The Illusion Of Life

Marlin ran as fast as he could toward the police station. His heart was pounding, his eyes darting around, searching for anyone who could help. His limbs felt heavy, but he kept pushing himself, desperate to get away from those faces he couldn't understand.

With every step, the memories of what he'd just seen surged in his mind, making him feel nauseous. The corpse, its eyes half-open and staring at him through the crack in the cabin, haunted him at every corner of his thoughts. The fear that had taken hold of him in that moment was indescribable. The corpse, as if alive, seemed to watch him with its dark, half-open eyes. It was more than he could bear.

At one point, he stopped. Something horrifying hit him. Something he should have noticed from the start. He was being followed. There was a shadow trailing him. It clung to the ground, then rose to take on indistinct shapes. His heart raced faster. He could feel something—an invisible hand closing in on him. But he dared not look back, knowing what would happen if he did.

Then, something strange happened. The shadows around him moved, surging rapidly in an unseen step. Suddenly, he felt something gripping his body, pinning him to the ground. A faint, mocking laugh cut through the air around him, sharp and filled with disdain.

Seven.

"Stupid, really?" The voice from the shadows slithered into his mind, messing with his thoughts.

Before Marlin could understand what was happening, he found himself immobilized. His legs felt as if they were about to snap under the pressure. He felt intense pain in his bones, and something tightened around him, as if an inhuman force was crushing him. The shadow, closing in on him from the dark, continued to tighten its grip, until Marlin felt as though his body was being torn from its place.

"You only have one choice—escape..." Seven's voice was thick and dark, as if enjoying Marlin's suffering.

Marlin felt his vision blur, his mind sinking into darkness. His hand trembled, blood flowing. Then, suddenly, consciousness faded, and everything disappeared into blackness.

Cardinal Toberus watched the scene in silence from a distant corner. His eyes, visible only from the upper part of his face, were fixed on the scene with calm, unwavering attention. He stood motionless, showing no reaction, as though he was used to this kind of chaos.

One of his subordinates, dressed in the robes of the clergy, spoke up. "Why don't you move? Why not intervene?"

The cardinal turned toward his subordinate and replied, his voice quiet and unsettling, "If we move now, the hunt will fail. But the boy will be in good condition. We'll deal with him when the time is right."

Watching Marlin being dragged away stirred something within him, but he remained still. Cardinal Toberus wasn't in a hurry; he waited for the right moment, as if he knew everything would fall into place in due time.