The moment we stepped past the gates of House Veritas—
an uncomfortable feeling crawled through my body.
The estate was massive.
Elegant white stone pathways stretched across the grounds while fountains illuminated by pale blue light decorated the gardens.
Everything looked luxurious.
Perfect.
Yet—
something about this place felt deeply wrong.
Meanwhile—
Trevor continued walking proudly beside Azrith.
"As you can see…"
"House Veritas has always supported the advancement of Valorheim."
Azrith smiled politely.
"How admirable."
I ignored their conversation completely.
Because my attention had already shifted elsewhere.
The servants.
At first glance—
they looked normal.
But the longer I observed them—
the stranger they became.
Every servant moved with the exact same posture.
The exact same smile.
The exact same empty eyes.
Even their footsteps sounded synchronized.
Like dolls following invisible strings.
the guards were no different.
Over a hundred warriors stood across the mansion grounds.
Yet not a single one spoke.
Not a single unnecessary movement.
They simply stood there motionless—
watching.
Waiting.
Puppets.
That was the only word that came to mind.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
Even the mana flowing through them felt unnatural.
Cold.
Distorted.
Jasmine beside me had noticed it too.
I could tell by the way her fingers subtly tightened.
Then suddenly—
one servant passed directly beside us.
For a brief second—
our eyes met.
And my body froze slightly.
There was nothing inside those eyes.
No emotion.
No fear.
No life.
Just emptiness.
The servant then continued walking without a single word.
Trevor casually laughed ahead completely ignoring it.
"Haha!"
"Please enjoy yourselves tonight."
"We rarely receive guests of Azrith's status."
Azrith nodded politely.
"You honor me."
Yet beneath the calm atmosphere—
the mansion itself felt suffocating.
Like something monstrous hid beneath its elegant surface.
Then quietly—
Azrith's voice entered my mind through mana transmission.
Second floor. East wing.
That's where you'll begin later.
I gave no outward reaction.
But internally—
my uneasiness only deepened further.
Because this place…
…didn't feel like a noble estate.
It felt like a cage pretending to be paradise.
Soon—
Trevor invited us toward the dining hall.
The room itself was massive.
A long black table stretched across the center beneath elegant chandeliers while servants silently moved around pouring wine and placing dishes.
Yet—
the more I looked at them—
the more unsettling they became.
Every servant smiled the same way.
Moved the same way.
Even the way they placed utensils sounded perfectly synchronized.
Like puppets performing rehearsed movements.
Azrith sat calmly across from Trevor while Jasmine remained beside me quietly.
Soon—
Trevor raised his wine glass slightly.
"To successful cooperation."
Azrith smiled politely before lightly raising his own.
"Likewise."
The two soon began discussing business.
Museum investments.
Artifact transportation.
Military trade routes throughout Valorheim.
At least—
that was how it sounded on the surface.
But the way both of them spoke…
felt like two predators carefully testing each other.
I quietly observed the room.
The guards standing near the walls hadn't moved even once since we entered.
Not even blinking properly.
Just silently watching.
Then suddenly—
I quickly coughed.
Jasmine immediately glanced toward me.
Meanwhile—
Azrith's eye subtly shifted.
Then suddenly—
"COUGH—!"
I vomited directly onto the floor.
The entire dining hall went silent.
Trevor looked genuinely surprised.
"…Was the food not to your liking?"
Before I could answer—
Azrith calmly spoke.
"Ah no."
"I suppose his allergies were triggered."
Trevor's expression relaxed immediately.
"I see."
"How unfortunate."
Jasmine slowly stood afterward.
"My apologies, Sir Trevor."
"I'll take him to the bathroom."
"Ah, it's quite alright."
Trevor casually pointed toward two guards standing nearby.
"These two will guide you."
The guards immediately stepped forward in complete silence.
Their movements unnaturally synchronized.
Almost mechanical.
Meanwhile—
Jasmine forced a polite smile.
"Thank you."
Then quietly—
she grabbed my arm while we followed the guards deeper into the mansion.
We travelled quietly through the mansion following the guards.
The deeper we went—
the colder the atmosphere became.
The luxurious halls no longer felt elegant.
They felt artificial.
The guards ahead of us walked in perfect synchronization.
No voices.
No breathing.
Just footsteps echoing through the corridor.
Soon—
we arrived near the bathroom hallway.
The two guards stopped simultaneously.
Then slowly—
they turned toward us.
Those empty eyes stared silently.
Waiting.
Watching.
The moment they moved—
I drew Nocturne.
Two dark flashes crossed the corridor.
THUD.
The guards collapsed instantly.
Jasmine quickly looked around nervously.
"No one heard that."
