Joey drew a deep breath and shook his head, convinced he was imagining things.
He kept shaking his head until he emerged from the underground passage, and only then did that sense of dissonance disappear.
Looking at the clock on the wall, he saw that only half an hour had passed. It felt as though he had spent ages underground. The distortion in his sense of time was deeply unsettling.
"Door can affect time? That's terrifying." Still shaken, Joey glanced back. In the darkness, it seemed as though an eye was watching him.
Vade Wisker approached with a grave expression, his deep voice ringing out.
"Joey, you're a qualified Warrior now. I need you to come with me on a mission. A supernatural incident has occurred at Earl Aaron's home. The Deathless Disciples are most likely behind it. I need your intuition."
"I only just got a taste of the benefits, and now I have to risk my life?" Joey nodded reluctantly. "All right, Captain."
Inside, he wanted to refuse. Come on, I'm just a pathetic Sequence 9.
Earl Aaron held the title of earl. People like him were usually court nobles or relatives of the royal family. Within their own territories, they had the right to maintain private armies, which often included high sequence Transcendents.
Joey couldn't understand it. Nobles had their own personal guards, so why call in personnel from the Sheriff's Office?
He looked somewhat uneasy, but seeing Captain Wade's grave expression, he didn't dare ask further questions and simply followed in silence.
In that silence, the two boarded a carriage. After traveling for a while, Joey could clearly tell that the closer they came to the palace, the more lavish and exquisite the surrounding buildings became.
At least he was getting a glimpse of something beyond his station. Normally, someone of Joey's status would never meet the nobility.
Before long, the carriage stopped before an enormous, luxurious estate. It looked like a castle.
Even ancient emperors probably lived like this. How many people could this place house? Joey grumbled inwardly.
The two waited outside the gate. Soon, a man in a tailcoat came over to open it.
In Senegal, a butler was an essential symbol of status. Inside the estate, numerous servants in maid uniforms bustled about, their long, pale legs dazzling the eye.
"Listen to me. From now on, no matter what you encounter, don't speak or make any moves. Keep repeating your own name silently. Don't stop."
Joey was bewildered, but he chose to trust Wade and began repeating his name silently.
There was still a considerable distance from the gate to the castle. As they walked, Wade spoke quietly.
"Earl Aaron has a supernatural item in his home, 0-013. It's very likely the Deathless Disciples are after it. Even among Sealed Artifacts, 0-013 is extremely dangerous. It has the power to erase everything."
"Time is short. I only discovered that 0-013 had gone out of control after we entered this place. Remember, don't forget your own existence."
Joey stared blankly at Wade, inwardly miserable. I thought I was just here to tag along, and now you're telling me it's dangerous? Are you kidding me?
"Why don't we run?"
He hadn't been in the Survey Corps long, but he did know one thing: supernatural Sealed Artifacts whose designations began with 0- were all extremely dangerous.
"It's too late." Wade shook his head solemnly. "0-013 noticed us the moment we accepted this mission."
"Huh?" Joey looked utterly stunned. His voice accidentally rose, and he hurriedly covered his mouth before whispering, "0-013 is that terrifying?"
"Remember, don't follow the director's instructions. You're yourself, not an actor."
Although Joey still had plenty of questions, they had already reached the castle. Its doors slowly opened like a gaping abyssal maw, ready to devour whoever entered.
His intuition as a Fortune Teller kept sounding warnings.
Should I run? He felt an urge to abandon Wade Wisker and flee alone, but reconsidered. He had finally managed to secure a legitimate identity. If the sky fell, Wade could hold it up.
He tried to roll his neck to ease his agitation, only for his body to stiffen abruptly. Joey realized he seemed unable to move.
Only his eyes could blink. His body bent forward against his will, dropping to the floor. Though his hands held nothing, he began making motions as if scrubbing the floor.
Ever since entering the castle, Vade Wisker had stood ramrod straight. His stride gradually turned into a military march, and he chanted, "One, two, one."
It was Wade's booming cadence that snapped Joey out of his daze. He hurriedly began repeating his own name silently.
Only after repeating it more than a dozen times did the stiffness and numbness in his body disappear.
