【Are you going to Tatra Village?】【Give my regards to someone there.】

A faint chant echoed, stretching from the end of the torchlight procession.

【Bring our offerings.】

【To the deep forest, by the mountain.】

【By the lineage that blankets the mountains like fur.】

A raspy, emotionless voice echoed from each person.

【Between the lake and the crimson leaves.】

【By the screaming blood, the sleeping thing.】

Something seemed to be mixed into the chant. Underneath the drawn-out melody, another voice screamed, making its presence known.

Selene’s body trembled.

As the chant reached her ears, images seemed to appear in her mind—hazy, blurry images. Someone was laughing. Something huge was roaring. But it was all hazy, as if she were looking through a thick fog.

“It’s because you didn’t see it yourself~”

Right. Because I didn’t see it myself.

Was someone talking to her?

But only Richter and Louise were there.

Should she go find him, her, it, them?

“Come find me. We’re kindred spirits. We’re friends. We’re family. Come find me in the mountains.”

Right, she should go find her.

Find her, find her, find her, find her, find her, find her, find her, find her, find her, find her, find her, find her, find her, find her, find her, find me, find me, find me.

Footsteps. Then—

A precisely controlled blow to the back of Selene’s neck knocked her unconscious. A brief exchange followed.

“Which way?”

“West. There seems to be a wooden house there.”

“Let’s hope Jose wasn’t lying.”

A feeling of being carried, perhaps on someone’s back. The sound of wind and rhythmic breathing in her ears. Were they running?

Selene was in a daze, consciousness and unconsciousness intertwined, making rational thought impossible.

…I think it was when I saw the procession, my mind became like this. When I saw that… no, I can’t think about that…

Behind her, the procession continued, torches illuminating the forest from the village. Tens of thousands of people, singing the same song, their footsteps perfectly synchronized.

Is someone watching me?

Did someone just talk to me?

In the procession, in the grass, in the water, on the ground, at the foot of the mountain, in the mountains, in the sky—

Selene blinked. The eyes that had been looking at her also blinked.

Was this a dream or reality? Did she even blink?

It didn’t matter anymore.

Because…

【Sit beside it. Feel the intimacy like the air itself.】

【Become one with us. Feel the intimacy between us like family.】

Creak—

The sound of a door opening interrupted her thoughts.

The person carrying her put her down and pulled up her sleeve… What was a sleeve, anyway? Why would it interfere with her getting close to her? Was it skin? Or fat? Or blood? Wait, why is she raising her hand…?

Ouch!

Louise impassively placed two hands on Selene’s face.

There was no sound. Based on previous observations, making noise at night was forbidden. Richter had cast a soundproofing spell.

“Wake up. Or I’ll do this again.”

Louise shook her shoulders.

Her teary eyes and the way she was covering her face were unusual. It’s a shame I didn’t learn shadow magic.

Not getting a response, Louise slapped Selene again.

“Wake up? Still not awake.”

“Wake up—!”

Selene, awakened by the physical contact, nodded repeatedly. Carefully, she used magic to cover her face, removing some of the redness.

“Okay. For the test. Answer a few questions.”

Louise glanced towards Richter, who was standing by the window. He was looking out at the procession of torches from a very limited angle.

Unlike before, they could now see the procession, and the anomalies were clear. It was unclear whether this was a change in their situation, the time period was unusual, or the endlessly stretching procession, moving forward yet never ending, was just unusual.

This is good. At least they know where the enemy is and what they look like. That’s better than being completely clueless.

But both of them felt a strange… shortness of breath.

An inexplicable shortness of breath. A vague shortness of breath. A shortness of breath they didn’t want to acknowledge. It felt like someone was choking them, that they were on the brink of death. Logically, they should feel threatened and anxious, but they didn’t want to admit it, so they were desperately searching for evidence to prove their safety.

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Strange.

