Child of the Mountains

The statue of the Old God, Lord of Slumber, depicted a faceless obese man holding something aloft—or perhaps stretching. Its holy emblem was an indescribable spiral pattern like a crawling snake. One glance at it made drowsiness surge over Shade, and he could not help yawning.

This made Mr. Bernhardt beside him yawn as well.

Shade held his breath and extended his right hand. When his fingers crossed a certain boundary, the skin at his fingertips peeled away, revealing faint golden gleams through the cracks.

He pulled his hand back and narrowed his eyes slightly. Seeing everyone watching him, he hesitated before using his left arm in an awkward pose to block their view. But considering Sister Devlin's "sight" did not depend on vision, it was hard to say whether this was of any use.

He extended his right hand again and grabbed both the idol and the holy emblem. An irresistible wave of drowsiness immediately swept over him. Amid "her" laughter, Shade collapsed onto the table:

"Slumber indeed."

"Then let us continue."

The master of the manor withdrew his gaze from Shade.

"What will happen to him?"

Bernhardt asked quietly, pointing at Shade lying on the table.

"If he can awaken from his slumber, then he may naturally leave. But if he remains asleep, he must stay here."

"Can't we take him away?"

Sister Devlin asked as well.

The old man's wrinkles piled together as he grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth:

"My ante for the first card of the second round is—"

(Little Mia was running.)

Shade had been mentally prepared for what might happen after touching the evil god's statue. Since this Old God was called the Father of Slumber, falling asleep after coming into contact with its power was only to be expected.

Within that