Lumian opened his bloodshot eyes. Like a drowning man who had just been rescued, he gulped down the foul air around him, the lingering echoes of pain still coursing through his body.
The potion had nearly killed him-of course, a Sequence 9 potion alone would not have done that, but at a critical moment, the peculiar symbol on his chest had suddenly emitted a strange sound, nearly making him drop dead in the middle of drinking it.
"-I thought you were going to die just now."
Nimrod said:
"(Lie) Sorry. It seems whatever is sealed inside you is of a higher level than I imagined."
Hearing Nimrod's words, Lumian took two deep, ragged breaths. Only after recovering a little did he speak:
"Godfather, is it because of what's inside this seal..."
Is that why you're helping me?
Lumian knew that most people in this world, in most circumstances, did not offer affection for no reason-and the power displayed by the man he had just acknowledged as his "Godfather" was already enough to prove that he possessed formidable Beyonder abilities.
Would someone so powerful really help him and take him as a godson out of sheer "kindness"?
Of course, there's another possibility... Lumian thought. If the abnormalities here are connected to me, then my Godfather would indeed approach me first...
"No, it isn't."
Hearing Lumian's words, Nimrod shook his head gently:
"(Lie) It's you I value-there is something special about your fate. Even if it is only one possible future, that is enough for me to look upon you with considerable favor."
He paused:
"Of course, beyond that, I also feel some sympathy for you-your situation reminds me of a friend I once had."
Lumian nodded and soon regained his composure:
"Godfather, I can feel the changes after becoming a 'Hunter.' Should I tell you about..."
"No need. I know the abilities of a Hunter." Nimrod shook his head. "End the dream for now-it isn't safe here, and I need to rest as well."
"...All right, Godfather."
Lumian nodded, making no attempt to force himself to keep exploring the dream.
He stood where he was and listened as his Godfather uttered a few brief, cryptic sentences in what sounded like the language he had used to speak with his sister earlier. Gray fog rose around Nimrod, and he vanished before Lumian's eyes.
Is this the true power of the Beyonder world...
One day, I'll gain power like that too-power on that level!
At the sight, a bright gleam flashed in his eyes, seemingly carrying a little hope for the future. Only after all this did he cautiously make his way home.
Above the Gray Fog, Nimrod opened his eyes.
Practice made perfect. This time, Nimrod smoothly projected his consciousness into Lumian's dream.
As gray fog rose in Cordu Village, Nimrod's figure appeared not far from Lumian's home.
"Godfather." Lumian quietly opened the front door and hurried over to Nimrod:
"The owl that used to appear every time my dream ended didn't show up this time!"
"It seems there was only one of those strange owls." Nimrod nodded as he spoke to Lumian.
-Earlier, the owl that carried a certain special symbolism within the dream of Cordu Village had died on the spot after taking a hit from Nimrod's "Thought Disruption." No second owl had appeared since.
"What should we do next?" Hearing Nimrod's words, Lumian's eyes flickered. He forced down the excitement in his mind as he asked.
Nimrod pondered for a moment:
"Come on, let's go inside your house first. We need to establish Cordu Village's current situation. If conditions allow, we can try forcing our way out ahead of schedule."
"All right." Lumian said nothing more. He simply nodded quickly and led Nimrod upstairs into his room.
After entering the room, Nimrod walked over to the table and tapped it lightly with his finger:
"If I remember correctly, you and your sister were planning to visit the administrator this morning to send a telegram to the newspaper your sister writes for?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?" Lumian asked Nimrod in confusion, a note of unease suddenly entering his voice.
"A fairly serious one," Nimrod said:
"You and your sister have overlooked something-Cordu Village is in a very dangerous state right now, and whoever caused these abnormalities won't stand by and let you leave."
At this point, Nimrod took a moment to choose his tone before continuing:
"That being the case, people in high positions, such as the Governor and the Father of the Parish, are bound to be closely watched by whoever caused the abnormalities. And as the younger brother of 'Aurore Lee,' a Sequence 7 Beyonder, do you really think your movements would go unnoticed?"
Lumian fell silent for a long while. Some of the fire that had flared in his heart after gaining Beyonder powers abruptly died down, and his throat felt dry:
"...So sending a telegram would completely expose our intention to leave?"
"But neither Aurore nor I thought of that before..."
"There's a Sequence in my Pathway called 'Mystery Pryer,'" Nimrod said to reassure Lumian:
"Don't sell yourself short. Although 'Hunters' don't have much spirituality, their mystical abilities aren't up to much either- ahem, that came out wrong. 'Hunters' have ample powers of observation. It's just that the situation in Cordu Village is different. That's why you both 'overlooked' this possibility."
Of course, part of the reason is that you really don't have enough information yet... Oh, perhaps Adam's arrangements need to be added to that as well. Nimrod assessed the judgments Lumian and Aurore had previously made with utter coolheadedness, but did not voice his thoughts.
"So, should I tell my sister about this and cancel our plan to send the telegram?"
"No, quite the opposite."
A subtle smile curled the corners of Nimrod's lips:
"What you need to do is follow your original plan, do what you intended to do, and then find every source of help you can in Cordu Village."
"If I remember correctly, besides those few Beyonders from the Churches, you also happened to meet a mysterious lady in the old tavern. Heh, you can seek their help."
"Perhaps you'll receive a few... surprises."
Before you continue