The stone pavements beneath Kael's faltering steps were as firm and unyielding as a threat. With every step, it felt as if the city was a living organism that refused to accept him, resisting to spit him back out. He leaned on Liora's arm, putting almost all his weight on her, but even so, it felt like he had to rip something from within himself just to take another step. His breath was short, erratic. It wasn't suppressed fear he felt inside, but rather that unsettling intuition—the sense that something was silently growing in the dark.
As they rounded a corner, the shadow of a nearby stone building fell over them. At this hour, the city was both crowded and desolate. People were fleeing, but their escape didn't leave behind emptiness—instead came screams, sirens, and commands. Kael slightly lowered his head, as if trying to muffle the sound. It all became a dull hum in his mind.
"Stop! Show your ID!"
"Hands above your head! Remove your hat!"
"Do you have special clearance to walk on this street?!"
In one corner, a large man crouched on the ground, holding his head in both hands, sobbing. The approaching footsteps of the soldiers echoed in Kael's ears. He couldn't bear to watch those scenes anymore. He turned his gaze away; to watch, to witness—it felt like being complicit. He wanted to look away, to not see, because if he saw, it would be etched into his memory. Those images, those sounds, would stay with him forever. And he was already far too tired.
On tall metal poles placed throughout the city, rotating speakers blared a sharp male voice at intervals:
"Attention! Suspect still within city limits. Codename: Artemus. Last seen at Central Square. Gray coat, dark hat, limping on left leg. Everyone is required to report. Harboring will be considered complicity."
Kael's eyes dropped instinctively to the ground. His mouth was dry. The person they were talking about—it was him—or rather, who they thought he was. And this misunderstanding was no longer just a name or a suspicion; it was a deadly reality.
Just a few steps ahead, under a streetlamp, two soldiers had stopped a young woman. She was showing them her bag in fear.
"I swear, it's just fruit! For my child—"
One of the soldiers grabbed the bag and emptied it onto the ground. An apple rolled all the way to Kael's feet.
"If you were lying, you'd be dead by now," the soldier said coldly. Then he turned to the other. "Next time, shoot without questioning."
A wave passed through Kael. Was it anger, fear, or shame for humanity—he couldn't tell. But something was rapidly falling into the emptiness inside him.
Liora squeezed his arm. "Keep your head down," she whispered. "They recognize you by your eyes."
Kael obeyed instinctively. Just then, Liora gently pulled him into a side alley. Sticking close to the walls, they moved through the fog and shadows. For a brief moment in the twisted, stone-paved alley, Kael thought they had escaped everything. But the illusion didn't last long.
There were eyes behind windows. Figures waiting in ambush on rooftops. Liora's words echoed in his mind:
"They're everywhere," Liora said, her voice low and steady. "Some of them are from a group called 'Representation.' No one knows who they really are—most people don't even know they exist. They're the names whispered after people disappear. Shadows that roam silently in the dark… Think of them like elite detectives from your world, but far more ruthless."
It was the first time Kael had heard Liora speak these words. That term "Representation" left a strange shiver in his mind; like a cold, sharp wind wrapping around him. Unease and anxiety settled in his heart. His eyes scanned the dark alleys around him; every shadow felt like a threat, every step a hidden danger now.
Kael's mind was slowly growing hazy. He felt his knees tremble. Liora noticed it too. She gripped his hands tighter.
"Where... are we?" Kael asked in a whisper. "Where are we going?"
Liora entered a narrow side street. There was almost no one here. The silence hit them like a slap after all the noise.
"There's a place," Liora said. "Old, but safe. They won't find us. We'll talk there."
A fixed image kept flashing in Kael's mind. That rectangular window.
Mistaken Identity!They think you are the Twilight Artemus.Objective: Prove your true identity.Failure: ???If successful: Title
"This… that window… that thing…" Kael mumbled. "Is it real? I'm… not going mad?"
Liora shook her head. She kept walking, speaking as she moved:
"That's your symbol of existence. Divine confirmation. Everyone here has their own system, but yours… might be different. We don't know yet. But the one thing you must be sure of: Someone is watching you."
That final sentence ran down Kael's spine like a cold shiver. For a moment, there was silence. Only footsteps and the distant tolling of bells could be heard.
At last, they came to a narrow, almost invisible passageway. Liora stopped there. A pale stone wall, an arched doorway covered in moss. So ordinary no one would notice, yet there was something off about it. Liora knocked—three short, one long.
A high-pitched but masculine voice came from behind the door:
"Who is it?"
Liora answered calmly:
"Mi'raj."
Silence. Then came the mechanical click of a lock. The door creaked open slowly. A scent of damp earth and old stone wafted out. A narrow stone corridor, dimly lit, stretched inward.
Kael hesitated at the threshold. Not entering might be safer, but he had no other choice. Liora was his only source of information, and stepping through this door was the path to learning more about himself. Though he didn't trust her fully, he stepped in, helpless.
Behind him, Liora slowly raised her hand and quietly closed the door. In that moment, he felt like he'd stepped into a scene from a show he'd once seen. The silence that followed the door's closing marked the entry into a new world.
Ahead of them stretched a long corridor lit with dim lights. The walls bore ancient, intricate carvings; flickering candlelight made shadows dance across them. In the middle of the corridor, Liora stopped and snapped her fingers.
Suddenly, the corridor began to shift slowly, as if moved by an invisible hand. The shape of the walls and floor changed with a soft hum; the corridor transformed into a long and complex labyrinth. Kael was mesmerized by the magical transformation. He watched, unblinking, as if stepping into another reality.
Kael paused, staring at Liora. He had watched the corridor change shape, the floor curve and form a new path, with utter astonishment. The possibility of such a thing defied his understanding. He couldn't help but ask:
"How... are you doing this? This... this isn't possible. Doesn't this violate the laws of physics?"
Liora smiled slightly. As if she'd heard this question a hundred times before. Continuing to walk, she spoke over her shoulder:
"You really don't know anything. And yet you've survived this long… Still, even a day and a half here will shatter the reality you thought you knew. What you're seeing—the shifting corridor, vanishing doors, flowing space—all of it is done with divinity."
Kael frowned. The word was foreign, yet something inside him stirred. "Divinity?" he repeated.
Liora nodded. "Yes. In this world, it's the source of our powers. Divinity shapes itself according to your personality. It's also tied to your race. Your way of thinking, your fears, your passions... all affect your divinity. Some people can have two types. Mine is telekinesis, for example. I can move objects with my mind."
She paused, looking straight into Kael's eyes. "Yours hasn't revealed itself yet. For that to happen, you'll need to experience a major emotional rupture."
Kael's mind grew even more clouded. His thoughts swirled like broken clouds. "Race?" he asked. "Aren't there only humans here?"
Liora chuckled softly. She kept walking through the corridor, turning to him even as she moved:
"No. Here, you can find beings of all kinds. Half-human, half-animal hybrids, spirits, demons, angels… and even—" She paused. Her tone turned serious. "Gods."
Kael laughed involuntarily. "Gods? Nice joke," he said, but Liora didn't laugh. Her eyes were filled with solemnity. In that moment, Kael understood that nothing said here was a joke. This was a world where reality shattered and boundaries blurred.
Just then, a sharp voice rang out behind them. It started faint, then echoed off the walls as it grew closer:
"Open the door! We need to conduct an inspection inside!"