I finally regained my consciousness as I hurriedly sat up straight and vomited the water that I swallowed earlier. I had a coughing fit as I found myself lying on the ground. I could still remember drowning in the frigid water that reached the ceiling as I experienced a realistic dream, or more like a horrible nightmare.

Though, it was surely strange. I did not know you can have another dream while you are still in one. It seems like logic and reasoning does not apply in my dreams.

I am not sure how the deep floodwater subsided, but it was now lowly streaming throughout the manor with serenity. The electricity was also back and I felt somehow at ease despite being completely drenched and my body involuntarily shivering.

My chest heaved up and down as I breathe, until I felt a sharp pain surging within my chest. Breathing suddenly became painful, and it feels like I have a fractured rib. I don't even know how one of my bones cracked as I just woke up. Not only that, my breast also felt sore. Did something happened while I was unconscious? Tears began pricking my eyes as I could only take shallow breathes to prevent the swelling in my chest.

"Sorry..."

A unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke as I quickly turned around and saw a mysterious man kneeling beside me.

Who is he? How long has he been here? How come I hadn't notice his presence until now?!

This young man has a long platinum blonde hair tied in a low pony tail with a mint green colored ribbon. His complexion was rather pale, it was like he has never experienced basking in the sunlight.

He is wearing a tailored large shamrock green coat embroidered with golden trimmings at the edges over white trousers, a black waistcoat and a white ruffled blouse, and a pair of black shoes with knee-length white spats.

As for his accessories, he is wearing a four set of earrings; three on his right and one on his left. His right ear has small silver sterling hoops around his cartilage and a stub on his lobe, while his left ear has a lone peridot earring that dangled on his lobe. His hands were covered with white fabric gloves and there is a green crystal ring on his thumb.

He is a good-looking man and I admit to have an instinctive attraction to his looks. However, his eyes were the ones that captivated me the most. A pair of turquoise green orbs, it was by far the most attractive feature in his handsome face.

The fact that I could distinguish vibrant colors from this man, I was instantly convinced that he might be related to the venomous reptiles that I encountered earlier.

"I performed an CPR on you, but during the compressions, it seems like I accidentally broke a rib."

This explains why everything feels so terribly painful. I still have a numerous cuts and a twisted leg that I got from earlier. Now I have to deal with a fractured rib and a sore chest.

"Oh, is that so..." I cannot tell him that it was alright. Though, he still saved me despite being unprofessional. "Thank you for saving me. I might've really died if you did not gave me a CPR."

I feel grateful for his deed, but there is something about him that made me uncomfortable as I can't afford to let my guard down yet.

"Do you perhaps know what happened while I was in a state of unconsciousness? This house was flooded with water earlier and that was the reason why I drowned. I don't know what happened afterwards."

"I sure do. Wanna know about it?"

I simply nodded as he proceeded to stand up. I noticed that his shoes and the ends of his pants were soaked wet.

"You failed the 2nd trial."

"Are you the mastermind?"

His lips curved into a mischievous smirk as he avoided the question. He became even more suspicious as I decided not to trust him.

"Maybe?"

"I never wanted to go through any of those trials."

"But you entered our domain."

"Does that mean there are other people here besides you?"

"Does that even matter? The mere fact that you entered this mansion in your own volition is enough proof that there is something you desire that you cannot fulfill alone."

I pursed my chapped lips disapprovingly as I held a serious eye-contact with the unknown stranger. "Who are you?"

"You sure like to ask nonsensical questions."

"Well, you sure do like to avoid them."

"Who am I... you ask." He sneered and chuckled, completely looking down on me with his condescending gaze. "Maybe its not who I am, but rather what I am."

"You're a human."

"Are you sure about that?"

"If you aren't human... then what are you?"

This frivolous man is fond of playing word games with me. Our conversation is practically going nowhere.

"You will eventually find out later." He extended his white fabric gloved hand towards me as his self-satisfied smirk never seemed to leave his face. "It is time for your final trial."

"What is the purpose of these trials anyway? Does this have any meaning at all or are you people merely using me for your entertainment?"

"I told you earlier, didn't I? You will know everything soon. That's if you managed to complete the last challenge."

"What if I don't? Will something bad happen to me?"

"Maybe yes, maybe no. Who knows?"

"...I failed the second trial, didn't I? How come nothing is still happening to me yet?"

"Do you want to?"

I flinched as his eyes began glowing brighter. It was like I am about to step on a landmine.

"...O-Of course not, I was just curious." I stuttered as I averted my gaze away from him. Since I don't know anything about him, I want to prevent myself from provoking him. I have no idea what he is capable of doing to me.

"Are you going to take my hand or not? This is getting a bit tiring."

