Zavi let out a short breath as he thought.
'My heart feels so empty... Is this because of what happened back then? Then why do I keep thinking about it, and why does it feel like it has taken root inside my mind?'
Then he turned his body, straightened his gaze, looked at them, and said in a low voice, "Thank you for waiting for me all this time." A faint smile formed on his face, hiding the darkness behind it.
That was the only thing he could say for now. For some reason, ever since his consciousness returned to his body, he could clearly feel that his soul was being held by something, and he had even thought it might be related to the Prisoner.
His body felt different, as if something was resting on his shoulders, and every time he took a breath, unclear shadows would always flash through his mind for a split second.
'Is it the phantom's influence? But where is it now, how could it just disappear like that.'
The two of them ignored his words, letting them dissipate like smoke hanging in the air. Realizing that both of them were hiding something they could not tell him, Zavi took the initiative to move first, intending to leave the alley where the apartment was located.
A few seconds after stepping forward, he glanced back to make sure that neither of them had moved even slightly from where they had been standing.
'Just as I thought, they're hiding something. And... why has Moreira become more cautious than before? Is that woman the cause of all this? No, I don't want to make assumptions about her. Besides, she hasn't shown her true form yet.'
Zavi kept walking, unwilling to add more burden to his own thoughts. His mind was now filled with questions about himself and the evil spirit whose behavior resembled a human, as well as about that woman, Aurora Chevalya, who had disappeared without a trace.
'Celvira, huh. Maybe what Moreira said back then was true? About evil spirits hunting humans. And there's one more thing bothering me. Those unexplained deaths, and the deaths of the five survivors after leaving that building. What actually happened? Even I can't solve that mystery.'
'Victims of a ritual? Or the opposite?'
Lost in his thoughts, Zavi didn't realize his steps were getting faster. His head ended up hitting an iron pole standing at the side of the main road and the narrow alley leading to the apartment.
"Tch. Annoying," Zavi muttered softly.
He lifted his gaze. Only then did he realize that a thin fog was creeping out from the gaps in the alley, hanging low above the stone-paved road.
The air suddenly pierced through his pores. The cold did not come gradually, but struck straight into his bones. Zavi let out a short breath, as if he were standing in a place covered by endless white fog.
Only now did he truly realize that it was already December. In just a few days, the year would come to an end.
He stood still in the silent alley, watching people passing along the main road, their steps cautious.
Then the sound came.
Heavy footsteps from behind. Steady. Not rushed, yet not careless either, as if each step was supported by the same weight of vigilance as the body that carried it.
Zavi did not turn around. He only tilted his head slightly, just enough to catch the figure at the corner of his eye.
"So you've come," he said softly. The corner of his lips lifted faintly. "Then… about that. Do you still want to continue?"
"Of course," Moreira replied.
He stopped a few steps behind Zavi. His gaze swept across the alley, now slowly being covered by fog. "This fog… it wasn't here earlier."
Zavi fell silent for a moment. His gaze sank into the slowly moving fog, almost as if it were alive. Only then did he realize something was missing.
His brows furrowed slightly.
"Oh." Zavi glanced briefly around. "Where is she now?"
"I don't know," Moreira answered shortly, as if he himself did not understand the woman's sudden disappearance.
Zavi resumed walking, turning along the relatively quiet sidewalk without any intention of questioning Celvira's absence.
Just as he expected. They must be planning something. What it was, he clearly didn't know, and had no desire to know.
He remained cautious, occasionally touching the silver revolver inside his coat pocket.
'Should I look for Aurora now, and perhaps, because of that encounter my consciousness shifted into this body and occupied this strange world, damn it.'
From behind, Moreira followed with relaxed steps. His mind was filled with Celvira's strange words, making him pay attention to even the smallest movements from Zavi, as if he felt afraid of him.
After some time at the outskirts of Greysia, searching for a faster alternative route to Moran, their steps suddenly stopped on a road near the wide Viela River, as if something was holding their feet when their gaze fell upon the calm surface of the water.
The cold air seeped through their pores and crept along their bodies, freezing them near the long iron fence.
"What is that?" they muttered at the same time, trying to move but unable to.
A few seconds after those words were spoken, something unseen released its grip.
The strange pressure holding Zavi's body vanished instantly. Fast. Hot. Like a sheet of paper thrown into burning embers, gone without leaving even a trace of ash.
Almost at the same time, the river below them changed.
The once calm current suddenly turned violent, crashing against the rocks with a loud roar. It surged wildly, as if an invisible barrier had just been removed. Water splashed high into the air, nearly soaking both of them.
Zavi instinctively stepped back half a step.
He wanted to say something, anything, but his jaw tightened. The words were stuck in his throat, restrained by a sudden premonition pressing against his chest.
