Without offering any further explanation, Karl shot into the air as his feet kicked against the flowing air around him before his body disappeared from their sight.
His coat flared up rapidly with a single movement of his hand, giving Ren a perfect illusion that heavily affected his soul and body.
From the outside, Ren stood with his back turned toward them, showing no sign of anything unusual. However, in truth, he had been dragged into the world of illusion; a world where a vast field of 'Aconitum' flowers stretched as far as the eye could see.
"Ren..."
The voice sounded calm, yet it was capable of making Ren's body and soul, which had been drawn into this realm, tremble.
His cold and composed expression wavered for a moment when a bespectacled man appeared before him; the man's coat fluttered continuously, a stark contrast to the flowers around them swaying gently in the breeze.
Even though he was inside an illusion, Ren immediately understood why Karl had brought him into this imaginary world. Regardless, the world left Ren and his cold heart stunned, as though the heavy burden weighing on his mind had vanished beneath the beauty of the flowers.
"What is it?" he asked with a sharp gaze. "You didn't bring me here just to show me this strange scenery, did you?"
As usual, Ren's tone sounded sharp and curt, even when speaking to his own teammate.
Karl chuckled as he adjusted his thin-framed glasses; for a moment, he was reminded of the times he had conversed with his own duplicate.
"Zavi Actitus... isn't dead. Instead, he's now a wanted fugitive with a bounty of 1,000 Pace."
'Even more than that,' Karl continued inwardly, the truth about his death having never reached his ears, nor theirs.
"So..." Ren appeared unmoved, as though the statement did not affect his way of thinking in the slightest.
"Yes, he's still alive and..."
Before Karl could finish his sentence, Ren calmly interrupted him.
"You were the ones who reported that to the Morotuane Church, weren't you? Am I wrong?"
'Damn, this must be Veranica's doing. How far did they discuss this matter? They must be planning something that even I don't know about.'
Karl pressed his lips tightly together before taking a sharp, deep breath, his gaze fixed on Ren.
"So, you already knew?" Karl asked, seeking confirmation.
"Is that why you've been treating Michelle like that? Because you blame her for your younger brother's status as a fugitive?" Karl continued in a serious tone, as though this matter could not be left hanging for too long.
"No," Ren objected. "It's just... I feel guilty for lying to my own family."
Silence enveloped the illusory world; the wind that had previously stirred the flowers now lost its rhythm, as though it, too, could feel the turmoil of Ren's emotions.
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused, Mr. Karl Vairanz," he murmured softly before being forcibly thrown out of the illusory realm. His body jolted as Ren witnessed the cruel reality of the world with his own eyes.
Karl, who was still inside the illusory world, slightly parted his lips. He was stunned and speechless, bewildered by how his opponent had managed to free himself from that perfect illusion.
'Could it be... has he already reached the second stage of the Transmitter ability? Judging from the spiritual traces within his body and the remaining energy left behind, there is no doubt that Ren has mastered the second stage, Scatter. When? When did he manage to do it?'
"Scatter" sounded similar to the Scatter ability used by the Cevenose Security Department in the major city of Kuranda. However, in reality, the two abilities were related because both belonged to the same category: the "Spreader" type.
In the final seconds before the illusory world vanished, the flowers burned and turned to ash. Karl blinked, and from that blink, he was brought back to the last location where he had been, among the expanse of trees beneath the Saerana ruins in the highlands.
He turned around and raised his head high.
"Better to leave him alone," Karl whispered with a sigh.
Above, at the edge of the ruins where moss-covered rubble formed an inverted triangle, Ren sat on top of it. His legs hung downward, swinging several times as his thoughts were carried away by the roar of the surrounding wind.
The others dared not approach because Elmer Michelle had signaled them to leave him alone.
However, Veranica Holdun could not stand this. Her feet slowly lifted from the ground before she looked ahead with determination and approached Ren, feeling guilty for telling him about it.
The others remained silent, knowing that the matter could be resolved by her mature attitude.
Upon arriving there, instead of looking at him or speaking to him, Veranica straightened her gaze.
The expanse of trees and the songs of birds truly eased her heart and mind, making her forget the reason she had come here for a moment.
"Don't bother trying to comfort me." Ren spread both his hands before placing them on either side of where he sat. "I know you're still thinking about our conversation yesterday afternoon, right?"
The memory replayed itself in Veranica's mind again and again, those words lingering in her thoughts for far too long.
"Of course," Veranica answered softly.
"Hey, Veranica." Ren raised his head, his inexplicable gaze settling on her.
"Why?" Veranica looked back at him.
"What is your purpose in life in this world?" Ren asked, aware that he should not have asked such a question to a woman like her.
"My purpose...? I live..."
