Keifer gazed around the strange environment, contemplating an explanation.

This place seemed real, and that bright white light—it looked like the same one I saw before I transmigrated. That's strange since my previous lives simply started with me seeing darkness and then finding myself in another world.

This means the white light is an anomaly!

So why did it send me here? There's also the possibility it didn't, and this is just a result of transmigration privilege. It wouldn't be the first time. At least 30 out of my many lives, I've had some kind of special ability that made me different. Who's to say it's not the same here? However, even if it is a special ability, figuring out how it works would be a priority.

A cold wind blew across the shore, fluttering his towel and hardening his nerves in the intense chill. He shivered momentarily before wrapping his hands together and blowing on them, trying to stave off frostbite.

No point staying here. It's better to move around. Maybe there's some building in this place. A lighthouse, perhaps.

With that conviction, he stepped forward. The glassy yellow sand, partially wet, pinched his heels with each step.

A few minutes into his walk, Keifer spotted a blurry silhouette in the distance. He approached cautiously, lacking information about potential threats in this world.

As he got closer, the figure grew clearer until he could discern a person—a lady with long black hair, seemingly wet from water. She was dressed in a milky white peasant dress and danced elegantly on the shore. Her steps were graceful and calm, and although there was no music, her motions were so rhythmic it gave the illusion of a melody playing.

Hiding behind a nearby boulder, Keifer watched the strange lady. Her actions were eerie and unsettling. Though her steps were graceful, they revealed a horrific detail upon closer observation. With each step or twirl, her bones, arms, or legs would break and twist in an eerie manner, only to return to their usual state in the next second, masking the original anomaly.

Keifer observed this with secret breaths and a solemn expression.

Is this some kind of ritual? he wondered, drawing on his knowledge of numerous cultures from his home world.

Though it had been a long time, it still held a place in his psyche, perhaps the one constant in his life.

He continued watching the lady's strange dance when suddenly the wind started swirling around her, drawn to her like a magnet. The lady appeared pleased by this, and she intensified her dance. What was once an elegant performance transformed into a horrifying and surreal spectacle. Her bones contorted and twisted in unnatural ways before snapping back into place, only to repeat the process.

Amidst this frenzied dance, the wind grew stronger, causing the boulder behind which Keifer hid to shake violently. It seemed to inch forward as if pulled toward the lady. Even Keifer found himself unable to resist the pull. His body began to move as if being dragged toward her against his will!

Fighting to maintain his composure, Keifer unintentionally let out a grunt.

The lady abruptly stopped her dance. The wind quieted, and the boulder ceased moving. She stood still, then slowly turned her head toward the boulder. As her gaze fixed on it, Keifer was overcome with sudden, intense fear!

He was paralyzed, sensing a looming threat, as if something malevolent lurked nearby, poised to strike at any moment. An illusory scene suddenly appeared before him:

A pair of piercing blue eyes flashed in his mind, shattering his thoughts like glass. He could no longer form a conclusive idea. His forehead nerves tightened as a strange link or intrusion was felt in his body. It was as if something unknown, alien, and cold had entered him, and with it, Keifer suddenly lost control of his right hand!

Gritting his teeth, he struggled mentally to expel whatever it was that had intruded into his body. Just as he was doing that, his chest was engulfed with a burning heat. A bright white light exploded before him, pushing everything away at a swift speed before his surroundings changed into a vast gray world illuminated by lightning. This time, he managed to get a closer sight. Below was a large dark pit filled with swarming shadows and countless humanoid silhouettes. But like clockwork, they too pushed away. His surroundings morphed into a bizarre place.

He faintly saw an interweb of numerous colors!

....

Outside the City of Wonderland, in a grayish tower with its top half cleaved off, seven members of a patrol squad gathered around a strangely burning bonfire. The flames danced in a cacophony of colors—blue, green, red, orange, and even black. Accustomed to such phenomena, the squad spent their hours in casual conversation.

A few others guarded strategic positions, ready to respond to any unforeseen danger lurking in the vast thorn forest before them.

One of the guards glanced at the bonfire. Nearby, a young lad lay asleep. With a sigh, he looked up at the sky, captivated by its myriad beauty.

The sky was a tapestry of countless colored streams. Though it was faintly dark, indicating nighttime in the city, the stars shimmered with mesmerizing hues of rainbow colors. This spectacle was known as the Sky of Hope, the only source of solace for the people of Wonderland as they endured the horrors of the thorn forest.

Suddenly, the guards heard a rustling sound from within the dark forest. Their collective blue eyes sharpened as they drew their swords and spears.

Though their faces were stern, fear gripped each of them. They had all grown up with stories of the faceless men and tarnished souls that wandered the thorns—creatures that only desired to see their victims' insides on the outside.

Lying on the ground, Fabian's striking blue eyes suddenly sprang open. He jumped to his feet, his sword grasped firmly in his hand.

He had fallen asleep, despite being appointed Captain of the watch guards by the elders. Why hadn't they woken him? Were they waiting for him to fail?

Fear gnawed at his heart. Dressed in a unique white shirt and brown leather armor paired with black pants, Fabian voiced a question:

"Who among you has completed the Stronghold Penance?"

One of the guards, a man with black hair and blue eyes, quickly responded by raising his sharp-tipped spear.

Fabian's eyes revealed a frank expression as he hurriedly commanded, "Place a barrier!"

The guard immediately dropped his spear. In his hand, a translucent sword appeared.

Wasting no time, he plunged the sword into the ground. The earth trembled slightly, and then a massive, glass-like wall rose, forming a barrier between them and the forest, and further protecting the city.

