Kyle did not realise that bringing his companion into this world would cause him to lose valuable information. It was no coincidence, but rather a carefully planned move by the female leader.
Using her "Extraction" ability, the bound woman managed to free herself from the grey stone's grip. She immediately attacked, launching a shadow strike so fast that Kyle had no time to react. His body was thrown back violently, his shoulder and elbow torn, dripping fresh blood onto the transparent ground.
From behind, his companion turned into a liquid shadow, flowing like river water and merging into his body.
"Come out..." The woman's voice sounded cold and calm. With the power of Extraction, she summoned the corpse back from within the shadow.
As soon as the body appeared, the woman's figure slowly faded, turning into a thin black mist, then disappearing in the wind.
Kyle was stunned. He didn't expect anyone else to be able to leave this transparent world besides himself. A look of annoyance appeared on his face; the woman's ability was too complicated and irritating.
A grey stone floated closer at his command, healing the shadow stab wounds that tore at his body. Once recovered, he stood up again. The pain was still faintly felt with every movement.
"Hmm... that plan is not bad," Kyle muttered irritably. "So it's true, she changed that person's face into a woman's."
His steps were heavy. His body began to fade, slowly disappearing from the transparent world.
When he opened his eyes, Kyle found himself in a familiar house. His gaze fell on the living room. He took a deep breath, walked to the sofa, and sat down pensively.
"What role does that woman actually control? My head feels like it's about to explode," he grumbled in frustration.
His plan to interrogate her had failed completely due to his own reckless actions. The woman was indeed a "Hollow", a master of the Extraction role, although she was not yet perfect in controlling it. Her ability allowed her to steal other people's powers, and use them little by little.
For example, the bound woman had copied the power of the cloaked leader, creating a perfect replica along with all of his abilities. She even made it appear as if he had died at the hands of Finn Ushimi.
All of this was part of the leader's grand plan. Upon realising that the three of them were being monitored, the leader knew he would be caught. Therefore, he ordered the woman to create two replicas: himself and another companion, to trigger the shadow trap.
The cloaked leader himself was a Hollow with the role of Magician. And when the woman's Extraction power merged with him, the result was a combination far more dangerous than anything Kyle had ever faced.
The two cloaked figures had hidden in a safe place, with the bound woman as bait to complete his plan.
Kyle was unaware. That he had been deceived by that cunning plan, turning the corpse's face into that of a woman, and making him believe those deceitful words.
Feeling deceived, he felt pain throughout his body even though there were no wounds at all. His pride felt tarnished.
His jaw immediately tightened. Evil or not, Kyle was determined to find him and would not hesitate to kill him if necessary.
He sat silently and pondered after thinking about it, not knowing where to look for the cloaked man.
"Is it impossible for him to come here again? And can he get out of the transparent world that easily?" He thought as he scratched his head.
"Ahhh... Damn it." Kyle suddenly stood up, slamming his hat on the table.
He sighed, trying to calm himself and his thoughts. After that, he decided to go to the kitchen, having not had breakfast since morning.
His eyes glanced at the clock on the wall above the open kitchen door. It was 8:35 a.m. Kyle fell silent after that, wondering if time in this world and in the transparent world was the same.
"Wait a minute," said Kyle, opening the drawer and taking out the herbal tea.
"I think I was only there for a few minutes. But after seeing that clock, it seems I was there for about two and a half hours? Is my calculation correct?" he asked himself.
He opened the lid of the herbal tea mixture, scooped it twice and put it into a cup. Because the aroma filled his nose, Kyle inhaled it first before pouring hot water into it.
He stirred the herbal tea to mix it, then immediately brewed it. After a few seconds, he placed the cup on the table near the sink, where there were dirty dishes he hadn't had time to wash.
Kyle walked out to the living room, picked up his bowler hat, and put it on. This time, he wanted to make sure he was going to the same place, the location of the festival—Flotine Park.
He did not forget to lock the front door, and he breathed a sigh of relief afterwards. After shifting into his body, Kyle's daily life changed drastically, searching for Kyle's death and the reason he was in this world....
He had just thought about his contract with Hana and did not know that Hana's identity was a spirit being. Kyle kept that thought to himself and would ask about it at the right time.
He stood on the pavement, waiting for a passing horse-drawn carriage. After waiting for a while, from the right, Kyle saw it. He stretched out his hand forward, signalling for it to stop immediately.
But the carriage was already occupied by the two men he had seen before.
Kyle froze, walked up to the coachman, and said, "Sorry, sir, there's something left behind!" His lips twitched afterward. And Kyle felt they were heading in the same direction.
The coachman merely shook his head, and the horse-drawn carriage moved on. Kyle smiled slightly, not knowing what to say.
He shook his head, deciding to walk there instead, even though it was quite a distance away. On the other hand, he could save money that way.
Meanwhile, Finn, who felt familiar with Kyle's face, turned around and looked out the train window. But he couldn't see him clearly because a shadow was covering Kyle's face.
He sighed, closed the curtain, and said, "Is it just my imagination? But–"
Suddenly, Havio interrupted him, staring oddly at his face and saying, "What's wrong, Finn? Since that night, you've been acting strangely. Tell me what really happened."
Finn didn't answer, remaining silent as he thought about something that couldn't be explained in words. Havio bit his lip afterwards and Let it be.