Her mind suddenly went blank; Veranica struggled to find an answer to such a simple question. Her thoughts returned to the beginning, to Ren, the person who had brought her into this group. She had absolutely no idea what her purpose in life was. She had grown up in the main Morotuane Church, south of the city of Kuranda. Since childhood, she had lived under the discipline of the church's fairly mainstream rules. From morning until noon, she had to study for the future she wanted to achieve, while after returning from school, there were simple activities; she could be a visitor, greet members of the congregation, and do other things. Those days passed without complaint or despair, and often at night, she would talk with her roommate.
"Hey, Veranica," said the white-haired girl in blue sleepwear.
"Yes." Veranica looked at her in confusion, waiting with great anticipation.
"When we grow up, can we have a family?" the girl murmured innocently, as though those words could not hurt her heart or her friend's.
For children like them, not thinking about such things was perfectly normal. However, Veranica was different, because her thoughts were more mature than those of her peers even though she was only 11 years old at the time.
"Why are you just staying quiet? Eh, are you spacing out? Hahaha, you're thinking about something, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not." Veranica turned her face away, puffing out her cheeks.
Then, she rose from the bed and walked steadily toward her own bed, which was directly beside hers.
She immediately lay down, staring at the wall while hugging her beloved bolster tightly.
"Veranica..." the girl whispered even though the bedroom lights had already been turned off, looking for someone to stay up with her.
"What now? Sister will scold us later," Veranica said in an almost raised voice.
Her friends, who were already asleep, let out sharp groans as though disturbed by their conversation.
Veranica shifted her sleeping position to face her friend, staring at her with a hiss as her beloved bolster covered her mouth.
"Sorry, I won't do it again," she murmured defensively.
The white-haired girl's eyes slowly closed, the powerful drowsiness beginning to overtake her. Veranica, who had wanted to sleep earlier, could no longer sleep because of the girl's antics.
"My purpose in life is to have a family..." she answered the earlier question, even though the girl could no longer hear her.
Veranica realized it and quickly turned toward her.
"Already asleep?"
She chuckled softly, but the laughter faded when the rhythmic yet piercing sound of footsteps came from outside the room.
Veranica quickly pulled up her blanket and instinctively closed her eyes when she heard the doorknob being turned.
Click.
In the dim corridor, a pale-faced sister with beautiful and charming features peered into the room through the gap in the door. After making sure that the children under her care were asleep, the sister sighed in relief before continuing her patrol to another room.
Inside the dark bedroom, while lying in bed, young Veranica lowered her blanket and took a short breath.
'Did... did Sister see me pretending to sleep? Forgive me; I promise I won't do it again.'
For a moment, she offered a prayer, hoping that Goddess Yarandrela would guide her onto the right path in her sleep, free from something evil that disturbed her life.
....
"My purpose in life, huh..." Veranica finally spoke. "If I think about it, I want to know who my parents are."
Silence once again enveloped them before Veranica hurriedly added:
"What about you, Ren? What is your purpose in life?"
"I don't know, I really don't," Ren answered hesitantly as he turned toward her. "All I know is that I want to enjoy life while I can."
Veranica stared intently at him, as though something felt strange.
"I see."
Then, Ren rose to his feet. For a moment, his gaze shifted toward the three people watching from behind before he looked straight ahead again, toward the expanse of trees, for several seconds. He climbed down from the rubble and walked toward the others.
"Ren..."
Ren's steps stopped; the soft and calm voice echoed in his mind, erasing the sounds around him.
"What is it?" he muttered without turning around.
"I... want to stay with you," Veranica said with a bright smile.
"Why are you saying that?" Ren asked in a curt tone.
Veranica fell silent for a moment before a sweet smile formed on her lips; she slowly climbed down, her face seemingly hiding something as she approached, then stood one step behind Ren.
"Because you're the one who brought light to drive away the darkness within me."
After saying those words, Veranica walked away, leaving Ren standing frozen while his mind struggled to understand the woman's actions.
Because he had no experience or knowledge whatsoever concerning women, Ren was naive about such words, clearly lost in his own imagination.
Perhaps if it had been one of the others, at least Hagi, who had heard it, Ren would undoubtedly have been pressured to approach the woman before she ended up with another man.
Ren unconsciously ignored the message as he walked steadily toward their leader.
"We'd better get down from this place," he said calmly. "I personally don't feel right about that other place."
Ren's index finger pointed behind him, toward where Karl had walked, surrounded by dense trees and thick undergrowth.
Elmer Michelle understood what he meant, his expression hardening.
"All right, then. We'll go there now."
Then, The Devil is Here left the place. Their investigation of this place was over, but even so, they had not found what they wanted.