Third day of residence at Abraham’s house.

 

Bennett reinforced the mansion using magic—boundary spells for intruder detection, defensive spells, and more. Finally, he could enjoy a peaceful sleep. Until now, he had endured sleepless nights.

 

Niore suggested again if he would like to sleep since she would take the night shift, but it was still too early for him. While she could insightfully figure out where a suspicious person might hide weapons, which hand they predominantly used, and even trivial details, dealing with a suspicious person carrying a newborn and engaging in sentimentality seemed too risky.

 

Tara became close to Abraham. The reason was unclear, but now she casually referred to him by his name, leaving the ‘professor’ behind. She would excuse herself, saying, “You need to gather information all day, right? So, it’s for a good cause, aren’t you unhappy?” but it was obvious that she was enjoying herself.

 

And Niore, three days into contemplating whether to read the diary she had found before. Whenever she fell asleep, she felt a sensation of being drawn somewhere in her dreams, similar to the strange feeling she had from the diary. Thus, she hesitated whether to investigate it.

 

On a practical level, they were gradually getting used to their daily lives. Roles within the house were assigned—Niore cleaned the mansion, Bennett occasionally exerted his strength and defended the mansion, while Tara lazed around doing nothing.

 

Then one day, it all started during a meal.

 

—–

 

#2: Abraham’s Research

 

Tara held a knife and halved the well-cooked egg yolk on her plate. The runny yolk flowed down. She speared the bacon with her fork and took a bite along with the egg yolk. Mmm.

 

Savoring the taste of morning, Tara asked Abraham.

 

“Abraham, what are you doing?”

 

Just as the old man was about to explain, Bennett sharply pointed at Tara with his fork.

 

“Don’t talk while chewing.”

 

“Don’t worry about how I eat!”

 

“You can see everything in your mouth. It ruins your appetite.”

 

“Then I’ll eat with my nose in the plate!”

 

As Tara growled at Bennett, Niore scribbled a sentence on the whiteboard. And it flashed.

 

[Still, I don’t think it’s a good habit! It makes you look rude!]

 

“If Niore says so…”

 

With a surge of indignation, Bennett clenched his fist for a moment. Why is the saint picking on me? Is it because of my face?

 

He glanced at the mirror. Despite the scar on one side of his face, he didn’t think he had a face that would attract insults…

 

Abraham smiled warmly as he watched him. It was like looking at squabbling siblings. It was the image of a harmonious family that he had once imagined in his mind.

 

After chewing the bacon and swallowing it, the old man responded to Tara’s words.

 

“On days when there are lectures, I go to give lectures. On days when I have free time, I do research. Are you curious about what kind of research I’m doing?”

 

“Yes! Abraham, you always go up to the rooftop when the sun sets.”

 

“There’s no reason to hide. After dinner, shall we go up together? Not just Tara… you too. It will surely be a wonderful experience.”

 

In Abraham’s eyes, there was a twinkle of pure childlike brightness. He seemed to have great affection and interest in his work.

 

Since everyone in the group was curious about Abraham’s research, they each expressed their positivity in their own way.

 

And so, evening came. After finishing their meal, Abraham led the group to the rooftop.

 

Upon ascending the trap door to the second floor, the rooftop of the mansion revealed itself. There were various items scattered about: stacks of thick paper and pens, a primitive calculator, numerous books related to astronomy, and a large, elongated telescope.

 

“I teach astronomy at the university.”

 

From Noble mtl dot com

 

“Astronomy… you mean astrology?”

 

At Bennett’s inquiry, Abraham slowly shook his head.

 

“As romantic as it may be to attach meaning to the stars and make wishes upon them, it is not the work of a scientist. Our duty is to observe and analyze. We have taken it upon ourselves to unravel countless mysteries, one by one, like the stars in the night sky.”

 

Abraham pointed to the sky with his wrinkled finger. Stars twinkled on the dark canvas, while the moon looked down with a gentle smile upon the earth.

 

Yet, the old man’s eyes seemed to discern much more.

 

“How stars are born, age, and die. What lies in the void of space. The extent of the gravitational force of stars. We are battling against countless unknowns besides that.”

 

“Do stars die too?”

