"What the hell is happening...?!"
"Jason! Jason!"
"...Emily! What are you doing? Why aren’t you moving!?"
The surroundings were filled with shock and confusion. At one point, everyone was fighting the numerous anomalies, and in the next moment, several people stopped at once, a faint cracking sound echoing from their minds.
Nobody knew what was happening.
However, in the next moment, scenes that shook the minds of all those watching unfolded before them, followed by a deranged, almost sadistic laugh that echoed across the surroundings like a chill carried on the wind.
"HAha! HE!"
The frozen bodies began to move, their bones cracking as their limbs twisted unnaturally, their shapes slowly and grotesquely changing.
"Shit!"
"...What the fuck!?"
It didn’t take long for everyone to realize what was happening.
But it was that realization that shook them to their core.
"They’re turning! They’re turning!"
"How is this possible?! This makes no sense at all!"
"Move back!"
"No, kill them now that they are turnin—Huek!"
Some chose to step back, still unsure of what was happening and unwilling to strike at people they had been fighting alongside only moments earlier. But, of course, there were others who were far more ruthless and cold, already preparing to cut down whatever stood before them without hesitation.
Seeing how the situation was turning, those who chose to attack went all out.
"Attack now before things get worse! Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgement!"
A lot of the members present had been trained to forgo any semblance of emotion, conditioned to choose only the most optimal option in any situation. It was for this reason that they chose to strike.
But...
Was this really the best option?
"HAHEha—!"
One single laugh.
That was all it took for the many who chose to act to freeze.
"W-what..."
"My node..."
In that instant, they all felt a similar sensation.
A similar tingle in their nodes.
In that moment, for just a brief moment, time appeared to stop for them, a constant ringing echoing in their ears as they looked around, finding several people staring at them, mouthing strange words.
’Not them... too?’
One of them managed to read the lips of a distant person.
But it was already too late.
Cra Crack!
He soon heard it.
The familiar cracking sound that he had heard coming from the people who had frozen moments prior.
And soon—
His vision turned black.
But in the very last moments, he could feel it.
The changes happening within his body as he, too, started to turn into an anomaly.
CRACK!
***
At the same time.
Not far from where the Jester stood.
Rumble! Rumble!
The surroundings shook, screams filling the area as everyone witnessed the spine-chilling results that came with the Jester’s laugh.
"What the hell is happening?"
Kyle muttered, his lips dry as he stared at the distant Jester. Alongside him were Zoey and the rest of the group that had entered the Gate. Even the Section Chief was present, although his expression wore a frown as he mumbled, ’Something is not adding up. Did what I saw really happen...? Did it?’
"Guild Master."
Team Leader Soran spoke up, her expression grave as she looked towards the Guild Master who stood ahead of the group.
For some reason, there appeared to be a peculiar expression on the Guild Master’s face as he looked towards the distant Jester.
It was almost like one of...
Amusement?
’No, that doesn’t make sense. Why would he be amused?’
Blinking once, the thin smile that she seemed to have seen from the Guild Master faded as he turned his gaze in her direction.
"Yes?"
Soran’s head once again focused on the Jester, and the distant chaos before hurriedly speaking, "The situation seems to be a mess, and judging from the situation, that... thing is capable of turning people into anomalies. I’ve thought of several approaches, and I think—"
"There’s no need."
The Guild Master raised his hand, cutting the Team Leader off. He then began to speak, his voice calm and seemingly completely unconcerned.
"...The situation is indeed a bit of a mess, but it’s still not completely out of control."
Not completely out of control?
Soran blinked her eyes, staring at the Guild Master at a complete loss before looking back in the direction of the Jester, where more and more people were slowly starting to turn as its sadistic, almost cruel laugh echoed in every direction.
She wanted to say more, but eventually shrugged.
’Well, if he says so.’
Soran’s thought process was simple. Since he paid her salary, he was right.
But that was just her.
Hearing the Guild Master’s words, the other present Team Leaders, and even the Section Chief, looked at him in confusion.
But just before any of them could get any word out, the Guild Master turned his head to look at one particular individual.
His lips curled further into a smile.
"It’s manageable, right?"
The group froze. Thereafter, all heads slowly turned in the direction of where the Guild Master was staring, and it was there that everyone caught a glimpse of a pair of dark eyes.
"Huh?"
"...Seth?"
"Seth? Did you say Seth? What...!? Why are you here? No, wait...!"
Kyle hastily raised his head in alarm, his eyes sweeping over the surroundings. He knew all about Seth’s ’situation’, and what was presented in the news.
In fact, the moment he came out of the gate, he also seemed to have had the impression of being betrayed by Seth, but Kyle understood from the start that something was wrong. He didn’t believe in his memories for one second.
But still...
’They felt incredibly real.’
He wasn’t the only one to react like this.
Almost everyone else was the same, staring at Seth with a look of wariness.
But soon, all eyes turned on the smiling Guild Master.
’...Does he know something?’
Kyle’s heart skipped a beat for a moment. His thoughts paused on what he’d previously witnessed inside the gate, and his expression couldn’t help but turn serious.
’Now that I think about it... He did seem to know a lot back in the Gate as well. Although he did ’betray’ us in the end, I don’t think all my memories are fake. But what is true and what is false?’
Kyle felt a headache starting to form.
"So? Do you have an idea of what’s going on?"
"...I do."
Seth replied after the Guild Master spoke. He didn’t give the others time to process the information before turning to look elsewhere.
"He’s hiding... Somewhere within the crowd. If you can find him and eliminate him, all of this will be over."
"He?"
"Who is hiding?"
As the others asked the questions, Seth didn’t reply. Instead, he turned around and headed in a certain direction.
"There is no better time to attack than now. Its power is at its weakest after being sealed for so long. If you don’t take advantage of this situation, it’ll all fall apart. It won’t be easy to find him, but it’ll essentially be the only non-human in the dwindling number of humans present."
The entire time, his attention seemed fixed on something else, and without a word, he eventually broke away from the group, leaving everyone stunned.
Question marks appeared on the heads of everyone present, but before anyone could fully process his words, the Guild Master clapped his hand, his smile still lingering.
"You’ve heard him. Time to start looking."