It was not a physical sound, but a call that appeared directly in their minds. It held a deadly allure that reached straight into their souls, stirring a longing to "go home."
Without needing to remind each other, both recalled the Bronze Gate in Miracle City deep within The Travels of Grosell, which sealed away some kind of corruption, and the terrifying experience of nearly walking unconsciously into the darkness beyond it.
The two of them and the marionette stood quietly beside the enormous abandoned machine, holding their breath as they waited for what would happen next, ready to sever their connections to the mirror image and projection at any moment.
But the silent call did not come again, as though it had merely been a probe, or had been triggered by some force before fading away on its own.
Could this be corruption from the Chaos Sea, like the darkness sealed away by the Imagination Dragon?
The same question arose in both their minds. They exchanged a glance, knowing that the only way to confirm it was to approach the source of that inexplicable attraction themselves. Besides blocking divination and prying from outside, Chernobyl also suppressed spirituality to some degree within its walls, let alone abilities such as Teleportation and the Mirror Tunnel. Only an Apprentice's Door Opening, which required contact with a physical surface, could pass through the walls to reach the interior.
"Shall we take a look?"
Klein asked in a low voice.
Unable to suppress her curiosity either, Angel nodded.
Although she worried that this curiosity might itself be part of the Chaos Sea's attraction to Beyonders, or even a precursor to corruption, neither of them had entered the research institute in their real bodies. Her real body remained beside the gully outside the complex, while