As he was about to descend the stairs, Liam's body suddenly tensed as if time around him had frozen. With every step he took, that nightmare flashed back into his mind.

  "What the hell is happening to me," he whispered softly, confused as he searched for a way to erase the lingering influence of the nightmare.

  He let out a small laugh, trying to calm himself, then continued down the stairs and left the apartment.

  A few minutes passed, his heavy steps carrying him to the roadside not far from the entrance gate of the roundabout garden.

  As he shifted onto another street, he accidentally bumped into a man wearing a brown shirt beneath a neat black suit. Instinctively, Liam stepped back, his body freezing, his mind going blank for a moment.

  "Are you alright?" the man asked, waving a hand in front of Liam's face.

  Liam startled, then quickly waved both hands. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable," he said hurriedly before walking past him.

  The man merely chuckled, brushed off his suit, and continued on his way, blending into the crowd around him.

  Meanwhile, Liam resumed walking along the sidewalk.

  In the distance, the pathway split into two directions, one of which served as the entrance to the garden, partially concealed by shrubs and creeping vines.

  Not long after, from afar Liam saw two people sitting on a long bench beneath a shady tree. One of them was none other than Forn, accompanied by a clean faced man with brown eyes, wearing a shirt beneath a black suit and a round hat on his head.

  Liam kept walking, intending to greet them. However, Forn quickly noticed his presence. He stopped his conversation with the man beside him and stood up to welcome Liam, or more precisely, to reprimand him.

  "You're late," he muttered irritably. He flipped open the lid of his pocket watch and angled it toward Liam to show the current time.

  08.20 in the morning.

  Liam gave a small laugh. "Sorry, I'm late," he replied, the corner of his eye catching the man in the hat sitting between them, observing him with a faint smile.

  Forn turned and pointed at the man. "This is Mister Albert, the person I told you about earlier. Coincidentally, he isn't busy today."

  "And one more thing, he's an influential figure in this city," Forn added in a low voice.

  An influential figure, the second son of parents whose occupation involved delivering and safeguarding important documents from various cities, including Moran, the province, and the Kingdom of Norn.

  'Ahh, an influential figure, huh?' Liam thought while scratching his cheek.

  Albert smiled faintly, then stood and spoke in his hoarse tone, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Albert Hammond. As for the previous statement, there's no need to think too much about it." He bowed while pressing his round hat to his chest.

  'He's quite humble.' Liam thought, unconsciously nodding.

  After that, Albert gestured for them to sit beside him. Both nodded. Liam sat on the right, while Forn took the left.

  "So… are you curious about the black marks on the victims' necks and wrists?" Albert asked, placing his hat on his lap.

  Suddenly, Forn pinched Albert's thigh, causing him to flinch slightly.

  "What was that?" he whispered, shooting a sharp look at Forn.

  "It's nothing," Forn replied with a small smile. "Don't be too guarded," he added in a whisper.

  Albert frowned, then turned back, waiting for an answer to his question. Meanwhile, Liam was confused by their interaction.

  He exhaled, not to answer, but to ask again, "So, were there any other signs, like something unusual on the wrist?" Liam reflexively glanced at his own wrist.

  Albert's eyes widened. An incident from two years ago suddenly crossed his mind. He turned, his expression shifting drastically, his pupils dilating.

  Liam felt fear creeping in and pressing against his shoulders as he watched Albert suddenly turn back and stare at him with a frightening expression.

  Reflexively, he swallowed. "Sir, why are you looking at me like that?" Liam asked in shock, his breath held.

  Ignoring Liam's question, Albert continued staring at him, no longer suppressing the anger rising within him. On the other hand, Forn, who had just snapped out of the thoughts that had once again invaded his mind, did not understand what was happening between the two of them and immediately stood to ease the tension.

  "Hey, what's going on?" he asked anxiously, sensing something was wrong, his gloomy gaze briefly shifting toward the street after catching fragments of their conversation.

  Albert's pupils, which had been dilated, returned to normal. He exhaled, and the anger he had restrained slowly subsided.

  "It's nothing. Just remembering it again," he said while covering his face with both hands.

  Forn understood a little. He shook his head slowly and sat back down. Meanwhile, Liam's eyes widened as he realized his question had triggered a painful memory for Albert.

  'Should I apologize now?' Liam thought, filled with guilt.

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  He stood, looked at Albert, then immediately lowered his head. "I'm sorry if my words offended you," he said anxiously, closing his eyes.

  Albert observed Liam standing through the gaps between his fingers.

  "It's alright," he said as he stood, then continued, "For six years I have been investigating unnatural deaths." Albert promptly sat down and put his hat back on.

