CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49 – ETERNAL NIGHT (PART 6)

Chapter 49 – Eternal Night (Part 6)

"Hm, now this is something I didn’t expect to see."

Lune’s voice carried a chill, her tone flat, her eyes as calm and unbothered as ever.

Jack shifted his gaze to her. "You know what it is, Lune?"

"Yeah. Those are Crimson Blood Vines." She spoke with the kind of certainty only she could wield. "A seed must have fallen into this city and rooted itself. They grow quickly, spreading over everything. They feed by latching onto living beings, sucking them dry from the inside out."

Jack tilted his head slightly. ’That sounds... horrid,’ he thought. But the explanation didn’t shock him. The vines looked disgusting enough on their own—parasitic, invasive, almost alive. The idea that they feasted on human insides felt like a natural, albeit grotesque, extension.

"You should stay away from them," Lune added, her tone sharpening. "Do not touch them. If you do, they’ll latch onto your flesh instantly, and you won’t escape."

"Got it."

Jack absorbed her warning, then glanced at Evelyn. "Let’s keep our distance and move on. We don’t need to tangle with these things."

Evelyn frowned, her gaze locked on the pulsating vines. "...What if they attack first? The way they move... it looks like they can."

"The fact Sommeil hasn’t killed this yet means two things," Jack said, his voice steady. "Either he hasn’t reached this area, or it isn’t worth his time. If he didn’t bother with it, then it’s not as much of a threat as it looks. Still, I need to check if my father’s here. If you don’t want to go in, I won’t blame you."

He turned without waiting for her answer, walking deeper into the vine-infested streets. The growths were massive—some the size of cars—coiling around buildings, worming their way into windows, eating away at the foundations themselves. Every step deeper into the district, the city felt less like a place and more like a corpse being consumed.

"Wait, Jack." Evelyn sighed heavily and quickened her steps until she was beside him.

The further they went, the more unsettling the picture became. The streets here were empty—eerily so. No corpses. No blood splatters. Nothing.

Jack narrowed his eyes. A few dozen meters behind them, the streets were littered with bodies. Here, however, there were none. Not a single trace of life remained.

’This thing ate everything,’ Jack realized, his stomach knotting. ’Not even scraps left. Its hunger knows no limits.’

The implications gnawed at him. If his parents had been caught in this section of the city... then they would have been swallowed whole, consumed like the rest. He forced the thought down, refusing to linger.

That was when he heard it—a subtle noise.

He froze mid-step and snapped his gaze to the side. One of the vines was moving, its red, glistening surface dragging against the cracked concrete. Slowly, deliberately, it crept forward, extending in their direction.

"I see..." Jack muttered. "That’s how it spreads."

Evelyn tightened her grip on her weapon. "Did it already sense us?"

"Probably."

"At least it’s not fast," she said, though her voice carried little comfort. "Not yet."

Jack’s jaw clenched. "...Let’s go."

They ignored the writhing appendages and pressed on. The deeper they ventured, the thicker the infestation became. Vines strangled buildings, poured through broken windows, pulsed across the ground like arteries feeding an unseen heart.

’The source is in this direction,’ Jack thought grimly, his steps unwavering.

Minutes later, the two came to a stop in front of a towering high-rise. The front was half-buried in vines, its once-proud sign broken but still legible beneath the growth: Johnathan and Co.

Jack’s chest tightened.

"So this is the place," Evelyn whispered, her eyes wide.

"Yeah." Jack’s voice was low, controlled, but his eyes flickered with a strange light. He didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward and entered.

Inside, the building was a ruin. Blood stained the walls, shattered glass littered the ground, furniture lay overturned. The wreckage bore the marks of monsters, but it was the vines that dominated. They crawled along every surface, weaving through cracks, swallowing desks and walls whole. The building wasn’t simply destroyed—it was being digested.

Jack and Evelyn maneuvered carefully, dodging tendrils that twitched as if aware of their presence. They climbed floor after floor, their footsteps echoing faintly in the empty husk. No humans. No voices. Nothing but the ever-present sound of vines pulsing like veins in a body.

