"I..." Zavi hesitated before continuing in a flat and cold voice, "My name is James Moriarty."
The water beneath them churned and rippled, creating enormous waves, a stark contrast to Loki's state of mind as those words echoed through his head.
While adjusting his tailcoat over his chest, Zavi pulled a revolver from his hidden pocket, the cold metal immediately pressing against his head.
Zavi's expression changed according to the role he had taken, while the silver revolver was aimed at Loki, who was hovering a dozen meters away.
The cylinder was empty; at the very least, it would serve as a bluff to prevent Loki from doing anything reckless, especially since Zavi himself was not certain where this place was.
Remembering the rumor, Loki briefly lost his composure. He considered every piece of evidence he had heard before formulating the right words.
Several seconds passed, and his expression returned to normal, although the muzzle of the revolver made his heart uneasy.
"Moriarty, I've heard of you," Loki said.
Zavi stared at him indifferently, allowing Loki to continue while the revolver remained aimed at his head.
Taking advantage of his enemy's opportunity, the corners of Loki's lips lifted slightly as he said, "I know from my friend, because my friend is an imperial spy."
In truth, it was a lie. Loki knew that lying to a rising criminal was foolish, but luck was on his side.
Zavi did not rush to any conclusions; instead, he said in a low and restrained voice, "The Empire, huh? I don't know whether you're lying or not, but at least I got what I wanted."
Loki's eyes widened; he was silent for a moment before forming a faint smile. "You're the first strange person I've ever met, and you're also a difficult man to read."
"Yeah, my friends think so too." Zavi calmly revealed that the people trapped within the "Fairy Tale" were his friends.
It was a confusing statement, because Loki himself did not know which friends he meant.
The fugitives, or the members of the secret organization NightField?
"Are you from that group of fugitives?" Loki asked, seeking confirmation after thinking it over carefully.
"..."
There was no answer; Loki smiled, his suspicion growing stronger upon seeing Zavi's reaction, as though he were hesitant to admit it.
"I won't report you to the organization, so don't worry." Loki spoke politely, hoping to satisfy his curiosity.
Seeing the same enthusiasm radiating from Loki, Zavi smiled, allowing his cold and emotionless expression to fade.
"Yes." Finally, he answered the question.
"I see," Loki said while stroking his chin.
The conversation ended when his spiritual energy began surging violently, distorting the watery world around them.
Zavi glanced sharply around, but Loki quickly revealed the truth.
"They will soon break free from that history, to be released and..." His words were cut short as the world around them disintegrated into bright blue particles. "Goodbye. Even though we just met, I gained a lot from this encounter."
A barrier appeared between them, and Zavi caught one last glimpse of that face before his vision was blinded by dazzling blue light and intense vibrations that made his soul writhe inside his body. When his eyelids opened, the first figure to greet him was Celvira.
"Welcome back." Celvira smiled in relief after witnessing the struggle and hard work.
This was the first time the mysterious entity feared by humans, especially by Zavi, had smiled kindly at a human whose very existence was merely a pawn for her own selfish purposes.
However, as time passed, Celvira slowly became different from other evil spirits; she took the initiative to study human nature through interactions with certain individuals, and unexpectedly, she found herself captivated by her own disguise as an ordinary human.
Zavi immediately rose to his feet. He did not respond to those words, acting as though he had not heard the friendly greeting. The first thought that crossed Zavi's mind after leaving that story was only one thing.
"Where is the suitcase?" he muttered as he watched Celvira rise from her crouched position.
Celvira immediately stood and brushed the dust from the Gothic-style dress she was wearing. With a single snap of her fingers, her clothes changed into a simple outfit; a shirt with a ruffled collar and a long dark blue skirt paired with black boots; this time, she wore gold-rimmed glasses to complete her appearance.
Zavi's eyes widened before he hurriedly turned his face away; a suffocating heat gripped his chest tightly.
Celvira adjusted the position of her dark glasses and then calmly replied, "It's over there."
Zavi immediately walked quickly toward the suitcase, where the three objects he had found were stored. He did not want to lose those objects, as the artifacts would be useful on his journey to navigate this mysterious world.
