Wednesday

On Wednesday, the afternoon sunlight shone through the pale gray curtains and fell upon the wooden desk of Arthur, an ordinary accountant who was sitting and working diligently.

Documents were piled up—many piles—while he focused intently on his work.

Then, his wife sent him a message.

His phone vibrated on the desk covered with papers—a notification appeared.

When Arthur saw it, he quickly turned to look at it with a warm feeling in his heart, before picking up the phone.

The message read:

“Honey, when will you be home?

The kids are playing baseball in the backyard.

Come back soon.”

Not long after that, his wife sent another message—

a photo of their children playing baseball happily in the backyard.

That image made Arthur smile softly.

The exhaustion from work eased—he leaned back slightly and thought:

“It really is nice.

Having a stable job, a wife, and lovely children.”

That thought gave him strength to continue working.

After that, he replied happily:

“Of course, dear. I’ll be home in time for dinner.”

After sending the message, he placed the phone back on the desk,

returned his focus to work,

and hoped he would see his wife and children soon.

---

Time passed until evening.

The sunlight slowly sank beyond the horizon.

The soft orange sky of dusk was beautiful, and Arthur felt at ease seeing it.

It was another ordinary day—

simple, almost too simple.

He drove home while thinking about a peaceful future,

one filled with happiness,

with his wife and children waiting for him.

After arriving home, he parked the car in the driveway, opened the door, locked his gray sedan carefully, and removed his dark gray vest—draping it over his right arm as he walked to the door.

He opened it and greeted his wife and children.

“Honey, I’m home.

Where are the kids~?”

Arthur stepped inside with a joyful expression, a gentle smile, and warm eyes.

He bent down to take off his shoes as the children ran toward him.

“Dad!”

“Daddy!”

The children rushed in and hugged Arthur, nearly knocking him over.

“Haha, really?

Who was waiting for Daddy to get home?”

He lifted his daughter and son up with both arms and carried them toward the kitchen, because he already knew his wife would be busy with dinner.

As he walked, his wife spoke from the kitchen, her voice warm and gentle, yet clear.

“Honey, if you’re back, come here for a moment.

Dinner is ready.

We can eat first before taking a bath.”

After she finished speaking, Arthur brought the children to their mother and sat down to eat together, happily.

The food tasted as good as it always did.

Smiles and soft laughter filled the room.

Arthur smiled widely and hoped that this happiness would stay with him for a long, long time—

until the next day.

---

The Next Day — Thursday Morning

On the next day, a bright Thursday morning arrived.

Arthur woke up to the sound of birds, like a natural alarm.

He sat up and turned to look at his wife sleeping beside him.

After that, he quietly got out of bed and went to the kitchen to make coffee.

While brewing the coffee, Arthur hummed softly.

“Hm… hmm…”

After finishing, he added a little sugar, walked to the window, and sipped the coffee while looking at the warm morning scenery.

But then—

a sound he did not recognize rang out.

He quickly turned around in confusion.

His eyes swept across the kitchen,

but there was no clock anywhere.

‘Tick—tock. Tick—tock.’

The sound repeated over and over,

with no source,

as if it were ringing right beside his ear.

Suddenly, Arthur felt a sharp pain in his head.

He collapsed onto the oak floor in the living room.

He vomited a black substance that smelled like coffee mixed with blood.

Arthur’s pupils shrank in fear.

An overwhelming sense of anxiety crashed over him along with unbearable pain.

The right side of his head went numb without stopping.

The left side felt as though thousands of needles were piercing it endlessly.

Saliva slowly dripped from his open mouth.

His body began to convulse, and Arthur curled up on the oak floor.

“Ghk… ghk… w-what is happening…?”

Arthur clutched his head in agony, curled on the floor.

His eyes were filled with confusion and fear as he looked around.

He saw the black vomit—

and then, he noticed something else.

A soft voice appeared.

Gentle and warm.

The voice of a young girl, around twelve or thirteen years old, spoke.

“Don’t worry.

You’ve been asleep for a very long time.”

She spoke playfully.

Arthur tried to get up, but felt something pressing down on every part of his body, as if it were crushing him.

The headache did not fade.

He followed the voice with his eyes and saw a small girl.

She had pale blonde hair and clear blue eyes, like glass—pure, cold, and unnaturally innocent.

Her white dress was spotless, untouched by any stain.

Arthur’s eyes widened in disbelief, unsure whether she was truly a child.

“Eh~?

I know you’re scared and anxious, but don’t worry.

Everything will be okay.”

She smiled gently and tilted her head slightly.

Arthur was frozen in fear and confusion.

