Normalcy

It was as if countless mosquitoes were buzzing in her ears. That harsh, agitated sound gnawed at Eve's composure, while a cocktail of unease, panic, and terror attempted to devour her sanity.

Eve desperately wanted to scream, but Lorenzo was pulling her along. This neurotic piece of trash possessed an indescribable sense of reliability at this moment; his hand, clutching hers, was the only thing tethering her to her final shred of reason.

The two ran desperately through the dark, secret passage, but it felt as though there were no end in sight. Behind them, although the red tide of death had vanished, the whispers echoing through the darkness warned them that it was still in hot pursuit.

"Don't be afraid, that thing can't catch up to us!"

As if to comfort the girl, Lorenzo spoke suddenly.

"It's a collection of human bodies. While that thing defies common sense, it still follows the laws of reality to an extent—for instance, if it's too fat, it can't run fast; if it's too big, it can't squeeze through."

As he spoke, he scooped Eve up. Eve was so thoroughly terrified at this point that she was like a doll, allowing him to maneuver her as he pleased.

There was a path that rose a head higher than the rest, hidden deep within the darkness. Under the pressure of the crisis, their senses had become sharper; Lorenzo didn't hesitate to toss Eve up onto it before scrambling in after her.

This was a secret passage of the Underground Palace. Given Sabo's caution, it was likely a labyrinth of interconnected routes, and any one of them might lead to a hidden exit. If not for those bizarre Fiends, Lorenzo would have had plenty of time to test them one by one, but now, he could only gamble everything on luck.

He truly hoped the Goddess of Luck was still watching over him.

Fear and death followed closely behind them. Eve couldn't understand how this detective could remain so calm under such circumstances. Why didn't he feel fear?

Possessing a level of composure and fortitude far beyond the average person, if one were to set aside his wretched personality, he was an invincible genius. Both his cunning schemes and his swordsmanship were enough to crush any ordinary man.

Eve was just about to ask, but she felt it—the hand Lorenzo was tightly gripping hers with was trembling slightly. Though it was faint, Eve felt it clearly.

He was afraid, too. This godforsaken detective was actually afraid, but Eve knew well that he was different from her; he was forcing himself to stay calm, for that was the only way they could make it out alive.

As for death? Lorenzo didn't care about such things. He was the kind of madman who, even if the Grim Reaper were knocking at his door, would dare to draw his Winchester and fire a shot through the wood.

Lorenzo had to live. He had to survive. He had already arrived in Old Dunling, and that beautiful new life was already within his grasp. He could smoke a cigarette while feeding pigeons in the plaza, or ride a steam-powered tram to circle the entire mechanical city.

No one could take his life away, not even a Fiend dug up from the graves of his own memories.

"Don't worry, it's normal to be afraid. That thing exerts pressure on the spirit, forcing you to produce all sorts of negative emotions. Once you lose, you become a puppet of fear!"

Lorenzo explained to Eve as if he had faced such things before.

He inhaled deeply, savoring the taste of tobacco. In the darkness, Eve could only see the glowing ember of his cigarette and smell the smoke lingering at the tip of her nose.

Eve couldn't see Lorenzo's face, but she could feel another strange emotion rising within her.

"We must leave quickly. If possible, we need to notify the Suaran Hall to send reinforcements. For ordinary people, facing that thing is just throwing their lives away."

His voice was flat, but beneath that flatness lay anger and self-reproach.

This was Lorenzo's fault. When he saw Wall's mutated corpse, he should have realized the problem. For some reason, Wall had already begun to mutate in the direction of a Fiend back then; it was only because he had killed him in time that the process hadn't been completed.

Presumably, that was why Wall had begged him to kill him—he had already realized he was changing and didn't want to become one of those monsters.

He should have remained vigilant forever. It was the life in Old Dunling that had caused him to lower his guard. The strange changes in the flesh had been so obvious, yet he hadn't even considered this possibility.

"What... exactly is that thing?"

Eve steadied her breathing. She struggled to calm herself, then gripped her weapon and asked the figure in the darkness.

The question seemed to stir up bad memories, and his voice answered with difficulty.

"A Fiend."

"God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light."

This was the opening sentence of the Gospel Book. Believers usually used it to understand the divine power and holiness of God, but what the Gospel Book did not record was that where there is light, there must be darkness.

Some philosophers understood it this way: just like the duality of all things in the world, only with cold could people understand what warmth was; goodness only appeared precious in the face of evil; and only death could highlight the beauty of life.

It was as if God were testing mortals; while bringing light, the darkest and deepest abyss rose within its shadow, and it was there that monsters known as Fiends were bred.

The term "Fiend" originally came from the Gospel Church's Isaiah, used to describe those "adversaries" who stood against God. Unlike mortals bathed in the radiance of God, they crawled out from the shadows of the divine, luring mortals into the abyss of depravity. Accompanied by sin and violence, they were abandoned by Heaven and left to linger in Hell.

Eve felt a bit dazed. She certainly understood the meaning of the term. Old Dunling was originally built by the Romans; they had not only brought glory to this place but also their faith. Although the influence of the Gospel Church on various nations had been reduced to a minimum, it still had a large number of followers. Eve's mother, who had passed away from illness long ago, was one of them.

When her mother was alive, she had told Eve these stories and even given her a baptismal name. Thus, Eve was well-versed in these theological matters, but it was precisely because of this knowledge that she felt such terror.

"How... how is this possible..."

Her entire understanding of the world was overturned in this moment. Eve's heart, which she had finally managed to steady, began to beat violently once more, as clear as a bell tolling in the deep tunnel.

