I began to study our surroundings. We were enclosed by a massive clutter in all directions, limiting our view. Looking directly up, the ceiling seemed to be a few kilometers high with a reddish-pink hue.
The surface we stood on was sticky and floated on acid. Everything in this place was floating in acid, slowly being dissolved in real time.
Glancing toward the others, I noticed anxious expressions on their faces. It felt strange to me, as they had not acted this way even inside the labyrinth.
Hawk glanced toward me with a slight touch of annoyance while Parrot began to take off her helmet, revealing shoulder-length white hair.
A torch appeared in Deer's hand, which he then handed to her. Curious about what she was going to do, I kept watching.
...
I didn't expect this.
Smoke began to rise from Parrot's head as her hair lost its color, curled, and fell to the ground.
She had brought the torch to her head, slowly burning her hair until she was completely bald.
Deer handed another torch to Hawk, who proceeded to do the exact same thing. Then, Deer walked over and handed the torch to me.
They were asking me to go bald.
Everyone turned their eyes toward me.
With no other choice, I had to comply if I wished to remain with them.
I brought the torch toward my head, but Hawk stopped me.
"You are not an Awakened yet, so the fire will just burn you. Don't burn your hair."
My body was actually stronger than that of a Sleeper, but I decided to keep my cards hidden.
The remaining three continued to burn their hair.
The stench was nothing compared to where we currently were. It was the same as the labyrinth: a mixture of flesh, waste, blood, and sweat, just far more potent.
"Is it alright for me to ask why you all go bald?"
Where I came from, one might shave their head to mourn a deceased loved one, but in this world, such meaningless activities made no sense.
Parrot signaled Hawk to take the lead, immediately moving off to explore.
I noticed an interesting shift in dynamics. When Owl and Bear were alive, Hawk didn't even dare to take charge, but with them dead, he was actively participating in the conversation. The same was true for the other three. They offered the torch on their own initiative instead of waiting for orders.
Parrot seemed close to them.
Deer's torch... It wouldn't be a bad idea to secure it for myself.
Hawk walked toward me to fill me in.
"So, Cat, in trapped land, there are areas we label as death zones because we lack information about them. You might ask why. It isn't that no one has survived, it's just that those who do are granted high positions within the cities on the condition that they keep middle and lower workers in the dark to prevent information leaks."
I see. The cities seemed to follow a hierarchical structure divided into three distinct tiers: the higher, middle, and lower levels. It made me wonder whether this was unique to Hawk's city or a standard across all cities.
Hawk continued.
"Some details still leak out, and I believe we are in one of those documented zones due to the matching color and smell. Sadly, that's the extent of our knowledge. Burning away our hair is simply a measure we Encrypted take to eliminate risks, like having our hair grabbed during combat, since we don't know what we might encounter here."
I decided to ask him a question.
"Encrypted... Is that the name of the organization?"
Their animal codenames had kept me curious for a while.
Hawk nodded, prompting me to ask another question.
"What city are you from, Hawk?"
He merely stared at me and stepped back. Parrot had finished exploring and returned, taking a position right in front of me.
Hawk's refusal to answer further hinted that the name Encrypted was literal rather than metaphorical.
Was "no need to know each other's past" their motto?
The [Divine Ledger] appeared in my mind, opening to the page where Hawk had shown me the-
...
What was I talking about?
...
I remembered wanting to show Parrot how I figured out the way... But how exactly did I do it?
Looking down, my fingers brushed against the [Divine Ledger] once more, and the information flooded back into my mind.
...
I decided to name our current location.
We are inside-
I forgot again.
I touched the page once more.
I looked down at my feet.
This is-
I forgot again.
I touched the page once more.
...
My hand lifted, presenting the page to Parrot, who stood directly before me.
"Can you see this?"
She tilted her head before replying.
"It's just an empty page."
...
Am I still being played with?
Is this real, or another illusion?
Have we truly survived the Horror Beyond Comprehension, or are we still trapped within its labyrinth?
...
Intriguing.
I opened my mouth to explain that I couldn't put it into words.
"..."
It seemed I couldn't tell them. They had to discover what [Trapped] meant on their own.
Parrot stared dead into my eyes. I must have looked ridiculous to her, yet surprisingly, a subtle falter appeared in her gaze before she turned and walked away once more.
Hawk grabbed my hand, leading me away from the rest of the Encrypted.
***
He finally stopped after we reached the corner of this floating land. Releasing my hand, he brought both hands to his hair and crouched on the ground.
That reaction seemed to convey trauma.
I made a mental note of it.
"You remember I told you about the rumor?"
The rumor that the Rulers know what [Trapped] means and are not telling anyone.
"I do."
"Cat, it seems like I will have to go into more detail."
I felt despair in Hawk's voice.
"Whenever someone asked them about [Trapped], their mouth opened to answer, but no words came out. They would just do one thing repeatedly whenever the topic circled back to the meaning of [Trapped]."
Hawk... You are far more perceptive than I gave you credit for.
"In fact, Owl acted the exact same way. All of them knew what [Trapped] meant. That was the whole rumor, and now you are acting just like them."
It appeared Parrot also realized I had discovered what it meant, which was why she walked away.
But... Owl had written a few hints about [Trapped] in his final message. How was he able to express it?