“Whew…” Louise looked at Selene, her gaze settling on her bloodshot eyes, then observing the crimson staining her hair. She didn’t notice anything unusual.

Normal.

She then looked at her own hand.

Her skin was torn. Bones were showing. Muscles were twitching, and blood was oozing out.

Normal.

Her eyes shifted, landing on something in her peripheral vision—a dark red thing, like blood vessels, and she could vaguely see some green substance clinging to it.

“…”

“It’s always been like this~”

Right. In other words, this is normal.

Louise paused, then, before Selene could express her anxiety, asked,

“To see if you’re awake, the first question. What’s your name?”

“Selene. I think. You haven’t told me my last name,” Selene thought for a moment, confirming they hadn’t mentioned it.

“What’s your background?”

“Uh… I’m a private detective from a town called Schwerdt. I got trapped here while investigating an artist’s suicide,” Selene tapped her fingers.

“What’s your relationship with us?”

“Friends.”

A straightforward answer, completely consistent with reality.

Louise recalled her previous answers.

【■■■■■】

【I was born in the village, on the mountaintop~】

【Everyone’s my friend, my food, my believers, my masters~】

It seemed perfectly normal, nothing out of the ordinary.

But…

Louise raised her left hand, touching the thing on her face, then lifted it up, meeting the green eyes.

It was her eye.

“Ha, ha… Hahahahahahaha!”

She suddenly burst into laughter, casually dispelling the soundproofing spell Richter had cast. He silently stared out the window, not stopping her.

Selene looked at her in a daze, unsure what was going on.

【The falling leaves have turned crimson.】

【From green to gold, until they wither.】

【Ah, the falling leaves will eventually fade.】

The chant seemed to be getting closer. Was the procession approaching the house? Selene felt a little uneasy, but it didn’t feel bad. Everyone would probably stop at the church, then go to the mountaintop… What’s wrong with joining them?

“This thing… It grew by consuming flesh, memories, and emotions,” Louise said through gritted teeth, her laughter gone.

“No, I’m a good girl~”

“But you’ve never seen an elf before. And you’ve never devoured an elf,” Louise shook her hair. Her long, silver hair was now covered in blood. Her left ear was gone.

Her skin was exposed, and a large wound was visible.

As Selene’s gaze fell upon something, time jumped to nightfall. A huge wound appeared on her body—her neck was severed, her skull cracked, but the wound hadn’t cut her in two.

Louise’s expression didn’t change. She casually pulled out her eye, her hand clenching.

Something was faintly shimmering within the spilled blood.

And within her wound, within her blood, within her bones, something was also glowing, flickering rhythmically, as if exchanging flashes of light.

【The cycle of the world, the change of life.】

【Nothing escapes it.】

【The world spins in chaos, we drift in illusion.】

【We dance with it.】

【When the dawn breaks.】

【All sorrow, all joy, all turmoil.】

【Will all fade away with us in the crimson sunrise.】

“Listen carefully, Selene. This village isn’t simply a creation of this world in the box. Even if the scenery was created by Jose, there’s a real, indestructible monster here… Don’t wait for time to pass. Jose is probably also trapped. Unless we deal with it, everyone will die.”

Louise paused.

“That thing tried to affect me, but the effect was two-way. It could see everything about me, and I could see everything about it—the origin, the beginning of the tragedy, is called—”

Her body suddenly exploded.

Amidst the scattered blood, Selene fell into contemplation.

What monster? What Jose? What tragedy?

But her body was trembling. She gritted her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes. She was feeling sadness, and determination. Were these the emotions she should be feeling?

Why am I doing this? Why am I acting like this? I should be happy…

She stood up and looked at Richter, who was silently standing by the window, looking down.

Because there was still one person here, and he needed to join them.

【What are you looking at?】

A voice, laced with sadness and a strange strength, echoed.

“…I’m sorry,” Richter said in a low voice. “But when I noticed Louise, she was already… I think, besides the gods, no one can save a dead person.”

