Despite the pain from his earlier collision with the wall and his vision suddenly blurring, Zavi forced himself to stand and approach the man.
He raised his hand, staggering forward, his trembling index finger pointing at the man.
"Y-You...?"
Hearing that, the man turned his head.
"Do not come any closer...!" the man said in panic as he moved toward Zavi.
"Are you Mr. Albert?" Zavi asked, narrowing his eyes.
For some reason, after being thrown by something he could not identify, his back slammed hard against the wall, causing his vision to blur again.
Zavi did not know what had actually happened to him, but one thing was clear in his mind.
Was this the work of the robed people around him who were watching him? And did this mean he was one of those unlucky transmigrators?
Meanwhile, the man hesitated, unsure whether he should be honest. He pulled another talisman from his coat pocket and immediately threw it at Zavi.
Crack... shatter...
The talisman with a red rose pattern crumbled like ash from burned paper. The dust floated and clung to Zavi's coat, causing the haze to slowly fade.
After throwing the talisman, the man, who was none other than the real Albert, took a deep breath and said, "Can you see clearly now? I thought you had been affected by the spiritual power of wandering spirits, or perhaps..."
Before he could finish his important words, two of Albert's companions appeared from behind, emerging from a narrow alley in the same condition as him, though with dust clinging to their bodies.
"Damn dust," said the black haired woman with her hair tied back, brown eyes, and a black lace dress. She continued, "Did you manage to escape from that person?" she asked with a sharp gaze.
Albert glanced quickly and replied in a low voice. "No... He just vanished. Did the two of you find that group?" he asked in return.
The man standing behind the woman answered in surprise, "They disappeared as well. They must be doing something in this city far from the authority of the Norn Empire."
"But I think—"
"Wait a moment!" Albert cut in, holding his chin. "Domination, you said? Are they planning to rebel in the capital and cause an incident?"
The black haired woman and the black haired man nodded at the same time, their faces filled with disbelief.
Albert turned his head and looked at Zavi, who was sitting with his head leaning against the wall.
"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?" Zavi asked in surprise.
Albert cleared his throat twice, smiled faintly, and said, "Huh? Nothing."
"Who is that nerd, Albert?" the woman asked bluntly.
Huh? A nerd? Honestly, I am not handsome, but do not call me that, you bitch. Zavi thought inwardly, showing an expression of disbelief.
"Hey, hey. What are you talking about?" Albert panicked, looking left and right in confusion, afraid Zavi, his acquaintance, would be angry at him for having such rude friends.
The black haired man with shimmering blue eyes that contrasted with the moonlight nudged the woman beside him. He cleared his throat and said, "Apologize to him. Now."
Hearing that and seeing the man frown, the black haired woman with her hair tied back immediately grew nervous.
She took a deep breath, stepped forward twice, and lowered her head slightly. "I am sorry if my words hurt your feelings," she said sincerely.
Huh? Is that not wrong? Zavi thought, still trapped in his former life on Earth.
He was still insecure about his appearance, even though Zavi's body was fairly handsome. Yet for some reason, he still felt awkward and out of place.
Zavi tried to stand and said, "I am awkward. There is no need to apologize."
The three of them reflexively opened their mouths wide, unable to believe those words came from him.
Albert, standing in front of Zavi, laughed as he looked at him, stepped closer, and patted his shoulder. "I know. You must have been through a lot," Albert said softly, surprised by Zavi's mindset.
"Huh?" Zavi smiled, trying to deny it. "What are you talking about?"
A few seconds later, from the direction of the fountain on the road ahead of them, Karl appeared, running frantically toward the four of them while being chased by a strange creature. It looked like a cat, but it was unclear if it truly was one. The creature had a long tail and teeth that moved every second all the way to the tip of its tail. Its body was small, about the size of a melon.
"Damn it... You really are here, Zavi." Karl said, running while gasping for breath.
They stared at each other.
"Why are you just standing there? Do you want to die at the hands of that strange thing?" His tone suddenly rose, and he turned back before continuing, "Ah... Damn it. Does it not get tired of chasing me nonstop?"
Zavi frowned.
'Is that its Avatar?'
The four of them did not run. Instead, they stared in fascination at the small creature that had terrified Karl. And as Karl ran past them, the strange creature suddenly stopped. Its purple eyes flared like fire in a furnace, filled with fear after staring at Zavi standing before it.
Uww...
The strange creature immediately turned around and tried to flee with all its strength, terrified after seeing a figure floating directly above Zavi's head.
A being capable of creating Chalog, animals that mutate after excessive exposure to spiritual energy, such as cats, rats, cockroaches, and other creatures, evolving into terrifying forms with destructive power.
However, only seconds later, the strange creature, which had once been a rat that accidentally passed through a ritual altar, vanished without a trace, as if its body was no longer accepted by the world after witnessing that mysterious figure.
"What was that? It disappeared?" they exclaimed in unison, their eyes wide with shock.
A few seconds later, Zavi turned to the right and smiled faintly, still seeing Karl running aimlessly. After the strange creature vanished, four more people emerged from the narrow alley ahead, where fragments of broken wooden crates were scattered.
Hearing footsteps nearby, the four of them reflexively turned toward the alley and exchanged glances, unsure whether they were ordinary people. It seemed impossible for anyone to dare wander at night due to fear, making them wonder if these were the very group each of them had been searching for.
"Who are you?" Albert asked, hiding his sleep talisman behind his back.
