Chapter 22
“…Selly… Is Selly some kind of animal? I’ve never heard of that species before.”
A soft chuckle echoed shortly after. It was the delighted laughter of a child who had just played a successful prank. Eon sounded thoroughly amused, as if this very moment was the reason he had brought me to the Magic Tower.
“You say such amusing things.”
Still chuckling, Eon finally spoke.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned Selly to you several times, haven’t I? If you don’t remember, I can gladly reintroduce her.”
I knew. I had known from the start. I knew that what was inside that glass tank wasn’t some creature — it was a human. I just didn’t want to face it.
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Then allow me to formally introduce her as a specimen. As you’ve probably guessed, that is a Selly specimen.”
But hearing him say it out loud made it impossible to deny anymore.
“A specimen…”
That word didn’t belong next to a person. And it certainly wasn’t something you attached to someone’s name.
“Of course, sadly, this isn’t the original Selly. She isn’t on display here.”
His quiet sigh was laced with deep regret.
“If I had known things would end like this, I would’ve preserved her before she left.”
My body trembled uncontrollably. The desire to distance myself from this madman, this murderer, overwhelmed my fear of the darkness. I stepped forward on my own, but only to come face-to-face with another glass tank.
‘Then… this one too?’
With effort, I turned my stiff neck to the right. The moment I saw the long brown hair, I shut my eyes tightly.
“Ah, that’s another Selly specimen. The eleventh, to be exact.”
Eon’s voice barely registered. The confidence I had when challenging him earlier had completely vanished.
‘Then Tara… could she be…?’
Displeased by my lack of reaction, Eon grabbed both my shoulders and forcefully led me closer to the display.
“Open your eyes. Take a good look at my beautiful exhibit.”
He had realized I was keeping them shut. Though his voice was soft, it wasn’t a suggestion — it was an order. If I refused, I was certain he’d pry my eyelids open himself.
Grinding my teeth, I slowly opened my eyes.
‘Ah…’
Of all things, I locked eyes with the one inside the glass. Green irises shimmered, staring directly at me — as if she were alive.
“The Selly specimens represent the pinnacle of my magic. A masterpiece born after countless failures.”
Countless failures. That was just a euphemism for countless murders.
Eon lifted a finger and traced an invisible line from Selly’s head to her toes. He was outside the tank, and yet it felt like his hand was actually touching her.
“Look at those green eyes and brown hair. Isn’t it exquisite?”
I couldn’t answer. My jaw was trembling, and I was about to be sick.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Eon bent down to meet my gaze. Now that I looked closely, the glowing stones illuminating the glass cases emitted the same eerie violet hue as his eyes. The color of dead lips.
“I asked if the green eyes and brown hair aren’t beautiful.”
“B… beautiful…”
I barely managed to force the words out. Eon smiled, seemingly satisfied.
“Still, they’re not an exact match to the real Selly’s. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t replicate her colors.”
He snapped his fingers, and every glowing crystal in the gallery lit up simultaneously. It was a spectacle — if you could call it that. Each light revealed what seemed to be dozens, maybe hundreds, of women.
At a glance, they all looked the same. It reminded me of the maids gathered in the dining hall.
“Good children don’t talk about the ones who disappeared.”
“…Good children don’t talk about the ones…”
“…who disappeared.”
A strange lullaby, like a dream or a hallucination, rang in my ears. Under the purple light, the image of Selly blurred in and out.
“Well then, shall we go meet Tara now?”
“When you said Tara was at the Magic Tower… you meant here?”
“That’s right.”
“Then… all the maids who were expelled from the tower… they end up here?”
“No. Only those I name ‘Selly’ are brought here. There isn’t infinite space, after all.”
He spoke as if this were some high-end hotel.
“But I brought that girl here especially, because Miss Selenia seemed fond of her.”
Something warm trickled down my cheek. I was crying before I even realized it.
“Miss Selenia? What’s wrong?”
“Take me back.”
“You don’t want to meet Tara?”
“No, I just… I want to leave.”
“But if you go deeper in—”
“Please, I’m begging you! Just let me out of here!”
Clinging to his sleeve, I pleaded. Eon stared down at me with those purple eyes, identical to the glowing stones. His expression was a mix of disappointment… and amusement.
