Chapter 1330: Chapter 1330
"I have to object," Magic Miss retorted. "That defies all logic! As the storyteller, you're supposed to explain the cause and effect of these things!"
She winked at the others, who immediately took her cue and joined in, filling the room with a chorus of doubt.
"Very well, I can explain... The explorers failed to notice that the very ground beneath their feet was steeped in an ancient power. Beneath the overgrown lawn and winding paths, a vast psychic apparatus, constructed from human blood and claw marks, has been influencing every single person in the hospital.
"Unlike the fortunate writer, the four explorers did not escape before the user activated the psychic device. Now that it's active, they will need nothing short of a miracle to prevent their minds from being controlled. Please, make your roll."
Corpse Gentleman gestured toward the dice on the table. It was painfully obvious that not a single one of their character sheets had a maxed-out [Willpower] stat of 100. Therefore, no matter what they rolled, the number would exceed their stat. Failure was inevitable. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel~fire~net
The cat let out a soft meow, but no one paid it any attention. It craned its neck, studying the figurines on the table, already plotting its own way to save Briny Mikhail.
Mr. Hood suddenly pointed at the game board. Near the rear of the miniature hospital courtyard, the surface began to swell rapidly, indicating that something was trying to break through from below.
Ignoring any damage, the figurine got back on its feet and made a mad dash for the hospital's main gate. But at the very spot from which it had emerged, a much larger mound of earth began to rise at an alarming speed. Corpse Gentleman's voice was low and deliberate as he explained:
"The great master of the subterranean Tamir Palace. The god of war from a bygone age. The ancient one, roused from an eternal slumber. The last survivor of the Titans... has awakened."
Furious wind and rain howled outside. A sudden crash of lightning split the sky, and a brilliant flash of white light illuminated the room, casting the tabletop in stark relief. It also lit up the colossal grey hand that had emerged from the earth. The bracer on its arm was of a plain, ancient design—the mark of a creature from the Age of Myth, an ancient being beyond the wildest imaginings of any mortal in this era.
The entire table began to vibrate, as if an unseen force were shaking it. Mr. Hood and the other three players shot to their feet, backing away from the scene. They watched as a second colossal hand broke through the surface. The tremors intensified, and a hairless head emerged from the miniature earth, followed by a thick neck and a massive torso.
It took only thirty seconds for the complete form of the Titan to haul itself out from the ground.
Even though they knew it was just a game, that the Titan was nothing more than a wooden carving, the four players couldn't help but avert their eyes. The intricate detail of its musculature, its bizarre visage—it was all too unsettling.
But the most terrifying aspect of this creature from ancient mythology was its flesh. It seemed to just hang from its frame, and through it, they could faintly see a viscous black sludge flowing just beneath the skin.
It had long been dead, long since corrupted. This was a fallen Titan.
The Titan threw back its head and bellowed. The immense roar seemed to come from outside the window, and all four players instinctively turned to look. Had Jenkins been there, he would have known that the sound was coming from the direction of the actual abandoned hospital.
Goosebumps erupted on their skin. The roar carried no supernatural power, yet a primal memory, passed down through the bloodline of humanity, would never forget the terror of being dominated by giants in the distant Age of Myth.
It was not instinct. It was memory. It was heritage. It was a fragment of history, an indelible shadow cast upon the human soul. The age when gods walked the earth had long since passed, the splendors of ancient epochs buried in the dust of time. The supernatural now lurked in the shadows, while the brilliant light of human civilization illuminated the world and defined the new era.
And yet, in this era of revolution, this Age of Steam, this time when the supernatural and the divine had all but vanished from sight... a giant from the ancient world had just clawed its way out of the earth.
"I can't even begin to imagine what's happening at the actual hospital right now," Mr. White Cat said, struggling to keep the fear out of his voice. He had to admit it—that simple roar had terrified him. He felt no shame, however; the fear was so absolute it left room for little else.
"First it was a dragon, and now a Titan," Mr. Hood murmured. "Is Nolan truly doomed?" Though he was standing, one hand rested on the table, and it trembled ever so slightly.
"A waking Titan... in this day and age! A tale from the Age of Myth, happening right now, in the year 1867 of the Eighteenth Epoch! Gods, have mercy on me!"
Magic Miss began to pray, a rare sight. They had all known her long enough to be certain she almost never did.
"Will Candle Mr be alright?" Hathaway asked, sinking back into her chair. Her eyes were fixed on the game board, filled with worry. She forced her gaze away from the Titan figurine, which inspired a terror that felt chillingly real.
"Roll the dice," Corpse Gentleman reminded them. "We must determine if your explorers can resist having their minds controlled."
"You're a Titan!" Mr. White Cat shrieked hysterically. Of everyone present, he seemed the most shaken by this revelation.
"I am merely a fragment of the great Titan's consciousness, not his entirety," the demigod Corpse Gentleman stated calmly.
"Tell us everything about the Titan! It's part of the story, so tell us, now!" Mr. Hood demanded, his voice unsteady. He was struggling to suppress a strange cocktail of anger and fear that churned within him.
"The great cataclysm at the end of the Third Epoch wiped out the Titans. A fortunate few survived by hiding deep underground, waiting for the dawn of the Fourth Epoch. But not all of them awoke when that new era began. While 'I' slumbered, my mind was invaded by an evil force from the deepest abyss. I died in my dreams, only to be reborn by absorbing a power far more terrible. Yet this revival came at a cost—I was bound to that land, stripped of my freedom.
"For nearly ten thousand years, I remained underground, slowly absorbing all of that power. It was the lingering essence of a malevolent entity from an age before the Titans, a being defeated by the gods themselves. Once I absorbed that power, I found I could not leave this place—neither my body, nor even my thoughts."