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“…This is all so confusing.”

Channeling the spirit of The Wizard of Oz, I wandered down the Yellow Brick Roa—well, no, just a narrow mist-covered path—when something shifted in my perception. I stopped walking and scanned my surroundings.

The glowing white path beneath my feet stretched on endlessly, disappearing into the depths of the «Void Mist». It was narrower than my shoulders, and walking on it felt eerily like balancing on a log bridge—flexible, but steady enough to support me.

It really did feel like a log bridge. With the mist obscuring every direction and eliminating any sense of depth or distance, someone with acrophobia wouldn’t have made it a single step. The floating sensation was that disorienting.

Curiosity itched at the back of my mind—what would happen if I stepped off the path? But I wasn’t reckless enough to test it. I wasn’t about to gamble my life on some foolish experiment. Whatever lay beyond that glowing path, it didn’t feel welcoming. I shoved the thought aside and focused on staying the course.

I walked. And walked. And walked.

I already knew time and space inside the mist didn’t behave normally. I didn’t have a watch or anything to track it, but my internal clock told me at least four or five hours had passed.

I was honestly impressed with myself for not losing my sanity. Supposedly, if you cut off the first four of the human body’s seven senses—Vision, Hearing, Smell, and Touch—most people snap. Maybe my senses were dulled. Or maybe I’d just gotten used to the surreal.

Ahem—back on topic.

What tipped me off that things were changing was the sudden reawakening of my senses—like they’d been in standby mode until now. I glanced around and noticed the mist starting to ripple and coil around the path, something moving within it—no, emerging from it.

None of the shapes made any logical sense. I scanned the mist, hoping to find something recognizable, but all I saw were bizarre and shifting figures—spinning whirlpools, translucent slimes, a snake uncoiling into a square, a pair of floating spheres, a winged giant flapping in silence, flame-like demons twirling in circles, and spinning disks with no axis…

“Illusion? Reality? …Does it even matter at this point? Whatever they are, it’s safer to treat them like they’re real—for peace of mind, if nothing else.”

I tightened my grip on «Gilles de Rais» with my right hand and tucked the «Permit» back into my pocket. It was getting in the way. Sure, I could fight while holding something in my off-hand, but this was a two-handed sword for a reason.

Thankfully, the effect didn’t stop. Even with the «Permit» stored, that pale golden glow still wrapped around my body as I moved through the Void Mist.

“Well then… will it be a demon next, or a snake?”

I muttered to myself and advanced cautiously, ready for anything. And right on cue—as if it had been waiting for that very step—a giant, pop-eyed, goldfish-like creature, nearly two meters long, burst out from the mist and lunged at me, passing straight through the protective membrane without resistance.

I reacted on instinct—my blade swung in an arc, slicing the creature cleanly in two. One half shot past me in a blur, propelled by its own momentum. The other half spun through the air and nearly collided with me before tumbling down.

—Hey… why isn’t it dark behind me? Did something change?

Phew, that was close. I didn’t expect to be attacked by someone I apparently knew—though I can’t even recall their face. Somehow, I managed to make it out. Oh, and I also ran into a man from my past. Before I could say anything, he bolted.

“——?!”

Out of nowhere, a flash of scenery burst across my vision like a firework. It was vaguely familiar—then gone in an instant.

“…Was that Asmina? What was that… a hallucination?”

But no… it felt far too vivid to dismiss that easily.

Then again, whether these creatures are illusions or something real is still unclear… but the damage they cause is definitely not imaginary.

While I stood pondering, the next wave came. Grotesque creatures began to attack—twisted things like beetle-caterpillar hybrids, hulking eyeball monsters, glowing slimes. One after another, they closed in on me.

I dodged what I could, shifting carefully along the narrow road. What I couldn’t avoid, I met head-on.

“…They’re coordinating now? Alright, let’s try magic—”

No good. I’d barely begun casting when the surrounding creatures—previously drifting without aim—rushed me all at once, like an avalanche triggered by intent.

Clicking my tongue in frustration, I abandoned spells and relied on raw instinct and steel. It worked—barely. From then on, I focused purely on carving a path through them.

—Alright, then your name is “Ichijiku.”
—What are you, stupid?!
—Understood. We’ll use everything we’ve got to destroy the Nidhogg!
—Hold up—how did you get me to drink this while I was asleep?!

Every time I cut down one of the mist-beasts, the impact splashed mist onto me—and every splash brought flickers of the past rushing back, fragments of memories I’d already walked through.

So far, there hadn’t been any lasting effects—but these were just aftershocks, residual fragments. I had no doubt a direct hit would be a different story.

For now, the memory-echoes were fleeting—manageable. But if I took a direct hit? No telling what kind of impact that would have. Even Azure God’s defensive membrane didn’t seem to block them.

I was handling it now, but all it would take was a moment of distraction… a lapse in focus… and I’d be swallowed by illusions and lose my footing.

But I couldn’t afford to stop. Standing still would just make me a sitting duck. And retreat? That path was already gone—if it even still existed at all.

In the end, my only option was to keep carving forward, dodging what I could. I steadied my breathing, readjusted my stance—then took the next step into the unknown.

How far had I come? Time had blurred so completely I could no longer even guess. Then, all of a sudden, a massive creature appeared before me—something resembling a bear.

Ideally, I would’ve liked to avoid a fight, but it was standing right in the middle of the path. I didn’t have the luxury of pretending it wasn’t there.

To make things worse, a flock of snake-like creatures with wings—almost like flying swallows—was circling the area. Using any magic would immediately draw them to me like moths to a flame. And frankly, that sounded like a headache I didn’t need.

Looks like my sword will be my only companion on this journey, after all.

With a reluctant sigh, I raised my sword and took aim at the towering three-meter bear—its face eerily resembling a toy bear, complete with a drum and trumpet. Just great.

“Ugh… this is truly un-bear-able.” I muttered, trying to cope with the absurdity of it all.

Trying not to be thrown off by its wide, innocent eyes, I brought my sword down in a single, clean arc—splitting its head in two.

Just like the others, it split with no resistance. But maybe I’d held back a little—because I didn’t notice the bear was still clinging together by a thin strip of skin at its back.

Too close. Before I could step away, it twisted unnaturally and lunged straight at me.

“Crap!”

Despite its state, the thing gathered itself into a single, writhing mass and rushed at me with surprising force.

“S̲h̲i̲t̲!” Panicking, I swung again—this time while dropping to one knee and bracing myself with my free hand to stay balanced on the narrow, glowing path. No matter what happened, I couldn’t afford to fall off.

◆◇◆◇

“Ah crap! I’m gonna be late for my first day at the new school!”

With a piece of toast and a chikuwa stick stuffed in his mouth, fifteen-year-old Joyce sprinted through a quiet residential alleyway. His panicked expression and rumpled new school uniform made it obvious—he’d overslept and left the house in a mad dash with whatever he could grab.

The total absence of other students in the area only confirmed one thing: he’d definitely missed the morning rush.

“Uhh… I think it’s this way…”

Unsure of where to turn, he pulled a folded map from his pocket to double-check the route. He’d visited the school once before for paperwork, but that time he’d been with his guardian—his older sister, Mia. Anticipating this exact situation, Mia had taken the liberty of drawing him a personalized map.

The map was surprisingly detailed, with a bright red mark that read “You Are Here” scribbled over one corner.

“—How am I supposed to navigate with just a checkpoint?! This is what you get when an international office lady tries to make a map!”

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