"Ugh... What... what is this...?"
As Nahan's body violently collided with the wall, Kiolle managed to pull himself partially out of the illusion, slowly regaining consciousness. Groaning softly, he shook his head.
"Why does my arm hurt so much...? No, wait... why am I covered in dirt...? What is going on!"
"That's not the issue right now. If you're awake, run—quickly!"
The boy, Nahan's companion, dashed toward him. Yuder grabbed Kiolle, who had thankfully recovered enough to keep up, and together they sprinted.
Without looking back, they fled the cave. Outside, the daylight was fading as the sun dipped behind the mountains.
"We... we finally made it out... But what just happened? What was that back there...?"
"Be quiet."
Fighting off a dizzying wave of vertigo, Yuder pressed forward. This was the spot where they had tied up and hidden two mercenary Awakeners before entering the cave.
For better or worse, only the loosened gags and ropes remained. The mercenaries were gone.
'Hopefully, Devran's group found them, roughed them up, and they ran...'
"What... what's this rope doing here?"
Kiolle exclaimed at the sight of the discarded gags and ropes. Yuder didn't answer, only kept walking. His arm throbbed painfully—the knife wound was nothing compared to the searing pain from his puncture wound.
Still, he could endure it. His mind was preoccupied with questions about Nahan's unexpectedly powerful abilities and his true identity.
'Could Nahan be more important than even the Apeto family? Why didn't someone so conspicuous appear in my past life? Did he constantly hide himself with his illusions? Or perhaps...'
"That one stung a bit."
Suddenly, an unbelievable voice came from up ahead. Yuder snapped his head in the direction Kiolle was already staring wide-eyed.
Incredibly, Nahan, the small boy who had been left behind in the cave, and the still-dazed mercenary Awakeners, were now standing right there.
'Did I mistakenly think the ones I left behind were illusions?'
For a moment, doubt sprouted in Yuder's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Blood was seeping from a cut on Nahan's forehead, proving the earlier collision had been real. But how had they gotten here faster than Yuder and Kiolle?
"It seems my power even surprises a great warrior like you," Nahan remarked, smirking at Yuder's expression.
"It's simple. I can use my power more deeply than usual on a few select targets for a short period. The duration is brief, but the effect is undeniable."
"..."
"The more you doubt and question your surroundings, the deeper you fall into the illusion. A beautiful illusion that surpasses even your senses in reality. Like right now, when you think we've teleported, but we simply walked past you."
A cold smile crossed Nahan's face. After a brief pause, Yuder asked,
"Why bother explaining all this?"
"Because it amplifies your doubt. I need to do everything I can to incapacitate someone who can break even the most powerful illusion, one that would cripple most people. It's quite advantageous."
If Nahan's words were true, Yuder had already been heavily influenced by the profound illusion, his sense of time and space twisted beyond recognition.
What would happen if he were completely consumed by this ability? The face of Kishiar from the earlier illusion flickered in his mind.
"..."
Yuder exhaled, feeling both his hands throb as if they had been sliced and pricked by invisible blades.
'No, I can't let myself think too deeply. He's saying all of this hoping I'll react.'
Showing any sign of being unsettled would be the worst mistake against an Awakener capable of directly influencing the mind.
Yuder took a deep breath and rolled up his uniform sleeve slightly. A small red dot, still bleeding faintly, was visible on the inside of his left wrist. It was the seal he had marked when he made the pact with Kiolle earlier. Seeing it reassured him.
'The fact that this remains means Kiolle is still alive. That means the person next to me isn't an illusion.'
There was no way the illusion would have pursued him this far if Kiolle had already been killed. It would have required far more energy to sustain an illusion like this just for Yuder. He turned his head towards Kiolle, who stood frozen, unable to speak a word.
His foolish expression somehow felt like the most certain evidence that he wasn't an illusion, and Yuder found his mind slightly more at ease.
'I never thought I'd feel this way looking at his face.'