  Liam quickly sat as well. After that, Albert asked them both to listen carefully to what he was about to say, as if the information he was about to share was extremely important, perhaps dangerous, and horrifying for those afraid of blood or the inside of the human body.

  Both swallowed and nodded simultaneously. The atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Albert adjusted his hat before recounting the horrific incident from several years ago.

  "It happened on a Saturday morning…"

  'Saturday morning? This can't just be a coincidence, right?' Liam thought in disbelief, startled.

  "Around nine o'clock, I saw my older sister slicing or stabbing her own body with a sharp knife, and I saw blood splatter in every direction, turning the living room into a scene filled with tension."

  Albert took a deep breath before continuing.

  "And strangely, her wounds closed again. The cycle repeated, closing and reopening. Watching that, I could do nothing, not because I was afraid, but because there was some kind of strange barrier protecting my sister. And at its peak, she directed the knife to her own heart, committing suicide, and that invisible barrier finally disappeared."

  "It was a horrifying sight… That is all I can tell you," he said, unconsciously standing with his head raised.

  'Impossible… that's exactly what happened to Zavi.' Panic was clearly reflected on Liam's face.

  Since the first time he saw Liam, Albert had been thinking about one thing, a sense of comfort he had long awaited whenever he was near him.

  Was this merely coincidence? The question kept circling in his mind.

  Albert turned, pressing his round hat to his chest. "I'm sorry for staring at you like that earlier. Every time I hear the word wrist, I remember that incident," he said, lowering his head with guilt.

  Liam stood and placed his left hand on Albert's shoulder. "Don't worry," he said softly, though nervousness still lingered within him.

  Hearing that, Albert felt relieved. He put his hat back on and discreetly handed Liam a folded piece of paper without Forn noticing. The paper contained his home address along with a warning.

  Liam's eyes widened. He knew there was another meaning behind that paper. He let out a small laugh and slipped it into his pocket.

  Albert turned and glanced at Liam once more. He bid farewell to both of them, then without waiting for a response, he stepped out of the garden.

  Meanwhile, Forn suspected nothing. "Is your curiosity satisfied now?"

  "Not yet," Liam replied briefly, staring blankly ahead.

  Hearing that, Forn was surprised and asked again to be sure. "What do you mean? I don't understand how you think now, Zavi."

  Liam laughed softly. The information was more than enough. He understood that Albert's sister's death was the same type of death Zavi had experienced a few days ago. And after thinking it through, Liam realized that the similarity in timing seemed to indicate that someone had arranged all of this.

  "Don't worry. I'll head home first," Liam said wearily. He stepped forward, and unconsciously his body froze, his muscles tensing.

  He had come here to seek information, forcing his body to move. And now, he had reached his limit.

  Seeing that, Forn was forced to take Liam to his house so he could recover, unaware that the previous night Liam had stayed at Leo's apartment.

  They walked slowly but steadily out of the garden, Forn supporting Liam's fragile body toward his house not far from the garden, perhaps one kilometer. Just two steps past the gate, a man with long black hair approached them. He wore a worn upper garment, part of his face covered by strands of hair, and handed each of them a newspaper.

  The newspaper carried headlines about the explosion at Castle Eaurealis, the usual political turmoil, discrimination, city performance reports, and reports of strange deaths discovered that morning or in previous days.

  Liam read it with wide eyes. His chest felt tight, his hands trembling slightly. He knew yesterday's explosion had killed dozens of people, but the reports of strange deaths were like embers burning his chest.

  'Ugh, what exactly is happening to this world?' he thought in confusion while scanning another line in the paper.

  Forn glanced at Liam who remained silent while reading. Meanwhile, he still held his own newspaper in his right hand without reading it, more focused on supporting Liam with his shoulder.

  Many people passed by, often bumping into them, irritated, some even scolding the two for standing still in the middle of the sidewalk and narrowing the path.

  Annoyed, Forn finally decided to keep walking, guiding Liam so they could reach his house as soon as possible.

  And he did not forget to give thirty pence to the newspaper seller.

  Not long after, following a journey that took several minutes, they arrived at a house in one of the alleys near a large river with a strong current.

  Inside that large house, Forn lived with his parents, though only at night, and his younger sibling who was still in school.

  The door opened, and a gust of wind from inside immediately greeted them.

  "So you've arrived," the voice sounded cheerful, clearly feminine in tone.

  The house was now empty. Yet strangely, the voice emerged as if it had long been welcoming his arrival. Forn's parents had left for work at six in the morning, while his sibling had gone to school an hour later.

  Click… Liam pulled out his pocket watch from his trousers and opened it. He walked slowly toward the sofa in the living room on the left, watching the clock hands move intensely.

  "It's already 8:40," Liam exclaimed in shock as he realized it. He sat abruptly, glancing to the right, and saw Forn still standing near the door.

