In a rundown alley far from the abandoned factory, a small, unremarkable old house suddenly lit up an oil lamp. The flickering light revealed the simple and worn furnishings inside the house, the slightly moldy ceiling, the faded and peeling wallpaper, and in the corner, a dark crack that was slowly wriggling and shrinking.
Next to this crack lay a terrifying skeletal hound, looking like a lifeless dog, completely still. At the other end of a black chain, a girl named Shirley adjusted the wick of the oil lamp with care and then moved to the window, peering outside with concern.
“...The world has begun to change,” she sighed softly. “Good thing I got home before night fell completely. Otherwise, I might have ended up dead in some stinky ditch like a dog.”
The skeletal hound, lying on the floor, immediately lifted its head and rasped, “You can say whatever you want, but don’t drag dogs into it.”
“You can still talk? I thought you nearly lost your life during that dark journey,” Shirley glanced at the hound, named A Dog. “So why did we have to run all of a sudden—and through the dangerous dark path? Didn’t you say there are countless demons in the dark sea waiting to chew you up?”
“I can avoid the demons in the dark sea; I can run if I can’t fight. But just now… if I hadn’t hurried, I might not have escaped,” the hound finally seemed to catch its breath and looked at Shirley. “You should be grateful I reacted quickly and opened the crack when that terrifying guy looked away. If his gaze had stayed on us, I wouldn’t even have been able to open an escape route!”
Shirley frowned and slowly approached the hound. “So what’s going on? Why are you so scared? Do you know that guy named ‘Duncan’? Is he a big shot from the Annihilation Church? Or does he have some dark demon backing him?”
The hound seemed to recall something extremely frightening, its bones creaking as it lowered its voice and muttered, “I haven’t seen him; I don’t know him.”
Shirley’s eyes widened. “You’re scared of someone you’ve never seen!?”
“Even if I haven’t seen him, as a dark demon, I can still ‘see’ shadows more terrifying than death!” The hound suddenly lifted its head, its hollow red eyes staring intensely at Shirley. “Inside a human shell, there’s a swirling mass of light and shadow that makes me feel like I’m losing my mind just looking at it. How can I not be afraid?!”
It paused, as if trying to find the right words to describe its feelings to Shirley, and after a long moment, it slowly spoke. “When he talked, I could hear a thousand overlapping voices screaming at once. When he looked at me, I felt like my entire fate, from birth to death, was laid out before him for inspection. Let me tell you, the last time I encountered something this terrifying was when I saw the ‘Holy Lord’ from a distance in the dark sea! But the Holy Lord doesn’t move. Today, we met someone who can walk and act!”
Shirley felt a chill from the hound’s scary tone and gaze (even if its eyes were just glowing holes), but she instinctively murmured, “I didn’t feel anything at the time… I thought he seemed quite friendly…”
“That’s why sometimes I envy you humans for your dull and slow perceptions—this layer of ignorance is truly a treasure given to you by the world. It lets you die with a smile even in the face of madness and disaster,” the hound sighed and lay back down. “Keep being blind; the world might be a bit better for you—unlike me, a poor little dog who has to see things that could scare me to death…”
“...How can there be such a cowardly dark demon in the world,” Shirley couldn’t help but shoot a glance at A Dog, then seemed to think of something and hesitated before saying, “But now that you mention it, maybe we shouldn’t run… If that guy really is some super powerful figure, we might be able to get on his good side! He seemed quite friendly earlier and even asked us questions. Plus, he doesn’t seem to get along with those sun bastards. Isn’t this an opportunity? I could act cute and charming; who knows, he might be a supporter…”
Before she could finish, the hound suddenly sprang up, the black chain rattling loudly. “Stop that crazy thought right now! You’re close to opening a subspace portal with your wild ideas!”
Then it paused and continued to warn her, “Listen, never deal with beings that wear human shells but are something indescribable inside. They are more cunning than pure demons and more sinister than real humans. Their calm conversations with you are just an appetizer for a feast—don’t be fooled by how friendly he seemed. Do you really think after you tell him everything you know, he’ll let you leave unscathed?”
It seemed that the hound’s unusually stern tone had an effect, as Shirley looked a bit taken aback. She finally gave up her bold idea but still mumbled, “I get it, I get it—but A Dog, your tone sounds like a nagging mother…”
The hound lay down again. “Of course, I raised you!”
Shirley huffed and then looked out the window. Seeing that night was falling, she walked toward the window.
The black chain tightened, and the hound, which had wanted to rest, was dragged along the ground by Shirley. This large, heavy dark demon seemed almost weightless in her hands. “What are you doing? Can’t you let me lie down for a bit? I’m exhausted from that big fight today…”
“I was the one doing most of the fighting, okay?” Shirley didn’t turn around as she looked outside. “I’m checking the situation… It’s completely dark now; the streetlights just turned on.”
“Well, it’s a poor area. It’s already impressive that the authorities can ensure these streetlights have the basic ability to ward off evil. Don’t expect them to light up before nightfall like in other districts,” A Dog grumbled, glancing at the oil lamp on the old dining table. “Let’s turn off the lamp later; oil is expensive.”
Shirley pursed her lips. “...Let’s turn it off before bed; otherwise, it’ll be too dark in here.”
A Dog grumbled but didn’t say anything more.
In the city, the managers and builders had strictly planned the locations and numbers of the basic demon-repelling devices, the streetlights. The gas lamps spread throughout the city ensured safety after dark, so whether using electric or oil lamps in the homes, it was safe. Even after the streetlights were lit, it was safe to turn off the lights inside the houses.
But even in the most prosperous cities, there are forgotten corners. In the depths of slums that are even older and more dilapidated than the lower town, the number of gas lamps is far fewer than in other areas. These lamps barely maintain safety between day and night, and this “barely enough” situation is clearly not reassuring.
So in the slums, oil lamps and wax candles are essential items in every household. If the streetlights are late by a moment, at least the firelight at home can temporarily fend off the darkness after sunset.
Of course, many poor families use oil lamps and candles for another important reason: they can’t afford the relatively high costs of electrical upgrades.
Electric lights are bright, clean, and safe. In safe and worry-free neighborhoods, they have become the first choice for lighting in every household. But in this small house located in the slums…
The only source of comfort for Shirley and A Dog is still the flickering flame in that old lamp.
In the dim light, A Dog broke the silence. “...Are we going out again soon?”
“Yeah.”
“Are we going to keep causing trouble for those sun bastards?”
“We’re just gathering information from them.”
“That’s pretty much the same… But it seems they’re not very clear about what happened eleven years ago either. Look at today; even they are asking locals for information…”
“That’s because the people here today just came from Lunsa. Maybe we’ll have some luck next time.”
“Alright, if that’s what you want.”
“A Dog, when you help me disguise next time, just make sure it’s done right. Don’t expose it halfway through.”
“I just hope we don’t run into that terrifying guy again today—I suspect our presence was revealed early because of such a strong ‘interference’…”
“Fine, fine, you’re right…”
(End of Chapter)