Darkness entwined his body, pulling him down into the depths of his mind. Vern was fully conscious but couldn't move or do anything to prevent it. He calmed himself and fortified his will. Now that he understood who he was facing, he felt confident enough to handle it.

Faint voices steadily filled the space around him and increased in intensity as he sunk deeper. Unlike before, he listened to them for a while, trying to discern any underlying resemblance to what once was a rational, humanlike being. But they just repeated the same, tiring phrases like an out-of-sync choir.

Kill. Conquer. Become invincible.

It became unbearable rather quickly, and Vern shifted his attention away as much as he could. The barrage of the hissing voices continued and slowly wore down his fortitude.

Don't you have anything else to say? Pathetic! As if you weaklings can take me on!

Surprisingly, the shouting in his head made them go silent. But Vern didn't have much time to enjoy his victory as his vision suddenly distorted, and he found himself on his knees, staring at a white floor.

He blinked a few times, processing the new stimuli, and consequently noticed that his body was no longer constrained. Nonetheless, it took a lot of effort just to lift his head to look around. There was nothing, only dazzling whiteness filling his entire field of view – no, one black stain stood out in the distance. It grew larger and seemed close in on Vern at the same time, and thus, he pushed himself on his feet to face whatever this was head-on.

The dot changed its form as it increased in size, distorting into all directions along its surface like water waves trapped inside a small, flexible space. Eventually, it stopped in front of Vern, and limbs grew out of it, giving it a somewhat humanoid form.

»What do you want?«, Vern shouted, and his voice reverberated throughout the whiteness, slowly fading into complete silence. The black blob didn't respond, but the contortions of its form, which reminded Vern of heads and limbs increased in frequency.

Vern took a step back as it shuffled forward on its warped legs. Suddenly, a tentacle-like arm shot out of the blob at Vern, clasping his right arm. When it made contact, a wave of emotion flooded into him – a mix of anger, sorrow, and fear.

He desperately tried to free himself, but his movement remained sluggish as if his body executed all commands sent from his brain in slow motion.

An image of a woman flickered across Vern's eyes, and although her face was hidden in shadows, her hair and contours were unmistakable.

Why … why did you kill me?

Vern gulped and closed his eyes while still pushing back against the blob that tried to pull him closer. However, the image remained in his sight regardless, and as Irina tilted her head up, the dead eyes looked directly into his.

Why … Oh why?

Vern cried out, and his whole body reared up as he desperately tried to escape. And to his surprise, his movements gained momentum to a point where it felt the same as controlling his real body.

With that sudden boost, he managed to break free, and the mental attack subsided subsequently. However, the blob had closed the distance significantly during its first attack, and before Vern had the time to move away, more limbs shot forward to keep him in place.

He burned all his energy trying to free his legs and arms while dealing with the mental images that appeared before his eyes simultaneously. Irina, Alvyn, Kieran, Ezra, Mantel, and all the other nameless recruits' faces overlayed, speaking in their voices that interfered with each other.

At this point, Vern's mind had gone completely blank from sensory overload, and only his body continued to flail violently.

When Vern regained consciousness, the light that penetrated his eyelids was natural and not of the white brightness in his dream. His breathing was frantic as if he had just sprinted for miles on end, and even lying on the ground felt like too much of a hassle.

He forced his eyes open, and the structure he could identify above him didn't look anything like the ceiling of Maggie's house. In order to get more information, Vern rolled to the side and found himself looking through a cluster of wooden bars.

»Oh, you're awake.«

Vern identified the voice as Rhone's and moved his eye to where it came from.

»Unfortunately, we had to relocate you since Maggie didn't like it when you started damaging the house in your frenzy. But this should be sufficient.«

One of his hands grasped a wooden bar, and a smile appeared on his face.

»There is a rudimentary toilet, and we'll occasionally bring your food, so you can stay here as long as you fancy.«

Vern wanted to retort, but his throat was too dry, not that he had the energy to begin with.

Rhone waved him goodbye and walked off. Vern rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Now he recognized it – the bars merging together at the top looked exactly like the inside of a birdcage.

He calmed his still agitated breathing while keeping his eyes wide open to not accidentally fall asleep. After a while, he had accumulated enough energy to scout his new accommodation for food and water.

Unfortunately, Vern couldn't manage to stay awake for too long, and as he dipped into the dream world, the previous horrors commenced once more.

