Nightmare Mythos

'Holy fuck, I'm so tired. I don't like standing up now…'

Lying on the surface while staring upwards at a gigantic spiraling lamp hanging on the roof that could not be peered through, Cesar gazed aimlessly.

Not going to lament his ridiculous situation which he had been doing the moment he got inside the cursed mansion, Cesar had no choice but to stand up knowing merely staying would not progress on its own.

"Ugh…"

His leg was still shaking as he tried to look at his hands which were quivering in the same manner as his knees.

Feeling kind of funny inside, Cesar moved to the edge of the table which made him shudder at how tall the table really was from his standpoint. Barely even noticing the ground floor, he wasn't going to imagine falling there since it spelled straight death right away aside from having flying abilities like Maine had.

Speaking of Maine…

"How's everyone holding up now, I wonder."

Cesar was focused on himself as he should be yet he couldn't help but worry at his poor squad being sent like him to suffer excruciating challenges. The same as him, they were only exemplary students who had been put in the city probably because of negligence from whoever designed the mission for them.

Not that it matters now anyway.

"I'm sure they'll make it,"

Cesar didn't have time to worry about others now since he had himself to take care of. Whatever challenges they face, like him, he was confident enough they'll make it through.

"Now then…"

Turning around, Cesar watched the delicacies from the table and couldn't help but salivate at how tasty those things were.

But Cesar wasn't going to be tricked.

'This is going to be much more painful…'

Cesar braced himself as he stepped forward, starting to cross different kinds of exotic food that only remained unmoving in their places, alluring the hungry people watching themselves.

…

Mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted throughout the course of his stay at the perturbing mansion, Cesar had to add another kind of exhaustion to his list of already bothersome problems; Being hungry.

The hunger he was undergoing felt so unbearable that he might just grab a bite of this alluring food which is obviously a trap for anyone that set their eyes upon them.

'If only that voice could come to talk to me and confirm if this food is healthy enough for me to eat… But anyway, it's not like I trusted that mysterious voice enough. Who knows what his goal is? Is it really just to get out?'

Rumble!

Cesar heard his grumbling tummy for who knows how many times it had happened to come at this point but he still kept his hunger in check.

These delicacies that looked like they had been frozen in time, untouched, and ready to be eaten were becoming more delicious in Cesar's eyes.

"Hey!"

Slapping both of his checks once more, Cesar continued thriving forward. If the exchange of satiating his hunger was his death, he might as well jump over the table and end his life himself.

He'll not fall to his inner desires now… at least not yet.

'The table does seem much larger here than when looking at the bottom rather than stepping at this floor.'

The ancient stone table was not only long but its length was wide as well. Spread around its surface were antique plates with food atop them. The exquisite chairs that were only motionless in their position were sending dangerous messages to Cesar, saying that whoever had sat down from it wasn't just simply nobody.

In fact, Cesar was confused about how the gigantic beings that owed these chairs managed to enter the mansion, a caliber of their size, to sneak their way into the doors that were merely the size of a bug in their eyes.

'Sigh, there's no reason to think such things when it wouldn't even help me on my situation at all…'

Cesar only then realized that he was only halfway through crossing the first two chairs, and there was still quite a distance left till he came across the other two that came next with the first two.

By the looks of it, the chair had a pattern it followed. Each segment had two chairs opposite each other, making Cesar's suspicions regarding the history of the table is not simply a place where it is purely a place to eat.

It looked like a council where important gatherings were held.

Cesar became even more convinced when he started seeing intricate cups beside some of the frozen delicacies. There were other utensils and silverware placed on the side as well such as different kinds of knives, varying sizes of spoons and forks, and empty small plates.

More importantly, those cups…

'Is there any water?'

Cesar wanted to avoid the delicacies that looked like they had been frozen from time that didn't produce any molds or rot as well as those spoon and fork, but it was different if those cups had water on them.

Yes, he could sustain his hunger. It was a different topic when they were talking about his thirst though, since he had been fighting nonstop and not receiving a droplet of water aside from using his saliva which continued to dwindle.

Cesar wanted to run and try to see the contents of those cups when he suddenly heard a voice in his head, something he wanted to hear the most when he was on the journey to cross the stone table.

"Whatever you are trying to do, I refrain you from doing so,"

Cesar halted and couldn't help but commented, "Do you know about this place?"

The eerie voice didn't deny it as it stated, "If I remember correctly from one of the book's contents, this place is an assembly of higher beings. And every utensil you are seeing has been touched with their grace,"

It paused, "Most of those tools, however, are affected by corruption,"