The reunion was very brief, as Kyle said goodbye to Vleir. "Sorry, I can't stay here long. I almost forgot something... and to be honest, I feel uncomfortable for bothering you."
After saying that, he lowered his hat slightly, then turned and walked away from them, stepping deeper into the festival to find something to eat.
On the other hand, Vleir remained silent, not knowing what to say. He shook his head slowly, then signalled to the woman with him to go inside and enjoy the festival.
The Flotine Festival — a cultural and arts festival unique to the city of Shrie — was in full swing. Amidst the crowd, three female dancers fluttered like blue butterflies, their fabric wings glistening under the lantern light, dancing to the rhythm of the city's distinctive music.
The air was filled with the aroma of spices and herbal tea, a famous drink from the southern continent that was said to soothe the throat and warm the chest.
This festival was held to honour the Goddess of Fortune, Yarandela, in gratitude for the bountiful harvest and her protection from bad luck.
Meanwhile, Kyle stood at one of the fried potato stalls, waiting for his order to be ready. He paid for a small bag, about the size of a lamp, at a price of 25 pence.
Upon receiving his food, he stared at the bag for a moment, puzzled. The exorbitant price made him immediately reach into his coat pocket to check his remaining money.
"What the hell is this?" he muttered irritably. "I only have a hundred and twenty pence left? This is crazy, is this a festival or a tourist trap?"
He sighed deeply, took a piece of potato, and walked away to find an empty seat among the sea of people.
The noise around him was deafening. Shouts, laughter, and chatter came from all directions. Kyle stopped for a moment, his chest feeling tight, his breathing heavy, as if something was pressing down on him from within.
His habits from his old world were still with him. He could never stand crowded places; whenever he was in a crowd, nausea and dizziness would come over him.
He took a deep breath, looked up at the sky filled with lanterns, then muttered softly, "The world has changed... but I'm still the same."
Kyle suddenly sat down, thinking about his future. He also felt annoyed because when he first arrived in this new world, he had suffered bad luck.
And a question suddenly arose, about who exactly was the woman named Hana Voltiane, who had physical characteristics and a style of dress similar to Aurora Chevalya.
"Is she really a transmigrator like me, or is it just my imagination?" he muttered in wonder.
Kyle tilted the bag and five pieces of potato gathered in his palm. He immediately ate them and did not forget to throw the bag in the rubbish bin next to the chair.
He walked away from the festival and chose to go home. When he was a few steps away from leaving the park area, the same murmur as before appeared, echoing clearly in his head.
His vision became blurry after that, and Kyle stood in a world he had accidentally created through the role of the poet Hana. There, Hana stood motionless with a sharp gaze fixed on him.
Kyle's expression was normal in response to that gaze, but on the other hand, he was curious and began to ask her questions.
"Why did I come back to this place?" he asked with a blank stare.
"I have seen your movements today, and I know your goal is to find that person, right?" Kyle nodded after that, and continued, "He is here, Kyle. Look for him and do what you want!"
Kyle's eyes widened. On the other hand, he found it a little hard to believe those words. But just as he was about to speak, Hana gave him some very valuable information.
"One more thing, Mr Kyle Xirius," she said with a grin. "Right now, you have mastered the role of poet because you have entered into a contract with me!"
Kyle smiled after that, remembering Aurora's previous words. "So, how does the role of poet work?" he asked, walking around Hana.
Hana's index finger pointed upwards—a grey stone floated. "This is a powerful example. But you can also write whatever you want, for example, if you write 'Fire', then 'Fire' will appear."
Kyle was stunned by the explanation of this unbelievable power. On the other hand, he smiled, a wild idea suddenly popping into his head.
"Alright, then. Get me out of here!" Kyle said softly.
But Hana did not immediately obey the command. "You did not create this world through my power, so you are the one who is completely in control of it. And one more thing, if you die... It's okay, no need to discuss it further."
Hana wanted to reveal the truth that would tear Kyle's heart apart. Not wanting to arouse suspicion with her words, Hana smiled strangely and quickly removed Kyle from this transparent world.
Kyle blinked once, and when he opened his eyes again, he was still standing in the same place, not having moved an inch.
Confusion filled his mind. How could this happen? Around him, people were passing by as if nothing unusual had happened, showing no signs of curiosity or concern about his sudden appearance and disappearance.
"Do I need to move freely in this place? Huh, I didn't expect the person I was looking for to be here, and what is he doing here?" he wondered.
He took a step forward, heading towards a tall building to monitor people who were acting suspiciously.
A few minutes later, Kyle was on the rooftop of one of the tallest buildings in the park area. It was about thirty metres high, and Kyle chose it because it suited his vision.
"The game is about to begin. Will I win or lose against that person?" he thought nervously.
Ten minutes later, Kyle saw no signs of the suspicious person. But there were three people in black robes who caught his attention. The three moved to the right, left and centre, with the person in the centre as their leader.
Kyle remained silent and stared at the person in the centre without blinking. On the other hand, the person in the centre knew that he was being followed by someone else.
However, it was not Kyle alone who was watching him. There were two other people watching him from a distance, unseen by Kyle.
The man in the middle turned to look at every corner, making sure the people watching him were where they were supposed to be. The man signalled to his companions, pointing ahead, and at that moment they suddenly ran.
Kyle, not wanting to lose track of them, immediately ran down the stairs as fast as he could. On the other hand, the two men were already chasing him. They swiftly and precisely navigated around the buildings and rooftops.
Meanwhile, Kyle was exhausted from running down ten flights of stairs. When he got out, he was panting and his face was covered in sweat.
He thought the cause of his exhaustion was his full stomach. Kyle bent over, sweat dripping from his temples onto his shoes. He tried to calm down and catch his breath.
Feeling ready, he immediately chased after the three robed figures. But strangely, he did not move straight ahead. Kyle chose to turn left because he had predicted that they would pass by the haunted house.
Without him realising it, he had arrived there first, and as he had expected, from a distance he saw two robed figures running while looking back.
Kyle was a bit surprised, and he hid between the gaps in the buildings, catching one of them to interrogate him.