NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 869
A whisper like a snake caresses my ears.
It feels as though something cold and smooth is silently gliding by, casually slipping into my ear and tickling my eardrum with its icy sensation.
So chilling that it snaps me back to reality, yet strangely, there’s a curious sense of familiarity and longing in that voice, leaving me baffled.
In the direction of Anastasia’s crown, where I can only see the darkened corners of my vision if I don’t move.
Hearing that voice, Anastasia tried to spring up from her position.
“Huh? Why isn’t my body…?”
However, oddly enough, she couldn’t lift her body.
It felt as if she had become mired in a swamp, her body weighed down.
The air of the pitch-black forest firmly trapped Anastasia’s limbs.
Cold moonlight settled on Anastasia’s chest, pressing her down.
The ground she lay on constricted her as if it were sticky, preventing even the slightest movement.
“Wait, am I trapped?”
Anastasia mumbled in disbelief at being restrained without any warning.
She was a witch with powers tied to dreams, having spent far more time in dreams than in reality.
But to be trapped in a dream?
So absurdly?
Without even a hint of it?
This was a situation Anastasia couldn’t comprehend.
Even if it were an uncontrollable nightmare, she should at least feel some foreboding.
She should be able to resist even with her power…
Yet, strangely, that was impossible.
As if her entire being—body, mind, and soul—was held fast, unable to stir…
Anastasia was flustered by this bizarre situation.
And as the sound of approaching footsteps drew nearer, her bewilderment grew.
“…Huh?”
In the corner of her vision, a black dress and frills appeared at the edge of her upturned gaze, transforming her confusion into dread.
A black dress.
Frills.
Shoes.
Anastasia recognized them.
She had clearly seen them while climbing the stairs of her apartment.
Just the sight of them evoked a terrifying sense of incongruity and fear, ultimately leading her to hurl herself out of her apartment window.
No, it couldn’t be.
It shouldn’t be.
Anastasia muttered to herself inwardly.
Dreams are inherently vague, yet they have well-defined boundaries.
In one’s own realm, dreams can change endlessly, but interactions with others’ dreams happening is rare.
Anastasia had definitely jumped from the apartment.
Yes. She had escaped the endless stairs, the infinitely climbable tower.
Through that act, she had entered another realm, distancing herself from that uncontrollable element of the dream—often referred to as ‘the demon in the dream’, ‘the inner demon’, or ‘the sentinel of nightmares’—she should have certainly been free of it.
“No. I haven’t escaped.”
As if mocking her thoughts, ‘it’ whispered in her ear.
“The fact that you were able to come here at all was thanks to my invitation.”
It began extending its pale fingers.
The pure white fingers brushed past Anastasia’s ear, brushing against her cheek.
Jet-black nails that evoked images of the dead came into view for Anastasia, and then…
*Squelch!*
“AHHH?!”
Just like that, with a fierce pinch of her cheek between its thumb and finger, it began twisting. The pressure was so intense that even though it merely pinched, she could hear a distinct *squelch* sound.
Anastasia screamed in pain, thrashing desperately to escape that grip. But her body remained firmly held, and instead of breaking free, she was powerless to move even a single finger, forced to endure the torment.
All she could do was scream.
A few tears welled up from the pain, and that was all.
Anastasia was powerless.
So very, very powerless.
She could only endure that hand pinching her cheek, silently wishing for the torture to end…
How long had this agony dragged on?
The pressure that bound her body suddenly vanished, her form unshackled from the sticky grasp.
Anastasia rolled her body over, attempting to distance herself as much as possible from whatever the black dress consisted of.
Rolling, rolling.
Thud.
Until she collided with a tree and could roll no more.
Quickly, she got up and hid her body behind a thin tree, peeking out to watch where the woman in the black dress was.
Preparation to flee at any moment.
And then…
Even from a distance, Anastasia could see it clearly.
Crimson eyes.
Hair as white as moonlight.
A black dress that looked like it had brought the dark forest with it.
An umbrella as black as the night sky.
Expressionless, or perhaps regarding Anastasia with disdain, the woman was looking at her.
The crimson eyes met.
The pale light illuminated the forest, comparing their colors.
The white girl against the backdrop of white birch trees.
The black girl against the backdrop of black willows.
As their gazes crossed paths, the black girl took the initiative to move first.
*Step.*
*Step.*
*Step.*
Even beneath the moon’s light, the ground was shrouded in such darkness.
It was hard to tell if the shadows formed a carpet that enveloped the forest.
The black girl walked delicately across the black carpet.
As if she were a noble lady.
With each step she took, it felt like the world grew darker around her—a mere illusion, perhaps.
Even though the moon was shining down brightly, it felt dim.
What had once been a bright backdrop now seemed to sink into darkness with each of her strides.
It was as if the forest was swallowed by shadow—
Or like pouring black paint onto a nearly complete canvas.
*Step.*
And when she took her final step.
The forest was completely consumed by darkness, leaving only Anastasia and her behind.
She looked at Anastasia, dropping her umbrella to the ground and lifting her skirt gracefully with both hands.
She bowed slightly, presenting herself like a refined noblewoman in greeting.
“It’s been a long time, and a first meeting as well. I am the host who guided you here through the collective unconscious, an entity that exists in the depths of that unconscious, desiring to speak with you.”
She gazed at Anastasia as she continued.
“I am Ella. Ella Bluezoisite Winter—”
A smile surfaced on her face.
A smile that felt dark, sticky, and slimy.
“—the residue of that.”