Raymond stepped forward, an apple still in his hand, half of it already bitten—his steps halted right in front of the door of the room he had been staying in.
Without hesitation, Raymond pushed the door open. It looked like it had long been devoured by termites and time itself.
(Nyeett—the creaking sound of the door)
A painfully grating noise echoed as the door slowly opened.
"Ahh... how long has it been since this door was last replaced?" Raymond muttered.
(The sound of the bell could still be heard clearly)
Raymond stepped out of the room without even bothering to close the door behind him. The first thing that greeted his eyes was a short corridor, shrouded in darkness, barely illuminated by faint reflections of light.
"It's so dark in here...!?"
Raymond quickly moved forward, an uneasy feeling settling in his chest. Each step he took revealed more rooms along the sides of the corridor—some appeared empty, while others didn't even have door handles at all.
"This place is terribly neglected...!?"
"Can this even be called a church and an
orphanage...!?" Raymond muttered.
His thoughts began to clash within his mind. On one side, he could understand—this place was located in a remote village.
But on the other, something about it felt deeply wrong, as if something unnatural had taken root here for a long time.
The corridor looked short at first glance, yet the more Raymond walked, the longer it seemed to stretch.
There was nothing visibly wrong with the atmosphere—yet it felt strange... unnaturally so. A sense of unease lingered in the air,
clinging to anyone who dared to pass through it.
The walls were covered in patches of mold, spreading across every surface. At every corner, thick spider webs hung loosely, swaying ever so slightly.
Each step Raymond took was followed by an unsettling creak of wood beneath his feet, a sound that oddly resembled faint laughter.
"Damn it... this place really makes me uncomfortable...!?"
The hairs on the back of Raymond's neck stood on end, even though he had no idea what kind of danger might be waiting ahead.
(Hushh—the faint sound of wind passing through)
As that creeping discomfort slowly took over his body, Raymond finally reached the end of the corridor. In front of him stood a staircase leading downwards into the lower part of the building.
"Huh... finally," Raymond muttered.
He carefully descended the staircase, step by step, as it was in such poor condition that it felt like it could collapse at any moment.
One step... then another...
When he reached the final step, Raymond noticed a wooden door, its surface carved with strange and unfamiliar patterns.
Without wasting time, Raymond opened the door—and what he saw was the caretaker, Ethan, standing beneath a statue.
The statue stood tall, its entire body covered with cloth, while its eyes were also wrapped in fabric marked with strange writings. In its right hand, it held a set of scales.
The statue looked completely neglected, with cracks running all across its surface.
At its base were offerings—piles of fruit in large quantities. Yet almost none of them looked worthy of being called offerings. Instead, they seemed more like an insult—many were rotten, others dried and lifeless.
"There's no need to think twice about it... something is definitely wrong with this place."
In front of the statue, five rows of wooden benches were neatly arranged.
In the front row, children of various ages sat quietly, waiting for the bell to stop ringing.
Whispers...
One after another...
Laughter followed...
The children seemed oddly cheerful, eagerly awaiting the moment of prayer.
Without hesitation, Raymond walked toward a seat in the second row and sat down, ignoring everything else around him.
He glanced at the children more closely—none of them looked well taken care of. Some were thin, others had visible disabilities, and many looked neglected in different ways.
"What is this... why do they all look so poorly taken care of...!?"
Before Raymond could finish his thoughts, the bell suddenly stopped, followed by Ethan's voice.
"Alright... alright, children. Let us pray to God for our well-being...!" he said.
"Yes...!?"
"Yes, Uncle...!?"
The prayer began.
Strange chants filled the room, echoing for five to ten minutes. Raymond remained silent, his gaze fixed on the statue.
As he stared at it, something began to feel off.
Slowly... the statue seemed to move.
From the cracks running along its surface, thick streams of blood began to seep out.
"What... is this...!?"
Before he could fully process what he was seeing, Raymond was snapped back to reality by Ethan's voice.
"Akh...!?"
"Alright, the prayer is over. Next, we will sing."
The children reacted with excitement, their faces lighting up with joy.
Meanwhile, Raymond's body trembled violently, shaken by what he had just witnessed.
"What kind of being are they actually
worshipping...!?"
The children began to sing.
And in the room where Raymond had previously awakened, a small child could be seen, giggling softly with excitement.
"Finally... a new friend...!?"
A faint, eerie laughter echoed through the air.
Back where Raymond stood, he was still frozen by everything he had just experienced. His eyes stared straight ahead, his body trembling slightly.
The child sitting in front of him turned around, looking worried.
"Hey..."
"Hey..."
"What's wrong with you...? Are you sick...!?"
Those words pulled Raymond's mind back into his body. Without hesitation, he quickly turned his head toward the child, his expression cold and flat.
That look alone was enough to scare the child, who immediately turned back to face forward
"No... I'm fine...?" Raymond said.
Without realizing it, his gaze had already frightened the child.
The singing continued for quite a while, long enough for the bright sky outside to slowly turn into evening.
A few minutes later, the event finally came to an end
Once everything was over, some of the children left to return to their homes, while the rest remained, as they lived there.
"Come on, children, gather around."