It wasn't like I didn't see the quest coming.
From the moment Kyle handed me the file and gave a brief overview of the situation, I knew there was a strong chance it would show up.
This was why I wasn't all too shocked by the appearance of the quest window.
'The quest is Third Order? That's...'
It wasn't like I hadn't done Third Order quests before, but they always ended up being extremely troublesome. I also knew that quests usually didn't 'end' once they were over. In most cases, the quest would lead up to another quest or tie up with a previous quest.
Was it the same in this case...?
'I hope that's not the case.'
But I could only hope. Either way, it wasn't like I was alone. Kyle was present, and the other team members were going to arrive soon.
This mission...
It was doable.
...And I also needed to SP.
That's why I accepted.
Ding!
[Mission Accepted]
Scrr—
The panel vanished, and the kid appeared in front of me again. He had short black hair and brows eyes, his cheeks somewhat plump, while a few moles marred his face.
The crayon in his hand scraped against the paper with a sharp, steady sound that cut through the surrounding noise. As he drew, he kept his head down, his sole focus the paper in front of him.
Even as we drew nearer, he didn't seem to notice us.
"Don't mind it too much. He's just a kid with a lot of concentration. You weren't much different when you were younger." At the Matriarch's comment, I could only smile while leaning closer to the kid to see what he was drawing.
But right as I managed to get a glimpse of his drawing, the smile on my face froze as the Matriarch's voice entered my ears.
"Ah, it looks like he's drawing Mr. Jingles again! Oh, my~ The drawing has gotten better than last time."
She began praising the drawing.
"The colors are more vivid, and it looks like he's added even more detail than before. It's good, don't you think so too, Seth?"
The Matriarch turned her head to me.
"...Oh, yes. It's nice."
Right, it was nice...
Though I said this, I couldn't help but secretly inhale a breath of cold air while looking at the drawing. It wasn't anything fancy. It was the standard that one might expect from a young kid. Rough lines, no shadowing, and so on.
But that wasn't what grabbed my attention.
What grabbed my attention was something else entirely.
This drawing...
'It's the same drawing as the one that Kyle showed me.'
It looked identical. From the lines to the coloring. Everything... was the same.
Could the drawing that he had shown me have been drawn by the same kid?
I needed to ask Kyle about it.
"Oh, look!"
The matriarch pointed at the drawing all of a sudden.
"The red dots on Mr Jingles's clothing weren't there before. It looks even more lifelike than before. But..." She tilted her head, pressing her hand against her cheek slightly, "There still needs to be some work done on the eyes."
Right, the eyes.
That was the aspect that drew me in the most about the drawing.
The swirling black lines that circled in place of where the eyes should've been added a strange sense of detachment to the drawing.
It made the happy-looking clown look...
Souless.
"We can work on the eyes. If he's improved in every other aspect, then that means that he can improve in that aspect too."
The Matriarch seemed genuinely pleased with the drawing, showering the little boy with praise. Unfortunately, he appeared far too absorbed in the black crayon he was holding, carefully circling it around the eye in his picture, to notice a word she said.
Scrrr— Scrrr!
The more I found myself staring at the simple action, the more unsettled I felt as I looked at the matriarch.
"Can I ask you something?"
"...Oh? Sure thing."
Pulling her gaze away from the kid, the Matriarch smiled kindly at me.
"Ask me anything. I'll see if I can answer."
"Yes."
I once again looked at the drawing before pointing at it.
"This Mr. Jingles... Where does he come from? Is he some sort of character from the television? Or maybe from some fast food chain?"
"Hm?"
The Matriarch cocked her head, her eyes slowly blinking. Then, as if realizing, she suddenly smiled.
"Oh, it's nothing of the sort. I myself am not sure. I just know the name since it's all the kids seem to talk about lately. Mr. Jingles, this. Mr. Jingles, that. Mr Jingles says... Apparently, it's also rather famous in Resuvia."
Resuvia was the town located an hour from the orphanage. It was the only town located on the entire island.
"...I see."
I tried my best to look at ease, but the unease that I had felt ever since staring at the drawing only crept more and more into my mind with each passing second. The situation was definitely not simple.
'I should tell the details to Kyle. He might figure something out.'
He knew more about this stuff than me.
Raising my head, I looked at the matriarch, who seemed to understand as she turned her attention towards the little boy.
"Chris, we're going to leave now. Show me your drawing once you're done."
Scrrr!
The kid didn't reply. Instead, the sound of the crayon pressing against the paper grew even more pronounced as he circled his small hand around the eye, swirling the black crayon, over and over, and over again.
Scrrrr! Scrrrr!
The movement grew more and more erratic with the passing of the seconds, a frown marring the little kid's features as his hand became faster and faster.
Taken aback, I stopped dead in my tracks, turning to look at the Matriarch.
But then—
It all stopped.
Silence.
A suffocating silence that was tainted by the gentle tapping of the rain as the kid slowly raised his head, and our eyes met.
Eventually, his lips parted.
"Mr. Jingles isn't very happy."
I froze dead in my tracks, unable to move as my gaze lingered on the little kid in front of me.
'Mr. Jingles isn't very happy? What is that supposed to mean? What...'
The kid lowered his head and took out a new piece of paper and a new crayon.
Scrrrrr!
He began drawing once again.
The scraping sound of the crayon echoed across the surroundings.
I could only stand in silence, quietly watching the kid's hands for a moment before looking at the Matriarch.
"Let's go."
That was all she said, the smile on her face soft.
"...We shouldn't make Mr. Jingles sad."
She continued, her steps moving slowly toward the main room, separated by a small, dimly lit corridor.
"Apparently, it's not good if Mr. Jingles is sad."
"...Oh."
I followed behind the Matriarch, finding her back moving further and further away from me. Eventually, my steps came to a pause as I slowly lowered my head, where I saw something roll from the wooden floor, stopping right at my foot.
Bending over, I picked up the object.
It was a small red foam ball. One that was rather squishy.
'Oh, there's a hole at the center of it.'
The hole was followed by a long line that cut through it.
This...
I squished the foam ball again.
No sound.
In the end, I tossed it to the side.
'Probably one of the children's toys.'
-x-X-x-
Meeting up with Kyle, I told him about the boy and the drawing. He didn't look at all surprised when I reported my findings to him.
He took out a paper and showed it to me.
"I've also found out a similar drawing from one of the children, but it isn't as detailed as the one you mentioned."
Looking down at the paper, I saw a familiar doodle, but it was slightly different from the one I'd seen earlier.
It wasn't as detailed. The clown's clothes lacked the vibrant red dots, alongside its curly red hair. The buttons also seem to be missing.
"Yeah, it's missing quite a few things from the drawing I saw. It's a pity I couldn't take it with me."
The thought of taking the drawing did cross my mind, but I abandoned it rather quickly after I saw how focused the kid was.
If there was one thing that I had to point out that was the same, then it'd have to be the eyes.
The swirling lines of black that seemed to suck my eyes whenever I looked at them.
Plap!
Snapping me out of my thoughts, Kyle folded the paper with one hand and put it away.
"I'll keep the drawing for now. I'll send a picture to someone in the department to see if they notice anything strange with it. In the meantime, we should probably learn more about this Mr. Jingles. Although it's strange..."
Thinking of something, Kyle took out a familiar file and started to skim through it.
"Hmm. It's really odd."
Noticing the frown that was slowly starting to form, I grew curious.
"What's wrong?"
"Take a look for yourself."
Kyle handed me the file. There were many pages, and I had already looked through them before. Giving it a quick skim, I didn't notice anything strange with it. The drawings look the same, and the layout also looks the same.
In the midst of my confusion, Kyle pointed at the file.
"Where in the files is a Mr. Jingles mentioned?"
"....Hm?"
Taking a closer look at the file and skimming once again through all the writing, I found that Kyle was right.
Nowhere in the writing was there a single mention of 'Mr. Jingles'.
Not once.
"This..."
"The report was made not too long ago. About three days ago. That was the last time an agent was on the field and reported this. What does this mean?"
Kyle paused, and I swallowed my saliva.
What could it mean?
The answer was obvious.
"They've only recently learned about the name. Three days to be exact."