This wasn't normal.
Zavi's gaze was fixed on the raging river. His instinct screamed a single warning do not interfere.
Without saying much, they finally continued their journey.
Their footsteps carried them across a large bridge ahead, leaving the roar of the water behind. After that, the road narrowed, entering the outskirts. The result of a decision that had taken too long to determine which route was the fastest to Moran.
The journey felt much longer than expected.
They boarded a train from one of the stations in the Luand District, in the northeastern region, heading to Forgenate, with the intention of going straight to Capa. The route was direct, yet it still took nearly three hours, or even worse, five to six hours.
The afternoon began to dim as they arrived.
At around five sixteen in the evening, the two of them got off at a station different from the one they had visited before. Its location was in the southwest of Forgenate. As Zavi's feet touched the platform, the hiss of steam still echoed in his ears, as if the sound refused to leave even after the train had gone.
The smell from inside the carriage still lingered in his mind.
Pungent tobacco. Cheap perfume that stung the nose. Foreign scents he could not explain. And a faint metallic odor that made his stomach churn.
"Sir Lamena..." Moreira glanced at him while holding his breath. His face was pale, wrinkles forming on his forehead. "You don't look well. Uweghh..."
Zavi gave a small nod.
That smell still clung to him, as if sticking to the roof of his mouth. Spreading slowly, disturbing, like tiny insects crawling endlessly, impossible to get rid of. He swallowed, turned his face away, and tried to take a deep breath.
They moved away from the station and paused for a moment to recover.
Strangely, once they were inside the city, in an area that felt more familiar, something within Zavi eased. The pressure that had been suffocating his chest gradually disappeared. Vigilance, nervousness, anxiety, and fear vanished just like that, like a coin thrown into the vast ocean without ever being heard sinking.
A few minutes later, they sat on a wooden bench by the roadside.
Behind the bench, neatly maintained plants were arranged in order. Small pots filled with green leaves, and roadside trees with branches curving downward, shading them like natural umbrellas from the afternoon sun.
After resting enough, both of them stood up.
Zavi stretched his shoulders, while Moreira slowly rotated his neck. Without much conversation, they agreed to look for a passing carriage.
They stood by the roadside, looking left and right. Zavi raised his hand, signaling at every carriage that passed. But time continued to pass, and one by one the carriages went by without stopping. The evening operating hours were nearly over.
That was when they met a man who had just returned from the market.
Two horses pulled a simple roofless cart. On it were several wooden crates filled with wheat, rice, and other goods piled carelessly, their lids slightly shifted. The man slowed his horses as he passed them, then lowered his gaze slightly.
His hand pressed against his merchant's hat before he asked in a friendly voice, "Where are the two of you headed?"
Zavi was about to speak, but Moreira answered first, his tone flat, almost indifferent.
"Take us to the border. To Capa."
The man fell silent for a moment to think.
His eyes widened, then he let out a small laugh for a few seconds, as if he had just heard something strange yet amusing.
"Heh… in that case, just get on," he said with a sigh, gesturing his thumb toward the cart. "But this journey might take some time."
His gaze swept the surroundings before turning back to them, and he quickly added, "Sorry, this cart is old."
They nodded in response, then walked closer, climbed onto the cart, and sat facing opposite directions. The journey to the border, Capa on Street No. 12, took about an hour, and they arrived exactly at six in the evening.
"Thank you, Sir, for the free ride," Moreira said while slightly raising his hand.
'Free, huh. Reminds me of him. I wonder if he's doing well there.'
Thinking about the time he had spent with Albert made Zavi feel a bit nostalgic, and an indescribable emotion surfaced. About Forn, who had been unconscious at the time, and whether he was still alright even now.
The man gave a faint smile. Then the sound of a whip cracked, followed by the rhythm of hooves striking the road. The sound broke the evening silence, bringing life to the surroundings before gradually fading into the distance.
The two of them finally stepped onto the main road and walked along the roadside, which was beginning to grow quiet.
"Then let's head there quickly. The sky is getting dark, and I don't know what's waiting for us there," Zavi said softly, eager for what lay ahead.
Both of them glanced slightly, looking at the road now lit by lamps. Far ahead, several districts awaited them. Districts that were said to have been destroyed overnight, like candles burning in the darkness before being extinguished by a passing wind.
Moreira's eyes were fixed on that road, feeling that all the strange thoughts he had would finally find their answers once he arrived there.
Without hesitation, Zavi stepped forward first, with Moreira following behind him.
After walking along a slightly descending road and crossing a bridge with a strong river current beneath it, they arrived. The first strange sight greeted them, causing their eyes to widen.
"What the hell is this?" Zavi said in confusion.
"No way," Moreira murmured, his face filled with disbelief.