【I don’t blame you… What do we do now?】

“I don’t like it, but we need to find the message Jose left. We’ve already crossed a line,” Richter said, pointing towards the window.

Looking out, they saw a small church. A procession carrying torches was entering it. Faint prayers echoed.

It was the church below the mountain.

“I didn’t even notice when that church appeared, but it seems to be where those ruins were… We’ve gone into the forbidden zone, the place Jose said was certain death, the place that could endanger others,”

Richter pounded his head in frustration.

“I don’t know which is more dangerous, staying outside after nightfall, or going into the mountains beyond the church. But it’s better not to risk both. Though the situation is bad, we should stay here for now—”

A sharp pain suddenly pierced his chest.

Looking down, he saw a pale, slender hand piercing his chest.

Something seemed to be clinging to his back.

【No, this isn’t right.】

【We should go to the mountains.】

Realizing something, Richter didn’t try to stop Selene, whose expression had changed. Instead, he clasped his hands in front of his chest, enduring the pain and the darkness that was enveloping his mind, and said,

“I… God of War, the undefeated God of War…”

【No, this isn’t right.】

【Don’t yell~】

A hand covered Richter’s mouth, and the hand that had pierced his chest moved slowly, stirring his muscles and blood.

“Ugh—”

Gritting his teeth, he suddenly lunged forward, then turned around.

Something was spreading, emanating from beneath what looked like Selene, but definitely wasn’t hers.

A sea of blood.

Mountains of corpses, still climbing, even in death.

Crimson, blood-like water on the surface of the lake. Something was looking at them.

This was the beginning of it all.

Richter understood. He looked at Selene’s feet, then closed his eyes.

“Louise was right. If we don’t deal with that thing, not just us, not just Jose, but everyone in Schwerdt Town, and even Nymph Fu, will die.”

The thing lowered its body. Its indistinct words masked his voice.

【Why weren’t you here then?】

Something touched him. Subtle changes occurred, but the voice, which seemed to contain some of Selene’s voice, continued.

“…”

A hand touched his body, then entered it.

【I like you.】

【Always, always, so very much.】

The sound of something being pulled out, organs being removed, flesh being torn apart.

【I love you.】

The sound of something being eaten echoed in his ears.

【You want to be with me forever, always together.】

Icy yet warm hands, stained with blood, touched his face, meticulously exploring, gently stroking.

Selene’s smooth, slender limbs entered his body, peeling away his flesh, devouring everything that belonged to Richter. They lifted his torn skin, demanding more.

【Every day, together. No matter what we do, I want to see you by my side. No matter what we do, I want to hear your voice.】

His bones were licked, then crushed, their contents sucked away.

【I want to see more things, more places, meet more people and creatures. You have to be with me.】

“…”

Richter, his consciousness almost gone, raised his skeletal arm, which was also being devoured. He embraced her.

This was a level of pain that far exceeded the limits of human and all mortal races. He was only able to endure it thanks to his superhuman strength and innate mental fortitude. Even then, he was on the verge of death, about to lose consciousness.

【I’m selfish. So you must always remember me, always think of me. Don’t look at other girls. Don’t get close to them. Don’t betray me. Stay by my side. Don’t go anywhere.】

Was this the monster speaking in Selene’s voice, or was this Selene’s own words, hidden deep within her memory, never spoken, and never to be spoken? Richter couldn’t tell.

He had lost the ability to think. His consciousness, his spirit, his body, were no longer capable of supporting rational thought. The writhing tentacles, the constant pressure, the threat of broken bones, prevented him from speaking.

He only clenched his hands tightly.

Then, the hands on his face tightened.

His face was torn off. His skull was crushed.

Death followed.

The creature, which had been eating, suddenly stopped.

Tick-tock—

In another corner, amidst swirling dust and flickering light, a large clock lay on its side.

The hourglass suddenly trembled, as if someone had picked it up and turned it over.

Then, the sand began to fall again.