"Exactly."
The two of us slowly looked at each other, and my stomach started to rumble.
"...I might need the bathroom."
"You already know where it is."
"I know."
"Then...?"
"I feel like I'd feel better if I threw up on you."
Kyle's eyes widened, and he took a step back.
"Don't you dare!"
"It's coming..."
"—!!"
He nearly screamed.
Clank—
"Please come this way. Kyle and Seth are both inside."
Kyle and I stopped at the same time, slowly turning our heads to see two familiar faces. Leading them was the Matriarch, who stopped for a moment before smiling.
"Well, I guess nothing's changed since the two of you left."
My mouth twitched as I looked at Zoey and Myles. No, wait. Rat. Hm... Was it rat? Or snake? Maybe something else?
Shit, I had completely forgotten.
'Rat. Snake. It's the same thing anyway.'
That also didn't matter as I straightened my expression and greeted them.
"Hello."
Kyle followed after as he scratched the back of his head.
"So you guys made it..."
Looking at his face, he was probably wondering whether they had seen him run away from me while I threatened him.
In hindsight, it did look like he was terrified of me.
The fact that it wasn't even over my game but me...
'That somehow pisses me off.'
...And looking at how the two were staring at me, I could tell that they had probably misunderstood.
I couldn't be bothered to correct the misunderstanding. It wasn't anything big anyway.
"Anyways, it's almost dinner time. Let me go and quickly whip out something for all of you."
Cutting through the awkward silence was the Matriarch as she headed for the kitchen on the right.
Right as she was about to leave, she paused.
"Oh, while I'm at it." Her gaze fell on Kyle and me.
"Show the two where they'll be sleeping. I know you guys will be staying for a couple of nights. I've already set up everything."
She disappeared right after that, leaving the four of us standing in the middle of the play area.
In the end, with a small cough, Kyle extended his hand towards the stairs that led to the second floor.
"Should I show you your rooms first, and then we can talk about the situation?"
"...Yeah."
"That's fine with me."
With both the rat/snake/backstabbed or whatever his name was, agreeing, Kyle proceeded to lead them to the second floor.
I followed from behind.
***
At the same time.
Located on the outskirts of Andoria, Nova Studios was one of the more well-known game development studios in the region.
At the moment, in a small office, a man with a pot belly and a receding hairline leaned back in his chair, smoke curling through the air as he took a slow puff from his cigar.
"Hm. Not bad. So you're projecting at least three hundred thousand sales with this game?"
"...Yes, that's our estimate."
A man with square glasses and neatly parted hair responded. He was the Chief Manager of Game Oversight, responsible for overseeing and coordinating the development of all games produced by the department.
At the moment, he was giving the CEO a general rundown of the projections for their newest game, Blade in the Dark
.
It was a newly developed horror/action game created by their team, and based on the number of beta players and the overall feedback received, he had been able to put together a solid estimate of how the game was likely to perform.
Puff
Taking another drag from his cigar, CEO Malone tapped his fingers lightly across the desk, then broke into a satisfied smile.
"If we charge about 60$ for the game, then we'd be able to make a lot of money with the number of sales."
Pulling out a calculator, the CEO punched in the numbers, then suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, the sound echoing through the small office.
"Good. Good. This will definitely earn me a good bonus from the board!"
His laughter was hearty, eyes nearly closed beneath heavy lids. After a moment, as if a thought struck him, the CEO suddenly paused.
"Right, Matthias. About the game developer you told me about. The one who recently released a game that might compete with ours. Did he accept the offer?"
"Ah, about that..."
Matthias's expression darkened as he recalled the answer he received from the game developer.
He didn't even bother filling in the CEO on it and just sent the reply to him.
"Check it for yourself."
"Hm? It can't be that bad. It—"
The CEO paused mid-sentence, his face darkening as he scrolled through his phone, reading through the message over and over again before his face turned completely dark.
"Is this serious...?"
"Yes."
"Heh. He's lucky I even decided to give him an offer. And yet, this is his answer..."
With a sudden laugh, the CEO's eyes narrowed. "I extend an olive branch, and you try to take the whole tree."
The CEO shook his head, taking another drag of the cigar.
The only reason he even considered hiring the game developer was because of the developer's recent hit game. It was poised to compete directly with their own, and after reviewing the numbers, they decided to bring the developer on board and pull the game from the market to guarantee a smoother launch for theirs.
In order to do this, they offered him some of the best terms in the company.
But who would've thought he'd reject it? Not only that, but also give out such demands?
This guy...
"Fine."
The CEO leaned back against his chair, turning his attention towards Matthias.
"Since he isn't accepting our offer, go ahead and do the thing we usually do. Either way, we were supposed to do it from the start. You just insisted on trying to recruit him. Just make sure his game doesn't bother with the launch of ours."
"Understood."
Matthias nodded, taking his files before quietly leaving.
As he did, he shook his head.
'Pity. What a pity...'
He was quite talented.
-x-X-x-
"This is where you'll be staying. It's nothing fancy, but it should do for you."
Kyle showed Zoey to her room. It wasn't anything fancy — just a simple single-bedroom space. There was a bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and a chair, alongside several crayon marks all over the walls.
For obvious reasons, the Matriarch had arranged for her to stay alone.
"This is good. You can even say it's luxury compared to the place I've slept in."
Dropping her luggage, Zoey sat on the bed and patted it a couple of times before nodding in satisfaction.
"Really good."
"Okay, nice."
Kyle then looked at Myles.
"Your room is right next to hers. You'll also have a single room like hers."
"Oh?"
As if not expecting this, the rat raised his brow.
Kyle reassured him.
"Yes, don't worry. The Matriarch has arranged for you to stay in your own room, too. There's no point in you staying with the kids, and there's no place left in Seth's and mine's room."
"Hm?"
"You guys are going to sleep in the same room?"
The two looked surprised, but Kyle shrugged.
"We've got a bunk bed. Although we've grown since our younger years, we should still be able to fit."
"Oh, right..." As if recalling the fact that Kyle and I were from the same orphanage, Zoey slowly nodded her head.
Kyle pulled the chair over to face the bed and flipped it around, sitting on it backward with his arms resting on the backrest.
"Now that we've settled the lodging, it's about time that we talk about the task."
Kyle's expression grew serious, and the atmosphere shifted with it.
He plopped several files onto the bed.
"I'll give you a brief rundown of the situation and what we've managed to find in the time we stayed here."
Kyle began to tell the two everything. Thankfully, because the two were already aware of the case, he didn't need to begin from the start.
He took out the drawing and essentially told them everything that he had told me.
"In short, what we've discovered is that the anomaly refers to itself as 'Mr. Jingles', and so far, only the children seem to know its name and appearance. Why that is, I'm not sure. This aligns with the original report, but there's no guarantee that this information is accurate. That's why it would be most appropriate if we expanded our scope of search to something outside of the orphanage."
The room turned quiet following that brief summary of the situation. Zoey and the rat both mulled over Kyle's words whilst I looked around and noticed a paper and some crayons on the table.
Feeling a little bored, I took the paper and a red crayon.
"...Have there been any incidents in the meantime?"
As Zoey spoke, Kyle shook his head.
"No, no reported incidents as of yet. Everything looks to be okay for now. There's no need to contact the Guild just yet."
"Alright."
Zoey left the discussion at that.
On the other hand, I looked at the rat. There was something that I was curious about. Why was he here of all people? While I had been away for quite a while since I had to take care of my game, I didn't think he got close to Kyle in that time. In fact, looking at them now, the two looked and talked to each other like colleagues.
'In that case, is the reason why he's here because he's been performing very well recently?'
I hadn't been keeping up with the situation within the Guild, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case.
The rat was, after all, an extremely talented 'character'.
'Hm, now that I think about it, both Zoey and the rat are here. Who would've thought? The two characters that came from games that I once worked on.'
My eyes narrowed slightly.
I had been thinking. If the two of them were both characters that came from games that I had once worked on, there were surely going to be more characters. While it was true that I had been busy, I still did try to dig up information on other potential characters.
I was left disappointed.
'Are the two the only characters that will show up, or will there be more?'
I wasn't sure, but I hoped not.