“One day, you’ll grow to love this exhibition.”
He said, guiding me toward the exit.
Click.
The sound of the door closing separated me from that nightmare. The Magic Tower still felt like a prison, but at least this part of it was still the realm of the living.
I took a cautious step forward. The sunlight filtering into the hallway felt foreign. As though I’d returned from hell — or perhaps this was the dream, not the nightmare.
“Are you calm now?”
I didn’t respond. I simply shook off Eon’s hand that was holding me. He let go without resistance.
‘Sunlight… wind… the scent of winter.’
I walked toward the window. It was open, as if calling to me. My legs were weak, nearly buckling beneath me.
I reached out and caught the wind that flowed freely in and out of the tower. It slipped through my fingers effortlessly. I envied that — that even something so small could escape through such a narrow gap.
‘Are you telling me to leave through here?’
It felt like the window was saying just that. And honestly, with its size, I probably could fit through.
‘Then I could run away from Eon…?’
It was as if someone whispered “yes” into my ear.
“You’re right — some fresh air might do you good. I’ll wait until you’ve calmed down.”
Eon’s voice sounded strange.
‘Calm down?’
To others, maybe I just looked like a girl frozen in shock. But Eon claimed he could read my thoughts. Shouldn’t he be more concerned?
‘Because right now, I’m planning to escape from you.’
I remembered when he showed up late after Marilyn attacked me. Even then, he didn’t seem to know what had happened. It wasn’t that he pretended not to know — he genuinely had no idea.
‘So you really don’t know what I’m thinking, do you?’
I stared out the window, muttering silently to myself.
Maybe this whole time, I only believed he could read my mind. Maybe he was just good at guessing — using my expressions and the atmosphere to figure me out. There was never any concrete proof he could actually hear my thoughts. It was just his claim.
‘What, you think a murderer couldn’t lie?’
Once the doubt took root, it grew rapidly. My once-clouded mind began to clear. And with clarity came a rather fun little plan.
Eon… had always claimed he could read my thoughts, but maybe that wasn’t true after all.
If he really could, he wouldn’t be standing there so calmly. Not when I was plotting my escape right in front of him.
‘Let’s test it out,’ I thought, clenching my fists.
I kept my eyes fixed on the sky beyond the window. The breeze carried the scent of winter—sharp, fresh, and intoxicating. It felt like the wind was whispering to me, You can still run. There’s still a chance.
I shifted my weight slightly, calculating the distance from the window to the ground. It wasn’t too high. If I landed right, I might not even break a bone.
Slowly, carefully, I began to inch toward the windowsill.
“Feeling better now?” Eon asked again, his tone casual, almost indulgent.
I didn’t answer.
He was testing me too. Watching.
Or maybe… he really didn’t know.
‘I have to be sure,’ I told myself, heart pounding. I placed my hand on the windowsill. The cold metal frame bit into my palm.
Still, Eon said nothing.
I turned slightly, as if just stretching.
Nothing.
Then I lifted one leg and placed it on the sill.
And that’s when his voice turned sharp.
“Stop.”
I froze.
For a moment, everything around me stilled—the wind, the sounds, even time itself.
“I said stop,” he repeated, voice low now, dangerous.
I turned to meet his gaze. His purple eyes weren’t amused anymore.
“You were planning to jump,” he said slowly.
“…I was just trying to get some air,” I lied.
Eon tilted his head. “And does getting some air usually involve climbing out windows from the sixth floor?”
Silence.
“Don’t do that again,” he said. Not a warning—an order.
“But why?” I snapped. “Why am I even here? Why show me all of that? What do you want from me?”
Eon stared at me for a long time before speaking.
“…I just thought you should see it,” he said. “What I’ve created. What I’ve preserved.”
“Preserved?” I scoffed. “You murdered those girls.”
He didn’t flinch. “They were necessary sacrifices. For art. For magic. For legacy.”
“You’re insane.”
He smiled faintly. “That might be true. But even insanity has purpose.”
And then, he turned and began walking away.
“Come. You said you wanted to go back, didn’t you?”
I hesitated. Every cell in my body screamed at me to run. To take my chances with the fall, with the unknown, anything but follow him back into that madness.
But my legs moved anyway.
Because for now… I had no other choice.
