We left the warehouse—Cairo and I—our steps heavy and dragging.
I had no idea how much time had passed, nor what hour it was.
The only thing on my mind was one simple truth: I was exhausted… exhausted to the bone.
When we reached the stone staircase, we stopped for a few seconds.
We exchanged a silent, weary glance before I bid Cairo farewell as he headed toward the first floor, where his new shift began, while I remained alone in the long, dark corridor.
Silence took over.
The only thing that accompanied me was the faint echo of his footsteps fading slowly into the distance.
I let out a long sigh, as if releasing a weight invisible to the eye, and thought to myself:
Ughh… when will this end?
All I wanted was sleep.
Just sleep.
I wanted no adventures, no riddles, no dolls that spoke or laughed in terrifying ways.
I had thought the torment I had just endured with the doll was over, but it was only one stage in a series of ordeals yet to come.
It seemed the night still held more exhaustion in store for me.
Time dragged mercilessly, the hands of the clock punishing me with every second.
I could barely resist the drowsiness pressing down on me. My eyes fought to stay open, and I forced myself to remain awake—shifting in place, pressing my fingertips, taking deep breaths… anything to avoid drifting off.
Then, suddenly, I heard footsteps.
They came from above—the third floor.
Slowly, I lifted my head, struggling against the urge to ignore the sound. I looked up to see who was coming.
The steps were familiar. After a moment, I recognized them: Luxian and Tyros, descending the stairs quietly.
My eyes widened, relief mixing with surprise. I whispered to myself:
"Wait… that means my shift is over!"
Finally… finally!
I pushed myself up to my feet with effort, as if some unseen weight had been pinning me to the ground. I brushed the dust off my shirt, then staggered toward the first floor—toward the guards' room.
Nothing occupied my mind but one desire: to lie down, to surrender to sleep.
I shoved open the heavy wooden door and entered the still, cold room.
I didn't spare a glance at my surroundings. I went straight to the bed and let my body collapse onto it, releasing all the fatigue at once.
"Ahh… finally…"
I muttered faintly.
Closing my eyes, I felt a warmth of relief seep into my weary ribs.
The night had been long, heavy, exhausting… but it was over.
At last, I could rest.
---
I awoke from a deep sleep, one whose passage I hadn't even felt.
Slowly, I opened my eyes. The morning light crept gently through the small window of the guards' room. For the first time in a long while, I felt physical relief… yet something else bothered me: my smell.
Ugh… I stank. A disgusting mix of sweat, fatigue, and the stale fear left clinging to me from last night's events.
I felt like a rag, thrown into some dark, forgotten corner.
Dragging myself out of bed, I went straight to the nearby washroom.
I stripped off my clothes, still damp with the moisture of anxiety, and turned on the cold tap.
The water rushed over my head and body, as if washing away not only the sweat, but the tension and nightmares that had clung to my skin.
I closed my eyes under the stream, breathing deeply, feeling myself cleansed—moment by moment—of the doll, the fear, the exhaustion.
What a wonderful renewal it was.
After drying myself, I changed into fresh clothes and walked back toward the guards' room with calmer steps.
A stillness filled the place—like the quiet after a storm.
Cairo was still asleep, his face relaxed yet faintly tense, as though trapped in some muddled dream.
Luxian wasn't in the room at all—no trace of him.
Tyros sat in the corner, tapping at the air with his fingers. Most likely, he was interacting with the "status window," that mysterious system that had become an inseparable part of our lives.
And kalster—the man in his forties who usually cracked strange jokes—was nowhere to be seen either. Probably out eating or wandering off alone in his usual fashion.
I returned to my bed and sat down quietly. I sighed, then spoke in a low voice:
"Status window."
At once, the familiar translucent pane appeared before me, shining in a serene sky-blue glow, like the calm morning after a stormy night.
Lines of neatly arranged text unfolded before me, just as they always did:
---
[Level: 1]
[Age: 20]
[Gender: Male]
[Strength: 5]
[Agility: 4]
[Intelligence: 6]
[Luck: 5]
[Wisdom: 4 + (1)]
[Awareness: Unknown]
[Skills: Quick Simple Movements / Refreshing Breath / Rapid Response]
[Unique Ability: Can obtain a supernatural power once per week]
Note: The ability "Refreshing Breath" has been used. You cannot use it again for seven days.
---
I read the lines carefully, as I always did. But this time, I stopped suddenly when I reached the "Wisdom" stat.
I hesitated… trying to remember what it had been before.
Yes. It had been four.
Now, it was written as "4 + (1)." Five.
My wisdom had increased.
I raised my brows in surprise, then felt a quiet joy well up inside me—as if I'd just received a small reward for surviving last night's nightmare.
Could it have been because of what happened with the doll?
Could all those terrifying moments have carried a real effect in this strange world?
My eyes shifted downward to the final note.
"The ability 'Refreshing Breath' has been used…"
I froze.
What? When?
I didn't remember using it!
I combed through the past few days in my head, searching for any moment where I had activated the skill deliberately—but found nothing.
Wait… let's go back.
That night… when I sat in the dark, resisting fear, breathing deeply over and over again… At first, my breaths had been heavy, but then they grew steadier, clearer.
Could it be…?
Could the skill activate unconsciously, when pushed to the edge of tension or necessity?
A faint shiver ran down my spine.
If that was true… then some abilities weren't just tools I chose to use.
They were safeguards—protecting me even when I wasn't aware of it.
I shook my head with a small smile, placing my hand over my chest as I breathed calmly.
"Looks like I'm still discovering myself… day by day."