Chapter 82

Chapter 82
Alon followed the main road until it brought him to the eastern shore of Syphra. He observed that this stretch of beach was far more secluded than the village where he had first arrived. The landscape was barren, consisting only of sand, the open sea, and the tall cliffs in the distance—nothing more.

“I actually arrived…” he mused to himself.

Recalling the man whose demeanor had shifted so abruptly and who had kindly directed him here, Alon’s expression turned thoughtful as he started his trek along the coastline. Before long, he retrieved a necklace, its dark wood carving given to him by the ‘being’ he had met back at the Colony.

He had never anticipated meeting a member of a different race so openly on this shore, particularly one he hadn’t encountered even in Psychedelia.

Holding the necklace, Alon continued his journey across the deserted sands, heading towards the cliffs that grew larger before him, until…

“Hm?”

He spotted a woman observing him from a stony trail that wound past the cliffs.

No, she wasn’t a woman.

“A mermaid.”

While her torso was unmistakably human, the lower half of her body was a sleek, piscine form. Alon moved closer, confirming her unusual shape.

“Identify yourself. Why are you in possession of that necklace?”

The beautiful mermaid’s voice was laced with clear suspicion. Alon, noting the melodic quality of her voice as much as her looks, answered,

“I was sent here with a referral from the Dragonkin.”

“The Dragonkin?”

“I was told this item would grant me the ability to witness the truth.”

When Alon presented the necklace, the mermaid muttered “Dragonkin” to herself a few times, as if deep in thought, before posing another question.

“…You mean the ones with the long tails?”

“Tails… well, I suppose they are quite lengthy.”

“Define ‘lengthy’.”

“Long enough to curl them into a question mark?”

Alon replied, confused by the line of inquiry. His answer, however, appeared to satisfy her, as the mermaid’s guarded posture softened.

“It seems you are indeed an expected guest. You have come to see, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then, you will need to follow me.”

After Alon gave a nod of agreement, the mermaid slipped down from the rocks and plunged into the ocean.

*Wooong-*

She promptly conjured a large, spherical bubble, like a droplet of water, in front of her. Under the light of the setting sun, it glowed with a reddish tint.

“Step inside,” the mermaid directed.

Alon paused briefly before entering the sphere. The moment he was inside, layers of magical energy enveloped the bubble.

“We are departing now,” she announced, and began to pull the sphere downward into the sea.

They moved through waters tinted crimson by the twilight, soon descending into the dark abyss. Alon, sinking steadily into the deep, felt no particular fear, almost as if the mermaid, who had not offered her name, was entirely unconcerned by their surroundings.

Yet, Alon felt a distinct chill as the environment became utterly black, with nothing at all visible.

It was like drifting through an infinite emptiness.

In the midst of this peculiar disquiet and unease, he briefly registered an odd sensation…

“Huh?”

“…?”

Then, a single shaft of light pierced the absolute darkness. As Alon became aware of it, a green, aurora-like radiance softly unfurled through the deep sea, soothing his rising anxiety.

Mesmerized by the beautiful display, Alon let out a soft sound of wonder. As the mermaid guided the sphere ever deeper, the green aurora grew more distinct to Alon’s eyes. After a little more time had passed…

“We are here.”

Alon found himself at the mouth of a cave.

“This is…”

As the water sphere dissipated, Alon stepped into the cavern, looking around with a curious expression. It seemed like an ordinary cave, but the fact that he could breathe air here without difficulty was remarkable.

“This way.”

Distracted by his examination of the cave, Alon was jolted by the mermaid’s voice. He turned to see that her lower body had undergone a transformation: her streamlined fish tail had been replaced by a pair of human-like legs. Aside from the gills faintly visible on her neck, she now looked almost entirely human. Noticing Alon’s surprise, the mermaid offered a slight smile.

“This transformation is only possible within this sanctuary.”

As if this explained everything, she led him further into the cave. After a walk of about ten minutes, Alon entered a vast chamber.

“…Incredible.”

He couldn’t suppress his awe. The chamber was empty save for a central altar, but the cave’s ceiling displayed the ‘sky’. Yes, it was the sky. Despite being deep beneath the ocean, a starry night sky was spread across the cavern roof.

Alon, who had remained silent upon seeing the aurora, now stared openly at the ceiling, his astonishment plain.

“…Do you find it beautiful?”

The mermaid’s voice sounded suddenly.

“Yes, I do.”

Seeing Alon’s nod, her expression became complex, a mixture of sadness and something more profound—a deep, resonant melancholy. Just as Alon began to grasp the nature of this emotion…

“I see. For the moment… yes.”

