Without warning, Silas discovered that everything around him had suddenly become pale and monotonous.
It was as if he'd entered the world inside a black-and-white photograph, color abruptly vanishing.
In the dance floor, gentlemen and ladies still danced gracefully; in a corner of the hall, the band remained immersed in performance; the food on the long table was still arranged exquisitely...
But everything had lost the color of life, as if stripped of their essential shells, continuing their original movements purely by inertia.
Even the Dixie roast meat in his mouth had no delicious flavor, as bland as air with substance.
What's happening?
Have we been pulled into some strange place?
Silas thought.
But he quickly discovered that besides him, others had also noticed the abnormality.
A certain musician in the band, though still playing, showed an uneasy expression on his face; a servant carrying a tray passing drinks, Audrey among the nobles, the guards behind the princes and princess, even Sophia in the main seat—their emotions all fluctuated slightly.
The Beyonders can all detect the abnormality...
"Buzz..."
Just then, an illusory door took shape in the center of the dance floor, slowly opening.
"Cecilia, don't look! Lower your head and pretend nothing happened!"
A sense of danger pricked his brow like needles. Silas suppressed his voice as he shouted to his sister.
"Creak..."
The girl obediently did as told.
Just as she averted her gaze, that invisible door opened completely, and someone rushed out from inside.
It was a handsome man, though he was currently rather disheveled.
His straight, high-quality formal wear had become tattered and torn, his neatly combed hair was now a mess.
He practically tumbled into the hall, as if being chased by something terrible.
Perhaps due to minor injuries, the man's body uncontrollably leaked some terrifying pressure.
Around him, an indescribable sense of order and chaos coexisted.
The melodious music continued. The vast majority of people still did what they'd been doing before, completely oblivious to this suddenly appearing person.
"Heh heh..."
The handsome man looked up and around. After discovering where he was, his face showed a bitter smile.
He straightened his body and bowed slightly toward the royal members at the head table.
Although those two princes were hollow and pale, completely unaware of his existence, his movements remained proper and appropriate, impossible to fault.
Such a powerful aura...
Silas spied from the shadows.
The Shepherd's instinct was frantically warning him that the other party was a lamb he couldn't control.
After bowing, the handsome man seemed about to say something, but his expression suddenly changed, and he pointed at the air beside him.
"Creak..."
The invisible door was outlined once again, opening inward to reveal a illusory and transparent world inside, where clear and bright radiance sparkled.
The handsome man rushed into the door without looking back, his figure quickly disappearing into the illusion.
The door closed immediately after, vanishing without a trace.
Is he being chased by something?
Silas thought.
What could chase such a powerful person into such disarray...
The next moment, his doubts were answered.
"Click, click."
Cheerful music accompanied by lively drumbeats sounded from somewhere.
A squad of toy soldiers in red military uniforms, marching in neat formation, emerged from the void.
They were the same size as normal people, holding muskets with bright, sharp bayonets on the gun tips.
What the hell is this...
In Silas's mind, such a thought had just emerged when he saw more strange beings appearing one after another.
Little mermaids swimming through the air, singing joyfully; a donkey carrying an old dog, old cat, and rooster; a large ginger cat wearing boots; a wolf walking upright wearing a red cap...
These peculiar creatures that seemed to only exist in fairy tales were successively outlined from the void, forming a strange parade.
Yellow bricks formed beneath the parade's feet.
They stepped on the yellow bricks, accompanied by cheerful music and drumbeats, chasing in the direction where the handsome man had left.
The yellow brick road extended into the void, and they disappeared into the invisible along with it.
In the pale, hollow world, this group of strange beings painted everything with dreamlike colors.
Countless fairy tale creatures surrounded a carriage made of pumpkin, protecting it at the very center.
Through the carriage window, Silas vaguely saw the beautiful profile of a female figure. Her black boots extended from the front of the carriage, resting on the footboard.
It's that Queen!
Wasn't she investigating MI9?!
Which means that handsome man who just escaped is probably also related to MI9.
I see.
She commissioned members at the gathering to create chaos throughout Backlund.
In reality, it was to draw out the real power figures of MI9... But Queen, you're being too bold...
Moreover, these things gave Silas an extremely strong sense of déjà vu, like certain characters from fairy tale books in his previous life.
Before Silas could think it through, the grand procession passed majestically through the hall and completely disappeared.
After several more seconds, the atmosphere around them changed. Like invisible glass shattering, everything once again possessed color.
The music became clear, people's expressions became vivid.
They had returned to the real world.
Everyone went about their own business, completely unaware of what had just occurred. Only a few Beyonders showed slightly relieved expressions.
Good thing these powerful figures were just passing through and didn't involve this place in their battle.
"It's fine now. It has nothing to do with us."
Silas breathed a sigh of relief, then said quietly to his sister, "Don't show any abnormality. It wouldn't be good if others noticed."
He could remind his sister, but no one could remind the red-haired girl above.
The Feysac princess looked rather unwell, seemingly frightened by the recent incident.
"Your Highness Sophia, what's wrong?"
The First Prince beside her noticed her abnormality and asked with concern.
"My apologies. The air in the ballroom is slightly stuffy."
Sophia quickly recovered, responding with an impeccable smile.
"Indeed, it is rather noisy here."
Third Prince Edessak nodded.
"Your Highness Princess, there's a lounge in the back..."
"Your Highness Princess Sophia, you could take your guards to the garden for some fresh air..."
The nobles crowding around spoke up one after another. They hadn't noticed what had happened before.
What was that...
Among the nobles, Audrey worked hard to conceal her emotional fluctuations, conversing normally with several royal members.
She didn't make a scene, but maintained her etiquette throughout until her pleasantries with the royalty ended, then returned to the lower hall to meet with Silas and the others.
"What just happened?"
Audrey asked quietly.
More than frightened, she seemed more curious.
"Just a contest between two powerful figures."
Silas's voice emerged from the shadows. "No need to worry."
He felt that the two had been rather restrained just now.
Perhaps they both had concerns and didn't want to be too conspicuous, letting other forces notice.