0.......

Apologies for the delay in posting the chapter. I had an appointment today and didn't expect it to take so long, so I didn't set a timer.

Next chapter: January 13th.

[...]---[...]

I could still feel the sensation of "holding" Marchel's soul with the Shadowflame. It was as if I had grasped it with my very own hands.

A part of me disliked that sensation—a smaller part…

Another, larger, darker, more sadistic part of me was utterly satisfied and delighted to know the destination to which that soul had been sent. Marchel was bound to end up there eventually, of course, but knowing I had expedited his journey to the flames—and not just that, but ensured he would spend every single year he was meant to down there—was something I couldn't deny pleased me.

I could still recall it vividly. It lasted only a brief moment, but when I directed the soul, I felt a subtle, fragile connection to what I was certain was hell. Being linked to such a place was beyond abominable—even though it wasn't directly me connected, but rather through an intermediary connection, using the Shadowflame as a mediator.

In that fleeting moment, I "looked" around. I probed hell with my senses through that tenuous connection. I could claim I'd never go there, but I knew it was a lie—that it would happen sooner or later… So I wanted some frame of reference for what the place was like, beyond what I knew from the game. Any information would be useful… Just a brief "glimpse"…

Even an hour later, my head still throbbed. Burned—that was the most fitting word.

I wasn't sure if the place truly had a "limit." It probably did, but I couldn't find it. I could tell it was a dimension "below," even though, for all intents and purposes, it wasn't really below. Still, the act of digging and descending, as I knew, should lead there due to the concept of it "being beneath."

I brought my hand to my face and rubbed my eyes. Ignoring the stares I was receiving from others in the hospital's private room, I briefly organized my thoughts and memories.

The fire was the least of it. Heat, lava, and sulfur too. Hell, I was certain everything there was toxic and would—most likely successfully—try to kill any living being that ended up there prematurely.

Everything, from the ground to the "air," the very "environment," the flora—if anything could truly be considered flora—the fauna, which I knew was horrifying, and the "concept" of the place itself, would aggressively attack anything that didn't belong there.

Even I, wielding the Shadowflame and being literally a damn dimension away, was attacked merely for "looking." That was what my headache signified.

The best comparison I could think of was when I had "looked" into Alalia's depths. Her connection to the planet.

I didn't know if the magnitude was the same; to an ant, a hill and a mountain were the same thing. The real difference was that Alalia and the planet hadn't attacked me. My headache, in that instance, was merely caused by an overload of information. Hell, on the other hand, attacked me. It attacked like a starving beast.

"Fucking miserable place…" I muttered.

"What place?" Alalia lightly tugged my hair. "The prison, or what you 'saw'?"

"You know the answer." I huffed, which made my head throb. I stifled a laugh as the thought of "all you're missing is a chef's hat" crossed my mind. "And how do you even know I 'looked' at that place, anyway?"

"By the smell. Well, not exactly a smell, maybe a vision? Or would it be by touch?… How do I explain?" She grumbled. The air lightly swirled around my body.

The dryad had perched on my head some time ago, shortly after I burned all the prisoners in that prison. Neither Charlotte nor Helena protested—either because I had listed enough crimes to justify two or three death sentences or because I was literally sending them to hell with a touch and a chant.

Curiously, her presence on my head had significantly eased my headache. Well, it wasn't exactly surprising. If the Purification Powder made with her hair by Dylan had the effects it did, Alalia's presence—even contained within the wooden doll's body—was bound to be at least equivalent, if not much greater.

Considering I had taken a Purification Powder pill and it hadn't helped at all, but her mere existence atop my head was soothing my pain, yes, it was much greater.

"I'll explain by touch. It's easier, I think… Imagine a ripe apple. The skin is smooth but firm to the touch." She began after a few seconds, running her hands through my hair.

"But if it's a partially rotten apple, one that's suffered some kind of impact or fallen to the ground, part of the skin will be soft and sticky. It's very noticeable and unpleasant." I could feel the doll nodding her head even though I couldn't see it. The air moved as if it nodded too. She continued, "The whole world around you is like the skin of a ripe apple, smooth and firm to the touch, but around your head, right now, it's soft and sticky."

