Horror Game With My Cheating Ex

"Interesting."

The voice was a deep, emotionless rumble. It sliced through the silence like a scythe. Death had arrived.

"The first time in decades a human has managed to quiet the little water wraith."

Lily shot up, standing in front of me.

A moment ago, she was a little girl in need of protection. Now, she was like a small animal defending its young.

"Don't you hurt my sister!" She spread her arms, black liquid pouring from her eyes. "Kael, this is my sister!"

"Yours?" The voice was filled with scorn. "A mortal about to die is worthy of being your sister?"

Tendrils of shadow shot out from the darkness, easily sweeping Lily aside.

She slammed into the wall with a pained groan.

"Stop it!"

I immediately rushed forward to confront him, but my foot slipped and I lost my balance.

As I fell, my hands shot out instinctively, landing on something.

His chest.

It was cold and hard, but a warm crack glowed with a faint light.

I looked up.

To my eyes, he was a tall man, maybe six-foot-three.

He was dressed in all black, wearing some kind of mask or hood that looked very artistic.

The coolest part was the glowing decoration on his chest, like a special effect from a sci-fi movie.

【WARNING: Player Ava has touched the S-rank Boss ‘The Shadow Lord’s’ ‘Soul Scar.’ This is a fatal wound from a past betrayal. Touching it means instant, murderous rage.】

To anyone else, Kael wasn’t a ‘man.’

He was a walking shadow, a hole in reality.

He flickered in and out of existence, sucking in all light and sound around him.

That ‘glowing crack’ wasn’t a decoration.

It was a raw, open wound on his very soul.

It pulsed with pure, concentrated hatred—enough to kill a god.

And now, because a human touched it, that hatred was about to explode.

"Whoa," I breathed. "This cosplay is insane."

【Comment 1: Is she insane? That's the Shadow Lord! Not a cosplayer!】

【Comment 2: Holy shit, she just touched his wound】

【Comment 3: That crack is the fatal wound he got from a betrayal, anyone who touches it sends him into a rage】

【Comment 4: It's over, she's really dead this time】

I curiously poked the glowing crack. "How did you do this effect? Is it an LED strip? Some new tech?"

The man named Kael froze completely, as if he'd been struck by lightning.

"The craftsmanship is master-level," I gushed. "Seriously, it's a shame you're so stoic. You'd win first place at Comic-Con, no contest. You could totally go pro."

The room was terrifyingly quiet.

Even Lily was staring at us with wide eyes.

【Comment 5: Wait, why isn't the Shadow Lord reacting?】

I let go and took a step back. "Sorry, that was rude of me. I'm Ava, your new roommate."

Kael looked down at me, his eyes hidden in shadow, glinting with a complex light.

For centuries, every creature who saw him was consumed by terror.

They screamed. They ran. They died in despair.

But this woman was complimenting his "cosplay."

She dared to touch his most painful wound and call it a "special effect."

She called him her "roommate."

Her eyes were clear. No fear, no greed. Just pure curiosity and goodwill.

He hadn't seen a gaze like that in hundreds of years.

"You..." his voice was a little unsteady. "You're not afraid of me?"

"Afraid of you?" I tilted my head. "Why would I be? You're not a real monster."

"I am a monster," he insisted. "I am the Shadow Lord. I devour light and tear souls apart—"

"Oh, right," I nodded. "Method acting. Total commitment. I respect that."

Kael was silent. Utterly, completely silent.

He had no idea how to respond.

It was the first time in centuries that a living being had interrupted his intimidation speech.

"By the way," I looked over at Lily in the corner. "You were bullying my sister just now."

"Sister?" Kael followed my gaze. "She's a drowning spirit who has killed countless humans—"

"She's Lily," I cut him off. "A little girl who got caught in the rain."

I walked over and helped Lily up, checking to see if she was hurt.

"Sister, are you okay?" Lily clung to my clothes. "He's dangerous."

"I'm fine," I patted her head, then turned back to Kael. "If we're going to be roommates, we need to set some ground rules. Rule number one: no bullying children."

Kael stared at me, an unreadable emotion flickering in his eyes.