I nodded—
before my attention shifted toward the bodies.
Something was wrong.
There was no blood.
Instead—
a strange black-purple liquid slowly spread across the marble floor.
My eyes narrowed.
"…What is that?"
I crouched beside one of the corpses.
The skin felt cold.
Unnaturally cold.
Then suddenly—
part of its face shifted beneath my hand.
Like something wearing human skin.
Jasmine stepped back.
"…Rio…"
I tore part of the disguise away.
Underneath—
was something twisted.
Dark flesh.
Purple veins.
A face that no longer looked human.
My grip on Nocturne tightened.
"These…"
"…aren't humans."
Silence filled the hallway.
Then quietly—
I spoke the name.
"Voidborn."
Jasmine's eyes widened instantly.
Voidborn.
Creatures corrupted by void mana.
Monsters that should not exist inside civilized kingdoms anymore.
Yet House Veritas—
was hiding them inside the mansion itself.
As guards.
As servants.
As puppets.
And suddenly—
The lifeless eyes throughout the estate finally made sense.
But—
that itself made no sense.
Voidborn were creatures born from the Abyss.
Corrupted beings that possessed no true sanity.
No control.
No reason.
They were unstable monsters driven purely by instinct and destruction.
So how…
…were these things being controlled so perfectly?
My eyes narrowed slightly.
Something far worse was happening inside House Veritas.
I slowly stood back up before glancing deeper into the mansion corridors.
"…Let's move."
Jasmine nodded quietly.
The two of us headed toward the east wing of House Veritas.
The deeper we travelled—
the eerier the atmosphere became.
The hallways were cold.
Unnaturally cold.
Servants continued walking past us silently without even sparing us a glance.
Like dolls following commands.
Like the mansion itself was moving them.
"What the hell is this place…"
Jasmine muttered quietly.
I didn't answer.
Because for some reason—
an overwhelming sense of unease had begun crawling beneath my skin.
Like something deep below the mansion was calling to me.
Watching me.
My breathing slowly became heavier.
The air itself felt wrong.
Then—
we finally arrived before an old staircase leading downward beneath the estate.
Unlike the upper floors—
this place looked ancient.
Dark stone walls covered in faded markings stretched downward into complete darkness.
Cold air flowed upward from below.
And standing before the staircase—
were two guards.
Unlike the others—
these ones immediately felt different.
The moment their eyes landed on us—
a terrifying pressure filled the hallway.
Then one of them slowly stepped forward.
"State your authorization."
Its voice sounded distorted.
Almost inhuman.
Meanwhile—
my instincts screamed at me.
Don't go down there.
Soon—
an eerie chuckle echoed through hidden speakers above us.
"Haha…"
"It's fine."
"Let these two in."
The voices throughout the corridor instantly fell silent afterward.
Then—
the guards moved aside mechanically.
Like puppets obeying their master.
CLANK.
The massive metal door slowly opened.
Cold air immediately rushed outward from below.
And the moment my eyes looked inside—
my body froze.
Not from awe.
From fear.
...
Inside—
was a massive underground chamber drenched in glowing purple fluid.
The entire place resembled some twisted laboratory hidden beneath the mansion.
Metal platforms stretched across the chamber while strange tubes carried dark liquid through the walls like veins.
Machines hummed endlessly.
Cold blue lights flickered overhead.
And everywhere—
there were bodies.
Some floating inside giant glass containers.
Some strapped onto metal tables.
Some no longer even resembling humans.
Jasmine's breathing grew uneven beside me.
"…What the hell…"
Then—
my gaze shifted toward the center of the chamber.
And my body froze.
A little girl was suspended above the ground.
Dozens of cables and black veins connected directly into her body while glowing symbols surrounded the platform beneath her.
She wasn't screaming.
Wasn't moving.
She simply hung there silently—
like a sacrifice.
Then slowly—
someone above us chuckled.
I looked upward instantly.
A man wearing a long white lab coat stood atop one of the platforms overlooking the chamber.
Messy silver hair.
Glasses.
A smile far too calm for this place.
But what caught my attention most—
was the black cross carved directly across his face.
The moment my eyes landed on it—
my expression darkened immediately.
Black Cross.
The cult that worshipped the Lady of Velvet Sin.
The same organization tied to countless disappearances and void experiments throughout the kingdoms.
The doctor-like man smiled wider afterward.
"You must be the guests that the Veritas brat mentioned?"
His tone was casual.
Almost welcoming.
Meanwhile—
the horrifying chamber behind him pulsed slowly with purple light.
Like the entire laboratory itself was alive.
I didn't hesitate.
Dark mana erupted from my body as Nocturne Veil activated.
BOOM.
A crushing pressure engulfed the entire chamber.
