I looked at Ives, who hesitated, and a myriad of questions welled up in my heart.
Though this world is filled with coincidences every day, in such a bizarre environment, encountering two people who both liked writing diaries, and whose signatures were both "ez," was undeniably impossible.
The Ives before me must be the same person as the owner of the diary I had previously found!
I looked at Ives, unsure of how to face him.
Was he a ghost or a human now?!
Ives seemed to notice my questioning gaze, put away his notebook, and looked up at me.
"What's wrong, Lu? Is there something strange about me?"
Ives's demeanor was perfectly normal, as if he were a living person. Yet, the more normal he appeared, the more uneasy I felt.
"No, it's nothing. It's just that coming to this godforsaken place, with nowhere to go, I feel like there's no way out."
I nonchalantly averted my gaze, and suddenly recalled ghost stories told by the village elders when I was a child.
They said some ghosts, having died too suddenly, didn't know they were dead. They acted like normal people. If someone suddenly told them they were dead, they would instantly cease to exist and be reincarnated.
I pondered that Ives's current situation seemed similar to this story. However, in this strange place, for my own safety, I quietly changed the subject.
Upon hearing my words, Ives also ruffled his hair in a somewhat dejected manner.
"Alas, what can be done? If we lose the motivation to find an exit now, we'll be stuck in this godforsaken place forever. Don't give up, Lu!"
You're probably not human anymore, yet you're encouraging me.
Being encouraged by someone I considered dead felt strange, but I nodded anyway, got up, and left the park with Ives to continue searching for a possible exit.
This city, hidden in darkness, was like a frozen corner in the river of time.
Although we had no tools to measure time, the hunger in my stomach reminded me that hours had passed without my realizing it, yet the gloomy sky here had not changed at all.
I was walking with Ives on a wide street. This street, like the places we had passed before, had doors that wouldn't open. The transparent windows seemed to be covered in a layer of black mist, through which no light could penetrate.
"Lu, do you feel like the sky has gotten darker than before?"
As we walked, Ives suddenly stopped and turned to me with a solemn expression.
The sky had gotten darker?
Following Ives's implied direction, I looked up and realized it seemed to be true.
When we first entered this city, we could vaguely see a few stars in the sky. But now, the sky had completely darkened, as if a black cloth had wrapped itself around it.
"Something's not right..."
I mumbled, a sense of crisis washing over me.
Even though I didn't know what would happen if the sky completely darkened, I knew instinctively that it wouldn't be anything good.
Damn it, it never rains but it pours!
A look of worry crossed my face. Just as I was about to speak to Ives, faint whispers suddenly drifted from behind us.
"Eat... you..."
t
If previously there was a closed door between us, now that door had a crack.
And if the door were to open completely, I would probably become this monster's meal!
"Lu, why aren't you talking?"
Seeing my silence, Ives looked somewhat puzzled. He was about to pat my shoulder when I dodged him.
"I'm fine. I have a premonition that if the sky here completely darkens, something tragic will happen. We need to speed up!"
The whispers lingered in my ears, a heavy feeling slowly creeping into my heart. Fortunately, no real monster had appeared behind me yet. So, gritting my teeth, I replied to Ives and quickened my pace, walking forward with my head down.
"Lu, what's wrong with you now?"
Even the most oblivious person could tell that something was wrong with me now. Ives kept pace with me and then looked at me with concern.
Waves of suffocation crashed against my nerves, attempting to shatter my sanity.
I looked up at Ives. His concern, meant to be caring, made me inexplicably irritable. So, I blurted out the question that had been on my mind.
"Ives, can't you hear it?"