"Kiolle da Diarca."
"Why?"
Kiolle responded, his face pale and terrified.
"Stay close behind me. The moment you separate, those bastards will kill you."
"Why would they want to kill me? Do they hold a grudge against the Diarca family?"
"No, they just really want to kill you because you're such a piece of trash."
"What...?"
Kiolle gaped, his expression cycling through various emotions—astonishment, confusion—as he looked between Yuder and Nahan.
"Still, you're trying to protect me, right? Then I—"
"Of course, I think you're trash too. I'm not protecting you because I want to, so shut up and stay quiet."
Worried about any potential misunderstanding, Yuder made sure to speak clearly. Kiolle slowly retreated with a somewhat shocked look, but fortunately, after swearing the vow earlier, he seemed more willing to follow orders.
'Whether Nahan really used his deep illusion ability or not, I can't afford to waste more time here.'
If it weren't for the ominous dark spot spreading on his right hand, Yuder could have waited out Nahan's 'time limit' and captured him. But that wasn't possible now. The pain climbing up his arm was abnormal—the mark was advancing. If it spread further and began affecting his abilities, Nahan, quick to notice weaknesses, would surely take advantage.
"You're still fighting back, brother? How do you plan to escape my ability, especially when no one's coming to save you?" Nahan tilted his head leisurely, like a predator toying with its prey.
"No matter how powerful you are, if your grip on reality slips, hitting me will become more and more difficult. A missed attack is just wasted effort."
He muttered softly, patting the head of the boy standing next to him.
"Just admit it. Your head's getting dizzy, your body's growing heavier—it's exhausting, isn't it? You've looked strained for a while now."
The moment Yuder heard those words, it felt like a spell had been cast. His limbs grew heavy, his head spinning as if in agreement with Nahan's taunts. He wondered if Nahan had noticed his worsening arm, but it didn't seem likely. Yet, his condition was clearly deteriorating.
Yuder squinted as pain radiated from his shoulder, intensifying as it spread down past his right elbow.
"Well… there's no need to confirm it."
"What do you mean by that?"
"This," Nahan replied, his expression subtly shifting as if he had noticed something. In response, Yuder clenched his fist instead of answering, mustering all his remaining strength.
Suddenly, a massive pillar of fire erupted in front of him. Behind him, Kiolle screamed, his voice drowned out by the deafening explosion.
"Aargh!"
At the same time, Yuder's right arm stiffened, overwhelmed by the most intense pain he had ever felt. The agony was so severe that his vision blurred for a moment, a flash of white overtaking his senses.
Whether Kiolle lay sprawled out and screaming or not, Yuder's summoned flames roared, scorching the surroundings and shooting skyward. The overwhelming blaze obscured Nahan and his companions, forming a protective barrier around Yuder.
As the fire pierced the clouds and stretched high into the sky, Yuder felt his once-disoriented mind begin to clear. The sensation was like a wall breaking down, the air around him sharp and crisp.
It was a sight reminiscent of the first time he had dispelled one of Nahan's illusions, clearing a vast area.
'So my hunch was right after all.'
Nahan had been speaking confidently, acting as though his advanced ability had been focused solely on Yuder. But that wouldn't explain why Kiolle was also under its influence. Yuder recalled that Nahan's power originally affected a specific range, not just individual targets.
'There were many Awakeners who could use more advanced abilities than their original ones under specific conditions. But the conditions Nahan described don't quite fit.'
If Nahan's ability was affecting a broad range rather than a specific target, everything made sense. And for abilities that influence an area, the best way to break them is to overwhelm the range from within.
That was something Yuder excelled at.
'He must have realized that the illusion covering us has broken. Now that others can see clearly, he'll know he has no chance of winning.'
The only option left for Nahan would be to flee. Even in this situation, Yuder doubted Nahan would be so stubborn as to insist on killing Kiolle.
Just then, the ground shook violently, and Kiolle's panicked scream rose to a fever pitch.