Under the dim glow of the crimson sun, Lumian kept his gaze fixed ahead. Mrs. Theresa's husband stood near a building, speaking into a phone.
From a distance, nothing seemed unusual, but Lumian knew better.
He didn't know what to do under such circumstances. Two options flashed in his mind, whether to apprehend or wait for another opportunity. He struggled with himself for sometime, then finally made a decision.
Yes they can't be a more better situation to catch the man. I have to recover St. Mary text.
With that, Lumian adjusted his coat and began walking forward, as if nothing was wrong.
Mrs. Theresa's husband with his balding hair, was still on the call, as he looked at Lumian from time to time.
With some minutes, the distance was gradually closing.
Ten feet.
Eight.
Five.
Just as quickly, he broke into a run.
...
Damn it. Lumian cursed inwardly as he immediately broke into a sprint.
Ahead of him, Mrs. Theresa's husband was already moving fast, too fast.
Unbeknownst to Lumian, a figure stood at a distance.
Behind a delicate fan, a woman with silver hair and sharp features watched the scene unfold in silence. It was Elizabeth.
The chase intensified.
The man weaved through the streets with unnatural agility—dodging pedestrians, twisting past obstacles, leaping over barriers, and cutting into narrow alleys without slowing down.
Shouts erupted from startled passersby. Drivers slammed brakes, horns blaring as the two dashed across the road.
How is he this fast… with that body?
Just ahead, the man vaulted cleanly over a fence.
Without hesitation, Lumian followed.
This isn't normal, if you think of it, when Lacey joined the Witches Garden, he became a sorcerer, maybe Mrs. Theresa's husband is now a sorcerer, because he's not even getting tired.
Gritting his teeth, Lumian pushed himself harder and continued the chase.
...
Before long, even with his speed, and acrobaticsm, Lumian began to feel the strain. His breathing grew heavier.
Without slowing down, he drew in spirituality from the environment and pushed forward.
Ahead, the man darted into an alley. Without hesitation, Lumian followed, leaping through and landing.
When he landed, he noticed he was back in the same place he had just jumped. Same angle, same people, same street.
Without thinking much of it, he ran and jumped over again, only to be meant with the same result.
Only then did he realize that Mrs. Theresa's husband was actually from the Paradox Order.
Yes, this is the only explanation. He has trapped me in a repeating loop.
Using that understanding, Lumian shifted back slightly and suddenly sprinted and jumped.
He jumped way higher than before, breaking through the invisible paradox barrier.
As soon, as he did that, Lumian landed roughly, immediately locking onto the fleeing figure ahead.
The man was already some distance away.
Without wasting a second, he resumed the chase.
...
Meanwhile, still running, the man suddenly leapt upward, landing on top a rooftop.
Lumian was just about to follow in suit, but immediately a whisper as sweet as honey, echoed in his head.
"No. Lumian go right."
Lumian was confused, he glanced at the roof, and at the right, which had cars moving in different directions. His Diviner intuition was also telling him to go to the roof.
With no time to think, Lumian made a decision and dashed right, weaving through the traffic.
As he landed, he glanced back toward the rooftop—
and suddenly, the place exploded.
Boom!
The blast sent shockwaves through the area as drivers and pedestrians screamed and ducked for cover.
Lumian didn't stop. He immediately locked onto Mrs. Theresa's husband, inhaled sharply, and leapt forward, tackling him just as the man was about to escape.
They crashed to the ground.
Pinning him down, Lumian finally had a moment to think.
So that's the interaction between Fate and Paradox… Fate can be misled, but error… Thank Skywalker I listened to my Eidolon.
The two struggled for a moment, until the man suddenly stopped resisting and looked at Lumian with a pleading expression.
"Lumian… please let me go. Don't you remember me? Uncle Tom. I recently had a child. If you let me go, I promise I won't cause any trouble again. I'll leave… I'll move my family somewhere else. Please… remember how we helped you."
There was a touch of sincerity in his voice.
Lumian paused briefly.
Then suddenly released his grip and swung his fist.
Bam!
Tom looked confused for a moment before collapsing unconscious.
Lumian wasn't willing to kill him—not yet. He needed answers to the text.
He would think of a way to deal with the rest later.
...
After some moments, the man groggily woke up. He was still feeling a bit disoriented and couldn't immediately tell where he was or how he got there. He found himself lying on a bed, while the crimson sunlight outside the window filtered softly into the room.
Hmm… this might just be a dream. But I don't recognize this place. Heh, maybe I got drunk again and forgot where I slept…
He muttered to himself and slowly stood up. Turning left, then right—he suddenly froze.
In the darkness, a pair of cold eyes stared directly at him. It was Captain Hargreaves.
Hargreaves sat calmly beside him and smiled. "Good morning, Mr. Tom. How are you enjoying your stay?"
Without waiting for a response, he continued. "My colleague mentioned you're a very close relative of his… and that you're in possession of something that belongs to us. Wait… I think I also recognize you. You were with us four years ago, weren't you?"
The man nodded, but his body was trembling.
Hargreaves nodded in return and went on. "So… where is our text? If you answer honestly, we'll simply wipe your memory and let you return to your family."
Hearing that, the man began shaking uncontrollably and suddenly shouted in fear.
"No! F**k off! I'll never talk!"
