After minutes passed, marked by their cautious and deliberate steps to minimize noise, the group reached the highest floor of the building.
They emerged onto a roof deck, a desolate space littered with remnants of broken wooden benches and concrete.
The others in the group moved toward the side of the door where they had exited earlier.
Together with El and Sill, they hoisted a long wooden plank that had been leaning against the wall, its surface rough and weathered.
With a collective effort, they carried it to the edge of the building and carefully positioned it to create a makeshift bridge to the adjacent structure.
Ran was the first to step onto the plank, and her balance was surprisingly steady as she breezily crossed over to the other side.
One by one, the others followed suit, with El and Sill bringing up the rear. After El walked onto the plank and reached the other side, it was finally Sill's turn.
He hesitated for a moment, eyeing the precarious path before him. Just as he almost reached the middle of the plank, it suddenly shifted beneath his feet, shaking violently up and down.
An awful realization washed over the rest of them; something unseen from the earlier building was causing the plank to move erratically, as if it were alive, trying to throw Sill off balance.
After the board swayed dangerously, that invisible entity likely realized something, making the board swerve left and right.
Fortunately, it was foolish enough not to push him off immediately. Still, Sill appeared to be in a panic as he struggled to maintain his footing.
"It's the cursed! Hold the plank!" Nore shouted, his voice jolting the others into action.
He was the first to spring forward, rushing to grasp the plank firmly.
El, Ran, and the others hastily followed suit, their hands gripping the wood tightly as they worked together to stabilize it.
They adjusted their positions, countering the unseen force that sought to topple Sill on top of it.
If he were to fall from this height, it would surely kill him.
After a struggle against this surprisingly vigorous, gritty invisible force that resisted their collective efforts, Sill, with shaky steps and heavy breathing, finally managed to reach the safety of the other side.
The relief that washed over him was palpable, but their ordeal was not yet over. With a collective effort to ensure it was no longer a bridge of danger, they pulled the wooden plank to their side while struggling once more against the supernatural being that refused to let go.
Still, by using their wits, the group managed to gain the upper hand, pulling it together periodically.
And in the end, they succeeded...
"AAAAACCCCCCCKKKKKKKKHHHHHH," the spooky, undefinable, high-pitched wail echoed ominously, apparently out of frustration, stretching longer than any living being could manage, until it eventually ceased.
* * *
"Everyone's okay, right? No one got a headache?" Ran asked, letting herself slump down to the ground.
She scanned the faces of her group, ensuring they were all themselves—no jinxies or winxies from being possessed.
"No…"
"No one…"
"We'll notice if something tries to latch onto us," Nore said between breaths that gradually returned to normal.
Only El and Ran didn't look tired from the earlier trouble; the rest were gasping for breath.
Ran turned her gaze to El, who sat on the side with an unreadable expression—so did Nore, Sill, and the others. Their silent stares left El feeling disconcerted and embarrassed.
"Something's on my face???"
El inquired, lightly scratching the back of his neck.
He couldn't deny that he understood what they were thinking as they pressed their lips together, holding back their questions. Ironically, he had a question of his own.
One thing El had noticed from their previous struggle was that he and Ran were the ones providing the most strength in the group.
He could feel something imperceptible emanating from Ran's body—an unimaginable strength possessed by a girl. 'Aren't women supposed to be weak physically? How is she stronger than even the others?' he thought to himself.
As for his own strength, it remained an enigma. Since waking up that day, he had noticed just how abnormally strong he truly was. There was no way a teenager like him could generate such physical power.
One time, he had attempted a kick, mimicking a move he had seen in one of his dreams, and ended up breaking the side of the bed.
Even now, he felt guilty about it, wondering if he owed 'the man' some sort of compensation to fix it. His leg had also taken a hit from the impact, but the slight pain quickly faded, and the bruise on his skin disappeared within seconds.
He couldn't help but wonder what had actually happened during the time he had lost his memories.
Then there was also the experience in the alleyway, where time appeared to stretch, and his senses sharpened, rendering every detail around him more vivid and intense.
* * *
It was Ran who eventually broke the awkwardness. Dusting herself off, she stood up.
El followed her example, brushing off the dust from his clothes. He raised a question to the rest of them, "What was that? Anyone care to explain?"
Sill frowned as he leaned over the parapet, recalling something unpleasant.
"It was the cursed," he stated.
Sill rubbed and rotated his shoulder, looking at El with his lips pressed together in a tight line.
"Many rumors say the Downtrodden Region was once a battlefield long ago before our people were banished here, where Witches, as the invading forces, fought against the Vanguard, the elite guards of Ralrain."
"The cursed are believed to be the souls of those who died here, harboring grudges against the living. They haunt, hurt, possess, or try to kill anyone who comes close to their territory as invisible entities," Ran interjected, locking eyes with El.
"The nobility called them Evil Spirits. But for a long time, we from the underside have referred to them as the cursed. Their occasional screams are much like ours—cursing our inability to fight back against the unfair treatment that has befallen us at the hands of the empire, even though the crimes committed by our ancestors occurred hundreds of years ago."
"…I… see… I'm sorry, but what crime are you referring to?"
El asked more, unable to hold back the question that had been lingering at the back of his throat regarding their circumstances as the people living in the underside.
He felt guilty and ashamed, though, since it was clear that the topic was a painful reminder of their struggles, and he seemed to be digging into their history impolitely.
Yet, he couldn't shake the desire to understand.
"…Rebellions. Consuming millions of lives in the empire, or so they say. We, from the underside, are related to them by blood. No one was spared—women, children, the elderly, not even babies. Even if we have only a small smudge of blood connection, we are branded the same," she said, her tone heavy with loathing. Each word was carved from deep apprehension and resentment, bitterness smeared across her lips like venomous honey.
"…I'm sorry for asking such a question. But why are you willing to tell me this?"
"I admit, it's for my own self-interest."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's move on to the next building," Ran suggested, deliberately ignoring El's question as she turned her back on him.
The others stood up, lifting the long wooden plank to use as a bridge to the next building.
"Why do we need this?" El asked Sill, curious about the real reason.
"Because the region below here is dangerous. We call it 'the restricted road.' We're already on the other side of the fence, remember? It's hell down there. The cursed we encountered before are indeed unusual, but they can still be classified as a minor threat as long as we're careful or have space to run away. But there…" Sill pointed at the ground.
"Down there is even worse. The cursed can easily take down guards from the upper side, no matter how strong or fast they are. Trust me, it's madness if we don't do this. And the path we're taking now is classified as safe by the Spotter. Though that thing earlier was rather unexpected…"
"Hmmm, I see. So, who's this Spotter?" El inquired.
"Here in the Underside, Spotters are those who map and scout the area, identifying whether it's dangerous or not."
* * *