When awakening, he felt more exhausted than after the first time and knew this couldn't continue for long. With his body screaming for restorative sleep, it would just continue this vicious cycle he couldn't escape.

Nobody was here to help him, not even Velvet. He probably had fun with the Immortals while he suffered here to his death.

At a snail's pace, he crawled toward the bars and weakly pushed against them. Unsurprisingly, they didn't budge. Tears started to run down his cheeks as he lost hold of the wood and sank to the ground.

There was nothing left for him. He had killed all of his friends, and he couldn't escape this reality any longer. He had always known. All his noble goal of stopping the Eldritch … it wouldn't get any of them back. Why did he have to suffer like this? Was this his punishment for being such a careless idiot?

He rolled around the ground, trying to escape his thoughts, and thus, it took him a while to realize the metal that pressed against his hips once in a while.

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So there was still the easy way out.

Vern moved his hand along his belly to the pouch containing his shurikens. They were indeed still there, which he hadn't noticed until now. He slowly pulled on out, tensely contemplating if he really should go through with this. His finger moved along its sharp edge. Without his sword in here, he hadn't even seen this as a possibility before. His weakened mind rejoiced at this sight. Carefully, he brought the shuriken up to his throat and laid it down on his neck.

Was this how it would end? All the suffering, everything he had done, ending with his death? Valdin had said it himself. He would die either way, no matter the choices he made. So why even go on now?

However, there was something, something at the back of his mind that made him hesitate. And right now, he hated that something more than the Eldritch inside of him.

Well, maybe he just had to accept his punishment and end it another way.

He moved the shuriken off his neck and closed his eyes. Within seconds, he returned to the white prison. The dark blob already awaited him.

Instead of running, Vern moved towards it. As tentacles twined around his limbs, voices and images flashed through his mind.

I am sorry, I didn't know any better. I am sorry …

Vern answered all of their accusations the same, taking full responsibility for what had happened in the past. The blob expanded the closer Vern got and eventually encased him completely, extinguishing all of the white light. The darkness filled every fiber of his being, and Vern didn't intend to fight it.

If it killed him, that was alright. He couldn't run from this anyway. The mental barrage abated as Vern's conscious mind faded into nothingness.

How much time had passed? An eternity? Am I still alive?

Those were the first things that crossed his mind. Vern opened his eyes, finding himself in the birdcage.

It hadn't worked. However, there was something different – he felt so much better. His body appeared refreshed, and his mind was as sharp as a knife.

Vern looked down at his body, making sure it was still there. And indeed, it was. Not only that – he could feel the blood running through his veins, the heart pounding in his chest, the formication at his fingertips that made him want to touch his surroundings. Surprisingly, he felt more alive than ever before.

At present, it seemed incomprehensible to him how he would ever consider not wanting to live – to experience his own existence. Nothing could ever challenge this – the joy of just being there was incomparable to anything else and could never be tarnished by any dread or despair the world had to offer.

Vern smiled, deeply satisfied, and his index finger touched the cold, dark metal of his shuriken. It felt so different than before and yet so familiar. No, the truth was he had never consciously felt it to begin with.

He took it off the ground and slid it through his hand a few times, enjoying the sensation. Then he stood up and got his body into a throwing stance.

Vern simulated the movements a few times before he let the metal accelerate along his finger into the air. The shuriken dashed forward and hit the spot in the wooden wall outside his cage he had aimed at.

He rejoiced, and since it was out of his reach now, he took the rest of them out to play around with. There wasn't a point to any of this other than enjoying the movements of his body as it fulfilled its task.

He threw another one. The door opened just as it ripped through the air and landed mere centimeters away from Maggie's face.

She looked at the metal that briefly vibrated in the wood.

»Did you mean to assassinate me?«

»Hahaha, no. I was merely playing around.«

Maggie raised her eyebrows. »You seem quite joyful, nothing like when I came by before.« She handed him a tray with food through the bars, which Vern happily accepted.

»Well, I would let you out«, she added while she watched him wolf down the food. »But you damaged my house, and I can't trust yet that this won't happen again.«

»Ok«, Vern uttered in between bites. This food was incredibly delicious, even though it was the same plain bread as always. The slightly sour taste mixed with the continuously increasing sweetness as he chewed it into small pieces. Had he ever even appreciated how amazing it was to taste anything at all?

