He woke from a chaotic slumber, touching this strange and incomprehensible world like a newborn infant. Fragmented memories and thoughts, like bubbles rising and scattering on the sea, could not form a complete consciousness and cognition for a long time.

The entire world seemed shrouded in a thick curtain, and his own perception felt like it had been shattered and reorganized a thousand times by an invisible force. The mind could not understand the insane and disordered sensory signals. Humming, rumbling noises and dim, terrifying light and shadows seemed directly engraved on the nerves, stirring the consciousness and piercing the thoughts.

He tried to take a step forward, tried to distinguish the things around him, tried to recall himself, tried to understand the current situation.

Countless shadowy things surrounded him. These things had amorphous outlines, and their upright bodies floated with hollows of psychedelic color. Strange currents flowed through those hollows, emitting indescribable howls and hissing sounds that were extremely terrifying.

Then, a warm light appeared in his perception. Following this warmth, he slowly walked forward from the darkness, having awakened and forgotten his own existence...

Nina suddenly put down the cheap trinkets she had just been picking out, frowned with some doubt, and turned to look behind her.

Sherry immediately noticed and turned her head curiously. "Huh? What's wrong, Nina?"

"I don't know..." Nina still frowned in confusion, her eyes scanning the crowd behind her. "I suddenly felt something behind me, like someone was staring over here, but it seems like just… an illusion?"

"It's probably an illusion..." Sherry frowned as she heard Nina's words and subconsciously looked around the market. "There are people everywhere here. Maybe someone just glanced this way?"

Even as she said this, she cautiously confirmed with Argo in her heart.

"Nothing at all," Argo's feedback quickly echoed in her mind. "Just a lot of people."

"Argo said there's nothing," Sherry said to Nina in a low voice. "Its senses definitely won't be wrong."

Nina blinked and looked back again before shaking her head. "...Guess it's an illusion."

The market was crowded, and the bustling crowd made this originally spacious market seem a bit cramped. Not only could locals be seen around, but also many tourists wearing foreign clothes strolled through the market. The calls of various vendors rose and fell among the crowd, sounding almost noisy, but full of vitality.

In such a crowded place, feeling one or two gazes occasionally was nothing special.

"Miss, are you still buying?"

The stall owner's voice came from across the way, interrupting Nina's daze.

"Oh, oh, sorry," Nina immediately reacted and smiled apologetically at the stall owner. Then she held up the hairpin and brooch she had just picked out. "These two, please wrap them up for me. What about you, Sherry? Did you find anything you like?"

"I... didn't find anything," Sherry shook her head. "I'll look at the next one later."

The stall owner packed up the items, Nina paid, and the two girls who came out shopping continued to stroll around the lively market. It was still early before sunset; the sun was still high above the city-state, and they could play for quite a while.

(The mist permeating the surroundings stung the skin and eyes, and the endless roars and howls seemed to tear at the eardrums. However, fortunately or unfortunately, the fragmented thoughts and chaotic perception weakened this unbearable pain to some extent. The existence that had forgotten itself swayed forward in this chaotic and indescribable world, continuing to think with difficulty.

What is skin? What are eyes? What are eardrums? How am I walking? How did I get here?

Starting with the most basic questions, he became confused by everything.

And there were annoying things constantly interfering with his thinking and memories, bringing him more pain and confusion.

He tried to look up, seeking the source of that annoying interference – that thing hung high above, a huge… noise.

He was somewhat puzzled, because in his shallow and vague consciousness, "noise" should be something invisible, but he felt… that what he saw was noise.

A cluster of chaotic, twisted ripples ceaselessly vibrated and writhed high above, covering the entire chaotic sky, stirring the dim, floating light and shadows, and merging with the countless roars and noises on the ground, making one nauseous and terrified.

He struggled to take a step forward, moving in the midst of the noise, carefully dodging those indescribable forms with psychedelic hollows on their bodies, constantly emitting various hissing sounds, slowly moving, continuing to move...)

Nina stopped again, this time standing in the middle of the road, staring wide-eyed at an empty space.

In her eyes, even a wisp of faint golden light was quietly floating up.

Sherry immediately stopped as well, also frowning in confusion as she looked at the open space. After several seconds, she broke the silence uncertainly. "I think I felt it too just now. Something's watching over here, and it seems like it's following us..."

