Inside the train, in the afternoon.
It was Sunday, 3:40 p.m.
Doing nothing but watching the scenery pass by, they shared stories.
"...Is it true that you can merge with Recipestele, Mr. Zuhen?"
Zavi asked, recalling how the captain of the Phantom Skull Syndicate had fought with thin jet-black threads coated in a white aura beneath the underground auction site.
Zuhen, who was sitting on the left side of the bench with Felina, hesitated for a moment.
With a thoughtful expression, he answered calmly, "You could say that. However, there are conditions that both of us have to agree on before we can merge."
Zavi wanted to ask what those conditions were, but doing so might jeopardize the harmony of their journey.
Besides, Vinohoshi Province was still a long way off. After boarding the train at Velise Station in Semilir City, the five of them had only just arrived in the city of Creanvell.
They still had to pass through at least two more cities, Layana and Rafess, located west and southwest of Havanuheta, before setting foot in the vast and unpredictable Vinohoshi Province.
"About the islands you mentioned, I just remembered something," Zuhen said, glancing at Felina, who was enjoying the passing scenery.
'Remembered something? Is it related to that case?'
As for the inauguration of that magnificent airship, they had learned about it from the newspapers and had initially been shocked by how much the government had spent to build such a grand vessel.
Hundreds of millions of Pace, nearly half a billion.
It was enough to support at least five generations without any of their descendants ever having to work.
Of course, they had no idea whether prices would rise the following year, nor did they know what life and money would be worth in the years to come.
At the very least, with that amount of money, the four of them believed it would have been better to distribute public facilities evenly across every province and region.
One kilometer before reaching the outskirts of Layana, Aaron and Zavi discussed the deaths involving resonating thin strands that formed bizarre patterns, as well as the collapse of three individuals whose expressionless faces, crawling with maggots and oozing pus, vanished into nothingness the moment the wind struck them.
That conversation had taken place ten minutes earlier.
Zuhen said the same thing Aaron had.
"It was a ritual connected to the Black Plague ability, specifically the second level, Shaman."
The two men found it difficult to believe. A second-level manifestation could transform an entire city into a place of unimaginable horror overnight.
Since both the Black Death and the Puppeteer ability relied on the "use" of people for rituals, they shared the same classification: Manifestation type.
Simply put, at the first level, a "Receivers" of Puppeteer had to act as a Puppeteer twice a month, merely to avoid being visited by the entity that truly possessed the "Puppeteer" ability.
This rule applied to every Receivers who had inherited one of the fifteen supernatural abilities.
Even Karl, who had dared to infiltrate Finiscya through his connections, had only managed to reach the second level of Magician, from the Sorcerer ability, over the course of two years.
He enjoyed living under his disguise because he knew failure meant facing one of two fatal consequences: being skinned alive by a binding spell, or being dragged into the realm of the void, and worse still, witnessing entities that humans were never meant to see in the real world.
Those affected did not die. Instead, they lived under the shadow of terror, utterly helpless whenever the phenomenon struck.
Once again, Zuhen dispelled their confusion with a casual remark.
"This is all the work of those people at the top."
One thing surprised both of them: Felina showed no reaction at all, remaining absorbed in watching the scenery outside as the suburbs rolled past.
Zavi gripped his left arm, holding it for several seconds as he held his breath.
'Those people at the top? Who is he talking about?'
"Who are these people at the top?" he asked seriously.
'A Count, a Viscount, a Duke... or the King?'
Zuhen felt the words wanting to come out.
"...Well, I didn't mention their names because I don't know whether the information is reliable," he said with a sigh.
Zavi glanced at Aaron, who was seated behind Felina, facing Celvira.
'Hey, is that true?'
Celvira glanced back at Zavi.
'Who knows?'
Zavi pulled his hat down over his eyes.
'What were you doing wandering around the city if you didn't know about it?'
'Teasing someone and taking something from them, of course.'
Zavi, who had been leaning back, quickly straightened up and frowned at Celvira.
'You're a supernatural being.'
Celvira stared straight ahead.
'You're a foolish human!'
Zavi rubbed his chest as he looked at Aaron and smiled.
Aaron raised his eyes, casually tapping his index finger against his thigh.
Seeing this, Zavi slowly shook his head.
The two of them were bewildered and could only sigh.
Meanwhile, Zuhen turned around and continued,
"Solaria. If you know that city, it's similar to Moran, but in a far more miserable state. Ah, perhaps that's not the best comparison, but if the two of you want to see it, then we share the same destination. Besides, I want to return to my hometown; and don't be surprised if neither of you can understand the Noren language."
After speaking at length, Zuhen gave a bitter smile. Felina noticed it immediately, and her expression turned anxious.
'Master, are you certain you want to go to Tafox? Isn't that where all your troubles began? Can you really bear to face it all again?'
Zuhen glanced at Felina as though he had read her thoughts and whispered, "Relax. There's no need to worry. I've accepted this fate."
Felina's pupils widened; her lips and heart trembled violently.
Meanwhile, Aaron turned after hearing them whispering in Noren.
'What are they actually talking about?'
