Vals POV(first point of view)

  Eclipsara and I were still screaming-arms locked around each other like terrified koas-as we stared at the man who seemed to be running this eerily silent, horror-movie-style b.

  Eclipsara stammered out the same sentence she’d already said a few minutes ago, her voice thick with disbelief.“Val… He has… he has…”

  “No face…” I finished for her, equally stunned and horrified, my brain still trying to process what we were seeing.

  We both had the exact same question swirling in our heads:

  How is he able to talk without a mouth?!

  The man-if you could even call him that-was completely featureless. His face was nothing but a smooth, gray ste. No eyes, no nose, no mouth. Just bnk. And yet, he stared at us for an uncomfortably long time with that faceless head.

  Then, suddenly, his voice shifted-and it absolutely shocked us. Heck, it spooked us.

  “Ah… how wonderful it is to see you, Val and Eclipsara. I trust you two have been doing well.” he said, in Dr. Trauss’s voice.

  “His voice just changed to Dr. Trauss’s?!” Eclipsara gasped, backing up in disbelief. She stared harder, her expression morphing from shock to horror.

  We both thought the exact same thing as I couldn't help but blurt out. "Wait… is he Dr. Trauss, actually?!"

  But before we could even finish that thought, the man’s voice shifted again-this time, to someone else entirely. A cheerful, familiar tone rang out in a perfect imitation of someone we had met just a few days ago.

  “So… what’s up, guys? Ready for me to take you to another restaurant?”

  “HUH?!” I blurted out, unable to contain my suprise. “He can mimic Sylvarius too?!”

  “And not just the voice!” Eclipsara added. “He’s even mimicking her mannerisms perfectly! Wait… did he see us having dinner with Sylvarius?!”

  Suddenly, he burst out ughing-and the sound was wild. It wasn’t any of the voices from before. This one was mechanical, yes, but now enthusiastic and full of bizarre joy, a stark contrast to the cold, unsettling voice he had demonstrated just moments ago. I am now even more baffled by how rapidly he keeps changing the situation.

  He was like a robot that really enjoyed his job.

  “HAHAHAHA!! I knew it was worth setting up this entire creepy b just to get that reaction!”

  “Wait… HUH?!” Eclipsara and I shouted in perfect unison, jaws dropped.

  Then, the faceless man continued, still buzzing with excitement.“Ah, you see… Dr. Trauss warned me that you two probably wouldn’t be afraid of me if we met in a normal setting. But I had other pns. I just had to scare you. I do it to every new person I meet-if I can. Why? Because it’s fun.”

  He paused dramatically.“So, I forcefully teleported you both, set up this spooky horror-themed b, and used voice modution to hit just the right subconscious fear triggers. And guess what?”

  He cpped his gloved hands together.“It. Worked. Brilliantly! Absolutely Spectacurly!! Wonderfully!!!”

  At that moment, I felt a dangerous presence right next to me.

  Eclipsara, her tone sickly sweet, leaned in slightly. Her one visible eye was shut, and she wore a smile-not the kind you give when you're happy, but the kind that hides an overwhelming urge to punch something. And not a normal punch, but the urge to punch something very hard.

  “Val… can I punch him? Or better yet, choke-sm him?”

  Just as I was about to answer, the faceless man let out another loud, echoing ugh.

  “Unfortunately for you, young dy, if you do try to punch me, your hand’s going to crack.”

  Eclipsara clicked her tongue, then tilted her head slightly, unfazed.“And why not?”

  He casually dropped a bomb on us.

  “Because I’m a golem, young miss.”

  Eclipsara and I exchanged a gnce, blinked in unison, and whipped our heads back toward him.

  “HUH?!”

  “Ah, there it is again-the good old 'huh?',” the man-who apparently was a golem-crossed his arms and shook his head with an exaggerated sigh. “I swear, if I got paid every time someone reacted like that, I’d be even richer. But hey, it never gets old.”

  Eclipsara stammered. “But… I… how…”

  She was completely thrown off. I couldn’t bme her. Meeting a golem was one thing. But meeting a golem who went from terrifying and emotionless to upbeat and fun in under five minutes? The contrast between his previous terrifying demeanor and his current enthusiastic personality was enough to give anyone a headache.

  Even I was a little stunned. But honestly? I liked the guy.

  There was something I respected about someone who could commit so hard to a prank. The setup, the delivery, the dedication-he had it all. No doubt, Dr. Trauss had learned from the best. I want to learn that too.

  The golem raised one gloved hand and nodded thoughtfully.“Ah… well, I could expin my origin story now, but that’s for another time. Let’s not ruin the suspense.”

  He gave a respectful bow.

  “Welcome, Val and Eclipsara. As you’ve probably guessed by now, I am Dr. Trauss’s teacher and mentor. And yes, I am a doctor myself-though I do quite a bit more than that, as you’ll soon learn ter on.”

  He straightened up and added. “My name is Eldrion. Dr. Eldrion, if you prefer.”

  Eclipsara, having finally recovered from the shock, took a deep breath and offered a grin-an almost mischievous one.“Well, I won’t forget this prank you pulled on us. In fact, Val and I will definitely pay you back for it in the future. But for now, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Eldrion.”

  She gave a polite bow, and I bowed with her.

  Dr. Eldrion ughed again, a deep, hearty sound-despite having no face or mouth. Seriously, how is that even possible? I could tell Eclipsara was wondering the same thing from the side-gnce she gave me.

  “I look forward to it,” he said, clearly amused. Then his attention shifted to solely onto me. “And you. You’re the one Dr. Trauss said should be under my wing, correct? I’ve already read the letter and everything. You don’t get a choice. If I’ve accepted you as my apprentice, then it’s final.”

  I don’t know why, but when he said that, something warm stirred in my chest. It was comforting… like something had finally clicked.

  “I see… Thank you. If I’m not too much trouble, then I look forward to being your apprentice. I am clumsy, but I hope to get better and less clumsier so I will not trouble you.”

  I bowed deeply.

  Dr. Eldrion ughed once again, the sound oddly warm despite his ck of features. Eclipsara smiled and patted me on the back, proud and genuinely happy for me.

  It seems… today’s turning out to be a pretty good day after all.

  Announcement

  Hello Readers,

  Two chapters of 'Cooler Trauss' will arrive in a few days or shortly after the publication of this chapter. Once again, thank you for reading this story, as well as my other story, 'A Father's Protection from the Grave' , if you've read it. I’ve also received many supportive comments from you, and your support has been truly wonderful. I am grateful to all of you.

  Just a quick heads-up: it’s exam month for me, and with all the homework and studying I need to do, new chapters will come out more slowly. I really appreciate your patience during this time, and I hope you're having an amazing day, wherever you are.

  Also, if I do end up starting one more story (and that’s a big if-I don’t pn to write more beyond that for now), it won’t receive much attention at first. My main focus will still be on "A Father's Protection from the Grave" and "A New Life, a New Insecurity." Only once both of those stories reach a temporary pause will I begin giving more time and creative thought to the potential third story.

  So, to summarize: If a third story does happen, that will be the limit. I won’t start any more stories until at least one or two of the current ones are completed. And the third story will only be developed further once the first two have hit a good stopping point for pnning and idea building.

  Thanks again for your support and understanding!