Cries rang out one after another outside, but the room Barn was in seemed completely sealed off from the noise. His Mind's Eye remained fixed on Jig, who still lay unconscious on the floor. Through it, he could even see the faint yet unmistakable purple smoke rising from little Jig's body...
"Jig... huh..."
Barn slowly sat up, then got to his feet. His left hand had stopped acting up, and even the runes on it had faded a little...
Barn crouched down and propped up the still-unconscious Jig. He frowned at the purple smoke that kept pouring out of the boy.
Barn placed his hand on Jig's restless left hand, only for his consciousness to suddenly blur...
"This is..."
Once again, Barn appeared in a scene of utter darkness. It felt familiar-it was the very place where he had met Kazaan before!
Is this Jig's sea of consciousness? Why am I here?
Barn frowned at the thought, his unfocused eyes filled with gravity and a sense of danger.
"You've come..."
Sure enough, a voice suddenly rang out. Unlike Kazaan's crazed, excited voice, however, this one sounded rather composed.
That single sentence seemed enough to reveal its owner's steady temperament...
"Who are you?"
Barn asked tentatively, his tightly knitted brow still not fully relaxing...
Just then, a silhouette emerged from the darkness. Slowly, the figure filled out, and his clothes gradually came into view.
He wore an enormous haori that seemed covered in long purple feathers, its great, shaggy train dragging along the ground.
The man's face looked as though it had been hewn with a blade and axe. His gaunt cheeks radiated an icy chill, making him seem like an iceberg that inspired fear at a glance.
"Who are you?"
Barn asked tentatively again.
This time, the man answered him.