There were a couple of characters that I could think of at the top of my head that I wanted nothing to do with.
'I'd take the rat over them any day.'
"Anomalies usually come from gates, but each anomaly follows its own set of rules, which is determined by its past and history. Taking into consideration that we're dealing with a clown that deals with kids, that should be our starting point."
Kyle once again pointed at the files on the bed, tapping them with his finger. Listening in closely, I couldn't help but nod. This was also what I had found.
Each anomaly wasn't random. They all had their own backstory, and their rules weren't set at random. There was a reason for each rule.
At least, in most cases.
'While the Twisted Man had its own rules, it's a man-made anomaly. Things should be a bit different for it.'
"Tomorrow morning, some of us will head to the town and ask around about anyone who was once a clown, or anything related to them. It doesn't matter how small the clue is. Just find it, and we'll roll with it."
Kyle began to give out the instructions while I casually listened.
"The others can stay here to check up on the situation within the orphanage. We'll keep in contact constantly and work together from there. Remember, this is a reconnaissance mission. Don't do anything dangerous unless you have to."
Looking around, Kyle eventually stood up.
"Okay, for now. This is enough. We can talk about it more tomorrow morning. The best thing that we can do now is..." Suddenly pausing, Kyle looked at me, and his expression turned weird as his eyes lowered slightly.
When I looked at him, I also saw that the others were giving similar looks.
"What?"
Was there something wrong with my face?
However, looking at their eyes and then the direction of where they were looking, I realized why they were looking at me strangely.
"...Oh."
I pulled the crayon back.
"I was just bored, so."
"I can see that."
Kyle replied, looking at the paper in my hand before shaking his head. Scratching the side of my face, I gave it a quick glance.
It wasn't that bad...
It was just a small red circle.
That was just about it.
*
"It's been a while."
"Looks like the Matriarch didn't change much. The place looks exactly as we left it."
Leaving the rat and Zoey to their rooms, the two of us headed to ours. The moment I stepped inside, I was greeted by the familiar scent of fresh sheets and the sight of the old bunk bed.
At the far end of the room, a large window sat centered on the wall, with a wooden desk positioned just beneath it. Opposite the bed stood a tall wardrobe, with another desk placed off to the side.
The one by the window was my desk, while the one next to the wardrobe was Kyle's. For that reason, he also had the top bunk while I had the lower bunk. Not that I could've taken the top bunk anyway.
I was too sick to have it.
"Look at this, Seth. Our photos are still here."
Turning my head, I saw Kyle holding onto a bunch of photos that he had taken out from one of the drawers, and as I drew near him, I could see myself and him in them.
"Haha, look at you."
Kyle showed me one of the photos.
In it, I could see my younger self holding onto an ice cream cone while my entire nose was covered in cream.
That...
'I still remember that.'
It wasn't until way later that I noticed.
"Look, check this one out! Haha!"
"...Stop it."
Looking at some of the photos, even I couldn't help but smile. They really did look silly, and they also brought a wave of nostalgia.
Everything was exactly the same as I remembered.
So much that I started to wonder if there really were no differences. But soon, the smile faded away from my face.
"Look at this one hahaha!"
Kyle extended another photo.
"This is the time when you just returned to the dentist. Look at the face that you were making."
Kyle looked like he was genuinely laughing while pointing at the photo.
But...
Looking at the photo, I didn't have it in me to laugh.
After all, I wasn't there.
-x-X-x-
There was a chance that Kyle was making fun of me. That he was messing around with me, but looking at him, and seeing his genuine laugh, I could feel that he wasn't joking.
But as I stared at the picture again, all I could see was Kyle, two fingers raised in a peace sign, his body leaning slightly to the left. He looked slightly older than in the previous photos. Teenage years.
I could tell from the picture that there was someone who was supposed to be there.
But...
'I can't see anything at all.'
Why?
Why was this the case?
I looked at the other photos.
I could see myself in those. There were no problems with those photos. Then...? Why did that photo not have me in it? And why was it that Kyle could see it?
'Is it possible that he's the only one who can see it? What if I show the photo to someone else? Will they react the same?'
"Oh, look at this—"
"Wait."
I stopped Kyle before he could shift his attention to the other photos.
"Hm?"
Feeling him look at me, I licked my lips while pointing at the previous photo.
"Let me have that photo. It looks quite funny."
"This one?"
"Yeah."
Kyle's eyes narrowed all of a sudden, and my heart skipped a beat. Did he notice something? Was this a prank? Was...
"You're not going to burn this, are you?"
"Huh?"
Kyle moved the photo away from me.
"Looking at you, there's a high chance that you might burn it since you don't like it. I'm not giving it to you."
"That's nonsense."
"What? You think I don't know you well enough? I'm sure you're just trying to burn it because it looks too embarrassing."
"Well..."
Thinking about it, this really did sound like something I'd do.
"I won't, I promise."
"Your promises are worth nothing."
"You..."
Looking at Kyle's neck, I felt tempted. So very tempted.
"Haha, I'm just kidding."
But eventually, Kyle handed me the photo.
"I was just joking. Here. Have the photo."
"...Thanks."
Grabbing the photo and moving back a couple of steps in case Kyle tried to snatch it away, I took a good look at it. Missing.
I was still missing from it.
My eyes narrowed further as I looked at Kyle.
'Now that I think about it, I don't even recall going to a dentist in the past.'
What exactly was going on here?
***
The next day.
Following the previous discussion, we separated into two groups. I was paired up with the rat, and Zoey and Kyle were together.
The two of them were set to head for the town while the rat and I were set to stay at the orphanage to see if anything else happened.
"We'll probably be back by the end of the day. If something happens, I'll send you a message."
"...Okay."
I stood by the orphanage door, watching Kyle and Zoey leave as a strong wind swept through and faint raindrops began to fall. The sky hung heavy and gray, with distant rumbles hinting at the storm on its way.
'Yup, I made a good decision to stay.'
I didn't even mind being with the rat. So long as I wouldn't have to go out with the type of storm that was about to come.
"Oh, and another thing, if something does happen to us, I'll use this thing."
Kyle tossed me a small black ball.
It was the size of a button, and as I was busy looking at it, he explained what it did.
"It's an emergency device. It shows my location and where I was last seen. I doubt I'll need it, but just in case. Same goes for you, if you press it, I'll get the same alert."
"Oh."
Why did it seem like he was raising a flag?
"We'll be leaving! Don't forget! If something happens, use it!"
Kyle and Zoey rushed towards the distant car.
Watching as the two gradually entered a black car and left, I stood by the entrance for a short moment before turning around and facing the rat.
He smiled politely at me, the dimples on his face clearer than ever.
"Since the two of them left, should we start investigating?"
"Right, we should."
Entering the orphanage, I closed the door behind me.
Clank!
At last, free from the harsh wind, I felt much better. I ruffled my hair and glanced around, my gaze settling on the rat.
"It's best if the two of us split up for now. You can stay here in the playroom and look at the children. See if there's anything new with their drawing. I'll go check the other areas, like the teaching area. Since I'm more familiar with the place, this might be for the best."
"Are you sure? We can do this together, if you want."
"Yeah, but we can cover things faster this way."
"Sure."
The rat smiled again.
He didn't seem to have a problem with my arrangement, as he followed along with what I said. Eventually, he turned around and moved towards where the children were, his dimples growing even more pronounced.
"Hi~"
"Uncle Myles!"
"It's Uncle Myles!"
Unlike me, the children liked him.
"Tsk."
'If only they knew how he really was...'
Well, how he was 'supposedly'. He could be different from what I remembered.
Whatever the case was, I moved around the orphanage, heading specifically towards the teaching area, which was connected to the play area. Within a long and narrow corridor, several doors greeted me on both sides.
By the side of each door were several colorful papers that said, [Math], [Science], [Language], [Music], [Art].
There were in total five rooms, each one dedicated to its own subject.
I remembered each of the rooms as I opened the doors slightly to see that some of them were full of children inside, alongside a caretaker.
The Matriarch wasn't the only one running the place.
"Oh, this."
But soon, my gaze paused on a certain room.
'I remember this room.'
