After finishing another class, Luke's body left the room and headed for lunch. Clearly, he couldn't control his body but he already felt exhausted.
The constant uncertainty and fear were mentally draining. It made Luke feel trapped, like a prisoner watching his life unfold from inside his own body.
The only comforting thing was that he had finally noticed another student who seemed to be in a similar situation like him.
Luke covertly observed the man walking ahead of him.
This man was someone he had noticed in his earlier class. Luke didn't know his name, but he had seen him several times around the campus before. He guessed that they were in the same college, probably studying art like him.
But more than his name or identity, what caught Luke's attention were his eyes. Unlike the dull, emotionless stares of others, his eyes were filled with emotions... Well, it was mostly fear.
And what stood out even more were his golden strings which were all coiled tightly around his right arm. Rather than connecting directly to his skin, they were tangled together like knotted threads.
From that, Luke was almost certain that this man was like him, someone who could see the golden strings around. The guy had even come up with a unique method to retain control over his body.
It was an idea Luke had never considered. But, even if he had, he wouldn't have followed it.
'The world is already abnormal, and doing something like that might draw unwanted attention,' Luke thought. 'My method is safer. Limited action is better than risking exposure. Look, he doesn't even realize I'm like him.'
Though Luke found the man's approach reckless, he couldn't deny the sense of relief it gave him. It just confirmed that he wasn't alone and his situation wasn't unique.
There might be others, with more knowledge and understanding of the world, hiding out there!
He wanted to approach the man and reveal himself, maybe even work together. But in the end, he held back. He would observe from a distance and reveal himself only when the time was right and when he was sure the man was worth trusting.
But the plan had a flaw. Since Luke had no control over his body, once the class ended, he couldn't follow the man. They had different schedules. Luke had to stick to his usual routine, while the man would go wherever he wanted to go.
Still, luck seemed to be on his side. After their morning classes, they both ended up heading in the same direction, toward the ground floor.
Luke wasn't sure where the man was going, but he knew his own destination: the school cafeteria.
Sure enough, as soon as they reached the ground floor, Luke's body shifted toward the smell of food.
The man, however, walked straight ahead, heading toward the grass field and the university gate.
Luke's eyes narrowed slightly before returning to their usual dull, lifeless state. He regretted missing the chance to talk to him. The only thing he could do now was memorize the man's face and hope to find him again later when he had control.
But then, just as Luke was lost in thought, his body suddenly stopped moving.
Ding! Do-
Just as the campus bell was about to chime a second time, everyone around him froze. The wind stopped, and everything became still.
Everything was motionless, except for the man to his left.
"What happened?!" the man exclaimed, his voice trembling with fear. From his tone, it was clear this was his first time experiencing something like this.
Luke felt uneasy, too. 'Why is everything frozen? Did time stop? No… it's like the world itself has stopped moving.'
He quickly calmed himself, making sure to hide any emotion in his eyes. He knew the situation was strange, and he needed to make sure no one noticed his anomaly.
The man wasn't completely mindless either. After a quick glance around, he realized the danger and mimicked the frozen crowd, locking himself in place.
Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours. The longer the silence lasted, the heavier the man's breathing became. Luke, on the other hand, was starting to show signs of exhaustion in his eyes.
He really was mentally exhausted. Too much had happened in one day. He was scared, and his thoughts began to spiral.
'What if the entity above finally notices me? Is this the sign that I should stop playing around and just give in… let them take full control? Just let the golden strings touch me?'
Just as Luke was on the edge, something changed. But instead of relief, it only brought more terror.
Dozens of meters away, on the edge of the building, many golden strings began to drift into view. However, they were thinner and moved in a more erratic way than before.
When Luke first saw the golden strings last night, they had reminded him of yarn or a rope. But now, they looked more like long thin worms, wriggling and twisting in a way that filled him with disgust and fear.
And then came the real horror.
The strings came from a giant creature that towered up to the ceiling. It moved on six spider-like legs, their razor-sharp tips screeching against the ground with each step.
Suspended above those legs was a humanoid figure, lying face down in midair. Its body was covered in lizard-like scales, yet its skin glistened with the slippery, slimy texture of a frog.
Its head was disturbingly featureless. It had no eyes, no nose, but its mouth was wide and gaping, spewing forth more of the worm-like threads.
On its forehead, there was a symbol, but it was too far away for Luke to make out clearly.
The creature slowly lowered its head, scanning its surroundings. But when its gaze fixed on Luke, the thin golden strings it had sent out suddenly halted, as if they were startled.
Despite the surprise, there was an unmistakable excitement on its featureless face. And without any hesitation, it swiftly moved forward, heading straight toward Luke!
Clank. Clank.
Each step the creature took was deafening, like a metal pole crashing against the ground. Luke's left hand trembled, and he fought the urge to tear away the golden strings and run.
But his mind stopped him.
Even if he could regain control, he knew there was no way to outrun the creature. He didn't understand this world or the dangers lurking in it. He couldn't just run from them forever.
In the end, Luke knew he had no choice but to act like everyone else. He forced his hand to stop shaking and made his eyes empty and blank, hiding the fear inside.
The creature stopped just a few feet away, its face so close that Luke could feel its cold breath. The golden strings from its mouth were now pointed directly at Luke's eyes.
One small move, Luke knew his eyes would be pierced.
The creature and Luke locked in a long, unfair stare-down contest. If Luke moved, he was certain to die. But even if the creature moved, he knew he could still be dead.
Then, without warning, the golden strings froze in place. The creature let out a low growl and its head jerked to the left. The strings then followed its movement and stretched in that direction.
As the strings moved past Luke's ears, he heard a loud, desperate scream.
"Ha-ha! Help! Help!"
It was the man Luke had been watching earlier.
The creature jumped over Luke, passing right above him.
"HELP! HELP!"
The man's screams echoed in Luke's ears, each one feeling like a punch to his chest.
Those cries reminded him of the horrible truth. If he moved, he would be next. He was no hero, and he wasn't going to risk his life for someone else. Despite the agony of hearing those screams, he swallowed any emotion and forced his body to remain still.
After a while, the man's screams faded into muffled sobs, and then nothing. The silence lasted for a minute before Luke heard the metallic thuds of the monster's feet, as if it were testing its steps.
-ng! Ding! Dong!
Two seconds later, Luke's body started moving again. The world around him resumed as the people around him began walking once more.
A student with round glasses happened to pass by Luke, and he caught a glimpse of the victim in the reflection.
The five golden strings that had once been wrapped around the man's arm were no longer there. Instead, hundreds of thin, tapeworm-like strings now connected to various parts of his body. All of them converged a few feet above his head.
Luke couldn't see the creature anymore, but he was certain it was still there, invisible.
The man appeared to walk normally behind Luke, but his feet never made a sound. It was as if he was floating, gliding through the air, controlled by the invisible monster like a puppet.
The harrowing metallic noise continued to echo behind Luke. The man's path seemed to change. He was no longer heading toward the field but now following Luke's direction.
Luke's mind raced. He felt overwhelmed, wanting to run, to escape, but his body kept moving, taking him toward the cafeteria.
Fortunately, the monster didn't ultimately follow him inside, and it seemed to disappear somewhere else. For a brief moment, Luke had the space to breathe and to calm his mind.