"You’re going to find out now?" I asked, surprised.

He grabbed a green coat hanging nearby and slipped it on. It was clear he was preparing to head out somewhere. He glanced at me once more.

“You wanna come along?” he asked.

“..Huh?”

After a short while, the two of us headed somewhere. I agreed to follow him without thinking too much about it but honestly, I wanted to know what that strange thing really was. Good. There was still time. No rush. I looked at Mr. Mancher walking a few steps ahead of me and asked,

"So… how are we going to track that strange thing?"

He turned slightly, giving me a faint smile.

"Well, I didn’t get a clear look at it last night… but I did find this."

He pulled out a small black shard, sealed inside a thin glass vial.

 "What’s that?" I asked.

"It’s a piece of its skin," he said.

"But this fragment… it's trying to return to its owner. That means it can lead us straight to it."

"I found it under the fence" 

So that’s why he got stuck there..

"But why are you trying to investigate this yourself? Shouldn’t you notify someone in authority?" I asked.

"No need," he said calmly.

"This is the kind of thing I do for a living."

This kind of thing? Does he mean these strange events happen often?

"I’m actually glad you agreed to come along," he said, a little softer.

"Why’s that?" I asked.

"Because I’m… scared of these kinds of things."

 "...Oh, I see."

After about ten minutes of walking, we finally arrived at a train station.

“Well, kid,” Mr. Mancher said, looking around. 

“Looks like we can’t go much further on foot. We’ll have to take the train from here.”

“Alright” I replied.

We stepped into the train. Soon after, more Lumen and regular people started getting on, and the train quickly became packed. Being surrounded by that many people made it a little hard for me to breathe.

“So, little postman, are you from Level 1?”

Little postman? Even though I told him my name, he’s still calling me that?

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“Nice. That place is actually really decent. Not too crowded, and you can live freely.”

“Yeah.”

“Level 2’s not bad either. I’ve always wanted to live there myself.”

“…”

“Hey, little postman… Do you believe the rumors about what happens if you go outside the world?”

“The rumors, huh? Honestly, I don’t really want to believe them.  But at the same time… if they’re true, then it’s too dangerous to explore out there.”

“Yeah, true enough! Hahaha,” he laughed.

Our conversation slowly came to a pause. I found myself staring out of the train window, lost in thought. The train came to a halt. We had been riding for about twenty minutes, and now we got off at our stop. I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a small watch. 16:43 PM.  Running late... But at this point, it’s too far to turn back now.

“Hey! Little postman! What are you doing? Come on, let’s go!”

 Mr. Mancher called out.

I looked at him, nodded, and followed. We slowly made our way into a quieter district. This part of the city felt heavier. The air was dim and stale, definitely not a pleasant place to live. Eventually, we stopped in front of a crumbling, abandoned house.

“This is the place,” Mr. Mancher said.

This place...?  Are we really supposed to go in there?

“Let’s go.”

...Whatever happens, happens.

We both stepped into the decaying structure. Carefully, we pushed open the large front door. The entire area was eerily silent. The kind that makes your back feel cold. Mr. Mancher glanced at the glass container holding the fragment.

“Looks like it’s hiding somewhere nearby.”

We moved deeper inside. I looked around. The house was old and falling apart. It was dark. The only source of light… was the lantern we held. Both of us could hear the faint sound of water dripping from somewhere. Everything around us was completely silent, and we stood there, wondering when and where that strange thing might appear.

Suddenly, Mr. Mancher tapped my shoulder and said,

"Wait here. I’ll be right back."

"What? You’re leaving me here alone?"

"Just for a moment, okay?"

"Wai—"

Before I could finish, he turned away and started up the stairs to the second floor, ignoring my protest. I listened as the sound of his footsteps slowly faded. Out of all the uncomfortable moments I’ve experienced so far this one felt the worst. Still, I told myself not to be afraid.

I started looking around nearby with the lantern in my hand. Suddenly, I heard a sound from behind me. It sounded like Mr. Mancher coming back down from upstairs.

 “You’re back alre—”  

I turned around to look. But what stood behind me…wasn’t Mr. Mancher. It was something else. A large, pitch-black Lumen. Its body looked like it was made of thick, black slime, and it was slowly moving toward me. As that huge slime creature slowly made its way toward me, my mind went completely blank. It all happened too suddenly. My body wouldn’t move. 

I just stood there, frozen, watching it with pure fear as I felt sweat start to pour down my back. It was getting closer… Closer every second!  I- I have to run…! Move…, come on, legs, move!! The surroundings had gone completely silent, and all I could hear was the sticky, dragging sound of that creature slithering across the floor toward me. What am I doing?! I have to run! At last, my senses snapped back, and I took a step back, trying desperately to sprint away. But suddenly its slimy tendrils wrapped tightly around my legs, locking me in place. I tried to run, but the sticky grip of the slime held me still. I couldn't move. I need help… I have to call Mr. Mancher!

“Mr—!”

Before I could finish, a thick layer of slime slapped over my mouth then my nose, cutting off my breath entirely.

I began to panic.
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t scream.

This is it… I can't breathe anymore...Someone please.. help me.

           “Pure air, pure water…
            Receive the light of the heavens!
            With the aid of the house-guarding spirits,
              who await in silence beneath the falling snowflakes,
              let this shadowed form be erased, vanish into nothing!”

With that chant echoing behind that big slime, someone from the rear unleashed a burst of flame
not ordinary fire, but a mystical blaze glowing with blue and green light. The massive black slime creature shrieked in pain as the flames engulfed it, writhing and burning under the unnatural fire. Because of that, the tendrils that had bound my body slowly caught flame as well, melting away from my skin. And just like that I was free. Gasping desperately, I drew in breath after breath, my lungs finally filling with air again.

