.

  Ace woke, remaining rigid in his bed, staring fixedly at the ceiling through which the morning light filtered

  with a coalescence of perplexity and suspicion, he thought

  ?' Verily, this is strange? According to my sleep schedule, I should have awakened at dawn; why, then, have I awakened now. '

  With this pattern of cogitation, his thoughts suddenly accelerated, morphing into a notion that might seem irrational, yet was equally dread-inducing

  ?' Is there someone in the room?! '

  ?No sooner had this thought encroached upon him than he bolted from the bed, a sudden, light leap bolstered by his right hand, to land upon the floor in a stance that permitted him to perceive

  everything in the room simultaneously

  ?He searched fervently, with glances that did not seem to belong to a man besieged by fear

  Behind the door?

  There is nothing

  Perhaps, then, in the closet?

  He went to open it, only to behold the dust resulting from his lethargy in cleansing

  He did not despair

  Could it be beneath the bed?

  After inspecting the darkness under the bed, he could not discern well, so he extended his hand beneath to grope about, yet he encountered neither object nor soul

  ?It mattered not where he sought to search within his room; he found naught, thus he began conversing with himself in silence within the confines of his mind

  Were you to stand outside, you would find him merely standing, staring toward the chamber door

  But were you to peer into his eyes, you would notice his pupils oscillating right and left, as though he were re-evaluating his very thoughts

  ?' Strange, or perhaps not truly so.

  ?Rather, that which you do, Ace, is the strange thing; when will you divest yourself of your psychological turbulence and your panic, acting as though you were the axis of the universe?

  Why would there exist a jinn in your room, or the like of ghosts or metaphysics

  ?I mean, in all candor, were I a ghost, why would I desire to possess me specifically,

  Perhaps I am handsome, but my madness is insufferable

  ?Indeed, had I not known myself, I would have surmised that I am possessed by some supernatural entity

  ... a moment, am I possessed?? '

  ?Ace gazed for a moment at the digits of his hand and brought it slowly toward his eye

  His hand moved upward with a creeping velocity; it would be no exaggeration to claim that had there been a tortoise,

  it could have outpaced him

  ?Yet this deceleration was irritating in a manner that invoked a shudder.

  He was moving his five fingers, specifically extending the first three toward his right eye

  ?Slowly, yet with an unyielding steadiness, while his features were overcome by vacant expressions, as though his thoughts ought not to exist in this world

  ?Perhaps the sluggishness of his hand, coupled with its unswerving stability, was sufficient to leave the most formidable of surgeons in awe of his precision

  But you would not be granted the opportunity for awe, as the immersion in his thoughts—apparent in his conduct—makes you sense the extent of his peril

  ?For his fingers, which were previously a meter away, now had naught but millimeters between them and his eye!

  ?Then, suddenly

  " Pffft "

  Ace began to laugh with a stifled sound, covering his mouth with his hand to conceal the derisive expression he held, then he began to speak in an audible voice

  ?" Heh, did the ruse beguile you?

  Fret not; I shall not take my eye now, for I am yet in need of it "

  With a refreshed timbre that finally succeeded in cloaking the laughter, Ace continued his discourse with "himself"

  ?"And now, to open the balcony door, I must permit the light to enter and commence my day

  I have been much delayed today....

  I hope this does not jeopardize my daily points. "

  ?He murmured beneath his breath with an exhausted sigh and weary eyes

  From what we perceive, it seems manifest that he did not attain a sufficient portion of sleep,

  or that he is encumbered by the burdens of a new day

  Or perhaps, is he merely indolent?

  Naught is clear as of yet

  ?But life awaits not your contemplation; it persists in occurring

  Thus, Ace advanced to open the balcony door, to allow the light to cascade

  ?The light inundated the room; Ace closed his eyes, sensing the sunlight—unusually torrential—and completing his daily routine, wherein he must stand before the sun to allow his body to subsist upon that light which God created for them

  ?Standing but a few meters between him and the tall trees arrayed in the street

  Feeling the searing sun and the sweltering atmosphere that surpassed mere warmth,

  attempting to relish the morning while organizing his thoughts

  ?But he began to sense something, and he took to thinking

  ' There is something amiss! '

  His mind began to throb with this sensation, like waves manifesting throughout his entire body, as though his feeling that something was wrong was a portal flung open to make him sense catastrophe; his thoughts raced