I felt I should be slightly offended by this comparison but refrained from commenting. After comparing the dryad's words to something from Rin's world, I asked, "Did the world's texture change?"

"World's texture?" Alalia asked next.

I felt Dylan, who had been lost in thought for some time, suddenly focus. Charlotte and Helena, who had been waiting in the room with us, had already been paying attention.

"Like a wallpaper. It's supposed to be all blue, but a part of it, for some reason, is yellow or has turned yellow."

"Ohhh! Yes, that's exactly it!" Her voice grew excited. "Everything is supposed to be green, but around your head, it's kind of brown and red. It smells like sulfur too! It stinks!"

I blinked. "It smells like sulfur?" I couldn't smell anything. And why the hell hadn't she just said that instead of the apple analogy?

"It does and it doesn't. Like I said, it's a 'smell,' but not really a 'smell.' It's hard to explain. Let's just say it's because of my connection to nature and leave it at that, shall we?" She laid back on my hair and gave two quick pats to my forehead.

"You can't explain it, can you?" Dylan finished jotting something in his notebook and commented.

"…Of course, I can."

"Huff."

"What kind of huff was that!? I can explain it; it's just complicated!"

Before Alalia and Dylan could start some sort of debate, Melissa entered through the door, bringing three others: a man with slightly pale skin and a flushed face, his nose sniffing and running with mucus—which he wiped with a handkerchief he carried—wearing very thick clothing, and two women, one blonde and one brunette, all patients from the hospital, with the man appearing to be the sickest of them.

The three widened their eyes upon seeing the princess and quickly knelt.

"Please rise. You're ill; I don't want you to strain yourselves on my behalf," Charlotte swiftly stepped forward and helped the three to their feet, especially the man, who seemed frail.

"I've brought the patients, Princess Regent." Melissa formally addressed Charlotte, bowing slightly, as we weren't the only ones in the room. After the patients sat down, she took their charts and began reading.

The first file was the pale-skinned man's.

"Juan was admitted to the hospital almost three weeks ago, and we decided to keep him under observation since then. He presents symptoms of a severe cold, with excessive mucus, high fever, headaches, body aches, slightly erratic mana, and trouble sleeping. We've been unable to find any cause beyond the usual suspects for his current condition. Even after all this time, his state hasn't normalized."

Three weeks of high fever and cold symptoms? If it weren't for Terraria's magical means, I was certain this guy would've died a long time ago. Did he look utterly wrecked? Yes, but not as close to death as he should be.

Melissa quickly swapped the papers, scribbling on each one for a few seconds before reading the files of the two women. She started with the blonde.

"Micaelle came to the hospital a little over four days ago and has been making recurring visits since then for monitoring. Aside from mild body aches and flu-like symptoms, she's normal." The Oakwood heir glanced around at everyone before adding, "The patient also complained about mild headaches at random times during the day."

"And lastly: Luciena." The brunette woman. "She was being seen when I fetched her. She arrived at the hospital just a few minutes ago and shows no symptoms but preferred to get a check-up just to make sure she's fine."

After reading the three brief files, Melissa handed me the man's and gave the women's files to Charlotte, who was standing next to me. I noticed the patients' surprised looks at Melissa's actions but ignored them, focusing instead on the words the nurse had written on the pages.

[Juan was the one who had the most exposure to the rain. He lives in a village far from the kingdom, and everyone who traveled with him in the carriage shows a similar or worse state of fever and flu symptoms. Similar conditions. They traveled for about a week and got soaked multiple times. He is also a Silver-ranked contractor.

Micaelle had significantly less exposure, living in a village relatively close to the kingdom. When asked, she admitted to only briefly getting wet. Half a day's journey to the kingdom. She's not a contractor.

Luciena is a resident of the kingdom. She hasn't been exposed to the rain, only to the patients affected by it, but to a nearly insignificant degree. She's not a contractor.]

This… This said a lot.

