Amidst the misty, somber atmosphere of the town, a woman emerging from an alleyway seemed out of place. She was pure, dignified, untouched by any dust, and her radiant beauty was striking.
Her Pure White white, simple robe and loosely tied-up hair added to her air of restraint and languor. Even through the eyes of the Marionette, Klein couldn't help but imagine what such a woman would be like in bed, and whether she would possess a unique charm when she pleaded desperately.
In that instant, he even felt a violent urge, a desire to shatter that sanctity and destroy that restraint.
Could it be Witch...? Klein instinctively bared his teeth and twitched his lips.
The radiant and holy woman also noticed the " Wraith " Senor. Her expression faltered for a moment, then she smiled and said in a soft, melodious voice:
Senor...
"When did you become a puppet? If you hadn't been corrupted by the power of Evernight, I almost wouldn't have been able to tell."
She appears to be speaking to Senor, but is actually communicating with the Manipulator behind the scenes through Marionette.
Alas, that deathly, chilling aura couldn't be hidden at all; it couldn't escape the notice of higher-level Beyonder... I was thinking of hiding in a place where no one would be watching, using ' Admiral of Blood ' Senor to make contact with the opponent, which would maximize my safety... This place isolates the power of the Gray Fog; if I really died, I probably wouldn't be able to revive... Klein huddled inside the gray-white mill, letting the Marionette speak in a low, hoarse voice:
"If you could get out, you would easily find out that I started serving my master a little over a month ago."
He answered with the tone and experience of a " Admiral of Blood," as if he were still alive.
These are the rules for Acting of a " Marionettist," ensuring that Marionette has its own independent identity and role!
At the same time, Klein foreshadowed the keyword "get out," preparing for a later discussion on this topic.
In this eerie and mysterious town, he didn't have the idea of killing Witch he saw. Putting aside the question of whether there were any good Witch or whether he had the strength to do so, the fact that everyone was trapped here and urgently needed to exchange information and find a way out was enough for him to choose peaceful coexistence for the time being.
The woman in the simple white robe chuckled:
"You never forget to Acting; it seems you'll be able to digest the ' Marionettist ' Potion very soon."
"Members of the Secret Order?"
She's quite familiar with the " Seer " path... Hmm, the Demoness Sect is a Concealment organization active in the Fourth Epoch. Even if they don't have close ties with families like Zaratul and Antigonus, they're certainly quite familiar with them. It's normal for her to know about the " Seer " path, provided, of course, that this lady is indeed Witch... Klein's heart stirred, and he deliberately asked in return:
"Isn't there any other possibility?"
He wanted to get information out of the other party to find out which other organizations or individuals had access to the " Seer " channel.
The radiant and ethereal woman walked slowly forward, approaching " Admiral of Blood " Senor as she smiled and said:
"It doesn't matter which organization you belong to. We've been Exile here, almost permanently Imprisonment. The past is no longer important; what matters is the future, whether we can cooperate and find a way out."
The attempt to elicit an answer failed... Klein had the " Wraith " respond:
"That's exactly what I was thinking."
I don't know how to address you?
As the woman drew closer to Senor, he could smell her delicate fragrance through his Marionette's sense of smell. Her words also inexplicably reminded him of how they had helped each other in such dire circumstances, abandoning worldly morality and warming each other's hearts with their bodies.
She really sounds like Witch... Hmm, after listening to her voice for a while, it feels somewhat familiar, but I can't quite place it. Unfortunately, I can't use " Dream Divination " in this situation, or she'll seize the opportunity to distract me, and the outcome will be unpredictable... Klein frowned slightly.
The woman, radiant yet languid, raised a hand to brush a strand of hair aside, making her small, delicate ears even more striking.
Panatiya.
"And you?"
Klein had originally planned to impersonate anyone, such as Mr. X of the Aurora Order or Gillschies, the second mate of the " Black Death," since he could use " Creeping Hunger " to simulate their abilities. However, he ultimately abandoned the disguise and spoke directly:
" Gehrman Sparrow."
He didn't know when the Beyonder, who resembled Witch, had entered this Foggy Town, so he couldn't rule out the possibility that she knew about the disappearance of " Admiral of Blood ".
Panatiya nodded, then asked:
How did you get in?
Klein didn't hide anything, and through the Marionette's mouth, he said:
I encountered a woman whose origins I did not know.