He looked at Wade and opened his mouth, but didn't dare utter a sound.
Suddenly, Vade Wisker's voice rose several notches.
"Creator of light, through you darkness is dispelled. Your warmth shines upon the earth. The Sun shall scorch your skin, and the night shall devour your warmth..."
Joey found that as Wade finished speaking, most of the unpleasant sense of restraint on his body disappeared.
"Captain, was that 0-013's ability just now?"
Wade nodded gravely and spoke in a low voice.
"Joey, you haven't taken my words to heart."
Wade carefully made his way deeper inside. His tense manner reminded Joey of the time he had faced a hundred rioting members of the Rebel Army, when a single mistake could endanger the hostages' lives.
Following behind, Joey watched Wade move as though there were traps on the floor, matching his steps exactly.
Before long, they reached the second floor and pushed open a small door. A middle-aged man, "Earl Aaron," sat upright in a sumptuous leather chair at the center of the room.
He wore an ornate robe and a distinguished hat, holding a golden staff that proclaimed his supreme status. His high nose and deep-set eyes made him look composed and confident.
Behind him stood a group of richly dressed maids. Their graceful bearing and elegant movements reflected his noble grandeur. Every step was light yet powerful, making onlookers instinctively want to stand at attention and salute.
Apart from Earl Aaron, all these maids resembled puppets on strings. Their faces were expressionless, dull, and stiff.
Wade slowly stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Aaron, I'm sorry I'm late."
The earl forced a smile onto his face, then let out a deep breath.
"Not at all. I'm very glad you came, my friend, Vade Wisker."
As he spoke, he shifted his gaze to Joey.
"Joey Clive. I'm the captain's... assistant." It took him a few seconds to find a word to introduce himself.
Then he pointed at the maids.
"Are they still alive?"
Whether in expression or movement, these people looked more like puppet dolls.
Aaron seemed puzzled by Joey's question. He glanced at Wade in surprise and asked, "You didn't tell him?"
"No. I only learned that 0-013 had gone out of control after arriving here."
Earl Aaron looked at Joey with sympathy. After a pause, he sighed. "It's unfortunate that you've been dragged into this."
"They're actually already dead." At that, he spread his hands with a bitter smile. "In fact, I'm not far from death myself."
"Captain, I think you should tell me something about Sealed Artifact 0-013 now."
An hour ago, everything had been fine. Now his life was hanging by a thread. Joey felt utterly innocent in all this.
"Sealed Artifact 0-013's ability is to direct a play. Everyone in the play must cooperate to complete the performance."
Then what's going on now? While Joey was still dazed, he suddenly remembered bending down to scrub the floor earlier. So the role assigned to me is a servant?
The ability was easy enough to understand, but avoiding it was almost impossible. Once someone entered 0-013's story, they would lose themselves without even realizing it.
Vade Wisker gave a light cough and asked solemnly, "Then tell me now. Where is Aaron?"
"Huh?" Joey looked astonished. Wasn't Earl Aaron right in front of them?
His face full of questions, he turned his gaze toward "Earl Aaron" in the sumptuous leather chair.
"He's imprisoned in the basement. We have to disrupt this play. I can feel it. There isn't much time left."
Vade Wisker turned his head and reminded Joey, "Remember who you are."
He meant that Joey must always remain true to himself and not let 0-013 influence him.
"Then tell me now. What's the name of this play?"
A trace of embarrassment flickered unnaturally across "Earl Aaron's" face. He hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.
"The Substitute Lover of the True and False Earls."
Joey could smell the melodrama.
The gist was that a noble earl, fond of drink and women, grew tired of noblewomen. He found a double to take his place, then went off to start a family among the commoners. Later, he grew tired of the toil of common life and wanted to become the earl again, only to discover that his identity had been completely usurped. Then came a long tale of tangled love and hatred.
He even wondered whether 0-013 was some fangirl obsessed with boys' love. Who would give up money for love and choose a life of hardship? That was pure lovesick stupidity.
A princess belonged with a prince. Pairing her with a beggar was the stuff of myths, not fairy tales.
So how far had the plot progressed?
They left the side chamber and headed toward the basement.