I was alive.

The big slime continued to burn, its form gradually shrinking as the flames consumed it. Meanwhile, I kept gasping for air, trying to fill my lungs to the fullest. Finally, I pushed myself off the floor and stood up. That’s when Mr. Mancher stepped forward from the shadows. He was the one who had cast the magical flames.

“Mr. Mancher...?” I muttered.

“You held on well, little postman,” he said with a slight grin.

“Wait– was that you who cast the fire spell?”

“Haha, yeah it was me. I can use magic, though I’m not particularly strong. Just basic chants like that.”

“...”

“And why the hell did you leave me alone? I seriously got messed up back there!”

“I know, I know I'm sorry!” he raised his hands, apologetic.  “I just… needed to make sure something would work out.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Instead of answering right away, Mr. Mancher walked up close and reached into my satchel
pulling something out. It was a glass vial… with a trace of that black fragment sealed inside.

“Wait, did you put that in my bag?!”

“Yup.”

“WHAT?!”

“Listen, listen!” he said quickly, “Here’s what happened. That big slime was tracking whoever carried this sample. But see if a magic user like me holds it, the slime won’t come close. It can sense magical presence. So I figured… if you carried it, it would go after you instead.”

“…Are you serious?!”

“And guess what?” he said, completely unfazed. “It worked perfectly, didn't it??”

Wow… this guy really is the kind of person who’ll throw someone else into danger… just to run a test…

The burning slime on the floor kept shrinking, smaller and smaller by the second. I stared at it and asked,

“What… is that thing? I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“No idea,” Mr. Mancher replied. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a slime like this too…”

“But haven’t you encountered strange creatures like this before?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, thinking. “I remember once I ran into something that looked like liquid moonlight. That thing floated through the air... I was completely drained by the end of it.”

“So… what are we gonna do with this thing?” I asked, looking at Mr. Mancher.

“We wait,” he said calmly.

Wait? For what? I kept my eyes on the burning slime, unsure. Moments passed. The flames slowly faded, then something strange happened. All the slime… vanished. Evaporated into thin air. And in its place, A child. A young boy, no older than ten, was lying unconscious on the floor. My breath caught in my throat.

“What… is that?” I whispered.

“A child obviously.”

Mr. Mancher muttered as he stepped forward. He knelt beside the unconscious figure and gently wrapped him in a spare cloth he pulled from his bag.

“A child... how did a child...?”

The words caught in my throat. I didn’t even know what to ask.

“Are you saying the slime ate the child? Absorbed him or something?”

Mr. Mancher shook his head slowly. Lifting the child into his arms, he stood tall again and looked straight at me.

“No, little postman,” he said. “This child was slime.”

“That makes no sense. How.. how is that even possible?”

Mr. Mancher gave a soft sigh, then turned away.  “Come on,” he said. “I’ll explain on the way.”

17:07 PM, I glanced at my watch as I stepped out of the ruined house. The moment I reached the outside light, a chill swept through me. From the sky above, snowflakes had begun to fall slowly.

“What are we going to do with that kid?” I asked, turning to Mr. Mancher.

He looked back at me and pulled a folded paper from his bag. It was a missing person poster with that boy’s face printed on it.

“You’re going to return him?”

“Of course,” he said. “But before that, we need to make sure whatever darkness is still inside him gets cleansed.”

We left that neighborhood behind and waited for the train to arrive. The station platform was nearly empty. I sat on one of the benches, shoving my hands deep into my coat pockets to keep warm. Mr. Mancher stood beside me, the child wrapped in warm cloth strapped gently to his back. After a while of silence, he finally spoke.

“That thing... it’s a type of Lumen.”

I turned to him..

“That slime. We may not have seen one exactly like it before, but based on everything… I’d say it was a form of Lumen,” he said. Then, after a short pause, he continued:

“About two months ago, children started disappearing here on Level 3. As you know, it’s the most densely populated level. So at first, even if one or two kids vanished, no one really noticed. After that, letters requesting help started arriving at my doorstep… and that’s how I got involved in this case.”

I listened to what he was saying and decided to ask something I’d been wondering for a while.

“So… Mr. Mancher, what exactly do you do? It’s kind of strange for someone with magical abilities like you living in a place like Level 3.”

He glanced at me and gave a quiet chuckle. 

“Do you think Level 3 is beneath someone like me?”

“What? No! That’s not what I meant at all!” I paused, then continued, “I mean, not to be rude, but you know… Compared to the other levels, Level 3 is always crowded, always loud. It’s kind of chaotic.”

Mr. Mancher listened carefully, then responded:

“You’re right it’s loud, it’s crowded. But this place… it’s still my home. That hasn’t changed. And more than anything, I want to protect the people here and the Lumen too. That’s what I’ve chosen.”

“…I see,” I said softly. 

A brief silence fell between us, until this time, I was the one who spoke.

“Those kids who went missing two months ago…What do you think happened to them?”

Mr. Mancher paused for a moment, thinking about my question, before answering quietly:

“I don’t know. But I hope… I really hope it doesn’t turn out like last time.”

“Last time?” I echoed, looking at him.

Just then, the train arrived. Its whistle echoed through the entire station, shaking the air and snapping us out of the moment.

“Well then, little postman,” Mr. Mancher said, “It’s time for you to head home. It’s getting colder now, so let’s part ways here. I’ll take care of the rest.”

I looked at him, then gave a small nod of agreement. I stepped into the train. Mr. Mancher didn’t get on with me. Instead, he vanished using his magic. 

Damn, that was cool…