Although various mysteries were beginning to unravel one by one, Zavi still felt dissatisfied with the answers he had found because they had not been accurately proven.
One thing was certain: while pursuing his goal of exterminating the demons, particularly the Finiscya Sect, he was determined to solve the remaining mysteries by relying on his own abilities as well as the help of those he trusted.
Upon arriving at the meeting house where the fierce battle had taken place earlier, their steps froze when their eyes locked onto something in front of them.
Zavi suppressed the trembling in his hand, the information Celvira had given him throughout their journey proving to be invalid according to reality.
The building, which had previously been destroyed by the devastating onslaught of black dust from the Shaman's ability, was still standing as it had been before.
Zavi turned his head, wrinkles appearing beneath his eyes as his lips twitched.
"How is this possible?"
Not long after those words were spoken, three people emerged by throwing off the building debris that had covered their bodies.
They were Zuhen Mudelk, Felina Ronatte, and Aaron Kwok. The flow of history and the illusory battle entered his mind, a realization telling him that he truly was in that era.
After leaving the story, they remained silent for quite some time. Zavi waited for them for several minutes, nearly half an hour.
"Is the effect of the Puppeteer ability really this powerful?"
Zavi looked at Celvira, waiting for an answer to that question.
Instead of answering, Celvira asked a question, "So, how were you able to move normally after leaving that story?"
Zavi let out a long sigh and answered, "Because of the fusion."
Celvira did not know this fact, because as far as she knew, her ability could alter a particle until it could no longer be destroyed. This remained in effect as long as her spiritual energy did not run out. Clearly, the reason they were able to escape from that "Story" was none other than that fusion.
The two of them maximized the potential of "Change" to a much higher stage, but with a single fusion. Because of that, they were able to damage the story, become anomalies within that story, and consciously break through the fourth wall and discover the entity known as the author.
Zavi did not want to keep such important information to himself, considering his current circumstances, he was free to tell Celvira because there was no one who could hear them.
The strangeness continued, Zavi was quite certain why the three of them could not hear the conversation and the calls, even though their eyes were open.
"Step back... there is something I want to try."
"What?" Celvira unconsciously muttered before stepping back as instructed.
Zavi stared at his right hand, then the chain appeared and his palm fell downward, followed by the clinking of chains.
"Help me with my ability," Zavi requested seriously.
Without a word, Celvira complied as pale white particles, the manifestation of her spiritual energy, reinforced the chains.
She did not know what Zavi had done; the magnitude of the change in Zavi's power overnight was truly beyond comprehension.
'He can do this? What strong motivation is driving him to work so hard to achieve all of this?'
The answer was clear: the motivation to disguise himself as a famous and legendary figure in order to meet 'Jack the Ripper'.
Meanwhile, Zavi closed his eyes, the clinking of chains echoing inside his head.
Then, with the power of Binding, the chains pierced through their chests, channeling something before disappearing in an instant.
Their bodies jerked, as though they had awakened from a nightmare that had haunted their sleep.
Their pupils, which had previously narrowed and turned gray, returned to normal.
Aaron grunted as he struggled to get up, his body immediately refusing him.
Hud.
Zavi hurried forward, catching him anxiously.
"I'm sorry, this is my fault," Zavi said weakly, his face filled with guilt.
Aaron rubbed his eyes before looking at Zavi with his eyebrows nearly furrowed.
'Was I dreaming? Actitus told me that?'
Aaron thought in confusion, but two seconds later, he hid and said, "You'd better think about yourself."
"Ah..." Zavi shifted his gaze toward Felina, who shook her head and held her temple.
"Are you all right?"
Zavi tried to make sure of her condition by asking; there was no harm in trying, and he did not know whether she would answer the question.
"You're such a troublesome person, Celeste Samano," Felina grumbled through gritted teeth.
Zavi's eyes widened as the familiar name pierced his consciousness.
'Wasn't she the fourteenth emperor of the Sheak Empire?'
From that moment, he questioned whether the three of them had the same problem as he did, where the history from thousands of years ago, which every book described differently, was deeply embedded in the minds of ordinary people like them, especially given their status as fugitives.
Except for Felina Ronatte and Celvira.