My final shift had begun.
Night had spread its cloak over the estate, and the stars scattered their threads across the sky as though silently watching me.
The air was still, carrying a faint chill, and the quiet around me resembled the silence that follows the end of a stage performance that had lasted for days.
I sat on the stairs of the second floor.
My back still ached from the punishment, but the pain now felt different… gentler, less sharp—as if my body itself had accepted that this night would be the last.
Minutes passed.
Perhaps hours.
Or at least it felt that way.
As always, thoughts began creeping into my mind the moment silence settled.
This is my final shift.
And tomorrow… we leave.
Even though I had spent no more than four days here, the place had somehow managed to leave its mark inside me.
I would not see the cook again—the man who spoke little, yet whose silence carried a hidden warmth.
Nor Roshin… the one who spoke more with her eyes than with her lips.
Even the noble Valis… that man I had never truly managed to read, toward whom I felt a confusing mixture of respect and fear.
Will we meet again?
Perhaps.
But what are the chances of that, really?
Life rarely returns stories to their beginnings, and silent farewells are often the final ones.
I took a deep breath and smiled faintly, though I wasn't sure why.
Despite the fear, the exhaustion, and the boredom…
I had enjoyed it.
Suddenly, something very mundane interrupted that reflective moment—something simple, yet impossible to ignore.
My dry throat.
A dryness stretched from my throat down to my chest, as though my throat had become a piece of cloth left under the summer sun.
I desperately needed water.
Yet it was not only physical thirst… it was a thirst for continuity, for remaining in a moment of safety free from thought.
But what if something happens while I'm gone? I wondered.
I can't leave my post, not even for a few moments.
This is my position.
I'm responsible for it.
But the dryness worsened, and another voice in my mind began whispering.
Come on… just go drink some water. It will only take a few seconds. Do you really think something will happen in those few seconds?
I tried to resist.
To cling to discipline.
But reason—and thirst—proved stronger than those fragile considerations.
I whispered to myself:
"My mind is right… it's impossible for something to happen while I'm gone."
Slowly, I rose from the stairs, as though stepping into a heavy decision.
I walked toward the kitchen door on the second floor and opened it carefully.
Just as I expected, no one was there.
The silence still ruled everything, as though the house itself were asleep.
I went to the sink, turned the faucet, and drank the cold water like a man lost in a desert.
With every sip, I felt life returning to me bit by bit.
I closed the faucet and returned.
Everything was exactly as I had left it.
No one in the corridors.
Nothing moved.
No strange sound.
No alarm.
Just soft silence.
I smiled faintly and thought, What did I tell you? It's impossible for something to suddenly happen at a moment like this.
Then I suddenly stopped, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"Wait… why am I talking to my mind?"
I let out a tired breath and a faint laugh.
"I must really be starting to lose my mind…"
I returned to my post and sat on the stairs once more, just as before.
Perhaps nothing had changed on the outside…But inside, many things were shifting.
Seconds passed slowly.
Minutes stretched into hours until it felt as though time itself were conspiring against me.
Sleepiness began sneaking into my eyes—that quiet kind of drowsiness that does not arrive suddenly, but slips in like a skilled thief.
My eyelids felt heavy.
My muscles were exhausted.
The punishment still echoed throughout my body.
I desperately wanted to close my eyes… to rest my head, even for a few minutes.
But I resisted.
"This is the last shift… at least I should do it properly," I told myself with quiet determination.
And suddenly—
BOOOOOOM!!!
The sound thundered as though a bomb had fallen upon the mansion.
A violent explosion shook the ground beneath me.
My heart leapt inside my chest, and my body trembled as if struck by electricity.
I froze in place, shock locking my muscles as my mind tried to catch up with what had just happened.
What was that?!
What just happened?!
The sound had come from above…From the third floor.
Before I could even move, the door of the noble Valis's room burst open violently, and the noble himself stepped out.
His features were tense, his gaze sharp.
There was a strain in his eyes I had never seen before.
He asked immediately, his voice sharp:
"Why was there an explosion?!"
I stammered, my voice trembling.
"I… I don't know either… why—"
But I never finished.
A familiar voice interrupted me from behind.
"Noble Valis! Quickly—hide at once! The sound came from the third floor! The assassins must have tried to infiltrate from there!"
It was Calstier's voice.
He was running toward us, with Cairo behind him, looking clearly terrified.
At once, hurried footsteps began approaching the stairs.
I turned to see the employer, followed by Knox, Marcus, Sirion, and Zairos.
All of them looked tense.
Each had a hand resting on their weapon, as though the moment of confrontation was imminent.
The employer shouted with a voice that tolerated no argument:
"Noble Valis, stay here and hide! I'll go check what happened."
Then he turned quickly and spoke with strict military authority.
"Zairos! Knox! Marcus! You three—follow me immediately. The rest of you stay here and protect the noble!"
Without waiting for a reply, he rushed toward the third floor.
The other three followed with swift, cautious steps.
I stood there in shock, watching everything unfold as though I were witnessing a scene from a film—unable to react.
I couldn't clearly see their faces anymore, but their heavy footsteps and tense voices said everything.
What is happening?!
Fear crept into my heart.
My hands began to tremble.
My body froze in place.
My mind tried to explain the situation, but every possibility was terrifying.
An explosion…On the third floor?
Were they assassins?!
Had they managed to infiltrate?!
Marcus shouted loudly as he disappeared up the stairs:
"Do not lower your guard! We don't know what might happen! Protect the noble Valis with everything you've got!"
Cold seeped into my bones.
Everything we've got?
I can barely fight an ordinary man. My body is exhausted, and my spirit is restless—how am I supposed to face assassins with supernatural abilities?
I tried to calm myself.
Perhaps the explosion had been an accident.
Maybe just a burst pipe… or something minor.
There was no reason to jump to conclusions.
Perhaps all this fear was unnecessary.
But my heart refused to believe that.
Then Sirion spoke calmly, yet firmly.
"Noble Valis, it would be best if we enter your room. If an attack happens, defending this narrow corridor will be difficult."
Valis nodded reluctantly.
"Very well… let's go inside."
The noble entered the room first.
Despite his attempt to remain calm, tension was evident in his posture.
Sirion followed behind him, composed and steady, his hand resting near his sword.
Then came Cairo and Calstier, both alert, their eyes quickly scanning the room.
Finally… I followed them.
Hesitant.
Afraid.
But with no choice but to enter with them.
I stepped inside and quietly closed the door behind me, trying not to let the trembling of my hand on the handle be heard.
From here…We would wait.
And discover the truth.
Was it merely an accidental explosion?
Or had the nightmare returned…Once again?