Even though it seemed like an "ordinary" cold—if such a word could even apply, considering how it lingered and fluctuated without truly subsiding—the fact that the people most exposed to the rain were the sickest spoke volumes.

Even without anyone in the kingdom identifying an apparent cause, this information alone should have been enough reason for the alerts to be as high as they were.

("Staying in the rain for that long tends to make people sick,") Ozma reminded me, her voice echoing in my mind. ("Flu and cold outbreaks are also relatively common… But I've seen enough to know that the ordinary is often the rarest of occurrences.")

("Wise words. Any idea what it could be?") I asked, more out of habit than expectation. I tapped into my connection with Jinn so she could listen in on the conversation too.

She was at Proto-A, which was relatively far—several kilometers away. But ever since the bond with my mark had strengthened, my ship had been teeming with Nightmares, hiding in every shadow. My nightmare energy served as a beacon.

("My first guess would be some kind of Dust infection. There have been instances of storms carrying microfragments of Ice and Earth Dust, primarily. The body doesn't react well to exposure, especially when absorbed internally. It might be something similar.")

("That would explain why Luciena hasn't been affected. She lives in the kingdom, and the protective matrices must be filtering the air. I haven't had time to analyze them, but that's what I would do.") Jinn chimed in. ("Selina is fine, by the way. She didn't break anything.")

("Keep her away from anything explosive,") I told Jinn before pondering Ozma's words and Jinn's follow-up comment.

(Mana Stone fragments?) I hummed mentally. Ozma's theory held merit, but I doubted it was the case. ("Maybe, but it's unlikely. The storm's mana is strange, yes, but if it were just that, Melissa or Alalia would've already identified the cause.") At least, I hoped so.

("Mana or some kind of foreign energy?") Jinn speculated. ("No one in WinterHord seemed capable of sensing the Deerclops' energy. Maybe it's something similar. The kingdom's protection wards repel it but don't detect it.")

("And Miss Alalia seems to have some difficulty with that too, based on what we know.") Ozma pointed out.

While mentally conversing with the two voices in my head, I handed the paper in my hands to Charlotte, who passed it to Helena and then to Dylan. After a few seconds, I closed the connection with Jinn and Ozma and stood up.

All eyes turned to me as I moved. Charlotte seized the moment to introduce me—or something close to that.

"This is Devas, a crown official specializing in analysis magic." She looked at me and gave a brief nod. I returned the gesture and approached the three patients. Neither of us so much as blinked at the lie that rolled off her tongue.

The princess's explanation seemed to spark an understanding in the patients' eyes, and they smiled faintly at me. The man's smile, however, appeared more tired than cheerful, and none of them asked questions.

Not that they'd asked anything earlier.

I ignored the two women for now and focused on Juan. I would analyze them later anyway, just to be sure, but if I had to start, it would be with the sickest one.

He didn't require a high price to be analyzed—around fifty thousand SP. The information started basic: an ordinary Terrarian, thirty-three years old. … I skimmed through his description before moving on to what really mattered: his current state. As I read the data, I instantly realized why no one had discovered anything yet.

[Current status: Cold (High), erratic mana flow (Minimal), headache (Medium), muscle pain (Medium), flu (Medium), sleep deprivation (Low)…]

Physically, he only had a severe cold and the flu, as Melissa had noted and as stated in his patient file. His mana also seemed normal. Whatever was affecting Juan wasn't in his soul—something Alalia likely would have detected—but in his mind…

It could never really just be nothing, could it?

[… Exposure to: The Outer Foreigner Presence: The Eye That Brings the Bloodied Cloud Beyond the Sea of Stars. (High-Extreme) (Dormant)]

I tried, with considerable effort, to keep my expression neutral. But judging by the concerned and alarmed look on the man's face, I hadn't succeeded. A quick glance around the room confirmed that everyone had noticed my reaction, whatever it had been.

"Alalia." My voice echoed.

Curiously, the dryad understood exactly what I wanted with that single word. Without any warning, the three patients before me collapsed, caught before they hit the ground by branches that grew from the doll perched on my head.

