..In the void, the darkness consumed all. Everything was nothing, it was empty, without light. There was only a gray ground, as if a patch of earth that shone just enough to reveal the surface below, yet all around it was shrouded in a pitch-black, thick fog. The wails of mysterious figures echoed from the dark abyss. They spoke a language never heard before.
But Neswon stood before theirvoices, emotionless, still as a rock. He peered into the darkness, the source of the sound. His heart pounded with fear, even though he wasn't afraid. It was just afraid on its own. Sweat poured from his body. The atmosphere felt as cold as ice, yet he burned with a fever inside.
Everything felt like a dream, an imagination made real. Neswon's arrogance shattered and vanished without a trace. He became aware of something approaching from his left. He slowly glanced over, filled with terror. A mysterious, gloved hand, black as night, reached for his head. In a split second, it plunged back into the shadow on his right.
His breath trembled as if what he saw was not real. Cold sweat trickled from every pore, soaking his bed. Neswon's eyes were wide, as if he couldn't believe what he had just experienced in his dream.
"Hey! Neswon... Neswon... wake up!"
Drest's voice roused him from his deep sleep. The image of absolute darkness was still behind his eyelids. He slowly opened his eyes, but the world was a faint blur.
"...How are you? Did you meet them last night?"
Neswon slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes from the blurriness. The warm morning sun was shining in.
"I'm fine. I slept soundly," Neswon said with a faint smile. Time passed.
They sat on the sofa in Drest's room. Neswon's eyes were empty, as if hiding something deep inside. Drest sat reading a newspaper.
"This is insane... most of the people who have disappeared are mages... why?"
Drest looked at the paper with frustration.
Neswon, sitting opposite him, said, "...Even though ordinary people and special people can coexist these days, it doesn't mean it's always safe for mages."
"I think it must be some kind of weird cult or a lunatic who's hunting down mages,"
Drest said, his face annoyed, crumpling the newspaper in his hands.
"What you saw must have been their doing. That's what I think,"
Drest looked at Neswon and then at the bandage on his shoulder.
Neswon raised a hand to his forehead, feeling weak and strained. He closed his eyes for a moment, just because he wanted to.
"No... even if they are cruel and barbaric... what I saw is definitely not them."
Drest's eyes widened. He looked at Neswon in shock and was stunned by what Neswon had just said. He slowly rose from the sofa.
"Not something a normal human could have done..."
He slammed both hands on the table, making a loud noise that startled Fiela, their neighbor who was sitting nearby.
"You have to explain... what you really saw..."
"I'm a professor at Ichivor University... I knew right away what the energy level of the being in front of me was."
Neswon's eyes were sharp and cold, yet they were chilling.
"You... never told me about this..." Drest stared at Neswon intently, never looking away.
"Someone like you... you're a level 2. I could feel the energy radiating from you."
Neswon said coldly. His eyes seemed unshaken by what he was facing.
Drest got goosebumps. He couldn't even swallow.
"So that means... you know their level... don't you?"
Where Neswon was previously shaken, Drest was now too scared to even move his limbs. In the next room, a young woman with a beautiful face lived her life in cheerful, peaceful, and bright solitude. But the room next door was dark and ready to collapse at any moment. The young man named Drest might not be just a simple engineer living a quiet life; he might be more than that. Neswon slowly raised his head and widened his eyes as he looked at Drest.
"They're level 10."
Drest not only didn't say anything, but he also refused to believe what Neswon had just said. He froze, as if in a state of shock for a moment.
[ City of Vesse ... ]
In the bustling atmosphere of the festival, filled with people, lights, and countless shows and stalls, Zela, a female student from Ichivor University, wasn't in her student uniform. She wore simple everyday clothes that still showed her constant, beautiful charm. Her hair was as white as a snowflake in the cold season. She had come to the festival just like everyone else.
A group of men dressed in cool suits with lion heads made of cloth, a stylish and cute contrast, was playing with a group of children. Zela just watched them for a while... she was simply observing what people did.
The sweet aroma of an oven filled the air. It was warm and smelled delicious. Zela followed the scent. A mountain of cookies was baking. The festival just happened to be near a famous cookie shop that many people loved to visit. Zela's cheeks flushed. She was astonished by its charm.
...She got so many cookies that she almost fell over, in a charming way. She could barely carry them all.
"I'm so lucky today~ The cookie shop just happens to be having a special event!"
she said to herself, walking and smiling happily alone. Still, she suddenly remembered something deep down. She stopped and looked up at the night sky, filled with beautiful, shining stars.
Later, she saw a mysterious man in a black coat and a somber mask, standing with his hands in his pockets, leaning against a wall. He was within her line of sight, but she couldn't see him clearly. Zela pretended she didn't notice him.
She hurried on, quickening her pace. There was no one else there. She felt a sudden chill run down her spine. The air, which had been cool, turned bitterly cold, and a sharp pressure settled over her body. She could feel something getting closer, but she didn't know what form it took. In a flash, she made a decision, unbuttoning her coat... one, two, and three. A deep cleavage of her pale skin was revealed. It didn't know what she was planning, as she was still walking away. Sewn to the inside of her outer coat was a small pocket, as if she were hiding something within.
Suddenly, she took something out. It was a small, shiny needle, like a sewing needle. It was so bright that it didn't feel like an ordinary needle. It was forged like a knife meant for cutting. She dipped it into a small vial of liquid, then whirled around and hurled it at the mysterious man who was pursuing her. But he slowly began to dissolve. She only saw his torso fading away. After the other parts of his body were gone, he vanished before her needle could even strike him. Her eyes widened. She was shocked by what she was seeing. It was as if this mysterious man was not a normal human.
To be continued...