 

“Humans die over unimaginably long periods of time. When one gazes upon the universe with the fleeting eyes of a mortal, it may seem eternally unchanging. But nothing in this world is eternal.”

 

“…Hmm.”

 

“Lately, the clouds have been oddly scarce, making the stars very visible. And there are some excellent samples at the moment. Would you care to take a look?”

 

Abraham carefully caressed the large telescope mounted on a tripod. Tara eagerly peeked through first, promptly taking a seat on the chair in front of the telescope. Neore stood behind, eagerly awaiting his turn.

 

Guided by the old man, Tara gazed at the stars of the night sky. In the pitch-black darkness, the twinkling dots were pinned, emitting light.

 

“Are there any particularly bright stars?”

 

“Just as people have different appearances, so do stars. Over there, there’s a very interesting constellation…”

 

Tara gazed at the night sky for a long time, enduring Neore’s impatient prodding and urging. She asked Abraham about the names of the stars, listened, and left comments.

 

When Abraham politely suggested he should yield to his friend, Tara, like a child eager to attract attention, nodded vigorously and stepped aside courteously. Finally, Neore seized the telescope.

 

To Neore’s eyes, the stars of this world felt… closer than his own world. Although they were both in distant points beyond reach, somehow, when looking at the night sky, it felt as if they were very close. It felt like he could sit down right now.

 

Niore felt a slight shiver, tinged with a peculiar sense of dread. Immersed in the sensation of the approaching cosmos, mouth slightly agape, Niore counted the stars.

 

Bennett, not eager to use a telescope to gaze at the stars, looked up at the sky with the naked eye and spoke.

 

“Are you conducting research on stars?”

 

“To be specific… I’m researching strange changes happening in the night sky recently.”

 

“Changes? In the night sky?”

 

“Yeah, peculiar things have been happening for the past five years. Stars that should have been there disappeared overnight. New stars emerged. Distances between stars suddenly increased… Constellations even distorted. Wait, did you see it just now?”

 

“…”

 

One star went out. Bennett distinctly saw one star swallowed by the darkness. Visually, it was a very small change, but it sent a chill through a corner of Bennett’s heart.

 

Abraham testified to the rapid changes in the universe. As mentioned earlier, due to the significant difference between cosmic time and human time, observable changes in the night sky needed to be accumulated over history.

 

Strangely, a very rapid change occurred, and it was still happening.

 

The universe, always serene, and humans, always impatient, saw their long-standing relationship reversed. The universe transformed slowly, as if a fire had been lit under its feet.

 

Old constellations crumbled, and new constellations depicted unfamiliar and eerie shapes. It was too fast for human cognition to keep up.

 

An aged astronomer voiced his hypothesis.

 

“In my opinion, there might be a colossal energy that human eyes cannot observe… traversing this universe. Like a storm wreaking havoc, a cosmic natural disaster is passing through.”

 

“A storm… you say?”

 

“Yes. A gigantic cosmic storm beyond human control. I am… researching the direction in which this massive energy is moving. Whether it’s approaching Earth, moving away, or just passing by.”

 

“…”

 

In his mind, Bennett envisioned a virtual natural disaster. The spell “Meteor Collision,” cast by a grand wizard, is said to obliterate an entire city and still remain. So, if that enormous energy were to erase countless stars in the night sky, moving, approaching – what form would it take? Vaguely, he pictured an unseen colossal hand.

 

A colossal hand slowly covering ants.

 

While the specifics of what would happen remained unclear, one fact was certain.

 

“Everyone will die.”

 

“Everything will crumble away. The civilizations, knowledge, history that humanity has built will all return to the dust of the universe. The universe will forget that a species called humanity ever existed.”

 

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

 

“I am calculating the relative acceleration, α. If this value is greater than 1, a tremendous amount of energy is approaching Earth. If it’s less than 1, it will be a stroke of luck for humanity.”

 

The death of everything. The concept that Benedict had never imagined. Even if he were to die somewhere, he thought the world would naturally continue to exist. Thinking about the destruction of the world was something only lunatics would do.

 

Enemies, friends, the earth, grass, the wind. If everything dies and disperses into mere dust. There would be nothing more futile than that.

 

In the void where everyone is dead, only God would exist.

