Chapter 37: The Enveloping Mist and a Desperate Search

Thrud sought out Aldoran and Qing Yu in the late afternoon.Aldoran and Qing Yu were just about to begin their dinner when Thrud forcefully pushed open the door, rushing into the room with a face contorted in panic.

“Lady Aldoran, Lord Qing Yu, forgive my intrusion!” Thrud stumbled towards the dining table, tripping and sending all the tableware clattering to the floor with a resounding crash.

“What’s wrong? Take your time,” Aldoran murmured, steadying Thrud, while Qing Yu offered her a glass of warm water.

“Miss Thrud, please calm yourself, there’s no need to panic,” Aldoran added, gently patting Thrud’s back to help her relax.

“Hah… hah…”

Thrud took a small sip of water, then, after several deep breaths, set the glass down, finally catching her breath. She scanned the room before burying her face, coughing a few times.

“Lady Aldoran, Lord Qing Yu, have either of you seen Liliya today?”

“Liliya?” Qing Yu mused, resting his chin in his hand.

“Shouldn’t Liliya be with you? Aldoran and I have been in the inn all day, discussing the mist; we haven’t gone anywhere, and Liliya hasn’t come by.”

Upon hearing this, Thrud looked up at Qing Yu, then turned to Aldoran, her eyes wide with shock.

“I thought she had been with you all this time.”

“Wait, tell us everything,” Aldoran instructed, settling opposite Thrud and pushing the water glass closer to her. “Take your time, don’t rush; explain clearly.”

“Today, I haven’t seen Liliya all day, not since I woke up this morning,” Thrud recounted, nervously rubbing her interlocked fingers.

“Could she have woken up early and gone out to play?” Qing Yu wondered, propping himself on the table, his clear, sparkling cat-like eyes fixed on Thrud.

“Given her boundless energy, it’s possible she snuck out to explore.”

“After all, I often sneak out at night myself.”

Thrud said nothing in response to his conjecture, merely shaking her head slightly in denial.

“That’s highly unlikely.”

“She’s been with us for quite some time now, and Lord Qing Yu, you know Liliya’s nature; she never wakes up on her own unless I call her. Otherwise, she never rises before eight o’clock.”

“Are you saying—”

“Thrud wakes up promptly at six every morning, never later,” Aldoran interjected.

“Exactly. So when I didn’t see Liliya this morning, I found it very strange. At first, I also thought she had woken up early to go out and play, but…” Thrud continued, shaking her head and sighing.

“I’ve searched the entire town today, but there’s no trace of Liliya. The town is almost deserted; I couldn’t even find anyone to ask. Before, I’d occasionally see a few pedestrians, but today, there isn’t a single one.”

Aldoran’s expression turned grave. She quickly glanced at Qing Yu, then cleared her throat twice.

“Thrud, continue.”

“I have no idea what happened. Moreover, Liliya’s clothes and money are all still in the room; there’s no way she would have left like this.”

“Did anything unusual happen last night?” Qing Yu inquired.

Thrud merely shook her head again.

“No, nothing happened at all. It was just like any other night; nothing out of the ordinary occurred, and Liliya seemed perfectly normal, no different from usual.”

“I mean, was there any mist?” Qing Yu hastily corrected himself. At his words, Thrud paused for a moment.

“Mist?”

“Until today, Liliya and I have never seen any mist, nor has Liliya ever mentioned anything about it.”

“Are you absolutely certain?” Aldoran pressed, her gaze fixed on Thrud, her words measured and deliberate.

“No,” Thrud affirmed, meeting Aldoran’s gaze with equal seriousness.

“What about before that? Did anything strange happen then? Especially anything unusual?” Qing Yu asked, his focus sharpening, sensing the situation was growing more complicated.

“Strange things…”

“Perhaps only that strange storm Liliya and I encountered when we went to eat at the restaurant? Just as Lady Aldoran mentioned before, a sudden downpour followed by an abrupt clearing.”

Aldoran nodded slowly.

“No mist?” Qing Yu asked again, his mind now aligning with Aldoran’s thoughts.

The rapidly shifting weather, the mist that appeared and vanished without a trace, the sudden disappearance of their companion—these events unfolded with bewildering speed. They found themselves utterly without a clue as to the orchestrator, left to the whims of the pervasive mist that seemed to toy with everyone.

This presented an exceedingly difficult challenge for Aldoran and her companions.

“While there are currently no clear clues about Liliya’s whereabouts, it’s highly probable that her disappearance is connected to the mist,” Aldoran stated after a few moments of contemplation. “However…”

“That mist…”

“Aldoran, can you determine the source of that mist?” Qing Yu suddenly clapped his hands, rising to his feet, his pupils dilated as he looked at Aldoran. “Surely your eyes can manage that, can’t they?”

Aldoran glanced at Qing Yu, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.

