Chapter 79: Chapter 79
Riley’s POV
I honestly did not even know where she was taking me, all I knew was that I was following her because the other option was getting chased again by those giant glowing wolves and I was not ready for that kind of cardio again. My legs were already tired and my pride had already suffered enough for one day.
We kept walking and walking and walking and I was starting to think maybe this woman just liked hiking for fun because this was ridiculous. At some point I was about to open my mouth and ask her if we were going to reach our destination before I turned eighty, but just then I saw something in the distance.
A small house.
I squinted.
"Wait," I said. "Is that a house?"
She turned and smiled like she had been waiting for me to notice.
"Yes. Come on."
And then she started walking faster.
I frowned and hurried after her. "Why are you suddenly fast? You were walking like a grandma before. Now you are speed walking. This is suspicious behavior."
She did not answer.
We reached the house and I stopped outside the door.
The place looked normal.
Too normal.
And I did not trust normal anymore because every time something looked normal in this place, it turned out to be completely insane.
She walked inside without hesitation.
I stood there.
"No," I said to myself. "Riley, this is how people die. They follow strange naked women into strange houses in strange worlds."
I crossed my arms.
"I refuse to be that person."
So I waited. Nothing happened.
No wolves.
No ghosts.
No glowing circles.
I groaned loudly.
"Fine. But if I die, I am haunting everyone."
I stepped inside.
And then—
I blinked.
Because the moment I crossed the door, the house disappeared and I was suddenly standing in a completely different place.
I gasped and spun around."What the hell!"
There were people everywhere.
Real people.
Not ghosts.
Actual people.
They were walking around, talking, laughing, carrying things, and everything looked normal again.
My mouth fell open.
"Wait... wait... wait..."
My eyes landed on a little girl holding her mother’s hand. The girl looked at me.
And smiled.
I froze.
She could see me.
I blinked.
She was still smiling.
I screamed and ran to the naked woman.
"WAIT! THEY CAN SEE ME!"
She nodded calmly like this was normal.
"Yes."
I pointed wildly. "THEY CAN SEE ME!"
"Yes."
"THEY ARE LOOKING AT ME!"
"Yes."
"OH MY GOD!"
People were staring now because I was yelling like a crazy person.
I turned back to her. "Why are they staring? Why are they not panicking? Why is no one screaming? If I saw a random girl appear out of nowhere, I would scream!"
She just smiled. Then suddenly I noticed something else.
I looked around again. Everyone was wearing clothes.
I slowly turned back to her.
"...They are wearing clothes."
"Yes."
I narrowed my eyes. "Why are you not wearing clothes?"
She smiled again.
"You will see."
I stared at her.
"No. I need answers now. Immediately. This is harassment to my mental health."
She started walking again.
"Come."
I followed, but I kept looking around like I had just entered another country.
"This is so confusing," I muttered. "First wolves. Then ghosts. Then glowing trees. Then cliff. Now people. My brain cannot process this. I need a manual. Or therapy."
We kept walking and the place looked like a normal town. People were busy doing their own things and no one seemed shocked that I was there, which was honestly rude because I deserved attention after everything I had been through today.
Then she suddenly said, "We are not yet where I stay."
I stopped."Wait. What?"
"This is not my home."
I blinked.
"You have a home?"
"Yes."
"You have actual people?"
"Yes."
"Oh Jesus Christ," I whispered to myself. "Riley, you are definitely walking into a trap. This is how it starts. First they smile. Then they feed you. Then they sacrifice you."
She turned to me. "What are you saying?"
"Nothing. I am just mentally preparing for betrayal."
We reached a huge gate.
And when I say huge, I mean huge.
I looked up.
"My God. Are you hiding a kingdom behind this or something?"
She pushed the gate open.
We walked inside.
And I stopped walking.
Because—
There were people everywhere.
Not just many.
Multitudes.
Crowds.
So many that my brain could not even count.
And these particular ones were all—
Naked.
Every single one of them.
I covered my eyes immediately.
"OH MY GOD!" freeweɓnøvel.com
People turned to look at me.
I panicked.
"WHY IS EVERYONE NAKED!"
She looked confused again."This is normal."
"This is not normal!" I shouted. "This is illegal in my world! People get arrested for this!"
Some of them started laughing.
I peeked through my fingers and almost screamed again.
"Stop looking at me!"
One man waved at me.
I screamed and hid behind her.
"This is too much. I cannot do this. I have seen too many things today."
She sighed. "Relax."
"I cannot relax! There are too many naked people!"
"They will not harm you."
"That is not the problem!"
I slowly looked around again.
They were all smiling.
Some were talking.
Some were walking.
Some were just staring at me like I was the strange one.
"This is insane," I whispered. "Why am I the only one traumatized here?"
A woman walked past and said, "Welcome."
I squeaked and jumped."Thank you! Please put on clothes!"
She laughed and walked away.
I looked at my guide.
"Please explain before I faint."
She turned to face me."This is my people." freewēbnoveℓ.com
I blinked.
"...Your people."
"Yes."
"So this is a whole... naked kingdom."
She ignored that."They crossed the Veil too."
My heart skipped."All of them?"
"Yes."
I looked around again, shocked.
"So none of you can go back?"
She shook her head."Some can."
"Some?"
"Yes."
I swallowed."And you?"
She did not answer.
I stared at her."You cannot, can you?"
Her silence answered me.
"Oh."
She looked away.
"But you can."
My chest tightened."Why me?"
She looked back at me."Because you did not come here by accident."
I frowned.
"I was pushed in by ehm—."
"Yes, by the Alphas of Obsidian Veil"
"So that means this is definitely a setup."
"Yes."
I groaned.
"I knew it. I knew Caden was not to be trusted. I should have slapped him before entering that circle."
She almost smiled again.
"Come. There is someone you must meet."
I froze."Someone?"
"Yes."
"Is this someone also naked?"
"Yes."
I covered my face again.
"I cannot do this. I cannot. I am too young for this kind of trauma."
She grabbed my arm and pulled me.
"You must."
I dragged my feet."If I need therapy after this, I am blaming all of you."
As we walked deeper into the place, the crowd became quieter.
People were staring.
Whispering.
Watching me.
"This is not comforting," I whispered. "Why are they looking at me like that? I feel like a celebrity but without the money."
"They know who you are."
I stopped."...What?"
"They have been waiting for you."
"Huh?" I blinked in confusion.
"Yes."
My heart started beating faster."Why?"
She looked ahead.
"You will understand soon."
I swallowed hard. "This better not be a sacrifice situation."
"It is not dear."
"I am trusting you."
"Good."
We stopped in front of a large building that was bigger than the rest.
I stared at it."This place looks quite important."
"It is."
She turned to me."Are you ready?"
"No," I said honestly. "But my life has never waited for me to be ready."
She nodded. Then she pushed the door open and I followed her inside~