Meanwhile, in the real world, Tom sat obediently and cheerfully, ready to reveal everything he knew.
...
Lumian was beside Hargreaves, who was seated on a chair next to Tom. He chuckled and said, "Captain, so this is the effect of your new spell you learned."
Hargreaves smiled and nodded. "Yes. I recently learned it by understanding that sleep is an escape route for human pain. The spell in question traps the person in another mental state, and when he lies or denies something he knows, it will be expressed here as truth."
Lumian nodded, comparing it internally to his tarot interrogation method. He chuckled softly.
At that moment, Hargreaves turned his attention back to Tom.
"So… where is the text?"
Tom smiled and said with joy. "The text, yes… it's under my bed. Go to my relative's house, you'll see it there… But don't let Aethera catch you. If she does, a big jugga jugga woman will be sent after you, hehe… hehe…"
He looked at Hargreaves with a wide smile and added, "Is there anything more you need?"
Hargreaves crossed his legs and bit his thumb as he replied, "Yes. Why are you aligned with those very, very bad people?"
The man's eyes suddenly widened as he answered, "Sir, I want power. Do you know what they offered me? They gave me a potion formula… and said I could advance quickly and become a god."
Hargreaves nodded slowly and uncrossed his legs. "Why didn't you register as an official church member since you've already passed the two-year mark?"
The man shook his head vigorously. "You don't understand… they promised me endless advancement, and ways to pray to the true god! Hehe."
Hargreaves wanted to ask more, but suddenly felt an external influence reaching Tom. He immediately pressed for another question.
"What do you mean by jugga jugga woman?"
Tom paused. "Hmm… jugga jugga woman…"
He looked at Hargreaves with a frightened expression. "Oh… she's very dangerous. She can be me."
He suddenly sat upright and pointed at Hargreaves.
"She can be you."
Then he pointed at Lumian.
"She can also be you!"
Lumian was slightly taken aback as Tom continued, "She's one of the reasons I left the faculty… she's been following me everywhere."
Hargreaves studied the man's spiritual fluctuations and noticed them gradually turning dark.
"Where is this woman?" he asked quickly.
"Hehe… I've also been looking for her. You have too, haven't you? I found out she stays near the road leading to Cornerstone… yes, Azamthal Street."
With that, Hargreaves stood up and waved his hand. A strong breeze swept through the room and entered Tom's mind. Immediately after, he fell into a deep sleep.
...
Lumian looked at his captain, who wasn't wearing his black hat this time. His short afro-like hair was visible as he turned toward Lumian from the side.
"Lumian… do you have any idea what he meant by 'jugga jugga woman'?"
Lumian slowly shook his head. How could he know? He was just as confused as the captain.
Hargreaves nodded and slipped a hand into his black coat, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. After a moment, he took a slow drag, the faint aroma spreading through the air before he exhaled.
"This matter is truly serious," he said calmly. "He even mentioned something about a god."
Then he paused slightly. "Do you think the impersonator Kelly could be this jugga jugga woman?"
Lumian shook his head again. "Captain, I'm not sure… but remember what he said. She can be anyone, and she's everywhere."
He hesitated, then added, "And in the common dialect of Betyl, 'jugga jugga' refers to someone untrustworthy… a snake… a deceiver."
Hargreaves nodded slowly, inhaling again before exhaling.
"If she can be anyone and anywhere… then there's only one conclusion."
He smiled faintly.
"She's the impersonator."
Hearing that, Lumian's expression seemed to relax.
"So we've finally tracked her."
Hargreaves chuckled. "Me and Vincent will go and retrieve the text. Thank Skywalker… it's finally in our hands."
Then he paused and glanced at Lumian.
"Is there still time for us to visit Azamthal Street?"
...
Lumian immediately thought of the prayer Mr. Hayes had told him to perform. With that, he smiled and added politely, "Captain, I'm not sure there will be time."
He paused slightly. "When are you coming back?"
Hargreaves held the cigarette between his fingers and shook his head slowly. After a moment of thought, he replied, "Maybe around six."
Lumian scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile. "Captain, that's a bit too late. Maybe tomorrow instead. Besides, we still have a lot of time."
Hargreaves smiled faintly and turned away.
"I guess you're right."
As he walked toward the underground stairs of the faculty which were leading up, he added over his shoulder, "When he wakes up, he won't remember anything related to mysticism. If he asks why he's here, tell him he fell from a tree and was in a four-week coma."
He chuckled softly.
Lumian's mouth twitched slightly.
But… that's actually a good excuse. If Mrs. Theresa asks, I can just say the same thing.
He glanced once more at Mrs. Theresa's husband, before climbing upstairs, turning left, and passing through the partition upstairs, before entering his office, settling on his chair.
His body slowly relaxed, and his consciousness began to drift into a strange calm. But just as he was about to fall asleep, a soft knock came at the door.
Lumian rubbed his face groggily. "Please come in," he said instinctively.
The door opened.
A new face appeared—a young woman with pink hair, light makeup, and a pink blouse paired with a black skirt. She stepped inside and walked toward him.
"Good morning, sir," she said politely. "The receptionist told me to come here. She also said this is an exorcist faculty. Could you help us exorcise our house? She told me that the other sorcerers are either unavailable or have gone out."
Lumian nodded slowly.
But inwardly, he thought:
This smell… it doesn't smell like perfume. It smells more like incense.