A faint sound behind him made Hans freeze in place, like a rock struck by fear. He cautiously drew his dagger and turned slowly, only to be knocked to the ground by a sudden blow.
As he gradually regained consciousness, he opened his eyes to see the blurred face of a girl standing over him. She wore strange clothes and glared down at him with an inexplicable anger in her eyes. He tried to speak, but something blocked his mouth, leaving him with the bitter taste of grass.
"I want to kill you!" she said, her voice strangely familiar yet foreign.
Hans squinted at her, trying to regain his focus. She was dressed in an odd, white fabric shirt and leather pants, with long white hair cascading around her.
"Who are you?" Hans asked, trying to steady himself.
She looked at him sharply. "The same question applies to you! Judging by your look, aren't you a thief who came to rob the village and my family, just like many others who tried?"
Hans glanced toward the village, pointing at scattered dolls. "Your family? They're just dolls! I didn't know that was even possible."
The girl returned his dagger to its sheath and said, "My family was turned into dolls while I was away. I'm trying to find a cure, but you show up here to steal what rightfully belongs to us!"
"I don't care what you're doing," Hans interrupted. "If it's about money, you've already taken it from me. I'll be escaping this madness anyway. And for the record, I'm an adventurer, not a thief."
"Aren't you even curious about what happened to them?" she asked.
Hans scoffed, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Curious? They're cursed by demon worshipers! They probably devour humans to satisfy their hunger. Nothing surprises me anymore."
"Demon worshipers? Are they real?" she asked, a touch of innocence in her voice.
Hans was shocked at her ignorance. "Yes, they're the dark force that roams this continent after the fall of The Kingdom of Science and the wars among the races."
"So, they're just one of the world's many evils?" she asked.
"They're not entirely evil," Hans replied. "It depends on where you stand in the conflict."
"Don't give me a lecture. I need to know how to get rid of demon worshipers," she muttered.
He smirked as he brushed himself off. "If you know, feel free to tell me. I've never actually met any myself."
Hans began to think about a way out of the mess. She gestured toward the village. "There's a path this way."
Hans grinned. "Is there another way out of this swamp?"
"If you know one, tell me. I haven't tried anything."
"Then let's start another pointless argument," he said.
"You think you're an adventurer, but you're just a petty thief!" she shot back, her tone defiant.
"Who gave you permission to search my belongings?" Hans shouted.
In that moment, the dolls started closing in, and Hans grabbed the girl's hand, trying to flee.
"Don't touch me, thief!" she yelled, even as Hans continued to run.
"So be it, then—die!" Hans muttered.
But she threw a stone at his face, forcing him to pause as the dolls surrounded him from all sides. He felt for his belongings, only to realize they were gone—and in her possession.
Arrows began to fly in his direction. One struck him, paralyzing his left arm. He slowed down, pain surging through him.
Running through the swamp, the muddy water swallowed their feet as the dolls advanced behind them in slow, deadly silence. The echo of their steps grew louder as the dolls circled them like webs.
Hans felt numbness spread through his limbs, pain searing through his body. Each step was like falling into a bottomless pit. Is this the end? he thought, feeling his body betray him.
He reached into his coat and found a magical stone, a smile flickering across his face. I won't die so easily, he thought and threw the stone behind him. Smoke billowed in the air, allowing him to escape.
He ducked behind a large tree, surrounded by glowing swamp insects, trying to heal himself. This is all because of that girl—and that old man! he cursed under his breath. How could an old, wrinkled fool convince me to do something this idiotic? And that girl just used me as bait to escape!
While struggling to move his arm, his bag suddenly landed in front of him, and he heard the girl's voice. "Here are your things."
Hans grabbed his belongings, muttering curses under his breath. He took out a salve and applied it to his wound, reciting incantations until it glowed.
"What is that?" the girl asked, surprised.
"A magical remedy," he replied.
"How does that work?" she asked, curiosity evident.
"It's raw magic. I'm sure you won't understand."
"Try me," she insisted.
"Magic in this world is divided into two types: raw magic and mana magic. This salve, for instance, has various uses and is a type of magic found within rocks and stones rich in stored mana. These stones are then processed through purification stages, after which they can be used. You can inscribe spells, like with my pen here—though my pen is a bit unique as it's unstable—or convert them into healing salves.
The other type, mana, exists in every person to some degree and is divided into three types: ordinary mana, which includes mental, illusory, offensive, and healing uses. But true power lies in combining them."
"And the other type?" she asked.
"Demonic mana, used by demon worshipers and voodoo sorcerers."
As she listened attentively, Hans sighed, "You didn't understand a thing, did you?"
