Before the first rays of morning sunlight streamed through the castle windows, the old man lying in bed suddenly opened his eyes.
The chill from that city of fog seemed to still linger deep within his senses. Indistinguishable false perceptions pulsed through his nervous system like fabricated memories implanted in his mind. Modir felt as though he were still standing in that Violet border city; he could still smell its scents and feel its breeze. This vivid "sensation" was utterly unlike the lingering impressions left after waking from an ordinary dream.
Relying on his vast knowledge and experience dealing with all manner of Supernatural Phenomena, the old mage swiftly assessed his own condition: over the past several hours, his mind had traveled far away, to a place where the boundaries between reality and illusion, dreams and the waking world, had completely vanished. For a purely human mind to move about in such an environment was no different from undertaking an actual journey.
The next second, Modir's gaze became completely clear. Skipping the "adjustment" period that might otherwise have lasted an entire day, he directly used his powerful Mental Power to restore his mind to normal. He then rose, changed out of his nightclothes, and called to the attendant stationed in the corridor. "Go summon Victoria. I have something important to tell her."
Not long afterward, Victoria arrived in Modir's room wearing a casual house dress. The Duchess of the Northern Territory had clearly not expected her ancient ancestor to summon her so early in the morning, and she asked in surprise, "The attendant said you had an urgent matter... What happened?"
She could hardly be blamed for her surprise. From any normal person's perspective, Modir Wilde had spent the entire previous night inside the castle. What sort of emergency could