  'Again like this?' Forn's eyes widened.

  Liam did not know that Forn was thinking about something. He merely observed in silence and chose not to interfere in other people's affairs, because it could bring trouble for him later.

  Not long after that thought crossed his mind, Forn stepped forward, turned to the right, and continued walking.

  He did not sit on the sofa with Liam to talk. Instead, he hurried up the stairs as if there was something he needed to handle.

  Liam stood frozen, watching his behavior.

  He saw Forn suddenly go up the stairs, come down again, then go up once more, about five times as if something was wrong with him.

  After that, he waited two or three minutes, but Forn did not come down. His jaw tightened instantly, his breath held, causing him to rise from his seat and immediately place the newspaper he was holding onto the table.

  He climbed the stairs carefully. From afar, Liam stared at the long corridor ahead of him. The house was very large. Forn's parents had high paying jobs in the capital, Sanerva.

  They worked at a steam factory, producing useful goods for daily life in the Kingdom of Norn. Their monthly salary was around one hundred and ten Pace, enough to support two children and purchase a two story house in an elite neighborhood with a spacious area.

  Even though the house was large, the owner was very strange regarding lighting in the corners of the second floor corridor. Liam walked along the dimly lit hallway, making him think twice about coming here again.

  Even so, he managed to walk without hitting the surrounding walls, feeling his way until he found another corridor on the right. Then he moved to check the end of that corridor.

  A few seconds later, he saw a white and gold designed door at the end of the hallway standing wide open, with a lantern lying on the floor.

  Because its light was glaring in the darkness, Liam intended to pick up the lantern and use it to search for Forn inside the large house.

  Liam stood stiffly, staring at the dim light without blinking. He wondered why the lantern was there, and why the door was open.

  "Could it be… that woman is inside that room?" After muttering to himself while pointing at the open door, he decided to step forward to pick up the lantern.

  When he reached it, Liam glanced into the empty room beside it and saw no one. He frowned, confused.

  His gaze returned to the lantern at his feet. He bent down to pick it up. But as his hand reached for its handle, the lantern's flame suddenly became unstable, swaying left and right as if someone were blowing on it.

  Finally, the lantern's flame went out, as if something had extinguished it, and darkness swallowed the room once more.

  "Hah!?" Liam gasped in shock. There was no strong wind to put it out, yet the flame extinguished on its own.

  Then he felt a cold wind creeping through the gap in his shoes, crawling up his legs. His body tensed, unable to move. He wanted to turn around, wanted to run, but his body refused to obey.

  Suddenly, the lantern lit up again. Its dim light drove away part of the darkness, and at the same time, Liam was able to move again.

  "Can you hear me?"

  The voice was cold, the same voice as before, echoing through the silent corridor.

  There was no further sound. He could not hear it anymore.

  Liam was still trembling as he stared at the lantern carefully. Unsure of what had just happened, he slowly lifted it, trying to see if there was something strange.

  "Blood?" Liam said in shock, then continued, "No, that's impossible…" Suddenly fear gripped him. He turned and ran toward the lower floor.

  He rushed down the stairs, and when his gaze fell downward, Liam froze at the horrifying sight, a pool of blood that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the floor near the stairs.

  He immediately approached. Liam grabbed the newspaper from the table and tore off several pieces, rolling them into a shape resembling a pencil.

  He used it to touch the pool of blood and smelled it, trying to determine whether it was human blood.

  Back when he was still on Earth, Liam had possessed a strange ability to distinguish human and animal blood through his extremely sharp sense of smell.

  When he smelled animal blood, he felt a pleasant scent enter his nose. When he smelled human blood, an unbearable stench immediately assaulted him, making his nose feel as if it stopped functioning.

  "This blood is very strange," he said after smelling it again, then continued, "No… this is neither human nor animal blood. Then whose blood is this?" Liam was confused by what he was witnessing.

  He shouted Forn's name in a tone filled with panic and strangeness. The sound echoed. But after half a minute of shouting, Liam received no answer.

  In his panic, he suddenly remembered something. Quickly, Liam pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and read it. It was Albert's home address.

  He slipped the paper back into his pocket. After that, he threw the rolled newspaper into the pool of blood. He immediately stood and left the house without searching for Forn who had suddenly disappeared.

  The door opened, and Liam stepped outside, not forgetting to close it again, hoping Forn would return. He exhaled deeply before walking away from the house.

  But unexpectedly, the rolled newspaper he had thrown into the pool of blood turned into ash before the appearance of a strange creature resembling a human, but with two wings beneath its shoulders.

  The pool of blood suddenly moved after the creature's emergence, floating and splashing onto every object around it, slowly transforming into fire that gradually devoured the entire house, without Liam's knowledge.