South of Shrie, specifically in the district of Gaps, Devy Versailnde, the cloaked woman who had been bound, was there with her companion, Fike Lowwin.
Thanks to the opposite of the Extraction role, namely "extracting," the clone's body disappeared and pulled Fike's original body, which had previously been with the leader. This also allowed Devy to escape from the transparent world.
However, the price she had to pay was not light. Half of her Essence was drained. Devy's body weakened, unable to move. Now she was lying on a mattress, while Fike watched over her in a hidden house in the middle of the bustling Gaps district.
**
After a long journey, Kyle arrived at Flotine Park—the venue where the previous festival was held.
He looked around. Several officers and residents were busy cleaning up the remains of the stalls, dismantling the stage, and stacking chairs six metres high. The remnants of a bustling life that had come to an end.
With calm steps, Kyle walked towards the spot where he had once watched the cloaked figure. He did not realise that someone was following him from behind.
Soon after, a soft but piercing voice broke the silence. "Excuse me, sir. Sorry to bother you." Kyle turned his head. "Please accept this brochure!"
He froze for a moment, then accepted the brochure. A strange smile appeared on his face. He lowered his hat slightly and turned to leave.
The man who gave him the brochure just smiled slightly before walking away, distributing the remaining brochures.
As he walked, Kyle opened the brochure in his hand. It read: Magic Show, two days from now, Wednesday afternoon.
"A magician, huh..." he muttered softly, then slipped the brochure into his coat pocket.
He continued walking, staring at the tall building that used to be his lookout point. He glanced up briefly, then turned towards the road leading to the haunted house.
A few minutes later, he arrived. For some reason, his heart was beating faster. He stood still, trying to understand the reason behind his sudden anxiety.
Instinctively, he knew that if he stayed here any longer, he would be in unimaginable danger. Finally, he decided to leave and go home.
His heart grew more anxious as he walked home. But he continued on his way, acting calmly and not making any suspicious movements.
He turned right, walked down a path, and headed for his house. He stood in front of the door, took a deep breath and opened it.
Tuk!
As he entered the house, the feeling of unease slowly faded, as if swallowed up by the silence that enveloped the place. However, the deeper he stepped, the clearer it became that the silence was not a sign of peace, but rather something that was watching, waiting.
The air inside felt heavy, as if pressing against his skin, and every breath carried a damp scent that had been trapped there for too long.
From the living room to the left of where Kyle was standing, there was the shadow of someone sitting with their legs crossed.
The shape of the body felt familiar. Without hesitation, Kyle approached to take a closer look, but to his surprise, sitting on the long sofa was a woman wearing a black lace dress, paired with ankle boots, her hair cascading down her back, giving her a charming appearance.
Her blue eyes stared intently at Kyle and she said, "Finally, you're home. And I already gave you a sign, you know!"
Kyle's eyes widened. Was the strange feeling he had felt earlier a sign calling him?
He sighed calmly, still a little incredulous about the strange sign.
Kyle walked over to the single sofa right next to the woman who looked like Aurora Chevalya.
"Why did you call me?" he asked, feeling suspicious about Hana's arrival.
Hana smiled slightly and said, "About the contract agreement!"
"What?" Kyle was surprised, forgetting that he had signed a contract with her.
"Yes, the contract. Have you forgotten?" Hana grumbled in surprise.
Kyle shook his head, unable to recall any details of the agreement.
Hana sighed and explained the contract agreement.
"First. Regarding the contract relationship, you are one level above me. So you can't just give orders!"
"Second. As I explained at the time, regarding the role of the poet. Therefore, I will take half of your Essence no matter what the risk."
Kyle, who didn't care about the contract relationship, just shook his head. His sole purpose was to find the person who had suggested Kyle perform the ritual, kill them, and enjoy his new life in this world.
"Yeah, so? Was your visit just to tell me this nonsense? If so, get lost. I have things to do," Kyle said coldly, standing up and heading to his room.
Hana tilted her head, confused by Kyle's indifference towards her. Suddenly, she stood up, looked at Kyle who was climbing the stairs and said,
"Stop! This conversation isn't over yet!" Hana whispered, walking towards the stairs.
Kyle stood still, staring at Hana's face, which was a hundred percent similar to Aurora's. On the other hand, he was curious and asked her something.
"There's something I want to talk about too." Hana suddenly fell silent.
"Why did you take on a form similar to my friend? Don't tell me you have a relationship with her," Kyle grumbled, trying to act like a friend.
Hana immediately panicked, a chill running through her body after seeing Kyle's sharp gaze. She sighed and said,
"It's just your imagination." Hana swallowed her saliva and continued, "I took on a random human form, nothing more than that." After saying that, Hana held her breath.
Of course, hearing that answer, Kyle didn't immediately believe her. And he wouldn't believe anyone in this world. Just looking at her made him sick.
"That's your only reason?" Kyle replied, turning away and continuing on his way.
Finally, Hana was able to breathe calmly. Her previously panicked expression slowly returned to normal.
The conversation was over. And her body suddenly disappeared like a piece of paper thrown into a hot furnace.
On the second floor, in a room with an open window. Kyle sat pensively, staring at his diary without blinking.
His right hand held a pen, not knowing what to write. Out of necessity, he ended up writing about his encounter with the three cloaked figures, and how he had been deceived by a woman, perhaps.
Ten minutes had passed, and Kyle, having finished writing, was finally able to breathe calmly. His mind suddenly went blank after that.
He stood up, pushed his chair back, and approached the window, looking at the street below.
But, without him expecting it, as if fate was playing with him as it pleased, Kyle saw a familiar figure approaching him.
Just seeing that made his body suddenly shiver, remembering the previous incident that was beyond reason. He immediately closed the window.
"Hey, hey. How did he know my house? Did he see my face clearly back then?" he thought, shivering.
Contrary to his thoughts, and suddenly... From below, Kyle heard three knocks on the door. Trying to stay calm, he left his room and hurried downstairs to greet the uninvited guest.