I circulated my mana around the room. The walls were already marked with Mystic Symbols to prevent sound from escaping, but I added an extra layer of muffling just to be safe.

After that, I let out a slow, deep sigh before finally yelling the words that had been caught in my throat:

"Fuck!"

[…]

POV: Dylan Oakwood

Today, just like yesterday, was a day full of surprises.

Finding out that my friend—whom I thought was a Fae—was actually an alien from another universe was just the beginning. Then came the revelation that he had been sent here without even being warned. I never thought I could hate something without form, something I didn't know or couldn't see, but apparently, I could.

I was also grateful, even if that feeling made me feel guilty...

Knowing that the same entity broadcasted everything happening here to other worlds was both disturbing and morbidly comedic. Devas seemed used to being observed by thousands of people. I, on the other hand, avoided thinking about it to keep from having some kind of mental breakdown. I've never liked crowds, much less being on a stage.

The discussion about the storm surrounding the kingdom was another matter entirely. Everyone knew it was bad, but Devas seemed to have a guess—or several. And from the tone in his gaze and his explanations, all of them were horrifying.

Today was relatively calmer. My thoughts were more organized as I tried to process everything I had learned yesterday. In the morning, we went to find Devas. He had left the mansion right after speaking with Alalia, and the plants in the house spent the entire morning literally dancing.

Funny... Thinking about it now, I realize I'd seen that before, a few times, but it had always been so quick that I thought I was imagining things or it was just the wind. Maybe it was something no one ever told me about. Well, it doesn't matter.

The information about the Aura excited me. I was already brainstorming ways to better use my small amount of mana and even started designing something along those lines. But knowing I could awaken something to help me become stronger and protect everyone was motivating. Not that I was abandoning my armor project.

Finding out Devas had one—or, depending on whether Alalia was lying, and she didn't seem to have a reason to—the literal flame of hell was less surprising. Maybe I'd already gotten used to it. The leader of our group tended to do impossible things and just shrug them off, as if they were normal. He'd even stolen the deer's powers once. Having a hellflame just seemed to... fit.

I didn't dwell too much on what happened afterward. Devas merely sped up the death of a monster that should have been dead ages ago. There are reasons for someone to commit crimes. Stealing to eat is one thing. Killing to protect yourself or someone else is another. But those people?...

Devas listed their crimes, and every one of them disgusted me deeply. I didn't know exactly where they had gone or what hell was like beyond tales and stories. But from what Devas and Alalia discussed, it couldn't be pretty. Not even close. I wasn't happy, but knowing they had paid for their crimes gave me some relief.

Then we went to the hospital...

The look on Devas' face as he touched that man was something I won't forget anytime soon. Rage, fear, disgust, hatred, bitterness, joy, something sadistic... So many emotions flashed across his face in a single moment that, frankly, I don't know if I imagined them or if they were really there.

"What did you find out?" my mom was the first to speak. She was good under pressure—I'd known that for a long time. "It's not good, is it?..."

Devas stayed silent. His eyes moved rapidly through the air, as if he were reading something invisible. The shadows in the room grew darker with each passing second. After about five seconds—during which his irises became practically a blur, perhaps reading and rereading whatever he saw—he stopped. Froze.

The room grew cold, or at least it felt that way. It was like the deer's presence, but less predatory. Then he sighed, and the cold gave way to a nearly soothing warmth.

"No, it's not good..." Devas finally replied before waving his hand, making a large machine appear by his side. "Thanks for the typing and translation, Jinn." He thanked the 'air' before connecting the phone to the machine. Seconds later, sheets of paper began emerging from it. He handed one to each of us.

I was a fast reader, but those words... I couldn't read them quickly. I simply couldn't.

-//-

[The Outer Foreigner Presence: The Eye That Brings the Bloodied Cloud Beyond the Sea of Stars]

Description:

It is not a curse. It is not a disease. It is corruption caused by exposure to the Outer Foreigner Presence.

Something unnatural to this world. Something unnatural to life. Something unnatural to exist within the 'world.'