I slowly opened the door to reveal a modestly sized room, a faint musky scent drifting into my nose. The space was dimly lit, with the only light coming from a large window at the far end, where rain lashed against the glass as the storm outside grew fiercer.
"It's been a while..."
The [Music] room.
This was the very same piano that I used to learn on when I was young. I could still remember the teacher scolding me for not getting my posture correct when playing the piano. In the dim light, several other instruments loomed in the distance, somewhat worn out from time, while scattered papers rustled faintly under the faint breeze that lingered in the room.
Looking around, my gaze settled onto the piano. For some reason, staring at it, I felt a sudden urge to play it as I made my way towards it and sat down.
Dang!
I played the first note, feeling it gently stir in the air.
It sounded a little out of tune, but it wasn't anything bad.
I was just about to press another key when I stopped. Slowly raising my head and staring at the reflection on the piano, I paused.
"Eh...?"
I looked at my own reflection.
It was staring back at me.
But...
Smiling?
Why was it smiling?
"——!?"
"Someone... has been slacking lately."
Before I could react, a long, lanky hand settled on my shoulder. The touch wasn't painful, but it pinned me in place, as if I'd been nailed to the spot.
And then, a whisper curled cold and close against the shell of my ear.
"...You're not going to disappoint me, are you?"
The conductor.
He was here.
-x-X-x-
"....."
I sat frozen, unable to move a single muscle as the hand clamped against my shoulder and a head slowly inched from the right side of me, exposing a grotesque-looking face. The stitching around its mouth pulled tight as its lips pulled into a grin, and a suffocating feeling suddenly enveloped me.
"It would be such a disappointment if, by the time our bet comes to fruition, you show me nothing worth my time."
The conductor's low, grating voice whispered into my ear, threading into my thoughts and making my body shudder.
But regardless of how I felt, I couldn't show my fear.
I could only keep my face straight while pulling my hands away from the piano.
"...I'm working on it."
"You are...?"
The conductor's head tilted further, the head turning more than normally possible.
"I've been watching you. I... have not seen you play the piano once."
I swallowed silently, my heart pounding so loudly it drowned out the storm outside.
BANG!
A flash of light. A deafening clap. The world outside darkened further as the rain intensified.
The old, funky smell of the room became even more pronounced, and another flash lit up the room.
I could tell.
Another one was coming.
'Another one is coming.'
BANG!
I nearly flinched.
It struck not far from here, illuminating everything around.
I closed my eyes and inhaled quietly before opening them again. The noise of the rain pounding against the glass became even louder.
"...I can play the piano. The issue is not the piano."
"Oh?"
Cra—Crack!
The conductor's neck creaked further, its head now bent at a full one-eighty degrees.
"What could you mean by that?"
I smiled.
"That would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?"
"..."
The conductor said nothing, its face still inches from mine. I couldn't read its expression. I couldn't even begin to guess what it might be thinking.
The only thing that was on my mind at the moment was: 'Survive. I need to survive this ordeal!'
I hadn't expected the conductor to appear the moment I touched the piano.
There should've been more time left on our deal.
For it to show up like this...
'Why? Why is it doing this?'
"....I see."
Another flash of light lit up the conductor's distorted face as his head finally turned away, and the grip on my shoulder eased.
"So... you won't reveal what you're planning. That is making me even more curious."
Its voice dropped to a whisper, trailing off behind me as the hand withdrew.
"In that case, I will await the day that you finally show me what you've prepared. And just a reminder. Failure... means becoming a permanent member of my audience."
With a silent chuckle, the conductor's voice grew even fainter.
"Oh, and regarding your current situation..."
With a sudden pause, the conductor whispered.
"...It's all a puzzle."
"Huh?"
I spun around, heart racing. A puzzle? What was it talking about? Was it referring to the anomaly I was dealing with?
'Wait, is it possible that the reason the Conductor actually showed up isn't because it's impatient with what I'm doing, but... instead, because it wanted to tell me the clue?'
That...
Could it be—
BANG!
The thunder crashed again, snapping me from my thoughts.
When the rumbling faded, only the sound of rain tapping against the window remained.
The space behind me was empty.
"....."
I sat in silence for a long moment before my gaze shifted back to the piano.
There, resting on the keys, was a white pair of gloves.
"What the hell..."
***
Scrrr— Scrrr—
The crayon scratched loudly against the paper. The boy hunched over it, completely absorbed in his drawing.
Despite the intense sound of the rain and the dim light, the boy remained focused on the drawing.
BANG!
Thunder crashed, but the boy didn't flinch.
Scrrr—
He only had eyes for the drawing.
Alone on a plastic chair in a quiet room, the boy continued without pause.
This persisted until...
Flick!
The old TV in the corner sparked to life, static hissing before a cheerful tune broke through.
Tatata~ Tatata~
The boy lifted his head, eyes pulling away from the paper for the first time.
On the screen, an old cartoon flickered into view. A clown stood facing away, holding a cluster of red balloons. He stood on a road with several houses around. Looking closely, one could see several characters waving at the screen with big smiles on their faces.
"Are you ready?"
A high-pitched, squeaky voice echoed from the TV.
The boy dropped his crayon and nodded.
"Good!"
The clown bounced in place, its back still turned.
"Mr. Jingles is here~ Mr. Jingles wants to play~ A play we shall!"
Still dancing with its back facing the TV, Mr. Jingles raised its foot to the side, displaying its red boot.
"Mr. Jingles says~ What is this?"
"Boot."
The young child replied.
"Correct!"
Another happy tune began to play as Mr. Jingles danced once more.
"Mr. Jingles says~ What is this?"
It extended its hand to display its white glove.
"Glove!"
"Correct! Wow! You're such a good boy... Chris!"
Tatata~ Tatata~
The tune played again, the clown laughing and jumping once again. Staring at the TV, the young child similarly smiled, the flashing of the TV reflecting within his large pupils.
"Mr. Jingles says~"
Entranced by the TV, the young kid described everything that Mr. Jingles pointed at.
"Mr. Jingles says~"
"Hair."
"Mr. Jingles says~"
"Nose."
"Mr. Jingles says~"
"Clothes."
"Mr. Jingles says~"
"Stripes."
Slowly but surely, the kid described everything that Mr. Jingles pointed at.
It was clear from a glance that this wasn't the first time that the kid had played this game, and slowly, Mr. Jingles finally turned around, its body bobbing up and down as it covered its eyes with both hands.
"Are you ready for the final round?"
"...Yes."
The boy nodded slowly. The tune softened.
Mr. Jingles smiled wider, the red paint stretching unnaturally far across its face.
"Mr. Jingles says~ Wha—"
The voice cut off mid-sentence.
The smile on its face slowly started to fade, contorting in the opposite direction.
The room grew colder as a strange tension filled the air. The boy stared, confused.
But then—
Flick!
The TV turned off, and shortly after, a figure walked in.
"Chris?"
Seth stepped into the room, eyes scanning until they landed on the boy, still seated in the corner, staring at the blank screen.
Before him was the same drawing of Mr. Jingles.
But this time, Seth noticed something.
'The eyes.'
The boy had yet to draw the eyes.
'I guess that's a good thing. Those black eyes were rather creepy.'
Sighing, Seth moved forward and bent down a little to stare at the kid.
"Hey, Chris. Everyone is in the main hall. Do you want to—"
"Mr. Jingles."
The young boy cut through Seth's words, his head slowly turning to face Seth to reveal his almost detached gaze.
Light flashed from the outside window.
"...He is not happy."
Seth blinked.
"What...?"
Before Seth even had the time to process it, from the back of one of the plastic castles in the room, a red balloon slowly floated.
The kid's voice echoed once more.
"Mr. Jingles is angry."
BANG!
-x-X-x-
"....."
The child's voice slid softly into my ear as I stared at the balloon hovering in place. It was red, unnervingly red, and the longer I looked, the more a slow, creeping chill settled over me.
Outside, the tapping of the rain seemed to slow down, each drop unnervingly loud in the silence that filled the playroom.
'Something is definitely wrong.'
I could feel my stomach rumbling, and my hands tingling.
Scrrr—
Looking down, the kid had once again resumed doodling on the paper. He started to circle the area around the eyes with the black crayon, twirling it over and over again, forming the usual spirals of black that made up the clown's eyes.
