to see that man’s face but his hoodie limited her view. On top of that the basement’s dim atmosphere.

Olivia could only see half his face. Pale white. Olivia swallowed hard.

"What does this man want with me" she said irritated watching that man’s behaviour. But something flashed in her mind.

"Could it be, he knows that I have a good relationship with..." her eyes shifted toward Javien who was struggling in front of her.

But without her realising it, blood from the wound on Javien’s lip slowly flowed onto Olivia’s palm that was holding his face tightly. Immediately Olivia could feel something change within her.

As if something was being touched. When Olivia looked toward her hand, something resembling a long thread was hooked into the flesh of her hand bones.

Her eyes opened wide. But slowly the blood from Javien’s wound seemed to be absorbed by that thread then it trembled and...

Ticcc!!

The sound of a thread snapping. The pressure binding her body immediately disappeared. Slowly, she moved her toes..... she could feel the touch of that basement floor properly.

"I... can move... finally" she said in her heart, sound of relief. But she didn’t lower her guard, the man behind her was not an ordinary person. That man stared at her with a body gesture that was impatient. Then, Olivia remembered something.

"So, they already know that I always come here" she said. Olivia’s face glanced at the figure of the man behind her. Javien, stared at her with an empty look wanting to throw away that bottle of liquid. But, Olivia gave a signal not to move. Olivia smiled.

Then,

"Alright" Olivia said looking toward Javien who had been staring at her emptily as if he had lost all hope but now shining like the sky at night.

Then, Olivia whispered toward Javien, because that man already knew what would happen after Olivia made him drink the liquid in the bottle he began to move away from them. Behind that hoodie the corner of a smile appeared on that man’s lips. Olivia smiled.

"Can you act?" Olivia whispered quietly right in front of him. Before Javien could give an answer,

that man moved quickly and snatched the bottle containing that strange liquid from Olivia’s hand. Olivia’s hand holding that bottle got scratched. Olivia didn’t have time to take it back when that man swiftly poured that liquid into Javien’s mouth. All the liquid that he had wanted to throw away had been fully swallowed by Javien. The footsteps and sound of that man’s feet couldn’t be predicted at all.

Olivia stepped back her eyes widened, her body went stiff, her whole body weakened. Her body trembled. Her eyes locked watching Javien writhing in pain.

That man, silent without speaking, only his eyes glittered as if amazed watching the sight of Javien groaning in pain.

"Is this what you said, my lord!" That man said looking around.

"Hah! True! This is twice as good HAHAHA" he said as his body moved closer to Javien. Olivia had never seen Javien in pain like this. All his veins surfaced, his eyes that were purple like the sky changed to blazing red. Like blazing fire. He gripped his own clothes tightly. Everything around him seemed to be absorbed by him. The ground that had been stepped on slowly turned black.

"We succeeded" he said again. Olivia only watched and went stiff. She was processing what was happening at that moment. Her eyes alternated between watching that man and Javien. That man, suddenly looked at Olivia who was at the edge of them. He smiled.

He moved closer, one step at a time.

Pak pak pak.

Olivia backed herself away from that man. But slowly that man sat staring at Olivia’s frightened face. Now, that man’s face was clearly visible.....

"....He is....."

NOOOOOO