The only clue I could think of lay within the message itself, 'Horror Deal'. It seemed the horror allowed him to do so somehow.
Hawk got up from the ground, looking toward me with blank eyes.
"Cat, I have been trapped within this land for years now. I don't like living one step away from death. If there is any hint you can give me, I am begging you."
...
I did not care for this outcome. It seemed [Embraced by Fate] was active once again, making the Encrypted open up to me. I would have preferred it to remain inactive. In reality, [Embraced by Fate] was more dangerous than beneficial. Intelligent individuals could easily tell when they were being manipulated, leading them to direct their resentment toward me.
That was the sole reason I had been concealing the fact that I possessed it, aiming to maximize its utility by requesting favors in exchange for turning it off... However, if I revealed its existence and asked for favors to disable it right now, they would simply kill me for treason. Revealing [Embraced by Fate] while refusing to deactivate it would also be viewed as a betrayal.
They would realize it soon...
I opened my mouth, then closed it once more.
Hawk reached behind his head, pulling up the mask that covered his face.
"It seems you cannot say a single word. Let's go back."
I followed Hawk, keeping an eye on our chaotic surroundings as we walked.
***
When we made it back, I saw the Encrypted sitting in a circle, all four of them. Hawk went ahead and sat down beside them, leaving space for one more person.
I walked over and took the remaining spot.
Glancing toward Deer, Crow, and Cow, I began to analyze them. They did not act their age at all. To get closer to the Encrypted, I had to understand their trauma first, but that would have to wait until we escaped.
It had grown dark, even though neither the sun nor the moon was visible in this place.
A torch appeared in Deer's hand, which he fitted into an opening he made in the yellowish floor.
In the darkness, the torchlight was our only saving grace, casting shadows across our faces. I looked toward Parrot, who was wearing her full armor.
...
I looked toward the other four. Their entire bodies were covered in fabric.
...
I had no choice.
"I have an attribute that makes others open up-"
At that exact instant, a sword shot out from Parrot's sheath with terrifying speed, heading straight for my neck.
I tilted my head to the right immediately, sliding across the floor to dodge her blade.
Hawk stood up and took a combat stance, while the other three moved behind those two.
A bracelet appeared in Parrot's hand, and she threw it toward me.
Without saying a word, I put it on.
"What if we hadn't figured it out? Would you have revealed it?"
The torch disappeared from the ground, plunging everything into darkness.
If I answered that I was waiting for the right time, I would die. It would sound like a cheap excuse, even if it were true.
Why did they darken everything in the first place? It gave me the advantage, unless they possessed a way to see through the dark.
"If my calculations are correct-"
I couldn't continue as a threatening voice interfered.
"Answer the question."
...
"We will exit this death zone in approximately 50 hours. There is no danger here except the acid, but once we leave, the true death zone begins. It will be a labyrinth far deadlier than the one we just came from, and only I know the way out."
In the pitch black, the bracelet glowed green, shedding just enough light to focus on my face.
Go ahead, kill me.
"In this world, I know no one, nor do I have a place to call home. Dying won't change a single thing for me, but what about you? Do you think you can escape after killing me?"
Hawk, the desperation in your voice earlier... You have someone waiting outside in the waking world, don't you? Can you really afford to kill me?
I took off the bracelet, but instead of throwing it back, I simply held it aimed toward them.
They had not moved from their spots. If they had, their movements would have made noise on this sticky surface.
"If you think you can capture and torture me for directions only to kill me afterward, let me assure you right now. I will bite my own tongue off before a single blade touches me again."
The bracelet glowed red.
So tell me, are you going to kill me? I lied right to your faces, didn't I?
"The answer to your question is no, I wouldn't have told you."
You are probably thinking that if you torture me, I will guide you.
Go ahead. I know you are considering it.
...
O you who accepted sacrifice as law...
Take my hearing.
Take my scent.
Take my taste.
Take my touch.
Strip the world from me, layer by layer, until nothing remains but sight.
I began preparing the chant for [Vow of Life & Death] just in case they lunged at me, giving in to basic impulse.
"I am willing to make a [Binding Vow] with you that stops my attribute from affecting you. In return, you must make a [Binding Vow] as well, promising not to betray me for the rest of our lives unless I betray you first."
Slowly, the darkness faded a little, and the torch lit up once more.
In reality, I would have preferred [Embraced by Fate] not working either. It stopped others from being themselves... I wanted to build genuine connections. If every connection I made was built on convenience, I feared I would never grow past my time in the White Room. I would forever remain my Father's Masterpiece.
We might not be able to trust each other for a while, but that was fine.
I did not even trust myself, let alone others.
I imagined a blank page where I slowly wrote the chant.
O you who accepted sacrifice as law...
Take my hearing.
Take my scent.
Take my taste.
Take my touch.
Strip the world from me, layer by layer, until nothing remains but sight.
But do not take my gaze.
Do not take the last thread of who I am.
In return, grant me power.
I did not seal the final Vow. I simply held the image and the exact words firmly inside my mind.
Chanting it took too much time, time I might not have in the future.
Two chains appeared between them and me, but I did not step forward until I made sure the Vow was properly in place.
This confirms it.
Encrypted needs me far more than I need them.
******
Chapter end.
Peace.