"She wore a hood, and her eyes seemed to hold a Evernight within them, but lacked Spirituality."
Panatiya was silent for two seconds before speaking:
"Her, ah..."
She didn't elaborate further, but instead smiled and said:
"What exactly did you do to warrant the Church of Evernight sending Him to deal with you?"
Panatiya subtly changed her personal pronouns.
He? That lady is Angel, or Ascetic within the church? Panatiya seems to know Him quite well... Klein's thoughts raced, and he mumbled:
"I infiltrated Saint Samuel Cathedral in an attempt to Stealing a Sealed Artifact, but..."
He didn't go into details because he didn't understand why he had encountered that woman.
Klein believed that, as an Angel, the woman could not possibly live forever behind the Chanis Gate of Saint Samuel Cathedral, where there was nothing worthy of His esteemed presence guarding day and night!
"I see... He really is underground at Samuel Cathedral." Panatiya seemed to have confirmed something.
Within the Concealment organization, the word "Saint" is dropped when referring to the Saint Samuel Cathedral... I'll have to pay attention to that detail in the future... Klein pondered the other person's words to himself.
Panatiya didn't continue the topic, but said with a faint smile:
"Alright, let's not dwell on the past. Like I said before, what matters is the future, how to escape."
Klein then prompted the " Wraith " Senor to ask:
What do you know about this place?
Panatiya glanced at the dark, pointed church in the center of town and said:
"This place is not in reality, not in the Spirit World, and not in the Astral World; it exists in some kind of Concealment state."
"I've explored most of this place, including outside the town, but I haven't found any clues to leave. Now, only that church remains; perhaps all the secrets are hidden there."
"Why don't you explore that place?" Klein asked through the Marionette's mouth.
Panatiya tugged at her Pure White robe, which appeared to have several tears in it:
"My intuition tells me that great danger lurks within."
At this point, she changed the subject:
"But now we have a way. Your Marionette can help us explore. Even if it is lost, it won't cause you any harm."
"Don't worry, once we have a basic understanding of the situation inside, I'll find you a better Marionette. Anyway, this one looks like it's about to fail."
The logic is sound, but I don't trust you. After all, you're most likely Witch... Klein neither agreed nor refused, and took the opportunity to have Senor ask:
"What else should we be aware of here?"
Panatiya pursed her lips and said:
"Many people came here for various reasons, but now they've all disappeared."
"They're all gone?" Klein thought with a chill.
"What happened?"
Panatiya sighed softly:
"I don't know about some of them. Some of them went into those houses because they were hungry, ate some of the food, and then they evaporated, evaporated instantly."
"This time, the Divination showed that they had lost their lives and fallen into a deep sleep."
In this Foggy Town, things could be wiped away and evaporated? And cease to exist... Klein was startled, then thought of something else and almost blurted it out:
Aren't you hungry?
Fearing he would cause an anomaly, he forcibly kept his mouth shut, allowing the " Wraith " Senor to ask from the side:
How long have you been here?
Panatiya said in a way that was both a sigh and a smile:
"It's been about half a year."
"I've witnessed many people treating their own kind as food to continue their lineage. Fortunately, I need very little; I can survive for a long time with just a little food. And there are still some foods on humans that won't harm their bodies."
At this point, she pointed to the Crimson Moon in the misty sky:
"Another thing to be aware of is that when the red moon becomes clear, things will change here, and it will become very dangerous."
"I was severely harmed because of this."
At this point, she pointed to a tear in her Pure White robe.
Klein instinctively directed the gaze of the " Wraith " Senor toward it, and saw that the laceration was located at the collarbone, revealing the fair skin below and a deep wound that exposed the bone.
Just then, the skin changed, revealing dense, mysterious patterns and a deep, eerie color!
Klein's thoughts exploded, his mind filled with babbling and screams.
At the same time, he began to have difficulty breathing, his body weakened rapidly, and he collapsed involuntarily, coughing violently.
Then he saw the Pure White robe, the two straight female legs, and Panatiya.
The woman had entered the grey mill, and as she watched the struggling Gehrman Sparrow, a slow, wide grin revealed her perfectly white teeth and strands of bloody flesh hanging from the gaps in her mouth. She whispered:
"Got you..."
P. S.: Updated first, revised later.