An anomaly so aberrant that it becomes almost undetectable. Something subtle, present in every raindrop. Something that resides in every 'tear' shed before the blood clouds appear. Before the moon stains the world red with its presence.

An anomalous phenomenon triggered by contact with water from the recurring rain, originating from the 'Gray Clouds: The Night When Eyes Fly', or, as the Terrarians and Devas call it: 'The Storm.'

An alien rain mimicking ordinary rainfall, yet born from the influence of 'The Eye That Brings the Bloodied Cloud Beyond the Sea of Stars.' It spreads like an infection as long as 'The Eye's' presence remains active in the world.

While it is technically not a conventional disease, those affected by 'The Storm' suffer from a progressive condition that combines debilitating physical symptoms with devastating psychic alterations.

The initial symptoms are almost indistinguishable from a severe flu: throbbing headaches, high fever, intense muscle pain, ocular sensitivity, and difficulty sleeping. However, the true danger lies in the subtle yet destructive effect carried by every raindrop: 'The Memories of Forgetting: Salvation of the Eyes.'

Each drop contains the presence of 'The Eye', carrying a 'memory' of something that never existed. A recollection of something without origin. An end to something that never even began.

This corruption manipulates the patient's memories, implanting artificial experiences they cannot consciously recall. Memories their minds cannot record. Dreams heavy enough to make sleep anything but restful.

Patients are unaware of the false memories or the loss of real ones, which are swallowed by the void. The void creates gaps in the mind—a futile, desperate attempt by the brain to preserve itself. This renders the true 'disease' almost undetectable by conventional means.

[..]

Effects:

Total loss of mental sanity.

Fragmentation of the mind.

Paranoia (Eye).

Corruption of the soul.

Weakening and destruction of the physical body.

Weakening and fragmentation of the soul.

Weakening and ruin of the will.

Insanity (Eye).

Auditory hallucinations (Eye).

Visual hallucinations (Eye).

Severe migraines.

Irregular mana flow (Eye).

Stagnant mana flow (Eye).

Loss of eyeballs.

Emergence of 'Demon Eyes.'

Emergence of 'Zombie' (Eye).

Death.

Note:

The phenomenon affects not only the physical body but also the individual's mental "resonance." In advanced cases, reversal may be impossible.

Note:

The phenomenon will persist until the presence of 'The Eye' is terminated.

-//-

It took me minutes to read it all. It took everyone minutes. The room fell into absolute silence. It was too much information to process—or rather, too much bad information to process.

Knowing Devas was an alien and had the hellflame was one thing. He was an ally, a friend I trusted completely. But this?...

I hadn't even noticed when my innate magic activated. My head throbbed from the strain, as did my eyes. Something that, frankly, worried me far more than it should have. I made sure to store every bit of information in my memory, comparing it with everything I already knew.

Nothing remotely resembled what I was reading.

"I think I'm going to throw up..." Charlotte murmured beside me.

"Don't, we're swamped with wor—" my sister began but cut herself off, growled, and continued, "Actually, do it, I don't care. Screw it. Just clean it up afterward so it doesn't stink."

Normally, my mother would have reprimanded Melissa for the language, or at least made some kind of comment. But not this time. Her expression was as tense as my sister's. The veins on her forehead bulged, visible.

It wasn't the first time I'd seen her like this, but it was one of the rare ones. And I hated it.

I hated seeing my mother scared. I hated seeing my sister scared. Charlotte scared.

...I hated being scared.

"Devas... Is there a way to fix this?" I carefully placed the paper on the table beside me and stood up. "Actually, forget that question." I shook my head and pointed at the page, focusing on the last sentence written on it. "That eye... does its presence stop when it dies?"

My friend looked around for a moment. His eyes wandered through the air, probably reading something only he could see, before turning back to me.

"I don't know. But if I had to guess, I'd say yes."

"So it can die," I pointed out.

"I don't know that either. This case is very different from the Deerclops..." His expression didn't change, but I knew him well. I could see something cruel pulsing in his eyes. He looked like he could barely hold himself in place. "But if there isn't a way to kill it, I'll find one."