The balloon floated silently above as a flash of white lit the room—
BANG!
A thunder pierced through the silence shortly after, as I looked around me, trying my best to remain composed while looking around the room in search of some clues. Anything.
However, regardless of how much I looked, I couldn't find a single thing.
Crouching down, I leveled with the boy.
"Chris."
I called out his name.
But...
Scrrr—
The child ignored me, focusing his entire attention on the drawing in front of him.
He continued to circle the area around the eyes, almost as if entranced.
"Chris?"
I called out again, but yet again, I received no response.
"...You said Mr. Jingles is angry. Can you tell me why he's angry?"
Scrrr— Scrrr—
The kid's hand grew faster and faster, the white parts of the eyes slowly getting covered, making the eyes entirely pitch black.
A weight pressed on my chest.
And then—
"....."
He stopped.
Slowly, he raised his head and looked at me, his brown eyes meeting mine.
The world turned quiet in that moment.
Just me and the small kid, and my breath gradually started to thin out.
His lips parted.
I waited, breath caught in my throat. Maybe this was it. Maybe he'd say something, anything that made sense of this.
I wanted to know why Mr. Jingles was mad. Perhaps I could figure out some sort of clue.
Something.
But...
"...I am hungry."
I stared at him, momentarily stunned.
A sigh slipped out. "Alright."
I stood up once more.
"Let's go. The Matriarch has already prepared food for everyone."
The kid didn't wait for me before getting out of his chair and moving out of the room.
"Hey, wait!"
I was just about to follow him when I found myself drawn to the drawing. I had been so focused on the eye that I hadn't noticed there was something in the usually blank background.
'A TV?'
Slowly, my head raised, and my eyes stopped at the TV.
It was currently switched off, and even as I got closer to check if there was anything wrong, I didn't notice a single thing.
"Strange."
I reached for my glasses, then hesitated. Memories of the Twisted Man flashed through my mind. I pulled my hand back.
'...Once Kyle comes back and he's with me, I'll use the glasses.'
I'd feel much better if he were with me. At least, if Mr. Jingles did show up, Kyle would be present to protect me.
"Seth? Seth...? Lunch is ready! Seth!"
The Matriarch's voice echoed faintly down the hall.
I tore my eyes from the TV and slipped the drawing into my pocket.
I planned on giving this to Kyle later.
"Seth?"
"Coming."
***
"Let's go over here!"
"Shit, this rain is crazy..."
Kyle and Zoey pulled their jackets tighter around themselves as they ducked under the bridge-like archway of the small pub to shield themselves from the rain.
Stopping there, Zoey looked at Kyle.
"Be kind and stop the rain."
"Huh?"
"...Just use your time thing and get the rain to stop."
"That would be a waste, though."
"You're the one who forgot the umbrellas in the car."
"Right..."
Kyle had no retort there. He had indeed been the one to forget the umbrellas. The rain wasn't even that bad before, but it had somehow intensified over the course of the past hour.
Taking out his phone, Kyle sighed.
"I also don't have a signal for whatever reason."
"...Same."
Zoey tilted her phone in Kyle's direction.
The two looked at each other for a few seconds before turning to look at the pub. The light inside flickered warmly, and through the circular window above the dark oak door, the silhouettes of several figures moved in and out of view.
"Should we go in?"
Zoey suggested as she looked at the rain outside.
"I don't think things will calm down anytime soon. Might as well go in and ask the people here if they know something."
"Yeah."
Kyle was of the same opinion as he reached for the door handle and pulled it down.
Creaak!
As the door creaked open, the noise from the bar rushed in, filling their ears. Inside, the place was bustling, tables packed with people chatting and laughing. Wooden pillars lined the room, and paintings hung from the walls, giving the pub an almost homey feel.
Closing the door behind them, Kyle and Zoey looked around before finding their own seat.
Their table was rather isolated, located in the corner of the pub. However, this worked well for the two of them as they didn't want to attract much attention.
Taking their orders, Kyle's expression was the first to turn serious.
"Do you see it?"
"....I do."
Zoey quietly nodded, her gaze fixed on the wooden pillars around, more specifically, towards several framed drawings.
"They're the same..."
"Not quite."
Kyle commented, noticing that the drawings were missing key details in some of them.
"That one right there is missing the gloves, while the one right there is missing the nose."
"...You're right."
Zoey frowned, suddenly thinking of something.
"Do you think there is a connection to it? If you look at the drawings, they're all the same, besides the small key details. Why do you think there's such a difference?"
"I don't know."
Kyle tapped his finger against the table. He had tried asking one of the kids, but all he received was the same answer, 'But this is Mr. Jingles...'
"The kids don't seem to be aware of the reason as well."
The situation was a lot more problematic than they thought.
"Oh? It looks like you two are interested in Mr. Jingles."
All of a sudden, a soft yet cheery voice broke them out of their thoughts. Lifting his head, Kyle saw a young girl with blue eyes, soft yellow hair tied in a ponytail, and a fairly fit body holding onto a wooden tray carrying a couple of drinks as she slowly placed them down.
"Thank you."
Thanking the lady, Kyle looked at her.
"...Mr. Jingles? Is that what the name is?"
Kyle pretended to be oblivious.
"Haha, yes, yes. He's become some sort of icon with the children these past few days."
Laughing, the lady took out a black purse as the sound of coins clinking together echoed.
Kyle took out his wallet.
"I see. No wonder the sketches appear like that. So it's a kid's character."
"Yes, but I've never seen him before. I think it's something the children saw on TV or somewhere else."
"Oh. Any idea which channel?"
"No, not at all."
The lady looked behind her.
"As you can see, I'm quite busy myself. I don't really have time to check on what the kids do."
"Right, of course. "
Chuckling, Kyle opened up his wallet and handed the lady a couple of bills.
"...But is there anyone else who has seen it besides the kids? I'm actually quite curious about this, Mr. Jingles."
"Hmm."
Taking the bills, the lady thought for a moment.
"In the past, no, but in the past couple of days, there have been some people who have talked about it in this pub. Something about them seeing strange things and their TVs not working."
Kyle and Zoey looked at each other, their expression changing subtly.
"Who was it? Who was it...? Hmm. Ah, right!" As if finally recalling, she snapped her fingers. "I think it's Mr. Shingles from a couple of blocks away on Newway Street. 42. He should know—Huh? Wait, customers! Your change!"
"Keep it!"
Kyle and Zoey moved the moment they heard the information. Without wasting a single second, they left their table with their drinks full and headed towards the street that the lady mentioned.
The rain poured even harder the moment they went out, the air blowing strongly in their direction.
However, with a single wave of his hand, everything around Kyle stopped, and the two moved around the town, finally stopping before a certain building.
"42. This has to be it," Kyle muttered, looking up at the building. It was a two-story house, its white brick façade worn from time, ivy winding up its walls. The tall, narrow windows and steep, slate roof gave it a quiet, almost mournful charm.
Moving past the brick fence that surrounded the house, Kyle rang the bell, feeling the forceful taps of the rain hitting against the nearby window as he saw a faint dot of light coming from inside the building.
"I'm almost certain there's someone inside."
He waited with his arms crossed, hoping he'd receive an answer shortly after, but...
"...Nothing."
Kyle and Zoey looked at each other.
"I'll try again."
Kyle rang the bell again, but...
Nothing.
The two looked at each other again, nodding quietly.
"It's for the investigation, so..."
"Yeah."
Kyle hunched over and took out a small key from his pocket, which he inserted into the door of the lock. As agents from the Containment Department, they naturally had the means to bypass doors.
Click!
Turning the key, the door unlocked, and the two came in.
Bzzz! Bzzz!
The first thing they noticed upon entering was the static sound of the television coming from the living room as the two quietly entered the place, their bodies tense and ready to sprint into action at any second.
Neither made a sound while walking in, moving past the small corridor that led to the living room.
Eventually, the two turned the corner of the corridor, granting them a glimpse of the living room.
The moment they did, their faces changed.
"....?!"
"——!"
Bzzz! Bzzz!
"Mr Jingles says~"
-x-X-x-
Bzzz!
