Inside the elevator car, Ai Chan felt that the dark space before him was permeated with some strange, invasive substance.
Simply breathing the air coming from it made his lungs sting, and each breath began to feel constricted.
Above all, its alien atmosphere, so utterly different from the elevator's, made stepping inside feel like setting foot on a terrifying path from which he could never return.
Ai Chan was afraid. This time, even mentally preparing himself did nothing.
The elevator's short, cool-colored light flickered faster and faster, accompanied by a shrill alarm, as though urging him to leave immediately.
But no matter what, he could not bring himself to take that step.
As time dragged on, sweat covered Ai Chan's forehead, despite the unprecedented chill suffusing the space around him.
He had inherited all of Lu Chen's Sin Objects, so he might still stand a fighting chance in this unknown space. Yet his human instincts warned him that he absolutely must not enter.
Then the entire elevator began to shake.
After one final flicker, the short light went out completely, and the darkness inside and outside the elevator merged into one.
Ai Chan forgot to breathe. Bracing himself against the steel walls on either side, he swayed along with the elevator.
The elevator showed faint signs of falling. Everything was forcing him to enter.
Under the mounting pressure, he finally took a step.
The moment his sole touched the hard floor tile, Ai Chan's heart abruptly stopped. He had heard breathing right beside him.
He did not dare turn his head, even though that breathing was right by his ear.
Darkness filled everything. He had only taken two steps outside, yet he could no longer sense the swaying elevator behind him at all.
It was as though entering this dark