If there was one thing that I learned after entering Alexander's mind, it was that everyone's perception of reality was different.

It was a simple concept.

Everyone perceived things differently.

In society, individuals who shared similar perceptions were more likely to form connections and get along.

But...

There were outliers.

People whose perception of reality was so different that they couldn't fit it anywhere.

Alexander was one such person. His world...

It was boring.

Completely devoid of anything. Usually, I'd be able to perceive the emotions of the person I used the skill against, but the moment I entered his mind, all I perceived was emptiness.

It was a strange feeling.

But at the same time dangerous. Addicting, almost. Once I saw just how peaceful a world without emotions was, I started to lose my sense of reality. I just wanted to bask in such a world for as long as possible.

But...

Such a peaceful world didn't truly exist.

It was merely a fake sense of tranquility. A world without emotions was a bland world.

Alexander's perception of emotions was much lower than a regular person's. It was for that reason that he sought to feel them.

It was to...

Not feel so alone anymore.

It was this fundamental understanding of his mind that made me immerse myself in the mind of Azarias.

His story wasn't much different from Alexander's.

He was a man who lived in a colorless world—someone whose world was entirely painted in gray.

.....It was hard for me to understand a world like that.

But now I understood.

Blinking my eyes, I looked around. Everything was gray, and monotone. The more I immersed myself in Alexander's emotions, the more I realized just how bland his world was.

I started to feel insignificant.

But within that insignificance, I spotted something.

'Red.'

A single rose that stood by the window of the room.

It was red.

And I could see it, starkly contrasting the monotonous world around me.

"...."

My lips trembled. I wanted to see more of it. I wanted to get rid of the gray that surrounded me.

"Haa... Haaa..."

I felt my breathing quicken the moment the thought entered my mind.

Looking around, I found a brush. I traced my finger over it, feeling its texture at my fingertips.

I started to paint the walls.

Stroke. Stroke—

My hands moved on their own. They danced across the gray walls, splashing the walls with the newfound color.

It was a refreshing feeling.

I didn't feel so lonely anymore.

∎ Lvl 1. [Joy] EXP + 0.2%

Notifications appeared within my vision. I paid them no mind and basked myself in the feeling the red gave me.

"Haa... Haaa..."

Red had different shades to it.

∎ Lvl 1. [Joy] EXP + 0.05%

From the textures to the shades, I wanted to see more.

Stroke. Stroke—

As if possessed, I started to move around while painting the walls by myself. I was fast, I was fluent, and I was free...

"Haa."

But...

That fleeting sense of joy didn't last for very long as I stopped my hand.

"....I need more."

I had run out of red.

Scratch. Scratch.

My neck felt itchy all of a sudden. I felt myself grow frantic as if a part of me was being snatched off and thrown away.

"No, no, no..."

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

I needed to finish this. I needed to feel alive again.

I needed to...

"Ah."

Then I remembered.

There was someone else here. Outside of the room. It was the detective's assistant.

"Right, that will do."

The scratching stopped, and I headed for the door. In my hand, I held a dagger. One that I used the moment I opened the door.

"Hey, ho-"

Puchi!

"Haaa..."

My lips trembled at all the red that dyed my world. It felt orgasmic. And I wanted nothing more than to bask in such a feeling.

∎ Lvl 1. [Joy] EXP + 0.05%

Slowly but surely, I could feel it.

I was slowly starting to lose myself to the pleasure.

Stroke. Stroke—

My wrist flicked as the brush danced across the wall. With the concern of no longer needing to find more red, I focused all my attention on the masterpiece slowly unraveling before me.

"Ah, yes!!"

At that moment, I lost sight of myself.

I... let Alexander take over a part of me, and just basked in the joy and excitement that I was feeling. It was such an addicting feeling.

Joy.

When was the last time I had felt so happy?

I wanted more.

Bask in it more. I just wanted to savor the happiness, even if it was fleeting.

Stroke. Stroke—

That feeling inevitably came to an end when I painted the last stroke.

"....."

In the silence that took over my world, I looked up.

I looked towards the masterpiece on the wall.

It was perfect. In almost everything. But there was still something about it that felt like it was missing. I wasn't sure what.

