Lynn frowned and moved his foot.
The tugging sensation became even clearer.
He looked down, but his ankle was empty. His trouser leg was neat and tidy; there was nothing there.
‘Is it an illusion?’
‘Is it because my nerves are too frayed?’
He tried to pull his foot inward.
This time, he clearly felt a sense of resistance.
That force was very weak, but it definitely existed. It was like a fishing line — flexible, yet impossible to break free from.
Lynn’s heart sank abruptly.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the carriage.
Vivian was still looking at him, her expression unchanged.
Alicia remained with her eyes closed, her expression solemn.
Finally, his gaze landed on Lilith, who was beside him.
She was still leaning against his shoulder, her face a picture of tranquility. Her hands were rested naturally on her lap.
Lynn’s gaze froze on her right hand.
Her right index finger was tapping against her knee in a rhythmic motion that followed the jolting of the carriage.
*Tap.*
*Tap.*
*Tap.*
With every tap, the frequency perfectly matched the tugging sensation coming from his ankle.
The other end of that invisible thread was connected to her fingertip.
Lynn’s blood seemed to freeze in that moment.
All the longing for freedom that had just surfaced, all his plans for the future, and all his relief at having survived were shattered in an instant.
He had not escaped.
He had simply moved from a large cage to a small one.
He had moved from a visible prison to an invisible one.
As if sensing Lynn’s gaze, Lilith slowly opened her eyes.
She looked up at Lynn, her jet-black eyes reflecting his stiff face.
Then, she tilted her head.
The corners of her mouth curled upward, revealing a sweet, innocent smile without a trace of impurity.
“Brother, what are you thinking about?”
Lynn opened his mouth, but he could not utter a single word.
Sunlight streamed through the carriage window, spilling over the girl’s face and coating her in a warm glow.
Yet Lynn only felt a bone-chilling cold.
**[Lilith’s Blackening Value: 92%]**
The cold system notification sounded in his mind, pronouncing the death sentence of his brief freedom.
He thought this was the beginning of a journey.
However, the chains had been there all along.
Lynn looked at Lilith’s smile.
The tugging at his ankle did not stop as the carriage moved forward.
The system’s notification echoed in his head like a muffled hammer.
He hadn’t escaped. He was still in a cage. The cage was just a bit smaller now.
The space inside the carriage was indeed not large.
Lynn sat by the window, originally hoping that looking outside would relieve the pressure in his heart.
But Lilith sat almost flush against him, occupying most of the space on his left.
Her arm brushed against his sleeve, and her breath was right by his ear.
On his other side, Alicia sat upright. Though she kept a slight distance, she radiated an indescribable chill.
That aura kept the skin on the left side of Lynn’s body constantly tense. Her Magic Staff was slender and pitch-black, with a blood-colored gem embedded at the top.
It was currently leaning against her leg. The head of the staff was just barely pressing against the outside of Lynn’s left thigh. That hardness made the muscles in his left leg tighten.
Opposite them, Vivian occupied the entire seat. Her longsword was tucked into her waist at an angle, the hilt protruding.
Vivian leaned forward slightly, her gaze never leaving Lynn. The edge of the hilt, separated by layers of fabric, was pressing against Lynn’s right inner thigh.
The hard sensation was unmistakable.
Lynn was sandwiched in the middle, his body stretched taut like a string. He didn’t dare move, nor did he dare speak.
He hadn’t processed a single bit of the scenery passing by the window. As the carriage swayed, every muscle in his body swayed with it.
**[Vivian’s Blackening Value: 86%]**
**[Alicia’s Blackening Value: 88%]**
**[Lilith’s Blackening Value: 92%]**
The system’s numbers jumped before Lynn’s eyes, piercingly bright.
He forced himself to take a breath.
The oxygen in the carriage seemed to have become thin.
“Brother, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Lilith’s voice was soft and sweet. She looked up, her eyes sparkling as she watched him.
Lynn’s mouth opened and closed, letting out a faint breath of a word.
“Tired.”
That single word echoed in the carriage.
“Tired?”
Alicia’s voice rang out. Her eyes were open now, her gaze calm, yet it sent a shiver down Lynn’s spine.
“Holy Son, you were in high spirits back at the Shrine. Do you feel uneasy because of us now?”
The corners of Vivian’s mouth pulled down slightly. She looked at Lynn, her palm resting on the hilt of her sword.
“Lynn, are you still resentful that I brought you to that place? I can apologize. But right now, you need to pull yourself together. We still have to find those Holy Artifacts, and you are the leader.”
Lynn’s mind raced. They weren’t asking; they were stating facts, interrogating him.
“No,” Lynn denied, his voice a bit raspy.
“I just… need to adjust.”
He needed to adjust to this airtight surveillance.
He needed to adjust to this “affection” that could explode at any moment.
“Adjust?”
Lilith repeated softly.
“What does Brother need to adjust to?”
She leaned closer, her nose almost touching Lynn’s ear.
“Is it adjusting to the fact that Sister Alicia, Sister Vivian, and I are all revolving only around you?”
Lilith’s tone sounded innocent and harmless.
However, the hair on Lynn’s body stood on end.
Alicia glanced toward Lilith. Vivian’s gaze also landed on the girl.
An invisible spark suddenly flashed between them.
“Lilith, he is the Holy Son, the bearer of God’s will,” Alicia said in a deliberate, measured voice. “Our purpose is to break the Curse and purify this contaminated land. It is not to revolve around a single person.”
“Oh?”
Lilith laughed, her voice sugary. She turned her head to look at Alicia.
“Sister Alicia’s words make so much sense. Then why are you following us, Sister Alicia? If God is purifying the world, does the Holy Son really need to go in person? Wouldn’t it be the same if you just sent any random servant?”
A crack appeared in Alicia’s calm facade.
Her knuckles whitened slightly as she gripped her Magic Staff.
Vivian let out a cold snort.
“Lilith, stop playing dumb. Everyone knows what you’re up to. There’s no one else here, so stop acting so innocent.”
Her gaze shifted from Lilith and settled back on Lynn’s face.
“Lynn, can the Holy Artifacts you mentioned really break the Curse? That kind of curse that twists the mind.”
Lynn felt his throat tighten. The lie he had told now had to face three pairs of the most sensitive eyes.
“That… Chaos, it told me,” Lynn said, weighing his words carefully.
“It said these Holy Artifacts are capable of… suppressing its power. Which means they can suppress the ‘Curse’ on us.”
“Suppress?”
Alicia repeated the word.
“Not break?”
Her gaze seemed to pierce through Lynn’s body, searching for the truth within his words.