…It was the same tower.
Ciel's body froze. For a moment, he was utterly confused, questioning whether the tower standing before him was real. He moved closer and peeked inside the structure. There was no doubt — the ice layers Kaius set up were still there.
But… that was impossible. Wasn't it? Did they really end up back at the tower they left behind hours ago? Maybe it was… no. There was no point in refusing to accept the facts. If this tower really is the one they'd left behind, that would mean…
Leo suddenly opened his mouth.
"Chief, what do we do now?"
Everyone turned to look at Klarissa, who despite the peculiar situation at hand, didn't appear to be particularly rattled.
"We keep moving forward. Even if it is the same tower, resting again won't do us much good."
No one argued against her, nodding and already readying themself to continue moving. However, Ciel wasn't exactly content with the chief's decision. He believed in the saying 'insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.'
But, in the end, he kept his mouth shut. For one, he knew Klarissa wasn't someone that could be easily persuaded. Additionally, after witnessing how capable she was the other day, Ciel felt inclined to place more trust in her abilities.
'I also don't want to get abandoned in this place! Heaven knows what I'd do if a monster were to appear,' he concluded as the group continued moving.
The truth is, were he in this situation a few days ago, he wouldn't mind dying. Hell, he might even look forward to it. However, now that there seemed to be a chance of feeling emotions — no matter how slight — he'd spare no effort to survive and make that happen.
Klarissa led the way, her long white coat almost grazing her ankles before billowing with the wind. The rest of the squad trailed behind her, their expressions filled with worry. Even though they trusted their chief and heeded her orders, that did not mean they could just ignore their gut feeling telling them something was wrong.
Leo was the first to open his mouth.
"Chief… I don't mean to question your judgement, but don't you think this might be an illusion field?"
Klarissa didn't slow her stride.
"It's possible, but unlikely. We are in The Tempest Depths, a wind-based Strata. It would make no sense for it to have mist-based attributes, especially something as strong as an illusion field."
"Ah, does the chief know what's happening?" Abelia asked excitedly.
However, Klarissa silently shook her head.
"I… am not sure. Which is why we'll keep moving and search for clues about what is going on."
No one said anything, letting the silence stretch for a little while. Ciel's muscles tensed slightly, realizing that even Klarissa — the mighty and self-assured chief whom he held in high regard — was at a loss about their current circumstances.
He started thinking, what could be the reason for this bizarre situation?
His eyes glanced around, noticing how the dust filled haze gradually swallowed everything around him. The only thing he could see clearly was Klarissa's back as she kept walking, seemingly pondering about something.
Suddenly, a large shadow flashed in Ciel's peripheral vision. He quickly turned around, hoping to take a better look at it. However, in the blink of an eye, it was gone.
"...Did anyone else see that?" He asked quietly.
No one answered.
All of a sudden, the wind brought the muffled sound of crunching bones to Ciel's ears. He flinched, almost tripping over himself as he turned to look behind him. Impossible. Abelia, Leo, even Kaius, all vanished.
He suddenly had a frightening thought. If everyone disappeared, wouldn't he be a sitting duck for the monsters?
His body swiftly turned to look in Klarissa's direction. Thank God. She was there, still moving forward with her calm and relaxed footsteps. Although, wasn't it strange? She was clearly stronger and more perceptive than him, so how come that he alone noticed everyone had gone missing?
"Chief?" he asked as he approached her.
No response.
He tried again, louder this time.
"Chief, the others are gone!"
Still nothing. Her head stood motionless, refusing to turn around in any capacity. She just kept walking one step at a time, resembling a moth drawn to a flame.
Ciel stopped before Klarissa and placed his hand on her shoulder. Klarissa's body stopped mid-step, her eyes completely vacant — like she was gazing through him, into something far away. She parted her lips, muttering something that didn't sound like a word.
He tightened his grip.
"Klarissa!"
Klarissa's entire body jolted, a strong puff escaping her mouth as her eyes regained their original focus. Then, as the chief came to her senses, she straightened her posture and adjusted her facial expression.
"...Ciel," she exhaled softly. "What—?"
"You looked like you were in a trance. I was going to ask you what's going on, but it looks like you have no idea either…"
Her brows furrowed, hurriedly checking her surroundings.
"Where did the others go?" She inquired, her voice agitated.
"They all vanished. One moment they were here, the next they were gone."
Klarissa pursed her lips and moved towards the area where the group disappeared from. She pressed her hand into the black crystal floor and poured heat into it.
Her jaw clenched.
"Nothing."
Ciel tilted his head slightly, visibly confused about what she was hoping to find.
"Nothing as in?"
"Nothing as in no imprints, no resonance signature, and not a single sign that any living being other than the two of us was ever here. Furthermore, the wind slowed down and there's considerably less dust in the air. To sum it up, it means — "
"We're in a completely different location," Ciel finished what she was about to say.
"Indeed," she acknowledged.
Klarissa stayed quiet for a moment, her gaze glued to the empty horizon. Then, with a faint exhale, she turned away from the spot where her squad had vanished.
"We'll find them," she said, more to herself than to him.
Ciel nodded along, though his mind was elsewhere. He always considered himself pretty perceptive, usually having a decent idea of how things would turn out. However, at this particular moment, he had no clue what was going to happen next.
Suddenly, the two of them heard the noise Ciel picked up earlier — the muffled sound of crunching bones — although it wasn't so muffled now.
"...You've got to be kidding me."