Inside a bar in Beldan.
Roy, Byers, Phil, and Pasha sat around a small round table, drinking large gulps of Southville beer.
They didn't talk much, listening with slight smiles to the drunks at the next table discussing supernatural powers and mystical events.
"Before, hiccup, I saw those Feysac people in Beldan who not only looked like bears, but could also control fire and throw it like javelins!"
"No way... there really is supernatural power?"
"Haha, that's because you're ignorant. One day I got drunk and slept near the cemetery. I saw members of the Church of Evernight leading several ghosts out. Oh, ghosts! They were floating in the air, it was terrifying!"
The drunkards talked animatedly, their faces flushed, about things they had experienced firsthand or had heard about from others—whether they were their own or just hearsay.
"That's just how they are. They only get excited after drinking, and they always like to brag. They're usually very depressed," Byers, a local resident of Beldan, explained. "Since the coal resources began to run out, young people have gradually left Beldan for Constant and Backlund. The atmosphere here has become increasingly oppressive, and the city has become more and more bleak."
This man, who is not yet thirty, also worked as a miner when he was young. He was lucky enough to survive in the mine, which made his skin very dark.
His exposed muscles weren't overly exaggerated, but they gave the impression of being cast in steel.
As the leader among them, Roy smiled and said:
"What they said may be true, not just boasting. The previous wars did expose supernatural powers to many people, especially the soldiers who were directly involved. As long as they are still alive, they have all had the experience."
"Moreover, this also brought many opportunities, allowing some people who had never had the chance to come into contact with supernatural powers and true mysticism in the past to become Beyonder."
He expressed himself subtly, as if he were talking about someone else's story, but in reality, it was exactly what the four of them had experienced.
Byers and Roy were soldiers who participated in the defense of Beldan. Phil was once kidnapped by the Feysac but luckily survived. Pasha and her former civilian companions lured and ambushed several Intis soldiers during the street fighting.
They had all witnessed the deaths of many of their friends and, for various reasons, gained extraordinary powers.
Then, due to the chaos brought about by the war, they were either separated from their troops or deliberately avoided, and were not known by the official forces. Gradually, they got to know each other and became friends with the mentality of sticking together for warmth.
This time, they came to Byers ' hometown of Beldan to search for any surviving relatives or friends of the other.
"The reality of this world far exceeds our imagination," Pasha, with her long dark gold hair and Blue Eyes, remarked.
She was only in her early twenties, with decent features, but her face lacked excess fat, making her bone structure more prominent and causing her to look much older than her actual age.
"From now on, we will have different lives." Roy, whose hairline was typical of Loen characters, raised his glass and said, "Cheers to a brand new future..."
Before he could finish speaking, someone in the bar hall suddenly screamed.
Roy and the others, being experienced, quickly became more vigilant and turned their attention to the area.
They saw a plainly dressed young man lying on the ground, rolling around in pain.
Under the dim light of the gas wall lamp, everyone noticed that the young man's clothes were torn open on his back, revealing bloody marks that appeared to be from being whipped.
However, none of the people around were carrying whips, and the victim had only screamed once, unless he had been whipped countless times in that instant.
But how could no one have noticed?
"... He's holding a wallet... could this be related to the strange thing earlier?" The thin Phil glanced at it a few times before speaking cautiously, "Shall I take a look?"
Roy thought for a moment, then nodded slightly and said:
Be careful.
Phil grunted in agreement, stepped out of the small round table area, and, using the crowd as cover, approached the young man who had stopped rolling around and was only humming softly.
He quietly extended his left hand, his target the seemingly ordinary leather wallet.
"Ah!"
Phil suddenly screamed in agony as he watched his left hand snap off at the wrist and fall to the ground with a thud.
Blood gushed from the broken wound, splattering onto the faces and bodies of those around him.
The scene froze instantly. The drunken patrons were stunned at first, then swallowed hard, turned around, and frantically ran towards the door and corners!
"Something's weird... Nobody attacked me!" Phil nearly fainted from the pain, but he still managed to tell Roy, Byers, and Pasha about his "experience."
Roy's eyes narrowed, and he said decisively:
Let's get out of here first!
He then turned his head and said to Byers:
"Pick up Phil's hand and keep it safe. I remember the army doctor Webb I knew before was also from Beldan. After retiring from the military, he returned here and opened a private clinic. He... he can effectively treat this kind of trauma."
The medic named Webb was also an Beyonder. During his participation in the Southern War, he gradually rose through the ranks and acquired medical skills beyond reality. It is said that he could suture severed limbs and restore them to their original flexibility.
"Okay," Byers replied without hesitation.