"…Even if I have to carve the concept of 'death' into that thing's retina myself."

I couldn't hold back the smile forming on my face. Devas wanted this thing dead. So did I.

"For now, back to my ship."

After picking up the old man and Robyn, we returned to Proto-A in no time. I was the first to awaken my Aura.

...The chant he used was different.

[...]

POV: Devas Asura.

"The Aura should help them contain whatever this… disease is." Jinn frowned. "Seriously, what a miserable description…"

"Regretting making a deal with me?" I asked, looking at the dark horizon. It was night. We were on top of the Proto-A. The rain hadn't let up at all, nor had the lightning.

I could hear the rain clearly, even from a distance. Smell the blood, the stench of decay.

"Regret coming to Terraria?" I nodded in agreement. "Not for a second, and it's not some eye-monster that'll change my mind."

I snorted, amused. I knew she'd say something like that—or at least I hoped she would. But it was good to have confirmation. I hummed to myself before asking Alalia:

"Do you know what runes are?"

The three of us were there, with the rest of the group inside the ship, getting used to their newly awakened Aura.

I didn't even try to awaken the dryad's Aura. I didn't think my soul could handle the 'weight' of Alalia's soul and bring it out. Not only that, but she was connected to nature—plants could also awaken Aura.

My title could help, but I wouldn't risk it. Awakening the Aura of all the plants, either around the kingdom or the entire world, would probably make me explode or melt. Whichever came first.

"Of course I do. I'm surprised you know." She retorted, smacking her doll-hand against my forehead. "Where did you find one? They're something old... very old."

I pulled out the chains binding the Mother Slime from my VoidBag and showed her.

"Found this here. I've learned a lot since then. The barrier around the kingdom, does it have runes?" I asked.

Alalia inspected the chains for a moment, jumped off my head, and hung onto the metal. After a few seconds, she climbed back up the golden chains and perched herself on my head again.

"It's well-crafted. Looks like Fae work; they were the best at using runes." She hummed. "Yes, the barrier has runes—I placed them myself. Why?"

"Why doesn't any Terrarian use runes?" I asked, before adding: "I have an Anti-Foreigner rune. Did you use it on the barrier?"

"Anti-Foreigner?"

I simply pulled the Ice Blade from my inventory and held it above my head to show her.

"This… is strange. How do I not know this rune?" She questioned herself. I could feel the wooden doll go still, Alalia's presence vanishing from that body before returning. "It's listed, I just never paid attention… Strange. No, the barrier doesn't have that rune. I'll fix that soon."

"Just remember to exclude Jinn and me as targets," I commented. I didn't think it was necessary, but given everything, I thought it was better to be sure.

"I don't need to. If I create the rune, it'll automatically exclude you as a target and everyone connected to you," Alalia responded. I didn't need to mention Ozma, Luci, or my Nightmares. Perfect.

"As for your question: Terrarians lost the ability to use runes. Or rather, that ability was sealed. I didn't even bother telling little Lena or ChaCha about the existence of runes because of that."

...Of course. And there goes my plan to teach Dylan and the others.

Damn wall. Damn seal. Damn broken world, where everything that could help me is either faulty or sealed. Damn eye.

After a few more words, I jumped off Proto-A. I'd already said my goodbyes, but Dylan was still waiting for me in the distance.

I enjoyed the fall for a brief moment before landing and walking over to the guide.

"Are you sure you don't need help?"

"I need help, that's why I awakened your Aura and left Proto-A with Jinn to speed up the repairs." I pointed behind me. To Jinn. "But if it's about me going into the storm, no, I don't need help."

"You could wait for Proto-A to be ready," Jinn pointed out, following me to the edge of the storm with Dylan. "Or take me with you."

"You're my eyes and ears in the kingdom. If anything happens, just let me know, and I'll be back in seconds with the Wormhole potion."

She was also the 'key' to the Dungeon. We'd tested it minutes ago—she could open the dungeon since she was considered part of my 'party.' If something serious happened and I couldn't return, she'd pull as many people as possible into the Queen's Garden and lock everyone there.