Vade Wisker slowed his steps, his gaze sweeping their surroundings from time to time, constantly vigilant.
"We can only trust a fraction of what he said. We can't be sure this isn't part of the script too."
Dong, dong, dong!
The clock on the wall struck the hour, its chimes ringing especially loud in the empty castle.
It seemed more like some kind of signal, or a switch.
As the chimes rang out, the previously silent castle seemed to spring into activity. Maids began cleaning, the butler made his rounds, and the cooks prepared dinner.
While Joey was still stunned, he saw the captain walk off to one side, pick up a bucket and brush, and begin cleaning.
"Captain?"
Has he been affected? That shouldn't be possible. Why don't I feel anything?
"Joey, remember who you are. Play your role in the script, but don't lose yourself. Losing yourself means death."
So we're pretending!
But what's going on now? Can someone tell me what my job is?
Soon, the butler in the tailcoat provided the answer.
He approached and viciously kicked Joey.
"Clive, is your head stuffed with horse manure? Go feed the horses!"
At the castle estate's stables, Joey held his nose as he added fodder.
"What role do horses play in a drama? Are they still horses?"
"The White Dragon Horse heads west, hooves pounding..."
"On a bright and breezy morning, the Black Horse Prince and his Snow White Frog..."
He could only distract himself with random thoughts. The slightest lapse would make him lose awareness, and when he came to, he would already be performing a stablehand's duties.
Joey knew that under this subtle influence, he would eventually lose himself and become nothing more than a character in the play.
In a noble estate, class distinctions were clear. Everyone had their own designated area and couldn't cross its boundaries.
A stablehand couldn't enter the residence. Eating, drinking, relieving himself, and sleeping all had to be done at the stables.
"Is this meant to cut off any way out?"
If he couldn't leave the stables, how could he search for clues?
"0-013 is the director. On its set, it defines the rules, assimilating actors through mental influence. I have to find a way to avoid the mental corruption."
Joey racked his brains as he fed the horses.
"Mental assimilation is, to some extent, similar to maddening whispers. The gray fog can block those whispers. Could it also block mental assimilation?"
With his experience of creating an alternate account, the idea of splitting his consciousness soon surfaced.
He immediately split off a portion of his consciousness and sent it to the Round Table Hall, forming a body as "Azure Dragon."
Once his consciousness connected to the Round Table Hall, Joey discovered that his control over his body had become much more fluid. He was instantly overjoyed.
"It really works!"
In a sense, he had now escaped 0-013's mental assimilation, because a portion of his consciousness remained lucid at all times.
The first step had been completed successfully. Next, he needed to find Vade Wisker.
He skirted the stables and headed toward the other side of the castle. At first, he carefully avoided the maids and gardeners. Later, he realized that although they looked no different from normal people, they were actually mechanical puppets following preset programs.
They only repeated the same actions and carried out predetermined tasks. They wouldn't notice an anomaly like him.
And so Joey walked openly through the castle estate, passing among the people without anyone paying him any attention.
A woodcutter swung his axe at a nonexistent tree. A gardener's shears trimmed bare potted plants, while withered yellow branches and leaves covered the ground.
There were many other strange sights. He searched along the way but found no sign of Wade, and couldn't help beginning to worry.
As he passed a garden, he spotted a furtive figure from far away.
"Hmm...?"
Behavior outside the script.
From a dramatic perspective, someone like that ought to be the protagonist.
He followed cautiously, hiding among the flower beds and pricking up his ears to eavesdrop.
"I can't watch. I just can't watch!"
Within his field of vision, two figures were already embracing and kissing.
"Captain, what are you doing?"
In the garden, Vade Wisker gazed affectionately at the woman before him.
She wore a sumptuous evening gown studded with glittering gems. Her curly blond hair was piled atop her head, and her taut face carried an air of coldness. When she smiled faintly, that arrogance vanished instantly, replaced by a gentle expression that seemed to possess a mysterious, alluring charm. Her sapphire-blue eyes drew people in despite themselves.
Joey gritted his teeth, his envious gaze almost blazing with fire. He looked up at the sky, pursed his lips, and muttered to himself.
"Director, I demand a recast! Why him? Why does he get to..."