He looked forward to hide his confusion and saw Zavi raising an eyebrow and gesturing with his finger.
Aaron shook his head, unable to understand what was happening.
The conversation came to an end as the rattling of the train grew louder, followed by the sight of a densely populated settlement through the windows.
The station stretched out before them, offering the passengers a chance to rest, while allowing some to disembark and others to board.
Since everything had been going smoothly, Zavi wanted to confirm Zuhen's statement from that day by asking, "Who... who exactly was the man you were talking about that night?"
The night after the five demon horses had been killed in the North Hava Forest, all of them slain single-handedly by Tell, Zuhen's Recipestele.
Zavi had actually wanted to ask sooner, but considering the unfavorable circumstances, he had postponed it until today.
Zuhen appeared to ponder the question, but because of something important he had once told Zavi, he remembered.
He sighed, without looking up, and answered calmly,
"Oh? The man with curly hair, blue eyes, and a black mark beneath his eyes, right?"
Zuhen murmured, seeking confirmation.
Zavi nodded and replied softly, "Yes. I've been curious about him, and this is my first chance to ask you."
After a brief silence, Zavi added quietly, "Who exactly is that man?"
Zuhen stared blankly at the person sitting across from him.
"It's best not to talk about him; he's the leader of the cult that brought a devastating calamity upon Tafox," he replied gently.
"Even though 'he' looks like an ordinary man, somehow it feels unsettling to describe that man's appearance in detail," Zuhen continued with a sour expression.
Discussing supernatural matters in public usually made them hold their breath out of caution, but thanks to Celvira's help, they no longer had to worry about that.
The conversation continued, with Zuhen explaining who the man truly was and why anyone should be careful if they ever encountered him.
Fate itself might change if one of them happened to cross paths with that man.
....
In the city of Maloli, specifically on Dahsu Street.
On a Sunday night, the four of them gathered at a roadside rest area, a place where pedestrians usually stopped for a moment to breathe in the city's mingled air in peace.
That night, after the sun had completely set, they exchanged information.
Their problem remained the same, but the situation had grown more complicated after Sodet brought up the matter of performing a "Ritual" on the woman in question.
"Well, I thought deceiving people was one way to obtain information."
"What I mean is... I wanted to show that there was someone else suffering from the same 'eternal sleep' as your friend," Sodet said defensively.
Albert stared at him sharply.
"So, the man named Gerry you mentioned earlier, is he actually investigating the same case?" Albert asked to make sure.
Leaning against a lamppost, Sodet shrugged.
"More or less," he replied quietly.
Then a realization dawned on him. "Wait... are you going to force me to take you to meet that person?"
The three of them nodded almost simultaneously.
Sodet clicked his tongue as he looked away. Then, with a sigh, he said, "I'll charge you for it, but I'll do what I can."
Albert lowered his bowler hat slightly.
"All right. We'll meet tomorrow... and don't even think about running away from me."
His tone carried an unmistakable threat, emphasized by the sharp, meaningful grin spreading across his lips.
"Fine, fine. Relax, I'm not going anywhere."
Sodet sighed before walking away with steady steps toward his apartment.
The other three did the same, returning to their respective homes to rest.
As for his own home, Albert had no need to worry about his large residence; Anastasia, his younger sister, and the maid whom he affectionately called "Auntie" were there, watching over Forn Vinora in her eternal sleep.
....
Semilir City, in Coundal, on Semanggi Street.
One woman stood inside a wooden-and-glass booth enclosed by velvet curtains. The other, her companion, stood guard outside with an indifferent expression.
One of them looked serious as she spoke to someone, nodding repeatedly as though she understood the conversation.
"He's not there; I already told you that this morning," the woman said, her voice noticeably rising.
She heard a sigh through the telephone line.
"Then why don't you just do it the usual way?" the man asked logically.
The woman turned her head, hesitation clearly written across her face as she answered, "There's a problem, the one we discussed earlier."
"Oh? Are you scared?"
The woman cleared her throat.
"Of course. I saw with my own eyes that he brought someone else with him."
She listened to the man's instructions.
"All right, okay, okay. So he's really not there, then?"
Once again, she listened to the man's explanation.
It was a case of "sort of not there" versus "truly there."
"You're confusing me," the woman said mockingly.
The man's sigh came clearly through the telephone.
"Well, nothing can be done. I'll hang up now."
Click.
The woman clicked her tongue, set the telephone down, and stepped out of the phone booth.
As she came out, she glanced at her companion, who was squatting and fiddling with something. An innocent expression was plainly visible on her blank face.
"...Finished already?"
The woman stood up, dusting off her layered clothes and skirt as she spoke.
She looked into her companion's blue eyes before asking, "What should we do next?"
Her companion nodded firmly.
"Of course, we're going home to clear our minds."
The two of them eventually decided to walk along a narrow path lined with grass on both sides, followed by trees over six meters tall and flowers neatly arranged behind a long iron fence.
As they walked, the woman in the layered outfit and skirt asked, "About that... are you all right?"
Her companion turned to her, chuckled quietly to herself, and replied in a soft voice, "I don't know. I honestly don't know whether I'm really all right anymore."