The empty wooden bedspread, Brendan, had disappeared for a while now. Outside, the wind grew stronger with each passing moment, blowing the curtain straight into the empty room.“Brendan is missing!” Evan shouted loudly. In his heart, there was a great deal of anxiety; he didn’t know what was happening and couldn’t guess which force had taken Brendan away. Now they were stuck between Cuktor and the force behind that green-eyed bird. One wrong step could ruin the entire chessboard.“What’s going on? What’s happening?” Etham, one hand covering a yawn, the other hastily putting on a coat, rushed out of his room. He had been sleeping soundly when he heard Evan’s voice. Though he didn’t know what was happening, he came running.Behind Etham were Christina and Mei. Unlike Etham, the two siblings seemed much more alert.“Evan, what’s going on? Why did you say Brendan is missing?” Christina looked at Evan skeptically, clasping her younger sister’s hand.Evan was also quite distressed now; Bre
“There was one time I saw it in my parents’ room! A painting exactly like this scenery!” Mei exclaimed, surprised. She was sure she had seen it before, in her parents’ study! A painting identical to the forest in front of them.“Mei, are you sure?” Christina leaned down to ask Mei, her eyes filled with both hope and a hint of doubt.“I’m sure.”As soon as Mei said that, three pairs of eyes turned towards each other. Evan, Etham, and Christina - they could be the only hope and opportunity for these three.“Let’s go!”Evan was the first to change direction and run towards Christina’s house. Etham, Christina, and Mei pursued suit. They sprinted with all their might. Christina’s house was where Lucia’s eyes were kept, guarded by Christina’s parents. They were secretive, profound, and held many secrets. What they knew about this forest and its related stories seemed to be certain. For Evan’s group, only by unraveling the secrets of the forest could they find Jonas and Brendan. Time was run
Etham, Evan, Christina, and Mei landed on the ground in a heap. Before them lay an incredibly unfamiliar space.“Darn! Where on earth is this?” Etham said, brushing off the dust on his clothes. Just a second ago, they were still in Christina’s house, and now they found themselves in this strange place.Evan glanced around, shaking his head. This was also his first time in this location. Evan had never heard his grandfather mention this place before.“But don’t you guys think this place is incredibly luxurious?” The one speaking was Christina. Having lived in a luxurious mansion her whole life, there was hardly anything in the world she hadn’t seen. But a place this extravagant was a first for Christina.“Exactly! Look, everything is gold-plated, especially the door frame, which is grand and dazzling! Not to mention crystal, gems, and precious stones. Just counting the cost of craftsmanship and design alone is already an enormous figure! These things are all exquisitely designed,” Evan
“It’s... it’s Cuktor!” Etham pointed towards Cuktor, the one who had just dealt a blow to Charlette. All present there looked at Cuktor with wide eyes. His unexpected appearance, standing alongside Jonas and his group, was a shock to them. None of them had ever dreamed of a day when Cuktor and Jonas’ team would stand together on the same battlefield.“No need to look at me with such wide eyes. I’m not here to protect you all. I’m here just to protect my chance to return to my paradise!” Cuktor turned towards Jonas’ group and spoke. The reason he took the risk to come here was singular – to protect Jonas’s eyes. Lucia’s eyes had been elusive for nearly a thousand years; he had even turned Christina’s parents’ house upside down, finding no clues. Now, if Jonas’s eyes fell into Charlette’s hands, any chance of returning to his paradise would be utterly lost.On Charlette’s side, she was shocked that she had been ambushed, and the ambusher was none other than Cuktor, the one who considere
Facing Evan and Brendan’s questions, Jonas remained silent saying nothing. He had a strange feeling; normally, whenever Alice appeared, only he could see her. But this time was different; Alice appeared open in front of everyone. This made Jonas suspicious, finally thinking that Alice had some malicious intentions.“Jonas, our system has an issue. Do you want to reset everything?” Without waiting for Jonas to respond, Alice went straight to the point, a smile still on her lips.“System issues? Is there really a problem with the system, or is this some damn scenario of yours?”“The system is indeed having problems. You should reset everything!” Alice repeated her words.Jonas had run out of patience by now. He directly exposed Alice’s true face and what she called the system.“There’s nothing wrong here! Everything is your play. Why did door open earlier? Don’t tell me it opened coincidentally, with no arrangement! Everything, all of it, is your script!” When this door suddenly opened,
The town of Splendide, Winter in the town of Splendide was always something special. The old branches reached out into the empty space like bony fingers, as if trying to catch wandering souls. The air was freezing. All the houses on the street were tightly shut. People on the streets were all bundled up, with their heads down and hands in their pockets, trying not to expose any skin. Some people were cold and had red noses because they didn't have warm clothes or a well-insulated house in the winter.Gusts of wind swept through, flipping everything in its path, whether it be tarps, awnings, or whatever it could lay its hands on, as if searching and shouting in the faces of those trying to hide. The wind swirled around anyone and everyone, regardless of gender, age, or social status, as if waiting to discover any vulnerability, and the moment it did, it would sneak into collars, sleeves, or attack any exposed patch of skin, making that person shiver uncontrollably.That seemed to b
The next morning, as usual, Jonas went outside early in the morning to begin his training. As soon as he opened the door, a powerful gust of wind slapped him in the face. A quick look at today’s weather didn’t seem any better than yesterday. In fact, it was worse. However, Jonas didn’t mind; harsh weather like this would help him train his body better.Jonas’s life in this town, even the path he walked, felt desolate. People avoided him, despite his cleanliness and lack of any foul odors or contagious diseases. They treated him like a mobile plague and constantly shooed him away. Pedestrians would unconsciously shift to the side when they saw him. Some even changed directions. Not only adults but children in the town also treated Jonas with disdain. Perhaps they had been taught by their parents that Jonas was something utterly repulsive and to be kept away from. Some children even cried when they saw him.But Jonas seemed to have become accustomed to this, considering it as somethi
The locals and some nobles were smoking and drinking while waiting for Jonas to continue the story. He used his blurred eyes to survey the room, unable to see much, yet it felt as though he could see everything. He continued in his melodious tone,“He was a swordsman from another world, a world from the modern era, hundreds of years ago, with things beyond our imagination. He arrived here by chance, taking on the role of an ordinary person, blending into this society to confront a sinister force...”Jonas’ storytelling was perfectly paced, with climaxes, twists, moments to relax, and even humor, all narrated in a deep, resonant voice. It quickly captured the attention of those in the restaurant, and the audience grew larger by the day. His tip jar filled up.Jonas finished work late in the evening, and his stories always ended when the restaurant was about to close. After the guests experienced a gamut of emotions—tension, anger, laughter, and even tears—they would leave, some generou