Klein was utterly confused.
When the fog had first dispersed, Alice had not been there—fine, very normal.
The fog had been gone for quite a while, yet there was still no news from Alice—fine, that could barely count as normal too.
...But it had been several damn days already!
Divination yielded no results, and he could see nothing through the flickering Crimson Star. Nor could he directly pull Alice up or send her a reply—after all, no matter what the situation was, something had definitely gone wrong with Alice.
After spending two anxious days, Klein finally heard the familiar sound of a prayer on Friday evening.
Alice blankly got up from the ground, looked around, and fell into deep thought.
She seemed to be in a Hidden World. Nothing here differed from when she had passed out; the only problem was that she was the only one inside.
...Ah.
Alice blinked her eyes blankly and realized a serious problem—how was she supposed to get out?
After hesitating between an Honorific Name and her True Name, Alice chose the safer Honorific Name:
"More exalted than the Cosmos, more enduring than eternity, Evernight Goddess,
"You are the Lady of Crimson, Mother of Concealment,
"You are the Lord of Slumber and Silence,
"You are the Empress of Calamity and Horror,
"I beseech Your gaze,
"I beseech Your hearing,
"Did You... forget to let me out?"
After a brief silence, Alice sensed the power of Concealment dissipate, and her surroundings became lively once more.
Alice looked around and muttered thoughtfully, "Goddess... does she not really want to deal with me?"
Naturally, this question received no answer. Alice checked her belongings, straightened her clothes, confirmed the date, and hurried home.
Upon hearing the prayer, Klein hurried Above the Gray Fog and, as he