“What’s wrong? Is there some difficulty?”

“No, it’s just that I cannot pinpoint the mist’s origin, nor can I ascertain how it is released or how it spreads,” Aldoran explained. “Therefore, I cannot precisely locate it.”

“I see… that makes things difficult then…” Qing Yu scratched his head, unable to conjure any effective ideas.

The enemy remained concealed while they were exposed, the mist capable of finding them at any moment, yet they possessed no means to counter it.

“Lady Aldoran, is there any other way to deal with this mist?” Thrud interjected, her voice filled with urgency. “At the very least, we must locate Liliya.”

‘Liliya.’

Aldoran suddenly realized that while she couldn’t discern the mist’s location, she could effortlessly pinpoint Liliya’s whereabouts with absolute certainty.

‘Damn it, how could I have forgotten that?’

Acting immediately, Aldoran rose to her feet. The gem on her wrist began to glow, the eagle’s紋章 appearing in her eyes. Pale blue magic circuits traced their way up her arms, and with a soft chant, light gradually enveloped Aldoran’s body. A faint pink aura adorned the corners of the room as blue radiance slowly streamed out of the building.

“Odin…”

The eagle’s紋章 slowly spread its wings, and a succession of bizarre, fantastical images flashed through her eyes.

Mist, mist, mist.

Nothing but mist, endless mist.

Within the boundless white fog, nothing was visible save for a tainted, murky white.

“Liliya…” Aldoran murmured, desperately trying to pierce the white mist to glimpse Liliya’s figure.

Mist, mist, mist.

Within the vast world, only mist remained—a white mist, tinged with black, that filled the heavens and earth. Eerie howls and distorted chants intertwined, emanating from the depths of the fog.

Fortunately, she was protected by the紋章’s blessing; otherwise, Aldoran’s resistance alone would have crumbled within seconds, her sanity stolen by the inexplicable chanting, plunging her into utter madness.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

As Aldoran searched for Liliya, she felt as though something was watching her, an unsettling sensation spreading through every fiber of her being. Roars reverberated through her soul again and again, the feeling of being observed saturating her nerves.

A chill crept into Aldoran’s mind, an unnamed terror piercing her body. Despair and helplessness stealthily infiltrated, tormenting her will.

“Hah… hah…”

‘What exactly is that…?’

‘This fear, this helplessness…’

‘What is this place, and what is that thing…?’

‘What kind of entity is truly infesting this town…?’

Aldoran mustered every ounce of her strength, using her dwindling will and reason to fight against the nameless dread, meticulously searching for Liliya’s form.

Liliya, Liliya, Liliya…

Lili…

Fragrance, faint pink.

A familiar fragrance flooded Aldoran’s mind, and within the vast expanse of white, an inconspicuous pink hue appeared in her vision.

It was—

Aldoran hastily zoomed in, fearing she might miss the fleeting color.

Her breathing grew increasingly rapid; the closer she drew to the pink cluster, the clearer Liliya’s presence became. Yet, with it, the accompanying fear and unease intensified. Fortunately, that inexplicable fragrance continually soothed Aldoran’s spirit, as if a large hand gently caressed her mind, granting her the courage to press onward.

The color grew more distinct, more vibrant—

Liliya’s figure became increasingly clear; Aldoran could almost discern her outline.

“Liliya…”

Aldoran.

Suddenly, an utterly distorted sound pierced Aldoran’s ears. It chanted strange words, calling out Aldoran’s name. It was clearly an infant’s cry, yet to Aldoran, that wailing contained her own name.

Aldoran, Aldoran, Aldoran.

The voice called out again and again, nearly driving Aldoran to madness.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

Aldoran struggled to support her body, the light enveloping her gradually dimming.

Aldoran, Aldoran, Aldoran.

A colossal silhouette emerged in the distance. The sounds of various instruments suddenly erupted, intertwining and roaring. Multicolored bubbles slowly drifted out of the white mist, and Aldoran’s nerves teetered on the brink of collapse.

“Hah… hah…”

Aldoran’s body began to tremble, and a dense blackness slowly started to eclipse her deep blue eyes. Qing Yu quickly steadied Aldoran, urgently calling out her name—

“Aldoran! Aldoran!”

“Stop looking! Stop now! Aldoran!”

‘What… what is that… that mist…’

‘Let me see it clearly—’

“Aldoran! Aldoran!”

“Master! Master!”

Qing Yu and Thrud cried out simultaneously, frantically patting Aldoran’s body.

“Stop! Don’t continue!”

‘Mist! Mist! Mist!’

‘Quickly, let me see clearly—’

Finally, just before she could touch that luminous mass, an earth-shattering roar erupted, piercing Aldoran’s eardrums—

The world plunged into darkness.

****

Outside the window, mist enveloped the entire town…