She shook her head, and Hans chuckled. "I was like that in the beginning. It gets easier when you go deeper into it."
He rummaged through his things, questioning why he was explaining all this to someone who wanted him dead.
"I don't know why you helped me," she said, a hint of regret in her voice. "Sorry for treating you badly."
"I don't accept apologies. I just want to get out of here."
"You have two choices: head to the village or keep going to the end of the swamp."
"The village is certain death, so the swamp it is, or we wait until morning," he replied.
"Then you'd better hope you can escape them by morning because these dolls are everywhere. You thief, you'll be caught," she warned.
"Fine. To the end of the swamp," Hans said.
As they walked, she introduced herself. "By the way, my name is Bella. Yours?"
"Hans," he answered.
"Your name is strange. You're not from here?" she asked.
Glancing at his coat, he said, "I'm from Sharuh, or what used to be called Sharuh."
She frowned, suspicion growing in her expression.
As they walked, Hans couldn't shake off the doubts creeping into his mind. Every time she glanced at him with her mysterious eyes, he felt she was hiding something. Was she playing him, or was she just another pawn in this madness?
They heard soft footsteps behind them, as though something small was trying to approach unnoticed. Hans kept looking back, but there was nothing. Bella, however, was aware. "They're close," she whispered, staring into the darkness, as if she could see the unseen.
A towering castle loomed before them, like a beast shrouded in mist. The walls were crumbling, covered in moss that snaked up the dead stones like ivy. There was no sound, just the eerie howl of the wind in Hans's ears, as if warning him to stay away.
Hans felt fear creep over him. "No doubt a demon worshiper is in there."
"We'll circle around it and stay clear," Bella suggested.
But as they moved around the house, a horde of massive dolls appeared, blocking their path. Bella quickly pushed Hans toward them.
"Why did you do that?" Hans yelled.
"You got what you deserved, thief! Never trust a thief like you!"
The dolls advanced on Hans, weaponless. He swiftly pulled out his notebook, scribbled something, and tossed a paper, which turned into a water sphere that stalled the dolls.
Ignoring the sounds of other dolls closing in, he dashed inside the castle.
It was eerily quiet, the sound of wooden dolls' footsteps fading. Hans cursed Bella silently, moving deeper until he found himself in a strange corridor. Along the walls were countless portraits of disfigured people, each labeled with the words, "The Wambre Family shall remain the original."
As he stared at the faces, his disgust grew. The Wambre Family? Odd! Never heard of them, he muttered.
He pulled out a book on family lineages he'd stolen from Roxon but found no trace of the Wambres. A whole lineage and nothing recorded? Strange.
He discovered a door labeled, "Here lies the Wambre Family." He opened it, feeling a strange anticipation.
Approaching a mural, he saw two golden-haired twins with eyes as blue as the sea. A strange urge overcame him; he touched the mural, and it tore, revealing a black book crusted with what seemed to be dried blood.
He opened the book and read its title: "The Sole Chronicle of the Wretched Continent's Rulers."
The book began recounting the Wambre family's history, from the founding of the First Kingdom of Sharuh, the rise of noble houses, and the bloody succession wars that wiped out the family.
According to the book, the Wambre Family was one of the ruling families that had entered the war for succession, only to be crushed because they lacked royal blood.
"Zenit and Zenetia, the married twins! Their union is the reason for their family's deformities." Hans looked at the illustrations, depicting the family's descent.
The book continued describing the Wambre family's history. After the family was destroyed, the twin siblings, who were known as the "Sun Twins," escaped to the swamp, hiding among the native inhabitants. Years later, they married and vowed to restore their family to its former glory.
With the help of farmers and villagers, they built an army to resist and stop the wars. They erected Wambre Castle as a refuge. Hans looked around the room and thought, "So, this is why they chose this swamp."
Two years of fighting passed, and the kingdoms allowed them to struggle, but eventually, Janos, King of Shareh, sent thirty thousand soldiers and wiped out everything before him, erasing the family and its history.
The twins' descendants fled into the swamp, marrying within the family until the fifth generation, when a son named Zenith was born. He was the last of the bloodline due to infertility. Several years later, the family died out from within due to their inability to reproduce.
Hans tossed the book aside in frustration. "Infertility? Their story ended because of infertility?"
If Janos was the one who crushed them, that would have been in 734 and 735. Hans smirked. "So Janos finally defeated someone. He should change his title from the 'Loser' now."
Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching and turned to see a frightened doll trying to escape.
Hans grabbed it as the doll pleaded for him to release it. "Finally, someone I can talk to! Tell me everything about this madness!" Hans said, eager to get answers.