The man in front of me, with moss-green hair and fair features, broke the silence with his first words: "It has been a long time since I have had visitors." His gaze was fixed on me, and I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy under his scrutinising stare. He wore a white coat, and his tone was precise and calculated, almost robotic.

After studying me and Kei for a few seconds, he continued, "You must be rookies who may have lost their path to the peak." His words sounded matter-of-fact, as if he had already figured out our entire situation. I wondered if he knew more about us than we did ourselves.

The figure added, "I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but your situation looks to be getting worse. I won’t tell you to trust me and come here, but if you do, I’ll try to help you as much as I can; if not, I’ll point you in the right direction so you may leave."

I accepted his offer of assistance with a subtle nod of consent. I received the impression that he wasn’t a bad guy, and even if we left right away, the bird might come back to hunt us. Very likely, it was still alive. The figure then gestured for me to follow him, leading us into the laboratory. As we walked, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. The place was eerily quiet, with the only sounds being the humming of the jellyfish and the occasional beep of a machine.

As we made our way deeper into the laboratory, the figure spoke up, "How did you end up here? This is my secret hideout, where I conduct my research. I happened to find it on one of my tours to this realm, and since then, I have made it my base of operations. Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Avery Paquet, Paladin 0984."

I introduced myself as Wallace Garret and said, "This is Keiichi Miura. A gigantic bird-like monster was after us, and when we eventually managed to escape, we started to plummet to the ground. On the way down, my consciousness faded." I replied

"Did that bird have one eye?" he asked.

"Yes. " I replied, surprised by his words.

"Exactly as I feared, that species is exclusively found near the peak and never shows itself to humans. Throughout limbo, strange things have been happening. He was talking to himself, but it was clear that he was saying, "I have a suspicion that ‘they’ have been tugging the strings.

He ushered me into a dark room and started digging around on one of the desks that were there. He eventually came back with a substance that resembled jelly, which he used to treat my wounds.

I was shocked when I observed Because of my injuries, I believe the sol was passing through my body at a slower rate than usual. But as soon as he applied the paste, my body felt chilly, and the sol began to accelerate. I could see the little diminishing of my wounds.

"The healing process will take a few hours. This is a medication I developed using components I discovered in the 9th realm that aren’t available anywhere on Earth." The possibilities are boundless in limbo," he smirked.

He pointed to a little bed and said, "Put your friend down on the bed there, so I can inspect him," and I did what he asked. He was ready to start the equipment that was set up next to the bed.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

As he prepared the apparatus, I couldn’t help but ask, "How do you think we ended up here?"

He turned to me and responded, "The most likely scenario is that the mountain brought you here."

I furrowed my brow in confusion and asked him to explain further. "What do you mean?"

He sighed, "Do you know what they call the voice in our minds when we use the grand elevator? You probably don’t, since you just arrived here. It’s called ‘The Will of the Overseers." The overseers are what we call the creators of Limbo."

He continued to enlighten me: "Limbo has a will of its own, like an artificial intelligence governing this place and managing everything."

His explanation was fascinating, but I was still unsure of how this connected to our being brought here. He then went on to explain the theory of Kipduff Mountain having a will of its own and being responsible for managing this realm.

"The mountain presents venturers with challenges when they try to ascend, and the will is also responsible for managing this realm. The one-eyed bird was not supposed to attack humans, so your case was impossible, causing a distortion in the laws of this realm. To set things right, the mountain probably manipulated the winds to carry you here, where you would find aid."

As he finished speaking, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe and wonder about the mysteries of Limbo and the power of Kipduff Mountain.

Questions flooded my mind like a swarm of honeybees over their nest. Who were the overseers? Why did they create this place? However, the sight of Kei lying unconscious made me realise the gravity of the situation. It was clear that his life was in danger, and we needed to act fast.

As Avery activated the apparatus and began examining Kei, I watched intently. After a while, he let out a sigh, which made me nervous. I wondered what could be wrong with Kei. Avery then started rummaging through his desk, searching for something. Eventually, he returned with a flask full of cherry-red liquid. I watched with fascination as he grabbed Kei’s hand tightly and made him digest the liquid with his other hand.

Suddenly, Kei woke up screaming and in a lot of pain. Drops of sweat covered his face, and I could tell that he was in agony. However, Avery’s hand was holding him back firmly, and it was clear that Avery’s experience as a paladin was useful in such situations.

The screaming continued for a few minutes until Kei finally settled down. His body was drenched in sweat, and he had lost all his energy to move. He was lying down tired, looking up at Avery with dull violet eyes.

I was filled with confusion and worry, wondering what was happening to Kei. With a weak voice, Kei turned his gaze towards me and asked, "What is happening?"

"I’ll leave you all to relax for the time being. When you’re ready, come meet me near this facility’s entrance because I need to talk to you about something that will assist you in your journey and stop incidents like that from happening again." He spoke, pointing towards Kei.

I approached Kei and took a seat next to him. "Let me clarify,"

Kei and I discussed what Avery had just stated. Kei listened carefully, his drab violet eyes displaying his worry and uncertainty. I reassured him that before continuing on our journey, we would learn all we needed to know and make sure he was okay. Kei, who is still reeling from the agony and shock of his recent experience, nodded shakily.

After taking some rest, Kei and I started making our way towards the entrance of the lab, manoeuvring through the maze-like structure with its various rooms filled with strange machinery. Fortunately, I was able to lead us in the right direction, having memorised the path Avery had taken me through earlier.

As we approached the entrance, we saw Avery waiting for us. He gestured for us to follow him, and we soon arrived at a large dome made of glass, which was part of the settlement. The ground was covered in carpets that looked like grass, making it a practical testing ground.

Once we were all settled, Avery began to speak.

"Have you ever heard of ‘sol-weaving?".