Chapter 35: Aftermath
Walking along a corridor, Noctis felt a sense of familiarity. The wall, the floor, and the hallway structure all felt too real .
He could recognize all of them even if his vision was little blurry; this was back on Earth and in his own home.
"N-no way," his voice cracked as he tried to speak; his voice echoed all around him, disbelief flooding him as he realized where he was.
Rushing towards the stairs ahead, Noctis turned right and hurried to the second door on the right.
Stopping before the door, he looked at his familiar door, which had "Do Not Disturb"written on it. He could faintly hear the sounds of keys being clicked from the other side.
Noctis froze, his hand paused, hesitating to turn the doorknob. Behind him, the corridor had changed;
The previous stairs leading down and the other side of the floor were engulfed with darkness.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly opened the door to his room as the tapping sound faded.
The sight before him sent a jolt of dread through his entire body; the room was empty, unlike his own room, his bed untouched, and his desk lay bare except for the monitor glowing with an unnatural light.
Noctis stopped in the middle of the room. The screen flickered, showing a white text blinking with a black background: 'Continue.'
A single line of blood flowed from the edge of the monitor, dripping onto his desk with a sickening and loud plop, forming a pool on his desk.