'What's happening? Why can't I move forward...?'
Pressing my hand forward and feeling the smooth yet invisible surface before me, my thoughts momentarily paused.
I didn't know what was happening, nor did I have an idea of what this strange, invisible surface in front of me was. The only thing I knew was that things were unfolding the same exact way as they did on the tape.
Still, as I lifted my gaze toward the old woman ahead, a cold understanding crept in.
'I already knew she wasn't normal. This... this had to be her doing. A skill of hers that blocks anyone from leaving...'
"There is... no use trying to escape."
The old woman's voice whispered in the air once more as the metal lamp in her hand dangled before her, causing the shadows all over to stretch and shrink in repeated patterns.
"...You're already trapped here. There's no point in trying to escape."
What followed her words was the brightening of the circle that stood beneath me, illuminating my surroundings as it suddenly grew warmer, and I started to sweat all over.
I also started to feel itchy all of a sudden.
'Shit, shit, shit...!'
I'd seen the video. I knew what came next.
My stomach filled with dread as I stared at the old lady who stood on the opposite end.
My stomach twisted as I locked eyes with the old woman. Her face contorted as she began to hum in a strange, broken rhythm. Her words made no sense, yet each syllable scraped against my spine like nails.
"Sal. Um. Tar. Alhm. Orek. Son..."
The temperature grew warmer. More sweat formed, and the itch grew more and more persistent.
'I need to quickly leave this place!'
Bang! Bang!
I tried banging on the surface in front of me, but as though it were made of some sort of extremely durable material, it didn't budge at all.
"Stop resisting, child."
She paused her chant, staring at me.
"...To reject me is to reject the mist, and no one rejects the mist. It sees everything. It feels everything. And it hears everything. Whatever thoughts you have, it knows."
What...?
'What is she talking about?'
Listening to her words, I struggled to grasp what she was trying to say.
It appeared to be something about the mist, but what mist? Was she talking about the strange mist that dotted the sky and surrounded the islands? Or was she talking about something else?
'It's very likely that she's talking about the mist that surrounds the islands, but from the way she's speaking, it almost feels like she thinks of it as a real living entity.'
Could it be...?
Thinking about it, there were all sorts of anomalies in this world.
It wouldn't be a surprise to me if the mist was actually a byproduct of an anomaly or an anomaly itself. However, with all of my past research, I had never found anything of the sort in the past.
Could it be that it was some sort of secret information?
'...Could also be that she's batshit crazy.'
Looking at her, this seemed to be the most probable thought.
"To reject me is to reject the mist. And no one rejects the mist. It sees. It feels. It hears. Whatever you think, it knows."
We?
I thought back to the recording and thought about the people in white. Could she be referring to them?
If so, was this some sort of strange cult that worshipped the mist?
'...Is there any correlation between this and the cult that was planning on sacrificing Mirelle?'
I felt extremely inclined to believe that this was the case, but I knew too little about the cult that I was dealing with to know.
'And what if it is...? What then...'
I thought about how I had gotten involved with them due to Mirelle, and a cold dread settled in my chest. The pooling sweat around my shirt wasn't helping as the temperature was rising fast.
I understood that the situation was rapidly deteriorating.
If I didn't get out soon, then there was a very likely chance that I'd never be able to get out.
Thankfully, I was prepared.
Staring at the old woman, a long and thin figure appeared right behind her, looming over her without her knowing.
Or at least, that's how it seemed at first, until the woman's lips curled into an eerie smile.
Something moved.
From the wall, a shape peeled away like flesh from bone. First came the tall, black top hat, then the sleek contours of a suit I knew too well. Every inch of the figure exuded a silent malice... one that felt extremely sinister.
But its sudden presence didn't scare me.
Rather, it made me feel a lot more at ease. Knowing that a Twisted Man was present was a lot less scary than not knowing if it was present or not. With its appearance, I now knew, and I felt a little relieved to some extent.
I also secretly rejoiced at my caution. Had I said a single word, I would've most likely been killed.
'No, wait.'
I blinked my eyes slowly, realizing something.
The old woman... It was quite clear that she didn't want to kill me. Her goal was something else. Something more obvious.
Staring at that red circle that pulsed beneath me and thinking back to the video, the answer was obvious.
The old woman wanted to turn me into a Twisted Man...
I didn't have much time to think. The moment the Twisted Man appeared, I immediately started to act, grabbing the knife from my bag while at the same time, a viscous substance filled my hand as it converted into a hammer that I drummed onto the invisible wall.
BANG! BANG—
The Twisted Man was attracted to noise.
So long as I brought it to me, then it would leave the Dreamwalker alone.
And indeed, my thoughts were quickly proven correct as the Twisted Man turned its attention towards me, taking a step forward as its twisted smile curved further.
Seeing this, the old woman didn't react.
She simply smiled as the Dreamwalker attacked her from behind.
Everything happened incredibly quickly.
It all happened in the time that it took for me to breathe, and right as the Dreamwalker's attack was about to reach the old woman, her face twisted as she turned around and shone the lamp directly in front of the Dreamwalker, as it stopped dead in its tracks.
".....!"
"A Dreamwalker? How peculiar..."
She looked more amused than anything else as she reached her sickly hand forward and grabbed onto the neck of the Dreamwalker.
"While I'm confused as to how a Dreamwalker is following you, it has been getting in my way since before. I think it's time that I got rid of it—"
'No, shit! I can't let it die like this!'
Its loyalty had already fallen quite a bit for what I had done to it before. I couldn't afford to make it fall again.
That was why I didn't hesitate to bring out Mirelle.
"Hihihi~"
A sudden giggling sound echoed throughout the room the moment I brought out Mirelle, causing everything to pause as the old woman similarly stopped, her head turning towards the direction from which the noise came as a little head peeked from right behind the window.
The moment Mirelle appeared, it was as if time had frozen completely.
Everything seemed to come to a standstill as the Twisted Man and the old lady both stopped, staring in the direction of the little girl.
I thought that this was a good enough distraction for me to leave, but right as I was about to think of a way to get out, the old lady's voice echoed in the air once more.
"M... mirelle."
And when I looked at her—
She was no longer smiling.
She was trembling.
And so was I.