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Thankful that someone had completed the Stronghold Penance, Fabian frankly acknowledged that such power was protocol for every watch guard team.

Despite the barrier that separated them from the forest, none of them could relax. It was a basic lesson their ancestors had died for: Never let your guard down!

Fabian quickly closed his eyes. Blue, silvery energy spread out from his body in all directions. After a few seconds, he thought, "Perhaps it was just a natural critter?" He mumbled, still uneasy and suspicious of those around him.

But as he had that thought, he quickly reined in his apprehension. Realizing he was now the leader, he knew he could no longer blindly suspect his comrades.

Before he could calm himself, a silhouette calmly emerged from the forest.

One of the guards, startled by the intruder, forgot about the transparent barrier. His blade turned translucent as he dashed toward the silhouette.

Panicked by the sudden outburst, Fabian's mind raced. Is he the enemy? Is he trying to help the silhouette by destroying the barrier? Should he be stopped?

As the guard's blade collided with the barrier, a massive crack tore through it before it shattered like glass. Undeterred, the guard poised his blade and charged at the silhouette.

At that moment, the wind ceased. Faint quacking sounds and chatters echoed from the thorn forest.

The guard abruptly stopped, hearing the sounds. From the dark thorn forest, faintly illuminated by the rainbow-colored sky, flocks of white birds suddenly took to the air.

The silhouette was bathed in the light from the sky, revealing its form.

A figure dressed in a dark, slick hooded robe emerged. Its entire body was shrouded in the robe, with only parts of its faintly glowing lips and jaw visible.

Witnessing this, Fabian couldn't help but mutter with a sense of hope, "Miracles?"

...

At that same moment, resting in the grayish-black Elder Tower, Casper, seated on a bone throne, couldn't help but frown.

His deep blue eyes gradually opened, and his breathing was heavy as he stood up. His office was a small gray room adorned with numerous black symbols and inscriptions on the walls. These were not of his making but the protective wards given to the Lord of the city, a position he now held.

Dressed in a unique hunter gear, the square-faced man with rough skin exhaled deeply. He felt a twitch in the scar in the middle of his forehead.

Without knowing why, he released a nearly blue-silvery energy from his body. This power spread throughout the room, causing the numerous symbols on the walls to glow with a faint bluish light.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise!

His deep blue eyes quickly transformed, flooding with a fiery red hue. His entire visage shifted into the form of a bright flame spear!

He burst through the wall, destroying the gray, glassless structure in the process. He soared through the rainbow-illuminated sky in a blazing light, ascending higher with the wind.

The people of Wonderland looked up at the fiery spear that had exploded from the Elder Tower and hurled into the sky. None of them seemed surprised by this event.

They all knew well of the swift actions of their Lord, Casper.

.....

Fabian instantly recalled the knowledge that every born of wonderland knew.

For more than two millennia the city of wonderland had been sealed by the forest of thorns. These thorns were bizarre, horrific, and dangerous. As from time to time, monsters would crawl out, ready to destroy and ravage the city.

But the city had managed to hold out hope because of the revelation that their God: The glorious Light made before He disappeared.

As it was written in the revelation of glory: At a certain time, a man accompanied by a flock of white birds shall appear. He is the miracle that will save them all!

This was the reason why Fabian couldn't help but exclaim: Miracles...

The guard who had tried to attack the strange hooded being instantly dropped to his knees. His head bowed as tears streaked down his cheeks.

He had also realized who the entity may be. And as such, he considered his actions before being blasphemy!

Fabian seeing the guard drop to his knees, nearly exclaimed shockingly.

He is part of the school of miracles!

This was a small faction in the city that viewed the Secret hooded entity as a God. A being that they all must worship and adore to be blessed.

Fabian nearly drew out his blade to strike the guard. But before the hooded entity, he could do no such thing.

Just then, a flaming spear crashed down in front of him! The flames cleared up to reveal the black-haired, blue-eyed Lord, who oversaw all of Wonderland!

Casper! Fabian nearly shouted but quickly closed his mouth to not sound disrespectful.

Standing atop a minor charred Crater, emanating with smoke. Casper raised his hand, and a translucent sword appeared. He pointed it at the strange man and said in an imposing deep voice:

"Who?"

........

A few minutes ago.

After the fiasco on the shores of the sea and the strange intrusion he felt in his body, Keifer was once again shocked at where he found himself.

He stood amid a vast, eerie thorn forest. The roots were old and withered, but their angles were horrifying as if they could move at any moment. An unsettling feeling loomed around him; it seemed as if countless gazes were watching from the darkness, hesitating to approach.

A deep darkness shrouded his surroundings, but above him, the sky was in stark contrast. The heavens shimmered with countless rainbow-colored stars, illuminating the otherwise dark night.

It looks like a painting, Keifer couldn't help but think, mesmerized by the beauty of the sky he saw.

However, he quickly collected himself and began analyzing his situation.

This place... Was I sent here by that woman? Maybe she wanted me to get away from her. But even so, how I arrived was very similar to the ones that brought me to the shores. This is only possible if she did both. Perhaps her powers are similar, or maybe this was my doing.

Keifer leaned towards the latter explanation. He had lived through enough lives to expect the unexpected.

Still, this didn't explain where he was or how he could escape.

Taking a breath, he placed his hands over his chest, feeling his heartbeat, which still seemed halted like that of a corpse. A faint frown crossed his face before melding into a solemn expression.

"A step forward, then," Keifer steeled himself.