Searching for traces of the battle that had taken place four months and several days earlier, Hagi grew increasingly frustrated; hours of searching had yielded nothing.
Monday morning, the 7th, exactly eight o'clock.
Every inch of Huween Street No. 3 had been searched.
Karl had already combed through the eastern, southeastern, and southern parts of Forgenate District.
From morning until now, the lack of results had left him staggering with exhaustion.
'Where should I search next?'
Karl could not move freely, remaining constantly on guard for fear that they might track him down.
Worse still, his vision was becoming increasingly blurred.
The glasses that were supposed to help him were now useless; the physical burden of being a Magician had become a real obstacle.
"Phew..."
He kicked against the air, stepped into empty space, and landed atop the roof of a tower that still stood intact.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is Mahan Street No. 8, right?"
After muttering to himself, Karl glanced to his right and let out a faint groan the moment he saw a mass of pitch-black substance appear.
As he paused to rest, he stood atop the tiled roof and watched the dense black mass twist itself into a sharp, menacing grin, nearly blocking the sunlight from reaching him.
'What is that?'
He could see it, albeit only faintly, and the strange shape of the black substance filled him with unease.
After a moment's thought, he decided that striking first before being attacked was the better option.
Poker cards materialized and circled around his body before Karl launched them at the softly pulsating black mass.
Whoosh!
The sound of cracking bones rang out, followed by a scream that echoed directly inside his head.
Karl lost his balance, unconsciously taking a step backward before falling.
The air whistled sharply, making his ears ring. As gravity pulled him down at high speed, the black mass shattered, its fragments drifting downward like dry autumn leaves.
Thud...
Karl groaned, the corner of his mouth twitching upward as saliva dripped from his lips.
With his physical condition growing weaker, Karl decided to rest, temporarily suspending the search.
....
In the heart of Forgenate District, Hagi continued searching through the ruins for any trace of Narissa Herana.
Every step he took sent clouds of dust into the air. Time continued to pass, yet he found nothing, despite methodically combing through the collapsed buildings.
'Damn it... is that unfortunate woman still alive?'
Despite their constant arguments, Hagi felt an emptiness in his heart; Narissa Herana's absence made him more restless with each passing day.
He kept telling himself that he didn't like a woman like her, that he only considered her a comrade-in-arms, nothing more.
Yet after carrying out missions and working together for so long, they had formed a bond of friendship, one neither of them had ever realized existed.
After nearly giving up, Hagi decided to enter a house and rest.
Knock... Knock...
Hagi remained polite, even though the house was empty.
Relieved, he collapsed onto a long sofa and let out a deep sigh.
The sofa was surprisingly soft and comfortable, even though the house had been abandoned four months ago and the living room was covered in dust and cobwebs.
Even so, lulled by the comfort and silence, drowsiness gradually overtook him, causing Hagi to yawn repeatedly.
Determined to find Narissa, Hagi hurriedly got to his feet, letting out one final yawn.
After stretching his body, he left the house and resumed his search. This time, he headed toward the border between Huween and Syrp, the route leading to Zen University, an area that had yet to be investigated.
....
It was 10:00 a.m. that same day.
Three figures walked almost in unison.
One of them was a woman, while the other two men wore identical suits, though the man with the flat, slightly sarcastic expression wore a bowler hat.
After a long journey, they arrived at the place where the events of that night had begun and ended.
Everything had happened so quickly that they could hardly believe they had survived without serious injuries.
Even so, they had lost two companions whose fates remained unknown to this day.
After a brief conversation, they split up, each heading toward a familiar destination.
After conducting her own investigation, the woman stood at the scene. She replayed the events of that night in her mind, imagining herself cornered by the enemy.
"..."
Expressionless, she turned around, walked ten steps, then decided to enter the alley beside her.
The man wearing the bowler hat stood on the main road where he had encountered that creature and become the target of its attack.
Looking at the road devastated by the battle, he smiled before continuing toward Alley No. 13.
Meanwhile, the black-haired, blue-eyed man entered an alley where the streetlights had been completely destroyed during his battle that night.
Although he had succeeded in killing his opponent, that fact meant nothing to him as he stepped out of the alley.
One thing was certain: as though they all shared the same thought, the three of them were heading toward the same place, where traces of the person they sought could be found.
One thing was certain: as though they all shared the same thought, the three of them were heading toward the same place, where traces of the person they sought could be found.