The glowing tubes trembled violently.
Several glass containers shattered instantly.
Even the purple liquid flowing throughout the facility began rippling uncontrollably.
Jasmine's eyes widened beside me.
Meanwhile—
the doctor simply smiled wider.
Completely unfazed.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
My voice echoed coldly through the underground chamber.
The man adjusted his glasses calmly before softly speaking.
"Child…"
"Do you believe in gods?"
My eyes narrowed immediately.
"…What?"
"The gods."
"Divine beings worshipped by humanity."
He slowly spread his arms toward the enormous chamber around him.
"They are adored."
"Praised."
"Feared."
"And yet…"
His smile slowly twisted into something almost fanatical.
"…none of them compare to her."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Even the chamber itself seemed to pulse unnaturally the moment he spoke those words.
The doctor slowly turned toward the little girl suspended at the center of the facility.
His eyes—
filled with absolute obsession.
"Lady Velvet Sin…"
He whispered her name almost lovingly.
"Perfection itself."
"The most beautiful existence to ever touch this filthy world."
Purple veins across the chamber began glowing brighter.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
The little girl's heartbeat echoed throughout the underground facility.
The doctor slowly walked across the platform overlooking us.
"You know what humanity truly is?"
"Ugly."
"Cruel."
"Disgusting creatures endlessly drowning in greed and desire."
His smile widened further.
"But her…"
"…she embraces it."
"She accepts humanity's sin instead of denying it."
"To desire."
"To lust."
"To obsess."
"To crave."
He placed a hand over his chest almost reverently.
"She is the only true goddess."
Jasmine unconsciously stepped backward beside me.
"…This guy is insane."
The doctor chuckled softly hearing her.
"Insane?"
"No."
"I am devoted."
His eyes slowly shifted back toward Lumine.
"And soon…"
"…through this vessel…"
"…Lady Velvet Sin will descend into this world."
My grip on Nocturne tightened instantly.
"You're using that girl for your obsession?"
The doctor's smile never faded.
"Using?"
"No."
"She should feel honored."
"To become the chosen vessel of divinity itself…"
"…is the greatest blessing imaginable."
The entire chamber pulsed once more afterward.
And suddenly—
every servant…
every guard…
every puppet inside House Veritas—
all stopped moving simultaneously.
The doctor spread his arms proudly.
"Everything within this mansion belongs to me."
"House Veritas."
"The servants."
"The guards."
"Even Trevor himself."
"They are merely offerings devoted toward her arrival."
My eyes widened slightly.
Trevor too…?
The doctor laughed quietly.
"That pathetic count believed he controlled this estate."
"How amusing."
"He stopped being human long ago."
Purple fluid surged violently through the chamber afterward.
Meanwhile—
the doctor's gaze slowly returned toward me.
"And now…"
"…tell me child."
"Will you kill a god before it is born?"
As the doctor finished those words—
the entire chamber suddenly froze.
Then—
BOOOOOOM.
A monstrous pressure descended upon the world.
My eyes widened instantly.
The underground laboratory trembled violently.
The purple liquid flowing through the walls surged uncontrollably while alarms began screaming throughout the facility.
CRACK.
CRACK.
Massive fractures spread across the ceiling above us.
Jasmine nearly lost her balance beside me.
"…W-What the hell is happening?!"
I didn't answer.
Because my eyes had already locked onto the center of the chamber.
Lumine.
The silver-haired girl slowly lifted her head.
And for the first time—
her eyes opened.
The moment they did—
the entire underground facility went silent.
Those eyes…
They weren't human.
A deep violet glow radiated from within them while an overwhelming presence flooded the chamber.
It felt ancient.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
Like something beyond mortal understanding had just awakened.
My breathing stopped.
No…
Was a goddess truly descending here?
The doctor began laughing hysterically above us.
"Yes…"
"YES!"
"LADY VELVET SIN!"
Purple energy exploded outward from Lumine's body instantly.
BOOOOOOM.
The entire laboratory collapsed into chaos.
Machines exploded one after another.
Glass containers shattered.
The distorted creatures inside them screamed as flames engulfed the chamber.
I reacted instantly.
Grabbing Jasmine—
I pulled her backward just as a massive explosion consumed the platform we had been standing on moments earlier.
The shockwave sent debris flying across the underground facility.
Heat crashed against my skin.
The chamber itself was collapsing.
Yet through the flames—
the doctor continued laughing.
Completely consumed by madness.
His glasses had shattered.
Blood streamed down his face.
Yet his eyes…
were filled with absolute ecstasy.
Like a man witnessing divinity itself.
And standing at the center of the destruction—
surrounded by endless purple light—
was the abomination he had created.