"No, thank you. I appreciate the sentiment, but I can stand on my own." The truth is, I was afraid to come anywhere near him. I didn't want to make any physical contact.

"Suit yourself." His hand fell to his side as he watched me struggling to stand up on my own feet. It was rather difficult since I twisted my ankle. I might be an expert in attracting bad luck.

I stumbled on the ground as I drenched myself once again. My teeth began chattering, I was very sensitive to the cold as my body involuntarily shivered.

"I guess you are very fond of humiliating yourself in front of others."

"I am not!" Gritting my teeth loudly was enough for him to grimace. "How could I trust someone I don't even kn — ACHOO!" A violent sneeze ripped through my lungs so quickly that I barely had time to cover my mouth with my hand.

This is so mortifying! Never had I ever sneezed in front of anyone since it was unbecoming and unhygienic to do so.

"I'm so sorry — H-Hey, wait!" He suddenly swept me off my feet as my nightgown was soaking with water, and my lovely lace and ruffles were soiled and dripping. "What are you doing?! Put me down at this instance, you imbecile!"

A man carries a woman in his arms — one arm under my legs and the other supporting my back like a groom carrying his bride. Except my fiancée, nobody else has ever carried me like this before. It feels somewhat strange. But this was not the right time for me to be deluded, I should hurry up and convince him to put me down.

I began struggling within his arms as I was not used in being touched by other people. He continued to ignore me as we headed out of the parlor, and proceeded to climb up the grand staircase. All of the furnitures were drenched as this was the aftermath of the sudden occurrence of the flood. We saw a huge portrait of a young man who resembled a bloodsucking creature in the middle.

"Where are you even taking me?!"

"At the place where your next trial will be held."

"Let go of me already! I can walk on my own!" I vehemently shouted as my ear-splitting voice echoed throughout the place.

"Stop shouting! Are you trying to make my ears bleed?!" He adjusted the position of his arms underneath me as he made sure that I wouldn't accidentally roll down. "Shouldn't you be grateful that I am generous enough to carry you?"

"No! Why would I be?!" A stern frown creased my forehead as he had the audacity to make such narcissistic assumptions. "I don't need your pity. I refuse to be helped by someone who makes a mockery of me! I can walk on my own feet even if I have a twisted ankle. It is no longer necessary for you to carry me."

"You're so stubborn." A sigh of dismay escaped his lips as we reached the second floor. I saw some broken shards of the vase as it was floating on top the streaming water. "If I twist your other ankle at this very moment, will it stop you from complaining in every little thing and let me take you to the throne room?"

His turquoise green eyes started to glow once again as a cold shiver went down my spine. I knew that this was not an ordinary taunt, he was actually very serious about it.

I looked away from him as I concentrated in our surroundings instead. "Don't blame me if something terrible happens to you..." I mumbled under my breathe with utter annoyance.

"Your disease does not bother me. It would not infect me either."

"How can you be so sure...? You speak as if you know something about what ails me." A frown formed my lips as I recalled my awful experience during the second trial as it was still vivid. "My freedom was robbed away from me ever since my disease progressed. It was more of a 'curse' than a disease though since I have to live with it for the rest of my life, and there is nobody that can cure me."

"What if I told you that there is someone who can? Will you take any risk to achieve it?"

"And is that 'someone' you are referring to, is the same person who is behind all of this? The true mastermind, I suppose?"

"Oh, I thought you believed that I was the one who is pulling the strings."

"No. It never crossed my mind. After all, you don't have the unique sharpness of the voice that has been speaking to me." We reached the end of the hallway as there was a huge door in front of us. "I cannot comprehend why you are helping me."

He slowly placed me down on my feet as I winched in pain. He supported my limping body to prevent me from falling.

"Oh, that's because I was the one that inflicted you so much pain." A playful smirk formed his lips as his turquoise green eyes darkened. My stomach churned in discomfort since I knew that he was up to no good.

"I wouldn't be so rough if you didn't ran away from me earlier. You deeply wounded me by your fright. It was like you had seen a monster."

Bullets of cold sweat trickled down my forehead as I took a shallow breathe, carefully sucking on the air. I could feel my pulses quickened upon realizing something crucial.

"...A-Are you the one that was chasing me earlier throughout the manor, in the pitch-black darkness?!"

He opened the door as he gently pushed me towards the throne room. I had a lot of questions that I want to be answered, but he slowly closed the door before I could be able to do so.

"Maybe yes, maybe not. Who knows?"

The huge, wooden door closed shut. There was no gap that could let a light pass through. I tried opening it, but it was difficult for me since the door was so heavy. I was already convinced that everything in this house is nothing sort of ordinary.

"How did things ended up this way...?"