Silence.
Following a faint voice, the surroundings grew silent.
The static from the TV crackled through the silence of the living room, echoing like the soft buzz of a mosquito.
Kyle and Zoey stopped at the sight of the TV, their bodies growing tense.
Though the screen was filled with static, a faint image flickered through. An old town rendered in a cartoonish style, painted mostly in shades of yellow. Figures appeared beside the houses, smiling and waving directly at the screen.
The two stood like that, staring at the smiling and waving figures.
Bzzz!
The image reflected across their pupils as the TV continued to buzz.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The rain tapped.
Bzzz!
The TV buzzed.
Kyle and Zoey stood in silence, staring at the TV as though entranced.
And then—
"Mr. Jingles says~ Take a step."
A soft voice whispered in their ears.
Both Kyle and Zoey took a step.
"Mr. Jingles says~ Take another step."
Kyle and Zoey took another step.
They were moving closer to the TV. The people smiling on the TV were smiling even more.
"Mr Jingles says~ Take anoth—"
"Shit...!"
The first to snap out of it was Zoey. Flicking her head towards Kyle, she snapped her finger, and a bright light flickered in his eyes.
"Uh?!"
Kyle snapped out of it right after.
"What the h—"
"Illusionist Decree."
Just one word was enough to make Kyle realize the gravity of the situation as he stopped looking at the TV.
"...Looks like we're dealing with an Elcid Class at the very least."
The BAU's classifications were Sigl, Elcid, Melas, Thrall, and Kermite.
Sigil was a classification given to anomalies that were considered to be harmless, or 'non-threatening'. From the moment a victim appeared, the class would automatically move up to Elcid.
"That looks to be the case. A powerful one at that."
Zoey answered grimly while keeping her gaze away from the TV.
Anomalies of the Illusionist Decree specialized in illusion and mind manipulation. They were usually the trickiest ones to handle.
Kyle hesitated for a moment before turning to look at the TV.
"Wha, wai—"
"Just snap me out of it when necessary. I need to observe more."
Zoey clenched her teeth, but decided to oblige with his request. This was how Kyle usually was. Although he usually looked coolheaded, he was the craziest of everyone she knew.
Bzzz!
Listening to the buzz of the TV, Kyle looked at the figures in the screen.
He moved to the right.
Their eyes followed.
He moved to the left.
Their eyes followed again.
"Hmm."
Kyle's eyes narrowed, and the light of the TV reflected in his pupils.
"Zoey, make sure you record all of this. I will send the file back to the Guild."
"...Already doing that."
Zoey replied while holding her phone ahead and recording Kyle.
"Okay."
Nodding his head, Kyle proceeded to move left and right again. Zoey picked all of this up with her camera while carefully keeping her eyes away from the TV.
A thought occurred to her then.
"Zoey..."
"What is it?"
Stopping, Kyle turned to look at her.
"I think I've figured something out."
"....What is it?"
Her breath paused in that moment.
For whatever reason, Kyle's expression made her feel uneasy.
"He's.. No, they are watching."
"Hm?"
Kyle tilted his head, pointing at the screen.
"What are you—"
"...Mr. Jingles and his victims."
Breathing deeply, Kyle finished,
"They're watching us."
***
"Found anything?"
"Nothing. Just a few more drawings."
Hearing the rat's answer, I wasn't disappointed. It wasn't like I had found much as well. The only thing I did get was a drawing.
In essence, the same as the rat.
"You also didn't find much?"
"...Nope."
I showed Myles the drawing that I had gotten earlier.
"Same drawing. And..."
"And?"
"Well, I found a balloon. A red one, but I didn't detect anything strange coming from it. It's in the playroom."
"A red balloon?"
The rat's brows furrowed for a short moment before eventually relaxing.
"I guess we were both pretty unlucky."
"Right."
I wasn't really sure about that. I felt that the more I found, the more unlucky I'd feel. After all, that would suggest the anomaly was targeting me, which was anything but nice.
With a smile, Myles looked at me.
"In that case, let's keep looking around. I'll spend more time with the kids. Since you know the layout of this place better, you can try looking in those areas."
"I was thinking the same thing."
"Okay, good luck."
"Good luck."
Bidding the rat 'good luck', I stared at his retreating back, feeling a weight on my chest alleviate a little. There was just something about him that always kept me on edge. With his bowl-cut air and dimples, he looked completely harmless, but just the way he spoke and looked always made me alert.
'Is it because I'm referring too much to the game? I don't know, but I'd like to spend as little time as possible with him.'
Turning in the opposite direction, I decided to head for the basement area.
The orphanage had two floors. The first and second floors. However, it also had a basement, which was fairly large.
I planned on going there to see if I could find anything since I wasn't able to find much during the entire time.
'I wish I could just use my glasses. That would make my life so much easier, but I'm afraid that something might happen. How long until Kyle and Zoey come back?'
Looking at my phone, I checked for any new messages, but saw that there was nothing.
Turning to look at the windows, watching the heavy rain lash against the glass and the distant rumble of thunder roll through the air, I felt a strange, creeping discomfort settle in.
'...I might have a feeling that they might not be able to make it back today.'
The time limit for the quest was two days.
One day had already passed.
In that case...
'Something big will be happening very soon.'
I felt my breath slow down at the realization as I clenched my phone tightly. If Kyle and Zoey weren't going to show up today, then I knew that I couldn't afford to delay using the glasses.
My chest tightened at the thought, but I knew that I didn't have much of a choice.
"Just in case, I'll text Kyle and see if he answers."
The text was brief. I just said, [Where are you? Are you getting back?]
I hoped to receive an answer quickly, but even as I waited a couple of minutes, I received no response from him.
My heart sank.
'He could also be on his way back. He did have a car. Ah, shit. Whatever. Let me see how the game is doing. Have the sales increased?'
In order to get my mind off the matter, I decided to check the sales of the game.
A day had passed since I had last checked it.
At the rate it was going, I expected the sales to have increased by a lot.
Opening the Dock app, the first thing I did was go to my own page and open up the sales page.
But...
"Eh?"
[Sales: 61,037]
The result that I saw left me shocked.
This was...
A lot lower than I previously thought.
"....."
I stood in silence for a brief moment before I smiled bitterly.
"I thought that the sales would reach a hundred thousand because of how fast it was previously growing, but I guess I was hoping for too much."
I scratched the side of my face.
This certainly did manage to get my mind off the Kyle matter.
-x-X-x-
"This is actually still really good. I've already done about three times better than my first game."
The only reason I felt slightly disappointed was because of the first day's sales. My expectations shot through the roof. However, if I were being realistic, this was already an extremely good result.
Although it did feel kind of weird that the sales dipped by so much after the initial momentum.
'Now that I think about it, the main reason why the game was selling so well is because of the video that came out.'
Opening my chat log with Jamie, and finding the link to the video, I quickly pressed on it.
[Sorry, the video has been deleted.]
"Eh...?"
Deleted? The video was deleted?
I refreshed the link, but even as I did, I received the same message.
"....No wonder."
Everything started to make sense now. With the video deleted, my main source of 'traffic' and marketing was gone. With this, the sales naturally dipped.
But why was the video deleted?
"Let me ask Jamie."
It wasn't like I had a problem with it. Thinking about it, the video was quite embarrassing. Perhaps the guy who made it got embarrassed after a while and deleted the video on impulse.
'That's a bit of a pity, but it's not like I don't understand. In that case, I should hurry up and develop the multiplayer feature. That will give the game a good boost.'
I wasn't disheartened.
Realizing the reason why the sales had stalled, I felt a lot better.
And soon, I received a message from Jamie.
[The video has been deleted? This is news to me. Let me talk to Idris about it.]
[Sure.]
I replied rather quickly, feeling satisfied.
Jamie was quite reliable.
Pulling the chat away, I looked at my chat with Kyle. He had yet to answer my message.
'Strange. He usually replies rather quickly. Is he that busy?'
I tapped the side of my arm anxiously. This looked to be the most likely situation, and the sinking feeling that I felt before grew even more pronounced.
'I'm going to have to wear the glasses by myself, don't I?'
This...
I wasn't looking forward to it.
Ding!
