The dark, damp air clings to the skin. The corridor, where a soot-stained light bulb swings precariously, is like the stretched-out stomach of a shadow.

Only the sound of dripping water from somewhere marks this unnatural silence.

――This was a place one should turn back from. A domain where, for any normal person, instinct would sound a warning and prevent them from taking another step.

Yet, you stands there, rooted to the spot.