The power of the Mind Stealer lurked within the thoughts of all sentient beings. When you slept, it awakened.
The man in black staggered slightly as he slipped through the small door into the rock platform. Behind him, the metal door closed without a sound, and a layer of optical camouflage covered the entrance again, making it look completely ordinary.
There was another world inside the rock platform. It was, in fact, a secret base hollowed out from within. Dozens of meters of mountain rock above provided cover, while an equally vast space lay underground. After walking only a few meters down a narrow sloping passage, the man in black entered a somewhat cramped room. Its four walls had been carved from rock, and the stone ceiling hung so low that anyone slightly taller would have to duck. Dim yellow lights were embedded in the walls—not oil lamps, nor the candlelight familiar to this world's common folk, but small square crystal boxes connected by wires: electrically powered lighting equipment, a product of technology!
Someone sat in the corner of the small room, also wearing a black hooded robe identical to the man's. At first glance, the robe resembled the uniform of Lost Divine Teachings clergy, but all religious symbols had been removed from its surface, and its hood was broader, making its wearer look exceptionally sinister. Seeing the man rush in, the black-robed figure in the corner tilted his head curiously. His voice was shrill. "Why are you in such a panic? I saw you running this way on the monitor just now, like someone was chasing you."
An oval display device sat on the small table before the black-robed figure. He had apparently been using it to monitor the outside of the rock platform. This little room seemed to