Millia was with her too. The little slime hadn't woken up yet, something that worried me a bit, but I was almost certain it was due to the assimilation she'd done with Pink's body. Something like that should take time.

"I still think the idea of that potion existing is ridiculous. You said you have its recipe, didn't you?" Dylan asked.

"I do. The ingredients are a pain to gather. Especially the fish that swims in space." A fish that swims in space. It still amazed me. "Jinn knows it too. Just ask her later."

"Huh? Those are rare. I know a place where they're found, but it's… hard to reach." Alalia, who was in Jinn's arms, spoke up. Everyone looked at her.

"…I want the location of that place later. Actually, I want the location of many things. I'll collect on that when I get back." A month was short—at least in this case—so that would have to wait.

We also had to figure out a 'cure' for whatever the storm was doing. Alalia, Jinn, and Melissa would be working on that while I went off to do my part—basically, running around trying to find any survivors, clues about where the Eye was, the cultists, or the Eye itself.

Alalia mentioned she had an idea of how to cure them now that she knew what was affecting them. Jinn said something similar. The two had discussed it for a while, while Melissa just listened and scribbled down notes like a madwoman.

She could talk about Selina all she wanted, but they were identical in many ways. Dylan agreed with me on that.

"Why isn't she going with you?" Dylan pointed to the wooden doll.

"Because of the barrier." I gestured toward the kingdom. "She powers the whole thing. If she leaves, it all collapses."

And also… for a brief moment—it was subtle—but I could feel that the dryad was scared, shaken. Honestly, it was kind of messed up to realize that. If Alalia, who could pinch me to death, was scared of the Eye—or at least I thought it was the Eye—then what the hell was I supposed to do?

…Actually, the answer was obvious. It always had been.

"Well, that's it. I should be back in a few days. Talk to Jinn if you need to reach me." I patted the guide on the shoulder. He gave me a solemn look and nodded before I said goodbye to Jinn and Alalia.

I walked to the edge of the storm, one step away from stepping into the rain. I stopped just shy of the torrent, staring at the lightning that had suddenly shifted from yellow and blue to a dense red.

The air felt heavier. The shadows darker. I could feel something watching me, even though there was nothing there. No eyes existed… A smile crept across my face.

How familiar. Was it WinterHord? Or was it even before that? The dark had always scared me… Always…

("You know, there's still time to change your mind. There's no reason for you to go looking for whatever we'll find, not when we know they'll come to us.") Ozma's voice echoed in my memory. The (CHAT) agreed with him. I agreed with him.

Waiting might be the better option, sure… But I was tired of being reactive. I'd been caught off guard by the goblins, waited for the Deerclops to reach WinterHord, waited for Salem to reach Vale, waited… Always waiting…

…No more.

It was time to be proactive and go hunting.

"Afraid?"

("No. Not of this. And you, Devas? Are you afraid?")

"Yes."

I stepped forward.

Let's see which 'Thing in the Storm' was stronger.

[...]---[...]

You know those 'different titles'? They exist simply because I reread some Japanese Visual Novels while traveling. The naming style was something I found really cool, so I decided to use it. Let me know what you think—did you like it or not?

As for the chapter, well: the right thing to do would be to wait, prepare Proto-A, and fortify, maybe even take a risk and go to another world while this '1 month' passes. But, you know, Devas is tired of just waiting.

Being proactive in this case might be good. Who knows... Anyway, we're back to action!

As for the description of the 'disease' and everyone's Aura: the description is something I thought about carefully before writing. I liked the result. As for the Aura, well, I didn't show everyone's awakening because it would just be word filler, and, of course, I didn't want to reveal which 'chant' Devas used.

Something for the future.

Finally, the storm. Devas has finally stepped into it—some things will happen, others won't. I've read some comments and theories, some good, others more far-fetched. Interestingly, this is the first time no one has a solid guess about what's going to happen.

Feel free to comment if you want—share a theory or whatever comes to mind. I'll reply as best I can, as long as it's not a spoiler.