The Skinny Man's voice faded, and the sand around us began to fall.
In an instant, fine golden grains poured down like golden rain.
The hissing sand swallowed the end of his words.
By the time the sand had covered the ground, turning it into dunes, the surroundings had completely changed.
The ground was covered in dunes, but what stood atop them defied reality: a magnolia tree. Dandelion seeds drifted through the air, dreamy yet just as unreal.
The Skinny Man's feet sank into the sand.
He stepped forward, pulling one foot free and planting it again.
He trudged onward, one step deep, the next shallow, and gradually picked up speed.
He ran toward something.
But in my field of vision, there was nothing ahead but yellow sand. Even when I tried to search from the Skinny Man's perspective, it was no use.
I began to panic.
It was bad enough that I couldn't use my abilities, but now I couldn't even find Qi Bai. I couldn't see him, yet the Skinny Man could!
What was going on?
Was Qi Bai targeting the Skinny Man, making only him hallucinate?
Even so, I should have been able to connect with the Skinny Man's consciousness. I'd seen the memories he recalled, so why couldn't I see the hallucinations he was experiencing now?!
Cold sweat broke out across my body.
All I could do was grit my teeth, follow the Skinny Man, and keep shouting in his ear.
I hoped he could hear me, stop, and turn to look at me.
But he kept running. The yellow sand beneath his feet gradually receded, and he still hadn't noticed me.
The sand vanished, and the Skinny Man stepped onto a floor.
The strange scene faded, leaving a living room.
This was Qi Bai's room.