In that tense atmosphere, Gil stood there, his hand still outstretched. Seconds ticked by, but Greg remained rooted to the spot, paralyzed by uncertainty.
The longer he waited, the heavier the pressure felt.
Perhaps I shouldn't have approached him...
Greg regretted inwardly.
He wanted to pull away, but his legs simply refused to respond.
Gil watched him attentively. He had always disliked mind games; he preferred to be straightforward in his dealings, and he didn't intend to change now.
At this distance, he could see more of the other man's appearance: brown hair, brown eyes, a head shorter than Gil, and an ordinary face—the kind you would pass in a crowd without ever remembering.
Under Gil's scrutiny, Greg felt an immense weight. His expression shifted constantly. Several times, he opened his mouth to speak but ultimately stayed silent.
Perhaps due to their proximity, Gil could better make out not only his expressions but also his mood.
Greg was anxiously looking first at Gil, then at his hand. Sometimes he would stare at that hand hopefully, just a fraction away from taking it. The next moment, he would look around uneasily, as if afraid of something... or someone. Then, his face would flash with a mixture of struggle and indecision.
Those emotions felt crystal clear to Gil—clearer than ever before.
Huh? Is it because of the distance, or something else? he wondered.
But what reassured him was that, although he couldn't guess what the other man was thinking, there was one thing he didn't pick up from him:
ill intent.
Despite being clearly threatened, Greg showed no malice toward Gil.
It was obvious the man was hiding something.
But then again, who didn't have a secret or two?
Attempting to diffuse the other man's nervousness, Gil spoke up. "Hey, don't make that face. It looks like you were preparing to stab me in the back and got caught," he said jokingly.
Unfortunately, the joke did not have the intended effect.
Greg turned several shades whiter and almost collapsed to the ground, stammering,
"Y-yes... I mean, no! I-I'm not thinking about anything funny, not at all! Please believe me!"
The snake flattened itself further against the floor, looking as if it wanted to burrow right into it.
Well, that's a miss, Gil thought, embarrassed.
Coughing twice, he said softly, "Calm down."
Slowly, Greg felt the crushing weight lift from him. His breathing smoothed out, and color returned to his face.
The creature coiled around him relaxed visibly as well.
After allowing him to regain his bearings for a moment, Gil continued, "Don't think too much."
At Greg's puzzled expression, he explained, "Our alliance will be a loose one. Put bluntly, as long as you don't harbor ill will against me, I will treat you the same way."
At those words, Greg's expression grew complex again.
A pause.
Gil's tone became serious once more. "I don't know why you hesitated so much, and as I said, if you don't want to say, I won't ask or care. Just don't stand in my way, and we'll get along just fine. So, once more, what do you say? Deal?"
Gil's patience was wearing thin by now, and Greg picked up on it. Hesitating one last second, Greg gritted his teeth, took Gil's hand, shook it, and responded, "Deal."
Gil grinned. "Good. Then now—"
He was interrupted mid-sentence as something occurred that he hadn't anticipated.
Even while talking with Greg, Gil had kept a portion of his attention on his surroundings, not wanting to be caught off guard should trouble arise.
But he was still caught completely unaware. The trouble didn't come from the outside, as he had thought, but from within.
As soon as he shook hands with Greg, something happened.
In truth, it had begun earlier. Ever since he had stood up and warned Greg, something deep inside him had started to stir, and their agreement was simply the final trigger.
Gil felt it keenly.
Why was it happening?
Was it because this time it was taking place inside him rather than outside?
Or was it due to the external stimulus?
In response to his will?
Who knew.
The cause escaped him.
But the moment their hands connected, something awakened.
Gil felt something burst out of himself, enveloping them.
"—!?"
It looked like a transparent, pale gold sphere encapsulating him. He barely caught a glimpse of it before another change took place.
Golden chains burst from the sphere.
Thick.
Heavy.
Warm light flowed across their surface as they wrapped around their joined hands.
Then, leaving a heavy knot of chains behind, they pursued their course, wrapping around the snake, and finally around the man himself.
Once the connection was made, they stopped.
They weren't oppressing them, nor were they chaining them too tightly; they simply hung there loosely, as if they could slide off at any moment, yet never actually doing so.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Once the sequence finished, the sphere vanished as quickly as it had appeared. But the chains remained, hanging loosely over Greg and the creature.
Gil stood there, stunned, completely uncertain of what had just transpired.
Then, a profound feeling of weakness and emptiness assaulted him.
It wasn't physical exhaustion.
A sharp headache and sudden dizziness made the room spin. His vision blurred, turning Greg, the snake, and the chains into a confused mix of colors. It felt as if he had gone three days straight without a single wink of sleep.
It got so bad that he had to break the handshake, pulling away to support himself against the cold wall.
His sudden collapse surprised Greg, who tried to step closer to help, but for some reason, didn't dare to get too near.
As Greg grappled with what to do,
Gil managed to regain enough of his bearings to mutter, "I'm... fine."
It did little to alleviate the other man's concerns, but Greg got the message and nodded.
A moment later, Gil straightened up. He still looked entirely spent, but he was capable of speech and thought.
"I'm fine, truly. Just an old ailment. I'll be better after some sleep," he said, his voice sounding hollow and weary.
Reassured, Greg responded, "Got it. I should go catch some sleep too."
Gil agreed, and Greg walked away after wishing him a good night.
Watching as the silhouette grew fainter and fainter in the gloom, Gil returned to his corner.
The moment his body hit the ground, he plunged into a deep, inescapable slumber.