They were still strolling in the park. Eva, with the golden flower still tucked behind her ear, walked cheerfully, while Lumian followed behind her, vigilant. Occasionally, his eyes swept their surroundings—a few people, teenagers, even adults, stole glances at them, but none felt like a threat, just ordinary looks.
After almost half an hour had passed, Lumian finally spoke, "Eva, it's time to go home. Aunt May must be waiting."
Eva furrowed her brow for a moment, her face briefly gloomy, then finally nodded. They walked side by side, passing through several increasingly crowded alleys until they finally arrived back at the main market. The atmosphere here was far more chaotic than before. Merchants eagerly offered their wares, the sounds of haggling and low, bustling chatter filling the air.
Is there a celebration today? Lumian thought, his eyes scanning the unusual crowd. In front of them, not far away, the small river dividing the road looked even clearer under the morning sun.
His gaze was drawn to a clock on an old shop wall. The clock hands showed 09:00—still quite early, yet the market was unusually packed.
Lumian turned his gaze to Eva, who was still faithfully carrying the shopping bag in her hand, her face bright though slightly tired from the walk.
"Are you satisfied today?" he asked, his soft voice cutting through the surrounding noise.
"Yes..." Eva replied, though her flat tone couldn't be hidden.
Lumian smiled. "But you look unsatisfied."
"Yes..."
Lumian chuckled, guilt tickling his heart. "I will take you to the market more often."
"You promise?" Eva looked up, her eyes sparkling.
"I promise."
Eva's face immediately brightened. They continued their steps happily.
However, suddenly—the hairs on Lumian's neck stood up. An unnatural cold air seeped into his body—so piercing, it felt like it crept directly into his marrow. Even though the sun was still blazing. He glanced at Eva and found his sister shivering, rubbing her own arms.
"Is it going to be winter?" asked Eva, her voice trembling.
Lumian's heart beat erratically. His gaze swept the surroundings—other people also looked confused, asking each other with the same expression. This cold was different. It wasn't just the temperature; it was like fine needle pricks touching the soul directly.
Then, his eyes caught a figure in a red robe with a seed-shaped pendant on his neck. The man's lips moved rapidly, reciting a silent incantation.
Is this because of him?
Lumian didn't want to take any risks. Swiftly, he pulled Eva closer, embracing her tightly in a hug, trying to calm and protect her at the same time.
Suddenly, his steps halted. He just realized—amidst the crowd, several people in black and red robes were scattered. They didn't greet or physically attack each other, but from their empty stares and rapidly moving lips, it was clear an invisible confrontation was taking place.
The air seemed chaotic, torn by energy radiating like shattered glass, seeping from the void. The colors of the world turned gloomy, shrouded in an unnatural cold hue.
"Eva, we have to go!" He gripped his sister's increasingly cold hand tightly.
But his pull felt heavy. When he turned, Lumian found Eva frozen solid, stiff as a statue—as if time had stopped just for her.
"Eva?"
Suddenly, his grasp passed through Eva's hand as if grabbing air. Disbelieving, he tried to touch her again, only to watch her body begin to disappear from the feet up, turning into a thin mist.
"EVA!!"
His heart pounded wildly, almost leaping from his chest.
"NO! NO!"
Lumian screamed, staggering back. His hands trembled as he pressed his temples, trying to comprehend the chaos happening around him. Time had truly frozen. Merchants with mouths agape, a child frozen mid-jump, smoke from a food stall frozen in the air—everything was still in a single, unnatural frame. Only he could still move.
GRRRGGG!
From the side, the stone street suddenly bulged and sharpened, lunging at him like a living stone serpent. Lumian reflexively jumped back to avoid it, but the sharp mound chased his every step, as if possessing a will of its own.
Thud! His foot tripped over a stone that suddenly emerged from the ground. As his body fell, the sharp peak was already aimed straight at his face, just an inch away. His eyes widened, staring at the tip of the stone ready to impale him. Am I dead?
However, right at the brink of death, the stone mound stopped abruptly—then vanished like shattered glass, turning into dust swept away by the unmoving wind in the frozen world.
What was really happening?! Lumian was stunned, his breath ragged, his body drenched in cold sweat. His chest rose and fell irregularly.
Tap... tap... tap...
The sound of footsteps echoed from behind, breaking the silence of the frozen world. Three figures in black robes approached calmly, lowering their hoods. Two men with cold faces, and in the middle—the familiar brown-haired woman. The same woman who had bumped into him earlier, with her triangular-patterned iron necklace and red crystal.
"TELL ME WHERE MY SISTER IS?!" Lumian's voice was hoarse and barely restrained.
The woman raised an eyebrow. "I should be the one asking, how can you enter this Illusion World?"
Lumian was shocked. Illusion World? But what was important was—"I don't know what you mean! But where is my sister now?!"
"Calm down," the woman replied flatly. "She is outside this dimension, safe from the impact of our battle."
Outside the dimension? Lumian's mind grew more frantic. So what dimension is this?
Tap! Tap! Tap!
From the roof of a shop, three other figures in red robes appeared. They only glanced briefly at the black-robed group, then disappeared back into the shadows, leaving a tension that thickened in the air.
"Alright," said the brown-haired woman, no longer demanding an answer. In her hand, a crystal cube with a yellow light inside floated slowly. "At least I've obtained the artifact."
She stared sharply at Lumian. The world around began to change—building forms flickered like puzzles being reassembled, colors faded and returned, as if reality was being stitched back together. The woman pointed to a narrow alley between two shops.
"We will meet there. Don't try to run."
Her body wavered and disappeared into a thin mist. The illusion world shook, spun, and—
"Brother! Brother!"
Lumian jolted awake, gasping for air as if he had been holding his breath for a long time. His hands supported his trembling knees, his heart racing, cold sweat drenching his pale face. Around him, the market had returned to normal—people came and went, the sounds of haggling were loud and lively, and Eva stood in front of him with a worried face.
"Brother, what's wrong?" she asked softly, both her hands gripping Lumian's arm tightly.
Lumian stared at her, examining every detail of his sister's tense face. His eyes swept over Eva's body from the tips of her hair to the tips of her toes, making sure there were no wounds, nothing missing. She was safe… He let out a sigh of relief, the panic in his chest slowly subsiding.
With effort, Lumian stood straight, picked up the shopping bag that had fallen, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Maybe I'm just tired," he said, trying to make his voice sound calm.
"Really? But you were standing still for so long, and your eyes... were so empty. I was scared."
How long? Lumian thought. His eyes immediately looked at the clock on the shop he had seen earlier—09:04. The last he remembered, the clock showed 09:00. If he had regained consciousness about a minute ago, it meant he had been trapped in that illusion world for three minutes.
Three minutes that felt like an hour—and the only thing he remembered clearly was the cold stare of the woman in the black robe, and her message: "We will meet there."