Just then, pulling me out of my thoughts was a chime, and when I looked back at my phone, I was surprised to see that it was a friend request.
"Idris?"
I blinked slowly before suddenly recalling.
"Ah, he's the one who made the video."
I accepted the friend request and was prepared to say hello when...
Ding!
[I didn't delete my video. Someone flagged it, and it got taken down. I'm trying to get it reinstated, but it's taking longer than usual.]
"Eh...?"
The sudden text froze me in place, leaving me at a complete loss. What did he just say?
I deleted my greeting and got to texting.
[You were flagged? By who? How?]
[I don't know. I was hoping that you might know.]
Me?
How in the world was I supposed to know?
[I have no idea.]
[None at all? Usually, only major companies have the power to take down a video this fast. Have you done anything lately that might have put you on their radar?]
[No, I—]
I paused mid-text, suddenly recalling something.
'Wait, it can't be them, right?'
Pursing my lips, I deleted the message and wrote a new one.
[I recently rejected a job offer from Nova Studios. Could that be it?]
[Nova Studios?]
The chat paused for a few seconds until I saw a 'typing...' bubble on the screen. The message took longer than the previous ones to load, as Idris seemed to have gotten an idea.
[...So it's them. The studio has gained a reputation recently for false flagging rival games when they're about to launch a new game. Seeing how there's a new game coming from them in the next week, it makes even more sense.]
"That's..."
[Given how your game was recently doing very well on Dock, I can assume that they falsely flagged my video in order to reduce the momentum of your game so that when theirs comes out, they'll be able to take over the 'horror' section completely. Yes, looking at the other content that was made about your game, it looks like several other smaller creators are facing the same problem.]
Reading Idris's message, I was left stunned.
How was this even allowed?
'No, I shouldn't even be surprised. Be it this world, or the one before everything changed, shit like this always happened. It's not like the studio that I was a part of didn't do this shit. I just never thought I'd be on the other end of this bullshit.'
It had been quite a while since I had felt this annoyed.
Tightening my grip on my phone, I took a couple of deep breaths before looking at the new message from Idris.
[...I will try my best to fight back the claim, but do not hope for too much. I will keep you updated if I get something.]
This was the last message that Idris sent me.
I stood in silence for a few minutes before eventually putting my phone away and sighing.
"What a mess."
Not only did it seem like Kyle was not coming, but some company was also messing with my game sales.
This really didn't seem like it was going to be my day.
"I really don't like this, but it looks like I'll have to wear the glasses."
I couldn't afford to waste time.
Without wasting another second, I headed towards the back of the main stairs, where a wooden door appeared. Staring at it, I recalled how, back at the orphanage, everyone would treat this door as some sort of cursed door.
One that would lead to the scary basement.
In short, everyone avoided this area. Naturally, I also avoided this place.
'I think I've only been to the basement once before, and that's because I had to. I also remember puking back then.'
Shaking my head, I reached for the knob of the door and gently turned it.
Click!
The moment I opened the door, a metallic, dusty smell hit my nose. The space beyond was shrouded in darkness, and only the beam from my phone's flashlight let me make out the wooden stairs leading down into the basement.
Even at a glance, I could see the shapes of numerous boxes below, their shadows flickering across the walls as I moved my phone around.
'Well, I can see why I used to be so scared of this place."
Taking a step down, the stairs creaked under my step, and I moved down slowly, moving down until I finally saw the switch and flipped it open.
Click!
...Or at least, tried.
"Looks like the light is busted."
Shaking my head, I moved the torch around. The basement wasn't very big. It was about the size of a medium-sized room. While there were boxes littered around, there were also a lot of shelves that contained all sorts of things.
From tools to toys that I remembered playing with since young.
There was a lot of stuff.
Looking around, I felt a little overwhelmed by the sight as I stretched my back.
"I know I'm supposed to be looking for clues to the anomaly, but I don't think I'll find anything here."
The main reason I went here was for another reason.
To see if I could learn more about the Seth that was here before me. Was his life exactly the same as the one I remembered, or were there differences between us?
-x-X-x-
"Where should I start...?"
There were quite a lot of boxes scattered around, so I didn't really know where to start. However, in the end, it didn't really matter.
'I'll find out eventually.'
Crouching down towards the nearest box, I looked through the items that were inside.
"A teddy bear. A whistle. Long red shoes. Mini car..."
Overall, most of it was just useless junk. Many of the toys were broken, and pulling them out only stirred up clouds of dust.
"Cough...! Maybe I should've worn a mask."
Covering my face, I pushed my hand into the box and skimmed through everything before moving on to the next box.
'Surely there must be something in here that the Matriarch has left that belonged to me.'
There weren't many things that I owned in the past. Because of the cost of my medicine, I hardly had any toys, and even then, most toys were shared amongst the children. There were a couple of books that I read, but I didn't see how those books would be of any use to me.
In that case, what I needed to find was something else.
Something more personal. But that was the problem.
I had no idea what that thing was.
"Am I just wasting time?"
Pausing and looking around, I moved the flashlight around before checking the time. There was still quite a bit of time before the deadline, but it almost felt like I was wasting too much time on this.
'Right, maybe I am. I need to set my priorities straight. Mr. Jingles first, and then I can look for clues about the me of this world later.'
This seemed like the most appropriate approach.
"...If only Kyle were here."
This was the approach I'd been dreading the most. It was also the reason I'd been putting it off for so long. But I also knew I couldn't avoid it forever.
With a quiet breath, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses.
At first glance, they looked like an ordinary pair of sunglasses. But the moment I put them on, everything around me shifted to a deep blue hue, and a sudden, biting cold shot through my body, making me shudder.
It was as if I were suddenly bathed in cold water as I felt a deep sense of suffocation.
'Let's not waste any time.'
Turning off the flashlight, I looked around the room.
While I didn't understand the concept all too well, the glasses granted me the ability to catch a glimpse of the world of the anomalies.
"So far, I don't see anything."
Besides the blue tint, everything looked the same.
Moving past the boxes and quickly rifling through their contents, I searched for anything that might catch my interest. I didn't want to stay for long. Every second with the glasses on made my skin crawl.
It felt like I was being watched.
As if something, or someone, hidden in the cold blue haze was aware of me now.
Following me.
Waiting.
The silence was deafening, made worse by the sharp, unnatural cold pressing in from all sides.
Without realizing it, I had slowed my movements, sifting through the boxes more carefully... as silently as possible.
'Nothing here either. Nothing here...'
The more I looked, the less I found. There was nothing the glasses picked up.
But it wasn't as though I didn't expect this.
The basement was where the old toys and tools were kept. Since Mr. Jingles was a 'recent' anomaly, then none of the toys or items in the basement should've been affected by it.
I was merely searching in hopes of possibly finding something.
I knew that the area I would most likely find something was upstairs.
From the TV to the Balloon, to the doodle—
I stopped mid-thought.
'Doodle. Doodle... That's right!'
I had almost forgotten about it. Without wasting a single second, I reached for my pocket and retrieved a certain doodle I had taken earlier. I had been planning on handing it to Kyle in order to have him check for anything, but since he wasn't here, I wanted to see if I'd notice anything with the glasses.
'Let's see.'
Unfolding the paper, the all too familiar doodle appeared.
From the badly drawn wig, to the red nose, the long red shoes, the gloves, the spotted clothes... Everything was the same. It almost looked like there was no change at all.
But...
'The eyes.'
Instead of the swirling void of blacks, there were no eyes at all on the clown.
How could this be?
When I pulled the glasses off, the swirling voids returned. But the moment I slid them back on, they vanished without a trace, as if they'd never been there at all.
What could this mean?
I mused deeply, trying my best to piece everything together.
'Piece..?'
I was suddenly reminded of the Conductor's previous words.
'It's all a puzzle.'
Puzzle. Piece..
My mind started to churn, all sorts of thoughts slowly starting to fill it. I started to recall everything that had happened since the moment I stepped into the Orphanage. I tried to think of all the strange things that I had encountered.
Anything that could—
Squeak! Squeak!
".....!?"
A sudden squeaking sound jolted me out of my thoughts, like that of a small rubber horn. It seemed distant, almost buried in the silence, but the moment it reached my ears, a wave of dread took over.