By the time they reached the highest floor, silence had settled thick around them.

The space opened into a wide office area lined with cubicles and desks. Dust and ruin filled the air.

"My dad’s office is over there," Jack said quietly, kicking aside a broken chair. His gaze swept across the desolation. ’It’s empty. He’s not here. Most likely he never was when this thing took root.’

A thin thread of disappointment wound through his chest. He’d prepared himself for this outcome, yet it still felt hollow.

Then—

"A-Agh..."

Both Jack and Evelyn froze.

The weak groan echoed across the empty office, raspy and raw. Instinctively, Jack’s hand went to his weapon. He exchanged a glance with Evelyn, then signaled for her to circle wide. She nodded, slipping silently between the cubicles.

Jack advanced carefully. Step by step, the sound grew clearer. The groans were unmistakably human, but frail—like a voice dragged back from the edge of death.

He reached the source. Peering around the corner of a cubicle, he saw it.

A man curled up beneath a desk, his body twisted and frail. Red vines pierced and clung to him like leeches, pulsing in rhythm with a sickening thud. Each pulse wrung another groan from his throat, his body convulsing weakly as though his very blood was being pumped out of him.

"Wha—" Evelyn froze at the sight, her voice catching.

"A-Agh..."

"So this is the source of the noise," Jack muttered flatly.

"What... what’s happening to him?" Evelyn’s voice was hesitant, shaken.

"Isn’t it obvious?" Jack’s tone was devoid of emotion. "He’s being consumed."

"..." Evelyn’s lips parted, but no words came.

"He was caught recently," Jack added. "Otherwise, he wouldn’t still be alive."

Evelyn swallowed hard. "How... how can you be sure?"

Jack’s gaze swept the office. "We didn’t see any monsters on the way here. That means either they avoided this place like the plague... or they were eaten. Judging by him, I’d say it’s the latter."

They looked closer. The man’s skin was deathly pale, his veins almost transparent, his frame skeletal. His suit hung in tatters, hair falling in messy strands. His eyes were half-lidded, glazed with exhaustion, yet some flicker of humanity lingered in them.

"Can we help him?" Evelyn whispered, stepping forward.

"No. Don’t touch him." Jack’s voice cut sharp. "If you do, the vines will latch onto you too. He’s already too far gone."

"..."

"Even if we somehow cut him free, he wouldn’t last. He needs medical care, and there is none left in this world."

Evelyn clenched her teeth, her shoulders stiff. Finally, she nodded. "So... what should we do?"

Jack stared at the man for a long moment, then stepped closer. His voice was calm when he spoke. "Can you hear me?"

The man’s eyes rolled weakly, finding Jack’s face. There—just for a moment—a glimmer of hope.

"A-Agh..." He tried to speak but the vines tightened around his chest, choking his words.

Jack exhaled sharply through his nose. ’Tsk. He can’t speak. And even if he could, he wouldn’t know where my father is.’

Disappointment flickered through him. Then his hand went to his sword.

"Well," he muttered, drawing the blade.

Evelyn’s eyes widened. "Hey—wait. What are you doing?"

"Hm? I’m going to kill him."

Her voice faltered. "...Kill him?"

"Yeah. End his misery. He’s been consumed long enough. I’m sure he’ll appreciate a quick release."

Evelyn stared at the man’s trembling, agonized form. The vines pulsed again, forcing a groan from his lips. She understood. She hated it, but she understood.

Jack’s logic was cruel, but it wasn’t wrong.

"..." She was speechless, her throat tight. Killing monsters was one thing. Killing people was another.

"If you can’t handle it, turn away," Jack said softly.

"...No." Evelyn’s grip on her weapon tightened. "I’ll watch. I need to get used to this eventually."

"I see. Suit yourself."

With a steady breath, Jack raised his blade.

Swish.

The sword pierced through the man’s chest, clean and precise. His body jolted once. His eyes widened—then softened.

For the first time since they’d found him, his expression shifted into something resembling peace.

Then, slowly, the light drained from his gaze. His final breath slipped free. And with it... silence.