Zavi, Albert, and their two companions stared warily at the people in front of them. Two men and two women, all wearing white shirts and black trousers.
They stared back simultaneously, not answering Albert's question. The atmosphere on the street grew silent, the night wind blowing strongly as if signaling an impending battle.
The mysterious people exchanged glances, and the one standing on the right gave a signal with his fingers accompanied by a look.
Snap...
The sound of snapping fingers rang out, and all four of them moved at once to flee through a narrow path leading to a wide area with tall dense trees, a river, and a steep cliff.
"Sleep within a beautiful dream." Albert aimed the talisman a few inches from his face before throwing it forward.
Whoosh... The talisman shot through the air like a bullet and stuck precisely onto the white shirt of one of the women running behind her companions.
"What is this...?" the woman whispered in panic, feeling something spinning inside her head.
It felt as if her body was being absorbed by something indescribable, and seconds after that sensation, her consciousness began to fade.
Her body collapsed, both arms stretched forward as she fell face down on the stone road. Her forehead was slightly scraped, and she was now trapped in a dream world without time, unless the talisman was removed from her body.
Her three companions stopped simultaneously, turned their heads, and widened their eyes as they realized their friend had been affected by the magical power thrown by the people they had encountered earlier.
"Damn it..." the two men cursed angrily.
Not wanting the mysterious group to escape and each of them wanting to interrogate them further, Albert ordered his two companions to move immediately and secure the woman.
"Feyne and Luke." Albert grinned at the two of them.
Feyne growled irritably and said in a weary tone, "Fine, dear Mr. Hammond."
They immediately moved forward to capture the woman affected by the endless beautiful dream talisman.
Meanwhile, when Albert turned to the right, he was surprised to see Zavi had already moved ahead. He shook his head and said with a smile, "Huh? I cannot stop him either."
Albert decided to follow the three companions already ahead of him. He thought he might have caught the wrong people, but instinctively he knew these four were the ones he had been searching for three days ago.
"I do not know if they truly intend to destroy everything in Moran. That would be terrible," Albert thought as he prepared to draw the silver revolver from his pocket.
On the other side, the black haired woman wearing a headband stared at her friend's body lying cold on the stone road, her blue eyes shimmering with fear of losing someone.
"So do we need to take Mitsu with us?" she asked anxiously, turning back to look at her two companions who were unsure of what to do next.
"It will be bad if we get caught," said the man with messy black hair standing in front of them.
One man standing in the middle exhaled calmly, knowing that Zavi, Albert, and the others were about to catch up.
"Stay here!" The man immediately approached Mitsu, who was sleeping not far from where he stood.
"What are you doing? Damn you, Moreira..." said the messy haired man, disbelief filling his voice at the reckless act.
After reaching her, Moreira lifted Mitsu's body.
"What is this?" he said in surprise, feeling a cold sensation along his back.
And then, Moreira decided to move forward, bringing Mitsu to his two companions to carry out his final plan.
His plan was to hold off the four of them so his three companions could escape. If it went as he imagined, Moreira would immediately use the breaker relic he had purchased from the black market a few days earlier.
"Take her and run as fast as you can," Moreira said, handing Mitsu to the messy haired man. "I might only be able to hold them off for a few minutes, and I am not sure if one of them has supernatural abilities."
"One more thing. Be careful of the black haired man with brown eyes."
They nodded, turned around, and followed Moreira's instructions to flee to a place he believed was safe. A dense forest with towering trees, deep darkness, and steep slopes.
Moreira glanced at his companions, watching them from afar, thinking he might never return. "Sorry if I do not come back," he whispered, his expression turning serious.
Zavi, Albert, Feyne, and Luke finally arrived. Unbeknownst to them, they had been manipulated by a mysterious figure who had been watching them since their first encounter until this very moment.
Albert and Zavi thought of the same thing. Losing the other three could change the situation and alter the plan from what they had imagined.
"Be careful. He must be hiding something," Albert said with a furrowed brow as he prepared to draw his revolver.
Then, after exchanging glances, Zavi checked the surroundings first, making sure no one else was nearby who might be hit by a bullet or disturbed by gunfire, though that seemed unlikely.
After confirming that, he took a deep breath, and something strange suddenly crossed his mind.
Where is Karl now? Zavi thought with a faint smile, realizing the path ahead led into a dark area filled with tall trees.
A few seconds later, the situation suddenly shifted completely. Unconsciously, Zavi had originally come here to monitor the movements of disguised members of the Finiscya sect.
And his encounter with the strange creature earlier, as well as the four people, was all part of a plan they had orchestrated.
"Good, good. Do the five of you want to play with us?" said a robed man with a deep voice, his face hidden beneath his hood as he stood on a rooftop.
And then, from below, Zavi, Albert, Feyne, Luke, and Moreira were confused after hearing the voice. They lifted their heads and were shocked to see around ten people dressed the same way, all staring down at them with piercing gazes.
"Who are they? Are they your friends?" Moreira asked in confusion.
Impossible... As if I would have friends who toy with others like this. Zavi thought irritably.
He slowly pulled a brown pistol from his coat pocket, intending to kill the robed group before they killed his mother and himself.
But just as he drew the gun, from behind, one of the robed figures who had been watching Zavi's suspicious movements earlier jumped down, landed directly behind him, and kicked him hard in the groin.
"Ah..." Zavi cried out in disbelief, clutching the pain as he twisted his head before finally collapsing onto the stone road.