"No one knows, you know?"

As those words danced in the air, Justin struggled to comprehend their meaning.

Perhaps this was because his heart was beating too fast, and the loud pounding in his head just wouldn't stop. He found himself barely clinging onto Ater's words.

This felt like a haze… a dream.

No, not a dream.

This had to be a nightmare.

He was helpless—paralyzed in sheer hopelessness—as he listened to Ater's words as the latter circled around him, like a shark swirling around the wounded prey in bloodied waters.

"Rey, Belle… all of them don't know about you yet. Not to the extent that I do, Justin Blake."

Saliva was stuck in Justin's throat, but he was too frightened to swallow.

"Now, if you do not wish to be exposed, then you will listen to me well and do as I say. Is that understood?" As Ater asked this, Justin made no response.

He simply froze there, blankly staring at the man.

"I said… is that understood?"

As Ater drew closer, filling him with even more of his malevolent aura, Justin forcefully swallowed his saliva and shuddered in recoil. He quickly bobbed his head, nodding ferociously as he took a few steps back.

"I-I understand! I understand!"

"Good. If you do, then relax. Sit down and let's talk." Ater smiled, plopping to sit in what could be defined as mid-air.

Justin looked around him, but there was no available place to really sit. The only place left was the filthy ground, and someone of his caliber was not accustomed to such an action. Still… he didn't have a choice, did he?

He had to do as Ater said.

"O-okay…" As Justin began lowering himself to sit on the ground, he found himself occupying a rather soft, cushiony sofa.

'E-eh…?'

Before he could even process the sensation, he realized that his environment was completely different from what he had just noticed a second ago. Not only were there no walls, fences, or any familiar sights associated with the Royal Estate's expansive compound, but the place that Justin found himself in was indoors.

It was a place he recognized all too well.

"T-this is…?!"

The impossibly high ceiling, the incredible vastness, and the remnant malevolence; all of it sent chilling memories flooding Justin's faculties.

"... The Grand Calamity Class Dungeon." He gawked, slowly turning to look at Ater, who was also on a sofa similar to his, with a center table separating them. "Right?"

"Indeed."

Ater's confirmation made Justin look around him once again.

On the second look, he noticed a lot of changes in this Dungeon. For one, it appeared perfectly polished—worlds apart from the grimy and unkempt state that the Dungeon had in previous memory.

The ancient walls still had the effect of age to them, but with a much more pristine effect than ever before. Most of the ground floor was still an empty space, but it looked squeaky clean and perfectly renovated.

Justin could find no flaw with it no matter how hard he looked.

"I decided to do a little cleaning to surprise Master, considering the plans he has for this place. What do you think? Do you reckon he'll like it?"

Justin was speechless.

He didn't even think his input was necessary. The state of the Dungeon—at the very least, the ground floor that he was in—was more than enough to speak for itself.

"I think… he'll like it a lot."

"Is that so? Hehehe… then I suppose all of that effort wasn't for nothing." Ater's smile was not malevolent this time.

It was so pure—almost childish—as if he was a child who looked forward to seeing the proud look in their parents' eyes after a job well done.

Justin could not comprehend this sudden change in vibe, but it wasn't like he was fated to witness it for very long. In merely a few seconds, Ater's demeanor changed back to what it previously was.

—A mask of evil and chaos.

"I'm in a good mood, Justin, so I don't plan to hound you too much. After getting a gist of your situation, and also hearing your clearly unbiased thoughts on this place… I think I'm going to let you off easy."

Justin was confused, conflicted, and a lot more.

He didn't even know how they arrived here, talkless of what Ater could be talking about at the given period. He was completely at Ater's mercy, and that already made his future too bleak to consider.

Still, who didn't like the sound of mercy?

"You are doing this for your family, right? I completely understand. Family… family is really important, right? You really are a good kid, aren't you? You want to go home… do right by your folks—even that girl that you're so fond of."

Justin's eyes twitched the moment Ater mentioned his girl. He never told him about that, so how in the world did he know?

More shivers coursed through his veins, but he endured.

"Here's how this works, Justin. I want you on my side. That's the only way you walk out of this in one piece. Join me… or die."

Any man, when confronted with a chance for their survival, would always choose the option that best led to it. But, it wasn't so simple for Justin.

"I can't. If I betray Adrien, I die." He whimpered, sighing as he hung his head on his weak shoulders.

"How so?"

"I… am not allowed to say."

For a moment, tense silence permeated the room. The world around them was in an eerie state, completely devolving into one of despair.

"Pffft! Why so serious?" Ater chuckled, breaking all of that with a single question.

"W-what…?"

To Justin, the one whose life hung in the balance, he couldn't comprehend the question.

Why wouldn't he be serious? He was facing possible death here!

"I already know what card Adrien holds against you." Ater chuckled even more as he relaxed on his seat.

With warbling eyes that seemed to be reminiscent of blood, he parted his lips and let out the steep revelation.

"Your soul."