The Vanishing Body and the Timeless Room

Only a few minutes had passed.

Once the black mist ceased to emanate and was fully absorbed by Phini’s claw, the dwarfish man, who had been grotesquely twisted on the ground, regained his diminutive stature. He had returned to his human form. It seemed as though everything had reverted to normal, yet this was not entirely true.

What had returned was merely his corpse. The very essence of life had permanently departed from him.

Phini cast a glance at the body on the ground. She then lifted it and, with a powerful throw, hurled it toward the forest outside the village. Given that it was still deep in the night, no one dared to venture out. Consequently, it was unlikely anyone would see what she had just done.

Having disposed of the assassin’s corpse, Phini turned her head, looking at Renard’s body. His eyes were tightly closed, his face serene, utterly devoid of any lingering resentment in death. The only person he likely would have worried about was Angela. After all, he had asked Phini to take her away.

Notably, Phini did not treat Renard with the same disrespect. She carefully lifted him, hoisted his body onto her shoulder, and began walking toward his home.

While Phini felt a touch of sympathy for the healer, it did not mean she intended to arrange his burial. For someone who was willing to kill but not to bury, she truly had no obligation to inter him. Moreover, she hadn’t even been the one to kill him, giving her even less reason to interfere.

Following the village streets, guided by the faint lamplight, Phini soon arrived at Renard’s house. Along the way, she encountered several of the crimson-eyed ghouls. However, they seemed to ignore her entirely, passing by without even a glance back. Perhaps it was because Renard was dead, or perhaps he possessed some unique ability, but even with Phini carrying his body, no monsters bothered them. This allowed her to return to his residence without incident.

His front door stood wide open, allowing a clear view of the interior.

“I hope someone finds you tomorrow.”

Phini looked into the house, then at Renard on her shoulder. She carried him inside and gently placed him on the bed.

As Phini settled him down, she felt a subtle unease in the room. Was it just her imagination? She sensed something was deeply amiss.

‘How did so much… appear in the room so quickly?’

Upon a closer inspection, Phini finally realized what was wrong: the passage of time within the house was distorted. The environment appeared as though it had endured centuries of decay. Aside from a thick layer of dust, all the furniture and walls had begun to rot, covered in green growths. It was clear without a doubt that they were moss and mildew.

Realizing the utterly abnormal state of the room, Phini instinctively turned to look back at the bed.

She witnessed an even more bizarre and astonishing sight.

Where Renard’s remains had been resting, only a skeleton, already reduced to bleached white bones, now lay. Renard’s body had vanished without a trace. No, it would be more accurate to say he had transformed into an ancient skeleton in the blink of an eye—one ravaged by wind, frost, and the relentless march of time.

Observing this incredible scene, Phini fell into deep contemplation, pondering the reason behind it. However, no matter how much she thought, she found no answers. The events unfolding before her were utterly bizarre and inexplicable.

“Forget it…”

After several minutes, Phini, having failed to deduce anything, finally gave up trying to understand. She could only surmise that what had happened in this room was likely connected to the village’s secret, and Renard, who knew that secret, had been silenced in a way she couldn’t comprehend.

With a soft sigh, she slowly stood up and scanned the room once more. Only after confirming that nothing had been left behind did she depart.

Just as she stepped out of Renard’s house, a faint hint of dawn began to appear in the distant sky. The sun slowly began to emerge from the east.

As it rose, Phini felt an even stranger sensation. She did not believe the night could have ended so swiftly. Based on her conservative estimate, at most only two hours had passed since she had met with Renard. Yet, now, it was sunrise.

Where had the vanished time gone? Phini’s mind was filled with questions.

Holding onto these doubts, Phini walked back toward Angela’s house. Perhaps because dawn had only just broken, the village streets were utterly deserted. Even the ghouls were gone. The moment the sky showed the first hint of dawn, their roars had vanished as if they had never existed.

The journey back took only a few minutes. Upon arriving, she noticed Angela’s house was utterly silent and dark.

Upon entering, Phini’s first action was to check Angela’s room. Perhaps not checking would have been better, for the confirmation filled her with unease.

Angela’s room was empty, and the door was ajar. Seeing no one inside, Phini immediately rushed in and searched everywhere.

“Where did Angela go?”

Phini was certain Angela would not be outside, and now she wasn’t in her room either. Had she also turned into one of the ghouls? Recalling the scene she had witnessed in the forest, Phini suppressed her ominous conjectures and slowly stepped out of the empty room.

Just as she did, she saw Angela returning from outside, entering the courtyard. Angela’s eyes were tightly closed, as if she were sleepwalking. Seeing her like this, Phini did not call out. She knew that sleepwalkers should not be woken abruptly; forcibly waking one could lead to problems, a fact her little sister had once mentioned.

Phini quickly cleared the path, allowing her to pass. The moment Angela entered her room, she seemed to instinctively know to close the door, shutting and locking it with a casual gesture. Then, under Phini’s watchful gaze, she returned to her bed and lay down again.

“Was it just sleepwalking?” Phini murmured to herself thoughtfully after Angela had settled back down. If it was merely sleepwalking, she could breathe a sigh of relief.

However, what if it wasn’t? That thought made Phini gasp in dread. If it was because Angela had become one of the ghouls, then Phini would have to face a very cruel reality.

“I hope I’m just overthinking this…” Phini shook her head slightly, casting away the chaotic thoughts that plagued her mind. She quietly returned to her own room. After all, sleeping through difficulties was her current mantra. Whatever problems arose could wait until she woke up.

She closed her eyes and quickly fell into a deep slumber.

Half a day passed. Then, a cacophony of thump-clank-thump-clank-thump sounds from outside awakened the deeply sleeping Phini. Disturbed by the noise, she instantly lost all desire to sleep.

“What are they doing out there?”

The loud noises continued to echo into the room, making Phini incredibly curious. Driven by this curiosity, she first checked her clothes to ensure nothing was exposed before getting out of bed and walking toward the door.

“What are you all doing?” As soon as Phini exited her room, she immediately spotted the likely source of the noise. Two somewhat familiar youths were hammering and sawing wood, seemingly constructing something. Standing beside them was Angela.

“What’s wrong? Did we disturb you, Phini?” Noticing her emerge, Angela quickly turned and asked.

“Isn’t that obvious?” Phini gave Angela a look reserved for an idiot. To make such a racket and then ask that question—this girl clearly hadn’t experienced the harsh realities of early morning awakenings!

“Is that so? My apologies. A few sections of the fence broke, so I asked Ah-Da and Ah-Xiao to help rebuild it,” Angela replied, apologizing before Phini even had a chance to speak. Indeed, it was her oversight that had caused Phini to be woken.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. How did the fence break?” Phini waved her hand, not bothering to dwell on the matter. After all, she still relied on Angela for sustenance; otherwise, she would be left to wander and sleep under the open sky. Especially now, her wounds seemed to have slightly reopened from her exertions last night, causing her a splitting headache.