She whispered so softly Alon could barely hear, then resumed the conversation.

“This is the sky you have always seen above you.”

“…But it was still daytime when we entered the water?”

“The descent took some time. It is not too early for the stars to be visible. Regardless—”

The mermaid shifted the topic.

“Welcome to the Sanctuary of Observation. I am the one known as the ‘Observer’. You came here to see the truth, is that not so?”

“It is. I was informed I would see the truth here.”

“You chose wisely.”

“…Did I?”

“Indeed. Once you witness the truth, all will become clear to you.”

She walked to the altar and retrieved a mirror, which she then handed to Alon.

“This is…?”

“Gaze into it. You will see that for which you have been searching.”

Accepting the mirror, Alon looked at his reflection. He saw his own face, impassive, and felt a wave of confusion.

Then, a bizarre sensation washed over him. It felt as though the entire world was being drawn into the mirror. Alon understood that his point of view was fundamentally shifting.

[The true gods have been dethroned.]

A voice resonated inside his mind.

####

Hidan, an agent of the organization that served the Blue Moon, had reached Moolman, a territory within Asteria. Moolman was a place where the criminal underworld held significant sway, largely ignored by the noble class.

Hidan was here for a single purpose: intelligence indicated that the masterminds conspiring against the Great Moon were scheduled to gather in this area. Acting on the orders of Jaweol—Deus Macallion—he was here to identify those involved in the plot to slander the Great Moon.

Arriving slightly ahead of the scheduled meeting, Hidan was preparing to find a place to hide and observe.

As he reached the entrance to the basement, all he saw was a trail of fresh blood.

Seeing the smears of blood leading out from the building, Hidan knew an assault had taken place. When he pushed the door open, a ghastly spectacle greeted him.

*Drip, drip.*

A scene of pure horror unfolded before Hidan.

The room was a charnel house, filled with corpses—faces crushed by some immense force, bodies cleanly severed, limbs scattered. Some of the dead still had eyes wide with frozen terror. Countless other brutalized remains were strewn about, creating a palpable atmosphere of dread.

Despite the gruesomeness of the sight, Hidan’s mind remained analytical.

“Who is responsible for this? Rival factions? The Black Light Cult? The Roots? No—none of them would be so thorough. Could it be the Shadows? …Impossible, the Shadows would never be so careless as to leave evidence.”

Even faced with this carnage, he was coldly calculating the possible perpetrators.

*Crash!*

A sudden noise from the floor above sent Hidan moving quickly to the upper level.

When he reached the second floor, he encountered a bizarre tableau.

Five individuals, clearly Asterian nobles, were seated around a large round table, each with their neck twisted two full rotations, killed in this strange and precise manner.

“Huh?”

Standing in the center of the round table was a man, looking directly at him.

The man had black hair and blue eyes, and he stood calmly in the moonlit, silent room, his gaze fixed on Hidan, who had appeared so suddenly.

The man carried no obvious weapon. There was nothing at his waist or on his person that resembled any kind of armament.

Yet, Hidan knew on a primal level: this man was the author of the horror below.

He unconsciously tried to calm his racing heart, his face tightening with tension.

The man did nothing. Still, Hidan perceived him as an overwhelmingly powerful entity.

There was no proof or logical reason, only a deep, instinctive understanding that the black-haired, blue-eyed man was conveying this fact to him.

But Hidan could not remain passive; he quietly moved his hand towards the sword at his hip.

In that instant—

“Ah.”

The man, who had been completely expressionless, suddenly smiled.

It was an innocent, almost childlike smile, utterly incongruous with the slaughter he had wrought.

As the smile appeared, the suffocating pressure that filled the room vanished, leaving Hidan disoriented.

Then—

*Tap! Tap, tap.*

The man stepped down from the table and began walking toward Hidan.

Seeing this, Hidan attempted to draw his sword, but—

*Thud.*

The man closed the gap between them instantly, his hand pressing the hilt of the sword firmly back into its scabbard.

*Click!*

The blade slid home seamlessly, as if Hidan’s own strength had been completely negated. Before he could even comprehend the action—

“The work here is already finished, so you may go. However—allow me to offer one piece of advice.”

The man glanced at Hidan, then—

*Pat, pat.*

He gave Hidan two light pats on the shoulder.

“Next time, ensure you perform your support duties more thoroughly.”

With that same innocent smile, he added,

“This is a rather delicate affair.”

Having spoken, he vanished from the building.

…

Left alone in the empty space, Hidan stood motionless, staring blankly at the doorway through which the man had disappeared.