Several hundred meters from the bridge, the three of them arrived at Alley No. 13, each approaching from a different direction.
They stood at the roadside, their attention fixed on the remains of a ruined building where a man stood frozen, staring downward at something.
That man was Hagi, and he was examining a few scattered bones lying beside two dried purple jasmine petals.
He had stared at them for so long that he wasn't even startled by the sudden presence of his three companions standing directly behind him.
They arrived almost instantly, their eyes drawn to the very same object: the bones and the two dried purple jasmine petals.
A shout echoed through the air, shattering the silence that had settled over the four of them.
"You idiots, get over here!"
The three of them searched for the source of the voice, confusion plainly written across their faces.
Ren remained as indifferent as ever.
Meanwhile, the moment they saw the figure bathed in sunlight, the other three fell silent.
A woman stood atop a partially collapsed building, positioned to the right of where they had been examining the bones and the two dried purple jasmine petals.
"No way..."
Veranica's lips trembled as she spoke.
Elmer let out a quiet chuckle.
'I knew she wasn't dead.'
Sensing that something was off, he chose to keep his thoughts to himself.
Hagi, on the other hand, maintained an indifferent expression, even though deep down he wanted to say something, yet for some reason his mouth refused to open.
'Damn it.'
After confirming that the four of them were indeed her companions, Narissa Herana jumped down from the building where she had been standing.
Wearing slightly loose-fitting clothes, she looked at Hagi and said, "Thank you for searching for me all this time."
Hagi stared at her for several seconds before asking, "How did you know I was looking for you?"
Narissa glanced briefly at Ren before turning her attention back to the three of them.
"It's a secret. Sorry for causing you trouble," Narissa replied, her tone carrying its usual touch of sarcasm.
After explaining how she had survived, the four of them fell into thoughtful silence.
"For now, we'd better go look for Karl," Hagi said calmly.
Ren fell silent for a moment, deep in thought.
'So he's still alive? He's truly impossible to kill.'
He glanced at Elmer, who simply raised a hand with a faint smile.
Ren shifted his gaze toward Narissa and asked, "Why can't you leave this place?"
Narissa raised an eyebrow, an intense look of concentration appearing on her face.
"I don't know. I'm still investigating it myself." As for being unable to leave Moran City, she had encountered the same difficulty as Celvira.
While trying to understand the situation, Narissa, after recovering from the injuries inflicted by that terrifying winged creature, searched for food to survive.
Since Forgenate District had hundreds of restaurants and cafés, Narissa searched for food throughout the district but never once managed to leave it. She physically couldn't go any farther, as though something was blocking her path.
Although she tried to force her way through using her "Disturber" ability, she ultimately had no choice but to give up and remained trapped there for nearly two months.
She recovered from her severe injuries on February 1st.
As each of them reflected on the situation, Elmer turned toward Hagi and asked, "Did the same thing happen to Karl?"
Hagi nodded with certainty and answered firmly,
"He's trapped too."
"I see."
Elmer sank into thought. In the end, they decided to search for Karl and leave the place.
As it turned out, there was no need to search at all; they literally ran into Karl as he rounded a corner.
The reunion was brief. Karl was initially surprised, but the feeling didn't last long after Elmer told them they needed to leave.
Naturally, when they arrived at Pamlinov Station, the two of them hesitated upon seeing the others standing directly on the railway tracks.
"Come on, why are you two still standing there?"
Hagi frowned in confusion, questioning their hesitation.
Although the exit point of Pamlinov Station lay at the edge of the area, it was not the true boundary of Moran. The city's actual border was located just beyond the tree with its drooping trunk.
After hearing that, Karl glanced at Narissa before calmly giving her a gentle push forward and following behind her.
They passed through successfully. The physical barrier had vanished, and they finally breathed a sigh of relief as they walked toward the others.
With that problem resolved, they returned to Minehold, to the house where their meetings were usually held.
Walking at the back of the group, Karl carried feelings he couldn't put into words as he listened to Ren.
'Is it really safe for me to tell him about that?'
Confusion churned inside him. This matter was far too important to keep hidden forever.
If Zavi ever learned that "The Devil is Here" was the true mastermind behind his wanted status, he would hunt down every member of that organization one by one. That was what troubled Karl the most, especially since he had no idea what had changed while he had been trapped in that place.
In the end, Karl decided to postpone the matter for the time being and discuss it with Ren once they arrived at Minehold.