Chapter 5

This was the place of my greatest childhood fears.

Alistair effortlessly dragged me inside, then slammed the door shut with a bang.

"Alistair! Let me out!"

I frantically pounded on the heavy iron door, tears streaming down my face.

His voice came from outside the door, cold and distant.

"Reflect on your actions in there."

"Call me when you've come to your senses."

Then, the sound of his footsteps faded away.

I slid down the door, leaning against it in despair.

When I was little, if I ever showed the slightest doubt about their commands, they would lock me in here.

I'd be trapped for days on end.

Sometimes, they'd even play terrifying sounds:

The growls of monsters, women's screams, the clanking of chains...

Even after all these years, I remembered every detail clearly.

I hugged my knees, trying to stop my body from trembling.

Don't be scared.

Alistair said that every moment of happiness and peace I felt was nourishing *it*.

So, conversely, could my fear and pain also affect *it*?

I began to recall past events.

The night before the piano competition, they locked me in my room, forcing me to listen to horror stories all night.

The next day, with dark circles under my eyes, I participated in the competition in a daze, and my performance was abysmal.

And Alistair—he used tenderness and love as a disguise, soothing my wounds, making me drop my guard.

Thinking of this, my stomach churned.

I slowly stood up and began to grope in the dark.

Relying on memory, I walked in one direction.

I remembered there was a small window high up here.

After some searching, my hand brushed against a rough wooden box.

This was it!

I climbed onto the box and pushed the window.

I pushed with all my might.

With a shattering crash.

I immediately scrambled out, hands and feet.

Outside was the villa's backyard, overgrown with weeds.

Ignoring the cuts on my palms from the broken glass, I got up from the ground and ran.

Bursting through the backyard fence, I ran onto the desolate road.

Behind me, the villa lights came on.

They had found me.

But my legs suddenly buckled beneath me, out of my control