Eve had always scoffed at so-called religious myths, believing them to be fabrications by the authorities to consolidate power and plunder wealth. Yet, things that were supposed to be mere myths now existed tangibly before her eyes. Just as Lorenzo had said, this was by no means a hallucination, but something real and concrete.

"There is nothing impossible about it. We must escape as soon as possible. Although I don't know how a Fiend appeared here, there are at least hundreds of people in this Underground Palace right now, and they are the kind who have lost their ability to act due to hallucinogens. Those people are its food. It will only grow larger and more terrifying."

Lorenzo's voice came from the darkness ahead.

"...How do you know all this, Lorenzo!"

Eve stopped in her tracks. The whispering in her ears intensified, as if a sinister monk were standing right beside her. The effects of the hallucinogen combined with the Fiend's mental assault left the girl in a terrible state; she found it hard to trust anyone.

Her muzzle pointed at the figure in the darkness. It was her own service pistol, fully loaded.

"Don't give in, Eve. You've already been affected by it."

Lorenzo's voice remained calm, completely unbothered by the fact that Eve was pointing a gun at him.

Cold sweat slid down the girl's cheeks, and her breathing grew heavy. Various thoughts churned in her mind, and under the catalysis of her negative emotions, the suspicions surrounding Lorenzo grew ever larger.

Why did this detective know so much? Why did he choose her to accompany him—was it really for that rescue plan? Of course, these doubts weren't the most fatal; the most fatal thing was Lorenzo himself.

A detective well-versed in combat techniques and arcane knowledge, Lorenzo's very existence was the greatest mystery of all.

"Don't be afraid, Eve. I can understand you. When I first faced a Fiend, I was just like you... I nearly killed my friend. That is how they are; they destroy a person's mind directly. Those who oppose them must guard not only against the Fiends but also against teammates who have succumbed to madness."

Lorenzo offered comfort in the darkness, yet his hand was already gripped tight around his Cane Sword. They were in a dark tunnel with low visibility, and Lorenzo was standing very close to Eve. If his draw was fast enough, Lorenzo was confident he could kill the girl before she could fire her Shotgun.

There was no internal conflict whatsoever. From the moment Lorenzo first swung his blade at a Fiend long ago, he had understood one thing: opposing such monstrosities came with a price. It could be a person's kindness, the constraints of one's own principles, or the warmth of blood turning cold.

"Eve, calm down. Don't let your ancestors down."

His voice turned stern. At that moment, Lorenzo was like a rigid teacher admonishing a hopeless student. Despite his words, however, his Cane Sword was already raised above his head; with Lorenzo's arm strength, he could have cleaved Eve in two in an instant.

Chaotic emotions entangled Eve, and the hand gripping her gun trembled. The two stood in a standoff in the darkness for nearly a minute. In that long silence, Eve finally lowered her weapon.

"I... what is happening to me..."

Eve knelt down powerlessly. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her fair face had turned pale. The youth and vitality she once possessed were gone; she looked like a sickly old woman.

"Fiends are strange things. They aren't even biological. Anything they touch becomes tainted with their grotesque nature, much like a vessel they've brushed against—if an ordinary person touches it, they will be plagued by nightmares."

"Likewise, once a normal person gazes upon one, hears of one, or smells its scent—any act that allows them to observe its existence—they will be affected. That influence is 'madness,' manifesting in varying degrees depending on the intensity of the contact."

Lorenzo lowered his lethal Cane Sword and, while helping Eve up, took her gun to prevent the girl from doing anything foolish again.

"Even reading words about them is forbidden. This is the 'do not gaze, do not touch, do not understand' rule."

Eve turned her head with difficulty. In the eerie atmosphere, Lorenzo remained as calm as ever, seemingly completely unaffected.

"Then why are you not... afraid?"

Lorenzo supported Eve as they moved forward, answering her as they walked.

"There are many factors. It's like living with a tiger every day. The first time you see it, you'll be scared to death, but if you see it every day, you'll eventually just treat it like a large, ferocious cat."

Light spilled in from ahead; it seemed to be the exit.

"So, in your eyes, that monster is just a big cat?"

Seeing the light in the endless darkness, the girl's emotions finally eased significantly. Hearing Lorenzo's description, she even felt a flicker of a smile.

"When fear becomes the norm, it simply turns into an ordinary emotion. I told you, I was once a priest from Florence in the Holy Gospel Papal State. I know very well that a Fiend is an unknown entity, and likewise, we need something equally unknown to oppose it."

Lorenzo hoisted his Winchester, hooked his finger through the lever guard, and swung it with force. The Shotgun rotated elegantly, chambering a round mid-spin. His cigarette was finished; Lorenzo stepped on the embers and ash, extinguishing them.

"The unknown that was used to protect us centuries ago was called God and faith, but now, its name is machinery and energy."

Lorenzo ripped off his mask; wearing the thing was truly uncomfortable. By the light of the exit, the girl finally saw Lorenzo's face clearly.

She had always assumed Lorenzo was also afraid, and that the detective simply had nerves of steel that allowed him to force himself to stay calm. But the reality was that his face was etched with pure, unbridled rage. This was not the look of a man who should be afraid.

The hand gripping the gun was trembling uncontrollably. It wasn't fear; Lorenzo was simply too excited.

He knew exactly why he felt this way. Just like a hunter with a sealed-away rifle, all the trees had been burned to charcoal, the hunting forests had vanished into the river of history, and the so-called hunter had been left far behind by the new era.

But suddenly, one day, while you are living your life in a daze, you discover that the dark forest still exists, and it is crawling with those monstrosities that should have been burned to ash.

You pick up your dust-covered rifle and welcome your rebirth.