It all happened in an instant.
By the time Ray and Augusta came to their senses senses, they were already in a realm utterly different from reality.
A shattered world, like a broken mirror. Twisted, ruined city remnants were scattered everywhere. The air was thick with a suffocating deadness.
Ray looked around in bewilderment. It had all happened so fast, so fast he hadn't even had time to react before he and Augusta were thrown together into this strange space.
"This is...?"
"Sonora's realm. A space constructed from Echo energy."
Ahead, Augusta stared coldly at a certain point before her.
As the Ephor of Septimont, she had weathered countless bloody battles and was accustomed to crises and calamities.
Faced with this sudden anomaly, she accepted reality almost immediately and, in an instant, pinpointed the master of this domain.
It was a man of peculiar style, a manic grin plastered on his face.
"Who are you?" Augusta's blade pointed at him, her voice dropping to an icy low. "Trespassing in Septimont, interfering with a duel, offending the Ephor. Any one of those laws is enough to sentence you to death."
"Oh my, it seems the famed magnanimity of the Septimont Ephor isn't quite as expansive as the rumors say."
Scar's tone was flippant, as if, in his presence, both Augusta and Ray were nothing more than harmless lambs.
Life and death, to take or spare, it all rested on a whim of his.
"Very well, very well. Allow me to properly introduce myself." He gave an exaggerated bow. "I am one of the Overseers of the Fractsidus, Scar."
At the name, Augusta's brows knitted tightly. "Fractsidus?"
"Fractsidus? What kind of organization is that?" Ray was completely lost. He leaned closer to Augusta and lowered his voice.
Augusta was silent for a moment, as if considering how to explain it to Ray. "A group of extreme madmen. They're obsessed with fusing Tacet Discords with humans. Their organization is vast and has caused numerous terrible crises in various regions around the world."
Ray nodded thoughtfully. "...A textbook villain setup." His gaze sharpened, and he clenched his fists. "In that case, no need to hold back."
"Seeing is not necessarily believing; hearing is not necessarily truth." Scar chuckled softly and shook his head, idly toying with a few cards between his fingers. "In your eyes, the Fractsidus may seem that way. But the cause we aim to achieve... is far greater than anyone can imagine."
He had no intention of explaining, nor did he care to.
Mortals were always bound by their own prejudices. Any justification was just superfluous noise to them.
"I didn't come here to listen to your grand philosophies." Augusta raised her great sword, pointing it directly at Scar. "Speak. What do you want with us?"
Scar's smile remained frivolous. He slowly shook his head and reached past Augusta, pointing directly at Ray beside her. "You misunderstand, Ephor. My visit here isn't for you" His fingertip traced a faint, eerie light through the air. "You just happened to be present, so you were brought in as a courtesy. The one I'm truly here for is him."
"Me?" Ray looked at the finger pointing at him, utterly confused. "Do we... know each other?"
Scar burst out laughing, the surrounding shattered space trembling with it. "Of course not. But I've heard so much about you, my ears are practically worn out."
"Rumors about me? What rumors could there possibly be about me?"
Did he need others to tell him what he was like?
He was a nobody. Where would he get a reputation or rumors?
If anything had been whispered about him lately... it was probably only that business about being a "kept man" in Ragunna and at the company, thanks to the Second Young Miss.
"Of course, the current you wouldn't remember." Scar rubbed his chin, squinting as he scrutinized him. "But seeing you now, so weak and frail... it makes me start to doubt the truth of those rumors myself."
Ray frowned. "Weak and frail?"
He subconsciously tightened his grip on the longsword. It seemed that any moment, he might lose control and lunge forward to tear apart that smirking, insincere face.
"Getting angry already?" Scar shrugged casually. "Don't rush me. I'm just stating the facts, the you of right now and the you of the past aren't even on the same level." He paused meaningfully. "Besides, there's no need for you to be so hostile toward me. After all… this isn't your first time dealing with someone from the Fractsidus. I'm just the first to come to you so openly."
"What did you say?"
Those words instantly froze Ray's expression.
I've come into contact with someone from the Fractsidus before?
How is that possible?
"This isn't my first contact with the Fractsidus?" His voice suddenly dropped. "Who is this person you're talking about?"
Seeing such a strong reaction, Scar grew curious. "What's this? Such hostility toward the Fractsidus? But what if… you and she were once quite close?"
"Then I'd cut ties completely." Ray's answer was decisive and firm. "Since the Ephor says you're far from righteous, then you must be utterly irredeemable villains. No matter how deep the past friendship, I will never acknowledge someone who has strayed down the wrong path."
"Why be so heartless?" Scar spread his hands in mock pity. "Maybe she's already repented?"
"People from the Fractsidus are absolutely not to be trusted. A rotten orange is a rotten orange. Once in the Fractsidus, always in the Fractsidus!"
"How ruthless…" Scar sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead, but then he couldn't help but burst into laughter. "It's a pity she isn't here today. Otherwise, I'd love to see firsthand what kind of magnificent expression would appear on her face upon hearing your words! Hahahaha!"
Ray stared coldly at him and demanded, "So, who is this person?"
Scar tilted his head and said with a sly grin, "You guess?"
He had no intention of telling Ray Phrolova's true identity. If he exposed it so easily and let this relationship come to a hasty end, how dull would that be?
Scar wanted to witness with his own eyes the moment Phrolova and Ray completely broke apart.
And whether, at that moment, he would truly act as he had just declared.
Just imagining that scene made him so excited he could barely sit still.
"Alright, how about we make a deal?" Scar suddenly withdrew his smile, his voice tinged with seduction. "If you accomplish just one thing, I'll tell you who that person is."
"What condition?"
Scar took a deep breath, as if about to restrain that frivolous demeanor but in the next second, he abruptly threw his head back and burst into manic laughter, his figure shooting forward like an arrow!
"Defeat me! Then I'll tell you who that person really is!"