  ?' There is something amiss

  There is something absent

  There is that which is different, making me feel the strangeness '

  ?" What is it? What is it that I overlook "

  Murmuring with composure, Ace began reviewing his thoughts

  ?To begin with, he did not doubt for an instant that his intuition was erroneous

  In the end, he might be a madman, perennially afflicted with hyper-cogitation, obsession, and skepticism

  And given his recent circumstances, he truly endures a wretched time that impels him beyond the boundaries

  " Heh "

  He laughed, just now recollecting a friend of his who had studied psychology years ago; when he attempted to listen to some of his symptoms, he became terrified by the magnitude of the psychological maladies afflicting him

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  ?' Y-You, you?! No, no, no treatment shall avail you

  I offer my apologies, for I was mistaken

  It were better for you simply to perish

  How is it that you are yet alive

  You will not slay me, will you? '

  ?' Compose yourself; though I have endured all this, it does not signify that I am a bloodthirsty maniac. The greatest testament to my words is: look at yourself,

  You are the individual most renowned for your insolence and the coarseness of your tongue, and I have known you since near-childhood, yet I have not slain you still '

  ?Cease reflecting upon the past; focus upon the strange sensation presently!

  With a slight shudder, Ace emerged from the peculiar state that had just overtaken him and began swiftly analyzing what transpired around him

  ?" Usually, when I awaken from sleep or succumb to it, I am in my feeblest physical states, particularly in the winter season

  My body is exceedingly cold, and I require profound warmth

  I mean, I attempt to indurate my physique further by rendering it adaptable to such conditions, but it is evident there is a long path ahead of me "

  ?He spoke this while looking toward seven additional pieces of raiment he had previously discarded, casting them atop the bed encumbered with covers

  ?' But now I stand with ease; I felt no profound somnolence. Is it due to my instinct?

  Furthermore, the atmosphere is utterly mute

  I previously deduced it might be seven in the morning,

  as there is no sound of wayfarers on the road, nor carriages

  Yet there are trees in the street

  Why, then, do I not hear the warbling of birds? '

  ?The more Ace reflected, the more he

  encountered further questions devoid of answers; but for his particular megalomania, he certainly would not desist now

  Thus, he persisted in posing his inquiries

  ?' Why do I feel such ease standing here while the bed is behind me?

  Usually, I incline toward retreating to my covers or seeking a heated draught in the morning, but I feel the weather is not of such wretchedness

  In fact, I am not afflicted by my state of sleep-deprived debility

  Rather, I feel the atmosphere is sweltering '

  Then, finally, he was able to discern what was wrong!

  ?' Wait..... the atmosphere is sweltering?? While I wear a light, half-sleeved garment on the 30th of December, I shall feel the atmosphere is sweltering in the morning?!

  O, heavens '

  ?"The sun!"

  Directly upon reaching that realization, Ace opened his eyes to gaze toward the sun

  But the golden radiance of the sun did not reach him

  ?Nay, rather, he did not even behold any sun

  For instead of seeing that celestial body he had been familiar with since youth,

  He beheld an immensely colossal eye hovering in the firmament, appearing larger and closer to him even than the sun

  ?For a moment, he could not credit his eyes

  It appeared in the sky as a gargantuan celestial orb

  By virtue of its sheer magnitude, the capillaries within that monstrous eye were conspicuous to him and utterly terrifying

  They appeared as a congested, sanguine lightning, writhing like thousands of serpents beneath that titanic lens

  He had never known his eyes to possess such visual acuity

  ?But in that moment, he could truly perceive the existence of thousands of crimson snakes and twisting vipers in lieu of the capillaries that ought to exist alongside any eye

  ?That spectacle was sufficient to instill dread in the heart of anyone

  Yet, as though it were not enough

  ?The sky was presently a coalescence of yellow, red, and black

  An atmosphere befitting the eve of the Apocalypse

  There were no clouds in the sky to obstruct the vision

  There was only immense eye, which became clear at some point that it was indeed staring at Ace

  ?There was naught but a giant eye, exceeding in its dimensions a few cities

  But Ace could have sworn at that very moment

  Through that gaze, it appeared as though it were smiling a contorted smile befitting a demon

  ?' That look... as if it says—"Found you"—? '

  ?" ?Is this the essence of ^ gazing into the abyss until the abyss gazes back into thee ^ ?

