Abyss Prison.
The moment Isaiah realized what had flashed through his mind, his breathing stopped.
He clearly saw terror and helplessness appear on his reflection's face, an expression that had never appeared on his face throughout the past several decades.
Because he knew what it meant.
But why had he entertained such a mad thought? For that instant just now, it had been as though something had possessed him.
Isaiah abruptly rose to his feet. Only after forcing himself to stand straight did his previously labored breathing gradually smooth out.
"I really have lost my mind," he sighed. "I should rest."
He turned, preparing to return to his room.
But Isaiah did not know why. His room was right nearby, yet his legs seemed filled with lead, and he could not lift them no matter what.
At the same time, he could clearly feel his breathing grow heavier again, as though some enormous creature were pressing down on his entire body.
And that enormous creature was merely a thought.
Abyss Prison.
Isaiah tried desperately to stop his thoughts from spiraling around that name. It had always worked over the past few decades; without sufficiently powerful control over distracting thoughts, he could never have reached his current position. Yet at this moment, his greatest source of pride—his self-control—seemed to collapse in an instant. The dangerous thoughts he should have been able to easily restrain flowed like water, endlessly sliding into the grooves of the abyss.
Abyss Prison.
The name appeared in Isaiah's mind for the third time, and this time, it came with a thought.
Only there could save him.
Only there.
That thought was like fireworks suddenly bursting into bloom, blasting Isaiah's mind blank. When he came back to himself, he found that he was once again standing before the