At the same time—
The white space closed in around me.
The white space felt tighter than before, though nothing visible had changed. My breathing shortened automatically, as if the space itself was limiting how much air I was allowed to use.
The figure stood in front of me, unmoving.
Then it spoke.
"Hey. Don't worry," he said.
"I don't need to hurt you."
My fingers pressed lightly against the white surface beneath me, searching for something solid. There was nothing. That bothered me more than his words.
"Get out of my head," I snapped. "And stay away from me."
The figure sighed.
"First rule," he said. "Don't call me that."
A faint smile formed.
"I'm Zero. Call me Zero."
The name settled strangely in my mind.
Like I had heard it before.
Like it had always been there.
I narrowed my eyes.
"What... are you?"
Zero tilted his head slightly, as if considering the question.
"A beginning. A mistake. A doorway."
That wasn't an answer at all.
"We are… what you call Arcana."
In the distance, the statues shifted.
Not moving.
Aligning.
I didn't look at them.
So… the one who wrote the rules on that card… was an Arcana like this?
"Let me ask you something."
Zero waited.
"…You're the one behind that voice, right? Why did you summon me?"
Zero blinked once.
"I didn't."
"Then who did?"
"…It could be you," Zero said.
I frowned.
"That doesn't make any sense."
Zero smiled faintly.
"It doesn't have to make sense to you," he said.
"It only has to be true."
A pause.
"You're not confused, Zekai."
His eyes held mine—steady.
"You just don't like the answer."
He wasn't explaining. He was redirecting.
The word summoned bothered me. It implied intention—preparation.
I had done neither.
It brought me here… and now it's saying that I summoned myself? It feels like my thoughts are being torn apart from the inside.
If that's the case… I need to be careful.
"It's your mind," Zero said.
"Whatever you're trying to resist… you're the one who brought yourself here."
I paused.
"How did I bring myself here?"
The rules and the ritual instructions flashed into my mind.
Maybe… my mind believed those rules without me even realizing it.
"…I'm an idiot."
The irritation came first.
Not fear.
"But you're the one who used those rules to bring me here."
"I didn't tell you any rules," Zero added.
My instincts keep telling something wrong about him.
"No. I didn't even believe them."
Zero tilted his head slightly.
"And yet… you still followed them."
A faint pause.
"You always do that."
"Reject first… then act anyway."
His smile returned—thin.
"It's not belief that moves you."
"It's curiosity."
I didn't answer.
Then—
who wrote them?
The thought came naturally.
Maybe Marcus Grandpa… it was his coat, after all.
From the beginning, nothing about this made sense.
Zero tilted his head slightly.
"Is that enough of an answer?"
No… what Zero said is still stuck in my mind.
I exhaled slowly.
"There was no special reason.
I just wanted to test it."
Zero clasped his hands behind his back and began walking around me slowly.
The space bent slightly around him.
Not visibly—
but enough that I felt it.
Like the distance between us kept changing—without either of us moving.
I tracked him from the corner of my eye but didn't turn fully.
If he wanted to circle me, I'd let him.
"So," Zero asked casually, "what do you want?"
The question sounded simple.
But it wasn't.
What do I want?
No one had ever asked me that before.
Most of my life had been reaction—adjusting to circumstances, surviving whatever shape the day took.
Wanting something had never seemed necessary.
"I want you to stop this. Let me out."
Zero hummed.
"No return. No escape."
My jaw tightened.
"Only death allows exit."
The words settled into the space like a fixed rule.
I remembered the paper.
[ Rule Three - Don't fear. ]
I exhaled slowly.
Fear had never been my problem.
But I had always had the opposite issue.
I let go too easily.
Accepted things too quickly.
The rule wasn't telling me to be brave.
It was telling me not to hesitate.
"…fine." I exhaled once. "Then answer this."
Zero stopped.
"What can you give me?"
Zero smiled.
"Anything... this world allows."
Allows. Not everything.
That meant limits. Invisible ones.
"Anything?"
He nodded. Then added calmly,
"Dead things... don't return."
My fingers twitched—just once.
My throat tightened.
For a brief moment—
my parents came to mind.
For a second… I almost said it.
The word reached my throat—
and stopped.
I shut that thought down immediately.
Not like this.
Never like this.
Wealth? Useless.
Career? A trap.
Love? Temporary.
"I don't want anything." I paused. "I just want peace. Let me go."
The answer surprised even me.
Zero's smile faded slightly.
"That's not an option."
"Why?"
"One wish," he said calmly. "Only one."
Silence followed.
Not empty.
Waiting.
The space itself felt like it was watching me.
Measuring me.
I stood there thinking.
Zero didn't move.
He just watched.
"Take your time," he said. "But understand this… even a few seconds of hesitation can cost you things you don't realize you still have."
That didn't sound like advice.
It sounded like a warning.
I could feel it now.
Not just from him—
from the place itself.
How many people had stood here before me?
Right now, I'm here—trapped in this unknown white space with Zero.
But outside… somewhere else… Aron is alone. I don't know what condition he's in.
So no matter what, I have to find a way to get out of here.
But escaping from this place won't be easy.
Whatever I say next… it might benefit this place.
I shouldn't give it that chance.
If I didn't choose…
what would I lose?
I exhaled slowly.
"…one wish," I said. "If you grant it… what do you gain?"
Zero's expression softened slightly.
"The wish allows me to fulfill mine."
I frowned.
"Then what's your wish?"
Zero didn't answer immediately.
Not because he didn't want to.
Because for a moment—it felt like he had already answered it before.
For the first time—Zero hesitated.
It was brief.
but real.
"That is irrelevant." His voice didn't change.
For the first time—his voice felt colder.
Then… there's something big hidden within Zero.
I nodded slightly.
"Alright."
He blinked.
"I'll mind my business."
Silence settled again.
I looked down.
If I didn't choose—
this wouldn't end.
And that wasn't a guess.
It was the moment something decided…
what I was allowed to become.
The rule surfaced again in my mind—
Not as a warning.
As a conclusion.
"No escape."
And somewhere outside—
someone was still waiting for me to come back.
End of Chapter 8 - White Space II