"Did Argo feel it?" Nina's nerves tensed unconsciously, and she asked softly.

"Argo still says it didn't feel anything," Sherry carefully observed her surroundings, answering in a low voice, "but it says that having 'illusions' repeatedly is worth being vigilant about. Maybe something that shouldn't appear in the real world is exerting influence..."

Nina nodded lightly, while also using the corner of her eye to check the situation in the market.

Among the bustling pedestrians, she could see those church guards on the roadside.

The "Knowledge Keepers" of the Truth College guarded this densely populated place. They wore college-style robes, carried large-caliber revolvers at their waists, and used their alert and calm eyes to pay attention to the slightest disturbance on the streets and squares – those eyes, blessed by Rahm, the God of Wisdom, could detect evil invading reality at the first moment.

However, these "Knowledge Keepers" looked very relaxed, seemingly unaware of anything amiss in the market.

"That feeling disappeared… The Keepers don't seem to be reacting either, but I always feel like I wasn't having an illusion just now," Nina murmured to Sherry.

Sherry responded in a low voice, "What do you plan to do?"

"...Should we report it to those Keepers on the roadside?" Nina thought for a moment and said, "Uncle said that if you encounter dangerous beings like heretics, you should report them to the Keepers as soon as possible."

Sherry was stunned when she heard this. Her mind, filled with violence and foul language, hadn't really left much space for the word "report." She hadn't even thought in that direction.

However, recalling Captain Duncan's several "righteous reports," another strange feeling welled up in her heart –

As a violent, vulgar, uneducated bad kid, was she incompatible with the thoughts of this evil god's family because her moral level was not high enough?

But after a brief sense of incongruity, she couldn't help but shake her head. "How do we report it? Just say we always feel like someone's following us? The Keepers will think we're making trouble..."

(In the fragmented memories, what else can be combined and connected?

He thought with difficulty. As he staggered forward, he recalled a dark red color, like thick blood piled up. The dark red light floated in the sky in his memory, as if endlessly chasing himself, chasing his… companions.

Companions? What are companions?

A new memory suddenly appeared deep in his consciousness. He became somewhat puzzled, and then he finally recalled more.

Ah, he had companions. He and his companions set out on a long journey, but what were they going to do?

It seemed… they were going to save the world.

Following the prophet's guidance, heading in the direction where the red light fell, to find a way to save the world. Many of them set out together, but the hunter siblings soon fell, then the gloomy and taciturn magician, followed by several knights...)

Nina decided to report it to the Keepers on the scene first.

Although explaining the motivation for the report seemed like it would be troublesome, professional matters should ultimately be left to professional people, and as Uncle Duncan said – as long as the attitude is sincere, no one will be held responsible if the report fails. If it succeeds, maybe they can even earn a reward.

She pulled the reluctant Sherry and walked towards the Keepers on the roadside.

(Ah, that warm feeling appeared again, not far ahead, even… emitting a hazy light.

He stopped thinking and subconsciously walked forward.

The thick "curtain" gathered around him, as if deliberately blocking his steps. The humming noises also gathered, and the strange forms constantly emitting hissing sounds walked around, as if filled with indescribable malice, exuding an unspeakable terror.

However, he quickened his pace, moving closer to that light, like…

Rushing towards the only thing in his memory that was somewhat familiar, somewhat understandable.)

Nina arrived at the roadside.

The Knowledge Keeper wearing a college robe turned his head and looked curiously at the two girls who looked like they were still in middle school who had suddenly walked over.

"Ladies, do you need help?" The Keeper asked with a smile, his tone gentle.

(Hissing sounds and murmuring noises came from ahead. That ball of light seemed to be approaching an indescribable form, and a strong sense of unease welled up in his heart.)

"We feel like something's wrong..." Nina explained to the Keeper, saying the sentence she had been brewing all the way. "Just now..."

(He finally arrived near that warm light. When he was still some distance away, he stretched out his "hand," wanting to touch that hazy shadow.

In that instant, all the curtains and mists seemed to turn into invisible boundaries, and the "actual touch" brought by penetrating the boundaries was the first sting felt by the lost wanderer in this new world.

He leaped forward.)

A scream suddenly came from behind, echoing throughout the market.

(End of Chapter)