 

Benedict felt a strange emotion. Overwhelming yet resembling emptiness, carrying a nature of fear. It was a ‘bad feeling’ that was hard to express neatly. So, he asked Abraham.

 

“Is the calculation complete?”

 

“In the next few days, enough data should accumulate. However, with just an old man and a calculator, it will be an enormous calculation that we cannot handle. To fathom the universe, we need vast numbers. We might have to seek help from friends.”

 

“Help?”

 

“I have a friend with an interesting mechanical device. It has computational abilities surpassing the human brain. It was called the Brain in the Flask. We could rent that machine for the calculation, and…”

 

Abraham stroked his beard.

 

“At Miskatonic University, there’s a math genius living. Russell of the Mathematics Department. He’s a sensitive and irritable fellow, but he’s more adept at numerical calculations than anyone I know. Perhaps he could calculate the α value.”

 

Explaining the two possible ways to calculate the α value, Abraham finished speaking. Then, he glanced at Tara.

 

“The late night is chilly. Tara’s cheeks have already turned red. How about heading down slowly? I’ll prepare warm cocoa, and with a sip, you might fall into a deep sleep.”

 

“Yes, Abraham! Is it in the second cupboard from the left? I’ll help you!”

 

“That’s right.”

 

The explanation concluded. Tara supported Abraham as they descended the trapdoor stairs. Benedict, about to take a step, noticed Neo still glued to the telescope. He tapped Neo’s shoulder.

 

“Neo?”

 

“…Ah.”

 

With a start, Niora’s body trembled. She let out a faint, small cry, almost like a whimper. Then, she opened her eyes wide and looked at Bennett.

 

“…Did I startle you?”

 

[Sorry, I was focused… Did Abraham and Tara already leave?]

 

“Yeah. Abraham said he’d make cocoa. Didn’t you like it too?”

 

[I like sweet things. I should go quickly.]

 

Niora stood up from her seat and ran off with quick steps. Bennett wondered what she had been so engrossed in watching. He sat down in the chair and looked through the telescope.

 

There was nothing.

 

“…?”

 

In the night sky that Niora had been gazing at, there were no twinkling stars. Only an empty void silently stretched out. Was there something she, with her keen observation skills, could have discovered?

 

Bennett stared at the emptiness for a while, straining his eyes, but he couldn’t find anything either. He sighed and finally left the rooftop.

 

Afterwards, he unknowingly drank the special cocoa with marshmallows that Tara had prepared for him.

 

Tara ended up grabbing Bennett by the collar and shaking him, scolding him.

 

—–

 

#3: Threatening Letter

 

While living together, Abraham left one request. Do not check any unmarked packages. That’s what he said.

 

Abraham, who forgave Tara’s messiness and mischief around the mansion with a laugh, made the request, which was quite stimulating to one’s curiosity.

 

Tara naturally followed Abraham’s words, but Niora and Bennett were different. They were eagerly waiting for an opportunity to check.

 

During the time when Abraham went to give a lecture at Miskatonic University.

 

Tara chased Bennett away with his nagging, “Please clean your room properly. This is not a pigsty, it’s where people live. Why are you so careless?” Since she would be diligently cleaning the room, there would be time.

 

And in front of them was a package without a sender’s label.

 

[Shall we open it?]

 

“It could be a trap, so be careful.”

 

[I smell something rotten.]

 

A smell… “

 

Bennett drew his longsword, which he hadn’t used in a long time. He could easily cut down any small undead that jumped out. Nior also cautiously opened the package, keeping her distance.

 

“……!”

 

Nior frowned and covered her mouth, taking two steps back. Bennett, too, clicked his tongue as he looked at the contents of the box.

 

The mutilated body of a cat and a warning message made from a collage.

 

Abraham decided to stop his research and follow the will of God.

 

It was a creepy warning. Considering Abraham’s request, it seemed that this threatening message had been repeated.

 

The culprit was likely to be associated with the suspicious people who were monitoring the mansion. It was unlikely that it would end with just a warning based on the circumstances.

 

“…Are they trying to stop the research? Why?”

 

[We can’t know the purpose, but we can feel the malice.]

 

“I agree. Maybe they’ll attack while we’re indebted to them…”

 

The reason was still an unanswered question.