  Heh, and what of it?

  Let me tell you something, you fool

  I know not who you deem yourself to be, but I shall tell you something of me

  I do not gaze into the abyss

  I prey upon it! "

  Ace uttered this in a wrathful tone, coupled with a loud, incomprehensible voice

  ?To complete the tableau, the veins manifested upon his neck; indeed, some veins surfaced upon his head as he glared at that eye, clenching his fist with sufficient force for his palms to drip some fresh gore

  ?Were you to stand within that scene, from one side you could behold a giant eye dominating the sky as though naught transcended it, shrouding the field of vision and usurping the sun’s domain, appearing gratified when the scent of the youth’s blood wafted forth

  ?And from another side, you could behold a wrathful, diminutive youth, his body quivering frantically

  ?His entire frame appeared as though it would detonate at any moment

  And suddenly

  " CRACK "

  The sound of shattering pervaded the place

  ?Fissures began to manifest like the threads of a spider's web everywhere

  In the room

  In the street

  Upon the trees

  In the sky and amidst the clouds

  And even upon that terrifying eye

  ?The cracks proliferated swiftly like a glass goblet shattered into thousands of fragments

  Then, suddenly, everything foundered downward until there remained only darkness and silence

  Even Ace himself no longer existed!

  ?Only after that darkness did Ace open his eyes, lying in bed upon his side

  " Another dream? Heavens, this is becoming vexing "

  Eschewing his resentment, Ace rolled onto his back, poised to arise, until suddenly he saw it upon the ceiling of the room

  ?He could see a blood-red eye that had appeared upon the ceiling, staring at him as though it were a component of the house's decor

  As though it had always been natural for that eye to exist, gazing at him during his slumber

  The eye blinked twice, then vanished, while Ace stared in bewilderment, his eyes focused upon the ceiling which had returned to its natural state, attempting to discern whether that eye had appeared only today or had perennially been present

  ?But he began to laugh vociferously

  ?" Haha Haha "

  Then, with a light motion of his hand, he cast all the covers that were strewn across his bed to collide with the other side of the room, and spoke with stifled indignation

  ?" Are you jesting with me??? Damnation

  Come hither, you craven; come, now, you accursed eye

  Do you surmise that you can remain concealed and that I shall not find you?

  Come, let us wager, then "

  ?Ace raised his countenance upward, and gradually, the features of wrath upon his cold face were supplanted by expressions of felicity

  It was a pure felicity that appeared closer to ecstasy or carnal desire, blended with that cold-featured face—a mixture potent enough to induce fear

  For a moment, you could not know who the monster was here

  ?But Ace’s voice interrupted your thoughts once more, striking you with a shiver from the excess of madness inherent in his tone or his words

  ?" Let us wager, then, whether I shall lose my mind first, or you shall lose your precious eyeball... pffft hahahaha

  I wonder, which is more diverting?

  Shall I excise your eye with a blade and freeze it in the larder?

  Or shall I content myself with puncturing it with my pencil and then roasting it upon the hearth?

  Aaah, all the propositions are splendid... what shall I do?? "

  ?As though he were perplexed, he sighed to project an expression of bewilderment and contemplative thought, then continued his discourse with "himself"

  ?" Hmmm, I have it

  I am exceedingly clever!

  Since it appeared that this eye is human, then it is axiomatic that the owner of this eye surely possesses another

  In that case, all I must do is take both your eyes... heh "

  ?Ace smiled manically and leaped lightly from the bed, opening his closet to extract from there a long black knife and a light shirt to conceal the blade within his sleeve

  ?During his preparation, a distorted, happy smile occupied his face, accompanied by the humming of some words through his lips

  His smile appeared so happy and romantic that, were you to look at that handsome youth who prided himself on his attire—even initiating the spraying of some fragrance upon himself—you might have surmised he was departing to encounter a paramour

  ?Yet it appeared equally contorted, as what had just transpired was not natural, and his concealment of a knife rendered the madness more pervasive

  Had you not known what had just occurred, you would have surmised he was departing to slaughter his beloved....

  ?Accompanied by a sense of trepidation and tension in the atmosphere, with a unique touch of madness, Ace did not appear concerned by any of this; rather, he merely departed his chamber to commence a new chapter