Slowly... I turned my head to the door of the basement.
Bathed in the warm light of the first floor, the door stood open, but the comforting glow did little to ease the dread creeping up my spine.
In that moment.
I felt it.
Vividly.
...The approaching presence.
One that became even more apparent as a shadow cast over the open door, elongating with each second, displaying its curly hair and tall figure.
Squeak! Squeak!
The horn blew again, this time louder.
I heard it clearly this time, and I snapped out of it.
'Shit!'
Before things could get any worse, I pulled the glasses away, stumbling back as I took several deep breaths while bumping against one of the racks behind me, knocking some things over.
Bang!
"Haa... Haa..."
With heavy breaths, I looked around me, feeling the biting cold fade alongside the presence.
I felt much more at ease knowing this as I closed my eyes and recovered my breath.
'...That was Mr. Jingles.'
I knew that it was now aware of my presence. However, given how I had yet to see the [You have been haunted] notification, I was also aware of the fact that it hadn't yet seen him. It had only felt me.
This was good.
...For now.
'I'll need to be more careful the next time I use the glasses.'
I knew that I would have to use them again soon. I felt dread at the thought, feeling my stomach rumble as a result, but I could only suppress the feeling for now as I lowered my head and started cleaning up after the things that I had dropped.
At the same time, I started to think about what I'd have to do next.
'If I search with other people around, what will the result be? Will I expose them to danger? Will it haunt me directly? How would it work? And what exactly are the ru—'
"Hm?"
Stopping mid-thought, I picked up a small bottle.
"This..."
Picking up the bottle, it looked rather familiar.
'Wait, isn't this the same bottle of my medicine? No, wait... This is my medicine!'
I recognized the typical orange color and plain label from miles away. This was definitely my pill bottle that I took when I was at the orphanage.
I shook the bottle, but it was empty.
The label was also a little faded, but it was still readable as I looked at it. I could see my name written at the bottom of it, too.
"This brings back memories." I laughed, squinting my eyes to get a read of the label better.
"Lume...?"
I tilted my head. It was really faded.
"...Lumenol?"
This sounded about right. This was indeed the medicine that I currently took for my disease. It was something that I had acquired from the syst—
I suddenly froze, my eyes widening as the realization dawned on me.
"Wait, wait, wait..."
I looked at the label again, unable to hide my shock.
This...
These weren't the pills that I used to take when young.
I didn't use Lumenol.
My mind stirred in all sorts of ways. I was having a hard time processing the information, but before any of that, looking around me, I took the bottle and left the basement.
'I'll give it a better look outside. For now, I need to leave this place.'
Recalling the events from a moment prior, I felt that this was the most appropriate course of action.
My movements were stiff as I ascended the stairs, each step landing with a sharp, echoing thud in the silence. The beam of the flashlight coming from my phone trembled slightly as I kept it fixed ahead, its narrow glow pressing against the darkness.
Taking small yet repetitive breaths, I looked ahead.
Towards the door where the shadow appeared, and for a moment, my steps paused.
'It can't see me anymore. I'm not wearing the glasses.'
I clenched my teeth and continued.
But... was it really not looking at me?
It could just be standing in front of me. Watching me.
...It was just that I couldn't see it.
I licked my lips, feeling the anxiety building up from deep within me.
However, that faded quickly as I soon managed to find myself out of the basement and onto the first floor again.
Clank!
Closing the door behind me, I wiped the sweat on my forehead before going to the second floor and heading to my room.
"Haa... Haa..."
It was only there that I relaxed and sat down on my bed.
Taking out the bottle again, I stared at the faded label.
[Lumenol]
My hand shook.
"How does this make any sense?"
I was well aware of the medicine that I took. It was called Menxylanis. Lumenol, on the other hand, was the name of the medicine that I bought from the system.
In fact...
"It's the same."
I took the bottle from the system and held it beside the one in front of me. Aside from the yellow tint of age and the fact that it wasn't empty, the bottles looked identical.
"H-ow is this possible...?"
I could hardly contain my shock.
"Is it possible that these aren't my old pills but someone else's? No, that's not it..." Looking at the label again and seeing my name written there, I was certain that these were mine.
But in that case...
"Is it possible that the Matriarch knows about my condition? About the fact that I have a Cognitive Shard? But even if she did, how did she manage to get her hands on these pills...?"
As far as I was aware, these pills weren't something that could be bought. In fact, it didn't even seem like Kyle was aware that such pills existed.
'Wait, given that I used to take these pills, how is Kyle not aware of what they do? In fact, how does he not know what my condition is?'
Kyle was aware that I was sick.
This was something that I was well aware of. However, given my previous interactions with Kyle, I also knew that he wasn't aware of the fact that I had a Cognitive Shard.
'Something is off. Something is extremely off about the situation.'
Fiddling with the bottle in my hands, I felt my heartbeat rapidly increase.
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!
Each thump felt louder than the last, and a steady ringing sound echoed inside my mind.
I sat like that for what felt like forever, but when I snapped out of it, I realized that only a few seconds had passed.
"Hoo."
I was practically drenched in sweat at this point, the back of my shirt feeling slightly cool as I hid the bottle under my bed.
'The only person who knows about the bottle is the Matriarch. I should observe her better later. Maybe, even find some time to ask.'
The obvious solution was to ask her, but at the same time, I felt rather hesitant about it.
It felt like I was prying open a Pandora's box. One that was never meant to be touched. But if I wanted answers, I had no choice.
"But not now."
I took a deep breath, trying my best to calm myself down.
Even though I was dying with curiosity, I knew that this wasn't the time for me to dwell on this stuff.
"Mr. Jingles..."
The goal of the mission was to find Mr. Jingles.
I thought back to when I wore the glasses and almost spotted the anomaly. Indeed, the mission would be over once Mr. Jingles appeared, but the same would be true for my life. Furthermore, I knew that things weren't that simple.
But maybe they were.
'...It's not like I can't try again. However, I need to do so in a setting where I can guarantee that it won't attack me.'
For example, I needed to figure out its rules.
...And the key to the rules was all of the drawings.
Unfolding the paper, I set it down on the wooden table by the window, where the steady tap of rain against the glass filled the silence.
I was immediately drawn to the swirling dots of black on the clown's eyes.
Thinking back to when I checked the drawing with the glasses and saw the swirling disappear, I knew that some sort of important clue lay there.
But what?
What exactly was this clue?
To Tok—
"Hm?"
Snapping out of it, I turned towards the door as it slowly opened to display a familiar face.
"Rat?"
"Eh...?"
The rat paused, tilting his head.
"What did you say?"
Oh, shit.
I had been so absorbed by my own thoughts that I had accidentally called him by his nickname.
"I said Rats..." I pressed my hand against my chest. "You startled me."
"Oh."
"Well, anyway, good timing. Do you have any drawings from the children?"
"I've got quite a few."
The rat extended his hand to show a small stack.
'He may be a rat, but he's actually quite useful.'
"Nice. Come quickly."
"You found something...?"
Closing the door behind him, the rat curiously tilted his head while staring at the drawing in front of me.
"That looks—"
"I know, you don't need to tell me."
I extended my hand to receive the drawings before placing them on the table. Standing up, I arranged them in a simple order.
Those that had everything but the eyes missing would be in one pile, while those that had missing parts were in another.
With the rat helping, this wasn't very hard.
"Okay, so it looks like we have four completed and seven non-completed."
I put the completed drawings on the side while memorizing the names of the children who drew them in my mind. At the same time, I looked at the non-completed ones.
"What are you trying to do?"
The rat asked, still seemingly at a loss about what I was trying to do.
I didn't answer and just arranged the drawings.
'This one is missing a button, but has everything else. This one over here is missing the shoes and the button. This one over here is missing just the button. This one is missing the shoes, button, and the balloon...'
"Aha."
Eventually, however, I found it.
The pattern.
"You found something?"
As the rat's curious voice rang, I quietly nodded.
"Yes, I have."
I looked at the drawings while gently arranging them from least completed to most completed. Eventually, once I did, I looked at the rat.
"This right here is the pattern. Mr. Jingles' pattern."