An audience perhaps...?

"Ah, that might be it."

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait for long for the audience to come.

Clank—!

The door opened and a familiar man entered the room. I looked at his stunned expression and a new wave of excitement washed over me.

∎ Lvl 1. [Joy] EXP + 0.1%

Yes, it's probably that.

He wasn't the only one that I looked at.

"Ah..."

In his direction. Right behind him, I could see thousands of different faces. They were all staring at me.

It was a sight to behold.

Their expression. They were all so vivid, and real that I felt my legs tremble as my lips twisted up.

"....You're finally here."

My audience.

Welcome to my world.

***

The atmosphere in the theater was indescribable. Silence enveloped the space as everyone's gaze remained fixed on the man standing at its center. With just his presence, he sucked the attention of all those watching.

His lips twisted into a smirk, his expression filled with nothing but pleasure as he stared at them.

It was sickening.

"He's a psychopath..."

"He didn't kill him for real right? This is acting, right?"

None of the audience could find the right words to describe the scene they had just witnessed.

It was brutal and hard to stomach.

They looked around the room and held their stomachs. The once-gray world now bled red, saturating nearly every corner.

[I... What have you done?]

It was Joseph's voice that broke the silence. Yet again, he had been forgotten by the audience who had been so absorbed by the man standing opposite him.

Turning their attention towards Joseph, they could see his shoulders shaking.

His gaze was directed towards his assistant whose eyes were closed.

[You...]

[Do you like what I've drawn?]

Azarias's voice trembled slightly as his eyes gazed at the audience. For some reason, it felt as though he was looking at every one individually.

It sent shivers down the spines of some of the audience members, causing them to swallow nervously.

[Y-you're crazy. A monster.]

Joseph's words echoed the thoughts of all those watching.

His voice was smooth, and the audience could see the emotions contained in his tone. From anger to sadness.

It was all so vivid.

If only they knew...

Such were the true emotions Darius was feeling as he stared at the cadet before him. He was simply overwhelming.

It was taking every ounce of his experience to keep up.

[A monster]

Azarias curiously tilted his head as he swapped his gaze between him and the painting on the wall.

[Do you not like it? Is something missing?]

[....]

[Tell me.]

Gradually, Azarais's face started to twist.

[Is something missing?! Tell me!]

His powerful voice bellowed throughout the entire theater as some of the audience members flinched at the unexpected change.

His desperation was made clear to the audience.

Scratch. Scratch.

[What is it missing? What? I've done it well. It's good. There's not-]

Bang.

Azarias's voice stopped.

Looking down, he stared at his clothes where a small hole appeared. Gradually, red started to stain his clothes.

[Ah...]

In the silence that suddenly took over, he looked up.

Joseph met his gaze.

His expression was twisted as his body trembled. Pointed at him was the barrel of a small gun.

[...]

With trembling lips, Joseph stared at Azarias. His expression contorted as his face showed nothing but hatred and disgust.

Thud—

Azarias's body fell shortly after.

In the gray world, he stared blankly at the ceiling as red began to stain his shirt, pooling around him and seeping toward the wall where he had painted.

Joseph's figure faded out of frame as all that remained was Azarias and the painting on the wall.

Gradually, the red coming from his body connected with the wall.

In the last moments, Azarias looked at the wall. His previously ecstatic expression changed.

"....."

What replaced it was a blank look. It was as if his breath was being taken away from him.

The audience held similar expressions as they stared at the painting on the wall.

It was a rose.

A thorny rose.

One that slowly connected with Azarias who lay on the opposite end. The rose now had a stem, symbolizing his integration into the painting.

It all clicked then.

[S-so that's what was missing...]

There was something poetic about the rose that the audience had a hard time describing.

Especially within the monochrome world. It stood out, and almost felt blinding, making one unable to take their gaze away from it.

And then...

Drip.

As something dripped down the corner of Azarias's eyes, his quiet voice still managed to reach the ears of all those present.

[It's... so beautiful.]

In death, he basked in the only color that gave meaning to his life.

It was...

A masterpiece.

His masterpiece.

Cli Cla—

The lights turned off.

A Colorless World.

Such was the name of his final Act.