He rushed forward, took out a wooden box, picked up Phil's severed hand, and put it inside.
Meanwhile, Pasha used the magic ointment she had bought earlier to initially stop the bleeding from Phil's wound and bandaged it.
Immediately afterwards, the group of four left the bar.
After asking around several times, they finally found Webb Clinic with the help of passersby.
The clinic was still open, and the glow of the gas streetlights inside cast a dim, yellowish light.
Roy politely rang the doorbell and heard a series of ringing sounds echoing from inside.
However, several minutes passed, and no one came to greet them.
"Drunk?" Pasha glanced at Phil, who was in excruciating pain, and made a guess with doubt.
Roy shook his head:
"I remember Webb wasn't an alcoholic. Aside from being a bit of a womanizer, he didn't have any other vices. Perhaps he's..."
As they spoke, the man of medium build, whose face bore the marks of time, tentatively pushed the door open and found it was not locked, but only slightly ajar.
As the door opened, Roy, Byers, and the others saw two figures.
The two figures hung in the center of the clinic, swaying gently as the wind blew in from outside.
One was a man in his thirties wearing a white coat, and the other was a young woman in a nurse's uniform. They were naked from the waist down, their eyes bulging, their mouths half-open, and their tongues sticking out. They were hanging from the ceiling by invisible ropes, their expressions a mixture of fear, despair, and bewilderment.
" Webb..." Roy recognized the hanged man.
He, Pasha, Phil, Byers all felt a chill run down their spines, wondering why this was happening and what kind of terror this unknown would bring.
Bang!
The sound of a chair falling over came from the side, startling Roy and the others who were somewhat stunned.
They looked in the direction of the sound and saw a woman holding a baby stand up in a panic, whispering in fear and confusion:
They're having an affair...
What necessary connection does this have to their ordeal? Roy took a deep breath, deciding it wasn't wise to linger here.
He hurriedly gave the order:
"Walk!"
He didn't let Pasha Placate the woman, nor did he try to get disinfectant and bandages from the clinic.
Byers and the others swallowed hard, quickly turned around, and left the clinic with extreme caution.
For Phil, the unknown terror completely overwhelmed the pain in his left hand.
"What exactly happened?" Phil asked, his facial muscles twitching as he turned into another street.
"How should I know?" Byers blurted out, her emotions slightly out of control.
Roy glanced around, then sighed and said:
"Calm.
"This must be a terrifying, extraordinary event, beyond our imagination."
"Yes, all of this is too bizarre; it can only be for this reason," Pasha nodded in agreement.
"What should we do then?" Phil asked in a panic.
Roy thought for a moment and said:
Try leaving Beldan.
"Furthermore, analyze previous experiences and summarize the underlying patterns."
"None of us can guarantee that we won't encounter that kind of anomaly again. Only by understanding the patterns can we ensure our own safety."
"Yes." Byers calmed down and agreed with Roy's statement.
They walked and discussed, and gradually came up with some ideas.
" Webb was having an affair before he was hanged, Phil tried to take the wallet before his hand was cut off—that's theft..." Pasha summarized the commonalities between the two incidents.
... Roy suddenly had Spirit Intuition:
"Did they suffer this fate because they did something illegal?"
"How is that possible?" Byers and Phil responded in unison.
As soon as they finished speaking, they suddenly had a guess, and their expressions gradually became serious.
"Perhaps there is an invisible enforcer, and that is the essence of this extraordinary event..." Byers mused.
Roy hummed in agreement.
"That's very likely."
"Next, we need to be mindful of our behavior."
Pasha and the others nodded, becoming increasingly wary as they walked along the street out of the city.
Before long, they arrived at the city square and saw a large number of people standing around the nighttime bulletin board.
"A proclamation?" Roy and the others exchanged glances, suspecting it was an official notification regarding this extraordinary event.
So they moved closer and, by the light of the gas streetlights, looked at the notice on the wooden sign.
There was a white sheet of paper pasted in the very center, and below it was a yellow sheet of paper, which seemed to be providing supplementary information.
As Roy, Pasha, and the others quickly skimmed through the announcement, their eyes gradually filled with shock, as if they were beginning to understand the root of the problem.
After looking at the white paper, their gaze fell on the yellow paper:
"All citizens are urged to join in the arrest of outsiders; all means may be used."
Arresting outsiders... Roy and the others felt a chill and instinctively glanced at the citizens around the notice board.
Seemingly sensing their gaze, the citizens turned around abruptly, turning their eyes to them.
Under the Yellow Light of the gas streetlights, those eyes seemed to gleam with an eerie brilliance.
P. S.: Requesting monthly votes and recommendation votes on Monday!