Chapter 299
"Who would have thought that wisdom could emerge from someone long known as a bastard with a taste for women and money."
Aldraya's face remained facing forward, unmoving in the slightest, even as Theo's touch and words still lingered in the air between them.
His pale, perfect profile was carved beneath the multicolored lights, a silhouette that was cold and untouchable.
Then his response came, flowing through the telepathic channel in a flat, unreadable tone, yet carrying an explosion of sharp and unexpected observation.
Aldraya stated that he never would have expected words that sounded so wise and comforting to come from the mouth of a man who, based on data and reputation, was known as a bastard, a connoisseur of women's crotches, and currency.
Each word in that statement was like the stroke of a cold, precise scalpel.
"Bastard" referred to cunning or untrustworthy nature, "a connoisseur of women's crotches" was a vulgar and direct description of sexual hedonism, and "currency" symbolized materialistic greed.
Aldraya combined these three labels not as emotional insults, but as a factual report he had compiled, perhaps from Theo's own memories, from gossip within the system, or from observations of his behavior in other lives.
The contrast between the version of Theo he had just displayed—gentle, protective, full of empathy—and the bad reputation attached to him created an irony so sharp it was almost painful.
"Come on, let's buy the tickets and go in. There isn't much time."
A short, bitter laugh escaped Theo's lips, sounding like wind slipping through the gaps of the crowd.
It was a laugh that embraced irony while swallowing the bitterness that had just been served to him.
He did not argue, nor did he defend himself.
Instead, the laughter seemed to acknowledge the truth in Aldraya's words, while also treating them as a kind of amusing cosmic joke.
That a bastard like him was trying to become a source of comfort for a former angel.
Without saying another word to prolong a moment that had already cut deeply enough, Theo slowly withdrew his hand from Aldraya's hair, then redirected it into a clear inviting gesture toward the ticket booth.
His movement was firm and without hesitation.
He invited Aldraya to walk again, to continue the journey that had briefly been halted by considerations and inner confessions.
His steps led straight to the payment counter, a final decision taken not out of shame or a desire to flee the conversation, but as a concrete action that spoke louder than any bad reputation or wise words.
By entering the haunted house attraction, Theo chose to prove his promise through action, showing that his intention to accompany Aldraya was genuine, regardless of who he had been in the past or how he was viewed by others—or angels.
"Only wide enough for three people standing side by side."
The corridor seized them with perfect darkness, an absence of light so dense it was as if eyes had never been created to see.
The air felt stifling and still, broken only by the sound of their own breathing and the sigh of cold artificial wind slipping in from some unseen crack.
Theo, who had just ordered Aldraya to step back slightly to maintain optimal observational distance, suddenly became fully aware of the environment confining them.
His thoughts, previously focused on pursuit and strategy, were now diverted by the suffocating physical reality.
In his mind, he immediately made an estimate.
The width of this corridor was probably only enough for three large-bodied people to stand shoulder to shoulder from right to left, or vice versa.
That meant extremely limited room for movement, a narrow passage that forced physical closeness and minimized any space to evade.
"Slow steps, no sound. Focus on their conversation."
Their feet moved with extreme caution, stepping on the cold, possibly dusty floor with carefully regulated pressure to avoid producing echoes.
Every step was a commitment, a risk calculated down to millimeters.
They had advanced dozens of meters into the belly of the building, yet the distance to the two subjects ahead remained constant, a safe gap measured only by sound and faint presence.
Darkness remained a thick blanket, but their ears had adapted, capturing every frequency with almost painful clarity.
Ahead, the conversation between Ilux and Erietta floated in the stifling air, their voices sounding more intimate and fragmented by the acoustics of the narrow corridor.
"Ilux, I think we should get out of here soon. This place is too suffocating."
The atmosphere inside the stifling corridor had undergone a subtle yet significant shift.
The vibration of conversation that had once been colored by tension that could still be laughed off had now turned into a low rumble filled with pure anxiety.
Erietta's voice sounded higher, more pressured, broken by irregular breaths.
In the total darkness, Theo could not see, but he could hear the trembling, not only in her voice but also in the pattern of her footsteps, which had become fragmented and uncertain, like a bird striking glass.
Her repeated sighs and whispers proposing that they leave immediately formed a mantra of fear, a candid admission that this artificial horror had successfully breached her defenses, far more effectively than her fear of heights, which had instead transformed into excitement.
"What? You were the one who agreed after my explanation, weren't you? And now you want to leave just like that?"
Ilux's voice burst into the darkness, not as a shout, but as a bright laugh laced with a sharp edge.
The laughter cut through Erietta's fear like a blade, sounding unmistakably clear in the narrow corridor enclosing them.
The words that followed were not comforting or calming, but a reminder filled with irony and a hint of sarcasm.
He highlighted the contradiction in Erietta's own actions, reminding her that she was the one who had voluntarily—after being invited and convinced—decided to step into this attraction.
The statement was not an agreement to leave, but a subtle challenge, a way of saying, "You chose this, so face the consequences."
"You—! Always fooling around, never serious—ugh!"
A muffled growl, almost like the hiss of a wounded snake, came from Erietta's direction.
The anger that had previously been suppressed by fear now found its outlet, transforming into wild and uncontrollable physical energy.
In the darkness that enveloped them, Theo could imagine, even feel, the movement through changes in sound and air flow.
Erietta stepped back slightly to the left, perhaps to gain room for a swing, followed by the harsh sound of fabric scraping and an arm spinning through the air.
The repeated "whoosh" vividly described how her right hand and arm spun like a windmill, a primitive and emotionally charged preparation for a punch aimed at Ilux's stomach.
Along with that almost comical yet intensely charged physical preparation came verbal mockery.
Erietta's voice, which had previously trembled with fear, now turned sharp and piercing.
She condemned Ilux's attitude, which she perceived as unserious, someone who only knew how to play around even in a situation she felt to be genuinely terrifying and threatening.
"Ah! Who's that—?! Sorry, sorry! I really didn't mean to—!"
In the midst of the sixth swing's momentum, just as it was about to fully manifest, an unexpected contact occurred.
To be continued…