Leona and I moved through the city streets.
With my perception covering a vast area, I sensed the movements of every person around us, allowing me to avoid encountering them along the way.
"What’s the plan then?" Leona’s voice slipped into my ear.
"A plan?... Just go there, take everyone, then head north calmly as if we never saw this place."
Leona gave me a brief look."Is that even possible... You said there’s something controlling everyone in this city, so will it just let us leave?"
It’s not like I hadn’t thought about that, but what could I do?
"I don’t know."
As time passed, we got closer to the city center, until I felt the familiar presences of the others entering the edge of my perception.
But not just them—there were dozens of others too, and worse, they were all strong... very strong.
Maybe not like Arthania and the old man, but still impossible for us to resist if a fight broke out.
Perhaps waiting at Arthania’s house and hoping the others would return after the banquet ended was the right choice.
But I wasn’t sure what would happen once someone fell fully under the control of those threads... Even if I could cut them, would they recover?
From what I saw in the city’s residents, there were only a few hours left before the others also became part of this play.
So I didn’t want to risk sitting and waiting at Arthania’s house.
It didn’t take long before we arrived in front of the city hall. There, by the door, someone was leaning against the wall.
He wasn’t clear from afar due to the dim lighting, but as we got closer, it turned out to be a middle-aged man with sand-colored hair and eyes.
He leaned his large body against the wall, his eyes following us as we approached.
Rank 4... Intermediate.
From what I sensed, he was one of the strongest people here.
After a few moments, the distance between us shrank to just a few meters. The man pushed himself off the wall, a friendly smile forming on his face.
"So you’re the last guest."
He approached us and extended his hand for a handshake."Nice to meet you, I’m Adam... and you?"
I stared at his hand for a moment before acting naturally and shaking it."Caius."
I felt his strong grip, capable of crushing my bones in an instant if he wanted to—but fortunately, he didn’t. Instead, he shook it slowly before letting go and heading toward the door.
"I’ve been waiting for you... I thought this girl got lost or something."
With that, he pushed the door open.
I stared at his back, noticing the dozens of threads connected to his body and soul. They were thicker and stronger than the ones on me and Leona.
And somehow, that thing in the sky still didn’t know I had freed myself from its influence... Otherwise, the moment I cut the threads, I would’ve found these people at my throat.
Or maybe there’s something else... I don’t know.
What are our chances of getting out of here?
I don’t know.
With many thoughts running through my mind, I stepped toward the door, while Leona whispered beside me, her voice filled with caution."This man was insisting strongly that we stay here earlier."
We passed through the door, and the lighting suddenly changed, becoming brighter.
I looked around the large hall, noticing everything.
Many long tables were scattered across the place, with numerous people sitting around them.
Everyone here was an awakened, and none were below Rank 2.
The moment I entered, the noise stopped, and everyone’s eyes fell on me... Maybe in another situation, I could’ve ignored their gazes.
But now, all I felt was a chill.
It wasn’t like dozens of people staring at you... no, it was more like...
One person looking at you through dozens of eyes.
I tried to ignore it and looked ahead, where another table stood at the back with a few people sitting around it.
It was none other than Arthania and the others.
I looked at Elliot and Ellen in the middle of the table, with Izel and Kyle on the side. All of them were bound by those aethereal threads.
But what caught my attention was something else... Arthania.
On Ellen’s right side sat the beautiful woman who had brought us here.
I had sensed it before we arrived, but seeing it with my own eyes was something else.
The threads around her body were dense... and far too many.
I walked straight through the hall toward the others, feeling that strange atmosphere.
Strange and unsettling.
Even though I hadn’t attended many banquets, I knew it shouldn’t be like this.
The interactions between these people... and how easily they accepted the presence of others...
It felt shallow... as if no one here knew how a human should act.
It didn’t take long to reach the table. The gazes from the crowd faded as they focused back on themselves.
Arthania smiled as she looked at me."Good that you came... That old man didn’t do anything to you, right?"
I shook my head."No, we just had a short conversation before I returned to the house."
When I said that, Arthania’s eyes widened slightly, as if she noticed something."You’ve gotten stronger."
At that, the others also noticed that I had reached Rank 3, and some surprise appeared on their tense faces.
Well, looking at them closely, they looked like tree trunks sitting on those chairs.
I smiled at Arthania."I feel like the atmosphere is a bit strange, did something happen?"
She hesitated a little before answering,"Well, not much, it’s just that others were bothering your friends, so I told them to stop coming here."
I raised my eyebrow."You told them... You didn’t mention you were the leader of this city."
She brushed a strand of her black hair back."Well, that doesn’t matter now."
She gestured for us to sit.
"You two, come sit down, don’t just stand there... The others have been acting shy the whole time without you."
At her words, Leona and I walked to the nearest chairs and sat down.
Sitting beside Arthania, I acted naturally as I reached for the food on the table.
Time passed as I ate and drank without restraint.
During that time, I didn’t exchange any words with the others. All I did was engage in some conversation with Arthania, most of it about the old man Elias and how he was the reason I couldn’t see the city.
At the same time, no one from the crowd approached or disturbed us... Many of them even left.
But that didn’t ease the strange atmosphere—in fact, it made it worse.
This was the deadest banquet I had ever attended... not that I had attended many anyway.
After nearly an hour passed, I stood up from my seat and looked at Arthania."I think it’s time to head back. I’m really tired, and it seems the others are too."
Arthania looked at Izel and Kyle on the other side."Yes, you’re right."
With that, she stood up, while I signaled to the others."Let’s go back."
Kyle was the first to stand, looking at me directly with a question written on his face."What’s going on?"
He wasn’t the only one—even Ellen, her red eyes fixed on the crowd at the other tables.
Without delay, the six of us, along with Arthania, moved toward the exit.
Even when everyone noticed us heading to the door, they did nothing but wave at us and Arthania while saying a few words.
"Are you leaving already?... Then good night, Lady Arthania and her guests."
"It’s still early."
"Let’s meet tomorrow, children, I’ll show you something interesting."
I ignored the words as I reached the entrance, while Arthania responded to them.
I opened the door and stepped outside, followed by the others.
Ellen approached me."What’s going on?"
I answered without hesitation,"We need to leave... quickly."
At that moment, Arthania came out behind us—but this time, she wasn’t alone.
Instead, she walked with a gray-eyed woman and that man named Adam.
"You need to check that now, Lady Arthania."The woman spoke beside her.
With a sigh, Arthania looked at us and gave an apologetic smile."Sorry, guys, I need to go check something, so can you head back on your own?"
I nodded."No problem, see you later then."
With that, I signaled to the others, and we began walking away from them, while I felt a pair of eyes staring at me from behind.
But I tried to ignore it. Through my perception, I felt the three of them heading east.
They were so fast that they quickly left my range.
Once they did, and when I was sure we were far enough from the city hall and no one was around us,
I stopped in place, as Ellen and Elliot’s questions began to reach me."Tell us what’s going on."
"Did you discover something?"
I nodded, and a blade of pure essence formed in my hand. At the same time, I stepped toward Elliot, who showed confusion, then suspicion, before taking a step back.
"Hey Caius... I think you’re pointing your sword at the wrong place."
I shook my head."Don’t worry, just don’t move. I’ll make this quick."