The Paradise-Shaped Prison
Darkness completely engulfed my vision. This situation, where not even a speck of light reached my retinas, was all too familiar to me in many ways.
I had no intention of resisting the darkness. I simply observed quietly, knowing full well that patience would make it vanish.
As expected, the darkness began to lift in less than five minutes. For anyone without the patience to wait, it would have felt like an eternity.
Being surrounded by pitch-black void in every sense wasn't a pleasant experience, no matter how you spun it. In any case, I didn't move until the darkness fully dissipated.
My vision returned as languidly as the darkness receded. That was actually a relief. A sudden flood of intense light on my retinas could have caused visual damage.
It took another five minutes or so for my eyesight to fully recover. By then, the hazy sense of loss that had enveloped my entire body was gone, and I could clearly feel control over my body returning properly.
I slowly swung both arms. They moved smoothly without any issues.
"Ugh...! Where... is this place?"
Lumiia, who seemed to have regained her senses just like me, muttered in a voice thick with groans, her massive tits jiggling as she did.
She must have gone through the same sensory deprivation I had. Without prior knowledge, it probably hit her pretty hard.
"Summoner. What the hell is this place?"
Confirming I was beside her, Lumiia immediately fired off a question. Seeing her let out a small sigh of relief upon looking at my face, I could tell most of her wariness toward me had crumbled.
"Inside the illusion manifested by Eve's Apple."
"Illusion?"
Her elegant brow furrowed instantly at the word.
No surprise there.
Realizing that this situation, which felt utterly real, was nothing more than a phantasm created by someone else wouldn't sit well.
Like I had moments ago, Lumiia lightly swung her arms and wiggled her fingers to check for anomalies.
But just like me earlier, she detected nothing out of the ordinary. Her moderately creased forehead smoothed out like a cocoon.
"The sensations are perfectly identical to reality. Is this really an illusion?"
An illusion so eerily identical to reality.
Without prior knowledge, even I wouldn't have realized it was fake. Every joint in my fingers, every corner of my body sent back the exact same sensations as in the real world.
"Surprisingly, yes, it really is an illusion. With the power of Eve's Apple, nothing's out of the question."
And that's exactly why they could pull off that ridiculous scam of granting the SS winner's wish.
"But this illusory world wasn't designed by that bastard. He manifested it, but I was the architect."
Lumiia's expression relaxed upon hearing my words—not from relief, but because she couldn't quite follow my answer, her face shifting to one of pure puzzlement.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Eve's Apple provided the power to manifest this illusory world. But the world itself is built on my desires."
"Your desires?"
Lumiia hugged her arms like she'd spotted a cockroach, adopting a defensive posture. She even instinctively took a step back. Damn, way too harsh.
"Is that true?"
"It is."
"Then why the hell would that bastard create an illusory world based on your desires?"
Lumiia's gaze lifted to the sky. A clear blue expanse without a single cloud greeted us, indistinguishable from the real world's heavens. Unconsciously, she reached out toward it.
"This world is a small prison. Not one with sturdy bars, ferocious beasts, and grim jailers—it's a prison disguised as paradise. Far more secure than any fortress of security measures."
"A prison... So Eve's Apple's intent is to keep us from escaping this world?"
"Exactly. And while we're trapped here, our real bodies will slowly be absorbed by it."
"My god! Then we can't afford to lounge around like this! How do we escape!?"
"Not possible right now. If breaking out of this world were that easy, it wouldn't have claimed so many SS winners."
Escape might be tough for now, but there's a crack in the armor.
"Hold on... Summoner. I've always wondered—how do you know all this? You act like... you've been through this before."
Lumiia's eyes met mine squarely.
She was right; I'd experienced this indirectly once. Her sharp instincts had pierced halfway to the truth.
Well, since I hadn't been too strict about keeping secrets from her, it wasn't strange that she'd gotten this close.
"Want the truth?"
"......Pass."
One moment she looked like she carried the world's burdens on her heroic shoulders; the next, she whipped around abruptly.
"You'd probably just spout some bullshit lie anyway. I'll uncover the truth myself. If I stick by your side... I'll reach it eventually."
Whether she realized it or not, she'd naturally declared she'd stay with me.
I was the summoner, she my champion.
Normally, we'd part ways after SS ended, but this situation had postponed our farewell.
"Fine. Anyway, priority one: getting out of here."
With that, Lumiia scanned our surroundings once more. I did the same, following her lead.
We were in a small mountainside spot. Cute exercise equipment dotted the view. Not some deep wilderness.
Turning right, I spotted a car road below the slope, apartment complexes visible beyond it.
"Looks like a typical neighborhood hill."
"Hard to believe this world is manifested from your desires. It's so... normal?"
Disbelief dripped from Lumiia's voice.
"You're treating me too rough. So what kind of world did you expect?"
"Hm... Knowing you, even this exercise gear would be lewd and depraved. Like, that pull-up bar's pole shaped like a naked woman's body. And that bench over there made from two women in slutty outfits on all fours like beasts."
Impressive imagination. I filed that comment away in a corner of my mind.
"Learned something new. Maybe back home, I should make a barbell out of Lumiia's tits, pussy, and asshole."
"Kgh! You filthy pervert!"
She didn't seem to realize her words were even filthier. Looked like Lumiia's mindset was shifting in a good direction.
"Whatever. Point is, we need to escape this place. If it's built from your desires, you should know the way out, right?"
"Not at all. Sure, it's based on my desires, but I don't know much about this world either."
"That make any sense? You're basically the designer, and you don't know your own creation?"
"That's how people are. Who perfectly knows their own heart? Take you—even on the surface you're all tsun-tsun, but deep down your tits, pussy, and asshole are loyal to me."
"Eek! Wh-what's a 'titpussass'!? Sounds disgustingly vulgar!"
"Not vulgar. Tits, pussy, asshole. Just normal terms for body parts."
"You dirty incubus. I have zero desire to hang around in this creepy illusion with you. Thinking it's made from your fantasy makes me want out ASAP."
"Not the time. We wait for the door to open."
"Door?"
She instantly grasped that the 'door' I meant wasn't a literal one.
"The gate linking illusion to reality. That's our best way out. Force-destroying this world could wreck our consciousness too."
"Hmph... Hate being caged in this nasty birdcage, but if that's the only way..."
"For now, let's head down the mountain. Can't stay parked here."
Lumiia nodded wordlessly at my suggestion. We descended the path. A few birds chattered from the trees, the only welcome we got. Not a soul in sight along the way.
"Eerily empty. Feels fake as hell."
Lumiia was on high alert, like she'd infiltrated enemy territory—neck tense, shoulders hunched. I patted her shoulder to reassure her.
"Relax those shoulders. This isn't the scary place you imagine."
"You said you don't know this world well. How can you be sure?"
"Told you: it's a prison of illusion. It doesn't cage inmates with violence. It tempts with desires."
That's why SS winners trapped here flail in the fantasy of their wishes coming true until Eve's Apple absorbs them.
"Still, who knows when or where something might happen. Especially in a world born from your insolent desires..."
Even my words didn't ease her guard.
We left the little hill and stepped onto the road. Still no people around. No cars passing.
"Shall we head somewhere busier?"
I pointed toward downtown. Lumiia didn't reply. In a situation like this, silence meant yes.
Guess this trip ends here.
I'd spent plenty of time in the Soul Community world. Time to check out another. Putting down Eve's Apple could wait.
I returned to reality.