?


    Harker found himself staring at a spiral staircase from above.


    It felt like it would go on forever. But when he counted the number ofplete turns, it was only 9. Nine turns, and yet it felt so much deeper than that, like it would reach to the center of the Earth itself. Down to its very core.


    He realized that he was in some kind of tower, most likely. The walls were made of cold gray cobblestone and it was so dark. Even with his night vision, this ce still felt incredibly dark and he could barely see anything if he didn''t squint his eyes. The end of the staircase looked like nothing but an empty….


    "Void."


    Harker turned around, and there was a figure behind him in red. His clothing was something like he had seen from Medieval men, with long overflowing capes and high ck boots. His entire silhouette was just red, ck, and white— the white being his skin the color of baster.


    His eyes were glowing bright red amidst the darkness, so bright that it might be considered as the only light source in this ce.


    "Rarely do I have visitors. Or would it be the opposite? Was it you who invited me in?"


    Harker doesn''t know why he felt like suffocating just from looking at this man. He felt like his blood was boiling and turning his body into an overheated mess. But at the same time, the hairs on his skin stood up as it would from the cold.


    "I assume that it must be thattter. You are not really here, I am the one who visited you."


    Harker tried his best to muster the words. But before they could even escape his lips—


    "I am who I am." The man answered, tilting his head in an amused manner. "What about you? Who are you, boy?"


    Harker knew then that this man could read his mind. But who is he really?


    He can''t seem to remember anything else before the moment he was looking on the spiral staircase. Why was he here? How did he get here? He can''t recall anything other than his name, and who he was…..


    Well, who was he?


    He was Harker Jones, but that felt empty. He had nothing else but a name.


    "Poor soul. Harker Jones, was it?" He spoke the name as if he was tasting it, savoring it. "Ah. Now I understand."


    "Do you know why I''m here?" Harker asked.


    The man chuckled at this. His voice had the texture of velvet, but also the roughness of sandpaper. It was hard to exin, but it was hypnotizing nheless. His face….


    Why does his face feel so familiar?


    "It has begun. I wonder if he knows." The man said, grabbing Harker''s jaw and moving it from side to side to observe his face.


    Harker realizes that his fingers had very long nails that were almost as sharp as ws. He then went to ce those w-like fingers over Harker''s face…


    They felt colder than anything in this world. Harker thought that they could even freeze him.


    "You have grown…. Just like how I wanted you to be. When she had you in her womb, Imented the thought that you might look more like her. But I am d."


    Harker furrowed his brows. "I don''t understand. What are you talking about—"


    "Oh." The man narrowed his eyes. "It appears that we are not alone."


    Harker looked around, but he couldn''t see anybody else. But he does feel like he was being watched, watched so intensely along with this stranger.


    The man was quiet for a while, before putting his hands away from him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Very well. I don''t mean to put you in unease, my dear. I just find it fascinating how the apple doesn''t fall too far from the tree."


    Harker blinked. "Huh? Are you talking about me?"


    The man smiled. "It is not important. Will you walk with me, Harker Jones?"


    Harker nodded, because he had nothing else besides this man. He had no identity, no memories, and no idea what to do. So he could only follow after him as he started going down the spiral staircase.


    When they reached the end, Harker saw what appeared to be a circr room. There was a dias in the middle of it, where it seemed that a circr object used to be and was held in ce. From there, red vines spread out all over the room like veins, pulsating and glowing just like the man''s eyes.


    "9 months...." The man said. "Conception, gestation, birth. It takes 9 months, and I waited patiently for those 9 months. And when the timees... New life. It was beautiful, but once born, I became even utterly andpletely alone."


    Harker saw a red veil hanging over the side, along with some scepter. On the scepter were two lines that intersect perpendicrly.


    "It is an honor to bring the Child of the Morning into the world, yes. But you must understand how awfully lonely it was….. No one by your side, only an unhatched egg. And once it hatched, you have nothing left but yourself."


    The man sighed, sitting down. "Would you sit here, boy?"


    Harker did as he told and—


    Suddenly, the man hugged him, resting his head on Harker''s chest.


    "Allow me this, just once. Please, my dear." He begged. "I have never seen the light for so long. My heart yearns for thepanionship of…."


    He looked up at the confused Harker, and his lips stretched so wide that it allowed his sharp teeth to peek through. "You truly look too much like him."


    He reached out for Harker''s Adam''s apple, and leaned closer towards it. Opening his mouth to take a bite—


    When suddenly the ground shook, there was a loud shout. It didn''t sound like any shout hehad heard. In fact, it sounded like it just came from his mind, deafening him from within. It was raw, guttural, and full of rage…


    Harker felt like his head was splitting in half. He wished so much for it to be over....


    Soon, he woke up.


    -----------------------


    "AHHHHH!!"


    Howard Jones jolted from his bed, breathing so heavily that he hurt himself.


    Soon, his daughter Chloe came to his door from hearing the noise. She rubbed her eyes sleepily. "What''s wrong, Dad? Yawn….. Did you have a nightmare again? You were shouting so much…."


    "Chloe…. Pack your things. We''re going back." Her dad said, not looking at her and instead staring into space with wide eyes.


    "W-What?" Chloe blinked. "Why?"


    But instead, he continued to urge her. "Go now, wake up your brothers. Tell your Grandpapa to lend me some money to buy a shovel too. I…. I need to….."


    He needed to make sure if what was supposed to be buried was still buried. And if not….


    "Harker is in danger."