What was happening?

To him?

To his body?

Confusion.

Despair.

Pain.

Everything flooded in at once, along with the mysterious girl before him.

Yet, deep within him, a voice repeated slowly, again and again:

“Protect!!!

Protect!!!

Protect her!!”

He did not know why.

“Mmm~?

Well then… my name is Alice.”

The girl spoke casually and placed her index finger against her lips.

“And I don’t really have enough time to explain what’s going on.

So hurry—run to the door, okay?”

The ticking sound grew sharper and louder.

It pierced his ears, causing intense pain.

“That way, sir.”

Alice pointed toward the door.

Arthur froze for a moment, still confused.

But his instincts told him to trust her.

Using all the strength he had, he pushed himself up from the oak floor and ran toward the door with everything he had.

Before opening it, he turned back.

The oak floor was twisting, warping more and more.

He quickly pulled Alice into his arms and opened the door, carrying her as he ran.

---

The Truth

Everything vanished.

Memories.

Love.

Happiness.

They disappeared, as if with a single breath.

Only emptiness remained—

like a silent, unnatural ocean.

The illusion was completely destroyed,

and the true reality appeared before Arthur.

He was holding Alice tightly in his arms as he walked through a hall filled with blood.

Alice’s voice spoke softly from his chest, strangely warm.

“Sir… we have to reach that door, before it comes after us.”

Arthur had no time to think.

He ran without hesitation.

Ahead, another door stood wide open.

He rushed toward it—

A voice followed closely behind him.

“Thou wa-yok flee Kara mi, na-possible est…”

The sound was distorted beyond understanding.

It was as if many people, speaking many languages, were talking at the same time—

yet none of them were truly human.

Arthur glanced back and saw something that was not human.

Its form was like slime, composed of endless human faces.

Its mass was like crude oil, thick and sticky, and the faces of those people were twisted—some screaming, some crying, some begging for mercy.

Many voices emerged from within its body.

Arthur caught sight of its tendrils.

Its tendrils were countless, like black strands, twisted and grotesque.

The sound it made was not the roar of a beast, nor the cry of an animal.

It was the voices of countless people, overlapping unnaturally.

Arthur’s sanity nearly shattered.

Yet his will hardened.

He tightened his grip around Alice and ran toward the door in the center of the hall, opening it with all his strength.

“The door! Hurry, sir!!”

The moment the door opened, a pure light poured out—

like sacred radiance.

It was warm.

It was gentle.

It felt like being embraced by a loving mother.

Then—

an immense amount of information surged directly into his mind and soul.

Forbidden knowledge.

From the lowest truths to the highest.

Images flooded his vision—

the cycle of life,

empty illusions,

endless heavens,

lands of darkness,

pure death,

divine love,

and countless other things.

All of it merged into Arthur’s soul in a single instant.

He could barely stand.

Then—

a jet-black tendril pierced through his back.

It was painful,

and strangely cold.

Arthur threw Alice through the door before his body could no longer move.

The tendril released a black, worm-like substance into his body.

It crawled through his veins.

It devoured his blood,

extinguished his heart,

consumed his intestines, lungs, stomach, and every organ.

Arthur could not resist.

He could not move.

But at least—

he saved Alice.

His body collapsed inward as his organs vanished, leaving only empty skin that fell onto the cold floor.

If death were mercy, Arthur was denied it.

He was still alive.

He could still feel.

Fear.

Confusion.

Anxiety.

Pain.

It was worse than dying.

His scream echoed—

like a cry torn from hollow human skin.

“AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

Arthur screamed in agony without a body,

suffered without a brain,

felt pain without a heart to beat.

The thing smiled—

countless faces laughing in delight, mocking the scene before it like a beautiful lullaby.

Time passed—

an eternity of torment.

Arthur slowly died in suffering beyond imagination.

Then—

---

Thursday Morning

“Thursday morning.”

It returned once more.

Arthur woke up again, gasping, panicked.

His wife awoke from his sudden movement.

“Honey… what’s wrong?

You look so worried.”

She approached him and met his eyes.

Arthur’s pupils shrank in fear.

At that moment, countless tendrils pierced through his body.

It knew.

The torment began again—

and ended the same way.

“You’ve realized it, haven’t you—what I truly am.

na̷’ru thēs ēgo.

Then stop breathing.

Don’t continue living.”

Darkness.

Then again.

And again.

And again.

A never-ending loop, like a cheap, repetitive tragedy.

Arthur’s mind was slowly being consumed.

As he drove home once more, thinking desperately about how to escape this hell—

a familiar voice spoke.

“Sir… can you hear me?”