The creaking of wood made him look up from his feast. Maggie had opened the door and signaled him to come out. Vern perpexedly returned her look before gulping down the remaining food and standing up.

»Why, though?«, Vern asked since he couldn't understand her sudden change of mind.

»To me, you seem perfectly fine, so you might as well help us out with maintaining the village.«

Vern nodded and followed her back to her house. As the fog slowly revealed its shape, he could also spot Velvet's silhouette in front.

Shortly after, Velvet raised his head and jumped up, darting toward the both of them.

›Oh, you're back‹, Velvet said, stopping a few meters in front of Vern while Maggie continued walking. ›I am sorry, they told me you have to manage on your own and that I shouldn't visit you …‹

Vern smiled. ›That's alright. I am not angry because of it.‹

He closed the distance between them and grasped the fur at Velvet's front leg. It was the softest thing he had ever felt, and he wouldn't mind using the material for his bedding, though he probably shouldn't tell Velvet.

As he continued to stroke the fur, Velvet purred and lay down on his belly. Vern climbed up his side, and when he had fully mounted him, Velvet suddenly lunged forward.

The air rushed past Vern as Velvet sprinted through the street into a meadow.

›Are you really alright now?‹, Velvet asked after a while of jumping around.

Vern patted his back. ›Yes. Yes, it is. Although I can still feel them inside me, they can't do anything. I know what I have done, and they're not strong enough to corrupt my mind the same way.‹

›Excellent.‹

They continued their journey across fields and forest lines for a while, silently enjoying nature before they eventually returned.

»Good timing«, Rhone said, who they met at the entrance. »We're currently working on some repairs. May you help us?«

Vern nodded, and thus, they finished reparations on Maggie's house by switching out broken wooden slats for new ones.

From now on, he spent most of his time training or roaming around with Velvet. Like this, the days – the times he slept and awoke again – passed by rapidly.

However, one day, someone banged against the door of the house he had moved into, startling him out of his dreams. He untangled himself from Velvet's tail and walked to the door.

»What is it?«, Vern asked Maggie, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

»It's time«, she said. »Get yourself ready.«

Vern yawned. »Ready for what? I've just trained …«

»Well, on my tour outside, I noticed a bailiwick from the north is soon expanding into the area.«

»What? Already?« Vern's tiredness evaporated instantaneously. »Are you sure? It's just been a few months, so it shouldn't happen yet …«

»I am sure of it. Since I don't know about your timeline, maybe something has changed … either way, you will have to deal with it before it reaches us.«

Vern nodded and put on his gear. He still believed Maggie had picked up some misguided information, but he had to check it out for sure. At least this way, he could visit his world and use mana for the first since he had got here.

Afterward, Maggie led him and Velvet to the lonely tree he had arrived at. She put her hand on the trunk, and it parted in the middle, creating an oval-shaped pathway out of the black liquid. Maggie signaled them to go forward, and they followed her instructions.

Vern's experience was similar to before but much less violent, so he managed to land on his feet this time. He noticed how Vevet entered his body right after arriving behind him and was glad that this mechanic still worked.

Behind him, Maggie appeared. »If you head further north, you'll soon reach the bailiwick. In case you succeed, you can notify us by pulling over there.« She pointed at a branch and turned to the gate. »Ah, one more thing. You can use this as well. Just make sure you return it to me.«

She fetched the mana ring from her pocket and tossed it to Vern. And without another word, she vanished into the black hole which closed a few seconds later.

Vern quickly put the ring on and focused on his surroundings. It was dark but still a warm summer night. Although he had chopped down a lot of trees in this place to find the gate, he couldn't spot their remains anywhere.

Had he even landed in the same place?

Vern stepped forward, and something crushed beneath his boot. He looked down, and in the faint moonlight, he spotted small, fractured bones. A sword, completely covered in rust, lay on the ground next to them.

Suddenly, it hit Vern. These were the remains of what he had left behind – the stoats and his sword – which meant much more time had passed than a couple of months.

The darkness lit up as a meteor shower passed through the night sky, and now Vern knew exactly what day it was.

›Velvet, we are indeed out of time. You should consider waiting in the other world for me. Just in case I won't manage. With your physical body over there, you can have a good life without me.‹

›No‹, he replied with conviction. ›I've fought by your side until now, and I'll continue doing so. And besides, this also a matter that deeply concerns me.‹

Vern acknowledged his resolve and lowered his body before sprinting northwards.