At a time like this, the metallic scrape of armor against fine chains sounded especially pleasing. Yet separated by three layers of protection, it was ultimately too faint. Shausedo unconsciously tightened his grip, nearly snapping the fine chain in two.
Fortunately, he was on the Mental Side. Even if he did not specialize in perception, his senses were still exceptionally sharp, and he loosened his hand in time.
The fine chain swayed between his fingers, reflecting the dim light around it, like his own unsettled mind.
What human hearts feared most was embellishing things in their own minds. Before that association arose, everything was fine. But once he considered that possibility and gave it an image... a gigantic, vague, indistinct image, yet ugly and terrifying, his thoughts became impossible to restrain.
That alone would have been manageable. The key was the words "living creature." Shausedo had no idea how he had thought of it, but once the notion took root, it became difficult to control.
Of course, he knew this was bad, and he tried hard to adjust his mindset.
Fortunately, Mora kept talking to him, distracting his thoughts somewhat. Shausedo also did his best to match Mora's pace, gathering his focus and immersing himself in their conversation.
"I remember the files saying this place is a refuge for those fugitive miners, especially members of the Soul Order. Some people even passed through here, escaped Deep Blue World, and became the 'Fugitives' seen on Earth... Without a direction, how did they get out?"
"Those who treat this place as a refuge aren't counting on escaping. Tell me, isn't the environment here much more comfortable and pleasant than the mining zone?"
Shausedo gave a dry laugh.
Mora continued answering his question. "As for those who escaped outside, there were a few