A faint sound from behind made Hans freeze in place, as if he had turned to stone from sheer terror. He cautiously drew his dagger and turned slowly, only to be struck with a powerful blow that sent him crashing to the ground.
As he regained consciousness, he opened his eyes to see a girl standing over him. She wore strange clothes and glared at him with eyes filled with rage. He tried to speak, but something blocked his mouth, forcing him to taste the bitter tang of grass.
"I want to kill you!" she said, her voice familiar yet strange.
Hans looked at the girl, and as his vision focused, he noticed that she wore a simple white cloth shirt and leather trousers. Her long white hair flowed freely around her.
"Who are you?" Hans asked as he struggled to regain his balance.
She shot him a sharp look and said, "I should be asking you the same thing! From your outfit and appearance, aren't you just another thief trying to rob my village and my family like so many others?"
Hans turned toward the village, gesturing at the scattered dolls. "Your family? They're just dolls! I had no idea that was even possible."
The girl returned his dagger to his belt and said, "My family turned into dolls while I was away. I want to cure them, and then you show up to steal what rightfully belongs to them!"
"I don't care what you want," Hans interrupted. "If it's about money, you already took mine. I'll be leaving this madness behind, and for the record, I'm an adventurer, not a thief."
"Don't you have any curiosity about what happened to them?" she asked.
Hans let out a sarcastic laugh. "Curiosity? They're under the influence of demon worshipers' magic, and those fanatics are nearby. I wouldn't be surprised if they sacrifice humans to satisfy their hunger."
"Demon worshipers? Are they real?" she asked innocently.
Hans was surprised by her ignorance. "Yes, they're the evil that roams this continent after the collapse of the Kingdom of Knowledge and the racial conflicts."
"So, they're just another group of villains in the world?" she asked.
"They're not entirely evil," Hans replied. "It depends on where you stand in the conflict."
"Don't lecture me; just tell me how to get rid of a demon worshiper," she muttered.
Hans smirked as he dusted himself off. "If you know, tell me. I haven't met one myself."
Hans began thinking about how to escape this predicament. The girl extended her hand toward the village and said, "There's a path over there."
Hans grinned. "Isn't there another way through the swamp?"
"If you know one, tell me. I haven't tried anything yet."
"Then let's start a pointless argument," Hans said.
"You think you're an adventurer, but you're just a sneaky thief!" she retorted.
"Who gave you permission to search through my belongings?" Hans shouted.
At that moment, the dolls began to move closer, preparing to attack. Hans grabbed the girl's hand and tried to run.
"Don't touch me, you thief!" she yelled, but Hans kept running.
"Then die here!" Hans snapped.
She hurled a rock at his face, making him stumble as the dolls surrounded him. He reached for his belongings, only to realize they were missing—the girl had taken them.
Arrows whizzed through the air toward him, one of them striking his left arm, causing instant paralysis. The pain slowed his movements.
They ran through the swamp, their feet sinking into the muddy waters, while the dolls approached with eerie silence. Their footsteps squelched loudly in the thick mud, and the dolls encircled them like a spider weaving its web.
Hans felt numbness creeping through his limbs, the pain burning through his body like fire. Every step felt like falling into a bottomless pit. Is this where I die? he wondered as his body began to fail him.
He reached into his coat and found a magic stone. Smiling, he muttered, "I won't die so easily." Then, he threw it behind him, releasing a thick smoke that provided a chance to escape.
He took cover behind a massive tree, its trunk swarming with glowing swamp insects, and tried to tend to his wounds. Frustrated, he muttered, "All of this because of that girl… and that old man! How did an old fool convince me that I'm an idiot, and how did that girl use me as bait for those dolls just so she could escape?"
As he attempted to move his arm, his bag suddenly landed in front of him, and he heard the girl's voice. "Here are your things."
Hans snatched the bag, grumbling under his breath, then pulled out a magical ointment and rubbed it on his wound.
"What's that?" the girl asked curiously.
"Magic medicine," he replied.
"How does that work?" she asked, intrigued.
"It's raw magic. I assume you have no idea what I'm talking about."
"Explain it to me," she insisted.
Hans sighed and said, "Magic in this world is divided into two types: raw magic and mana magic. This ointment has various uses. The other type, mana, exists in every person at varying levels. Mana is further divided into three types: basic mana, which includes mental, illusionary, offensive, and healing applications. But the real power lies in combining them."
"And the other type?" she asked.
"Demonic mana, which belongs to demon worshipers and voodoo sorcerers."
As the girl listened intently, Hans smirked. "You didn't understand a thing, did you?"
She nodded.
Hans chuckled. "I was the same at first. It gets easier once you delve into it."
As he inspected his belongings, he wondered why he had bothered explaining all that when she had tried to kill him moments ago.
"I don't know, but you helped me. I apologize for how I treated you," she admitted.
"I don't accept your apology. I just want to get out of here."
"You have two choices: go to the village or head to the edge of the swamp."
"The village is certain death, so the only option is the swamp… or waiting until morning."
"By then, the dolls might kill you. They're everywhere. And you, thief, will definitely be caught!" she said.
"Fine, then we head to the edge of the swamp," Hans decided.
As they walked, she suddenly said, "By the way, my name is Bella. And you?"
"Hans," he replied.
"Your name is strange. You're not from here, are you?" she asked.
Hans looked at his coat and said, "I'm from Shura… or what used to be called Shura."
Bella's expression darkened. "So, you're from Shura."
As Bella led the way, Hans couldn't shake off the doubt creeping into his mind. The way she looked at him with her mysterious eyes made him feel like there was more to her story. Is she playing me? Or is she just another pawn in this madness?
As they walked, they heard soft footsteps behind them, as if someone—or something—was trying to approach without being detected. Every time Hans turned around, there was nothing. But Bella knew. "They're close," she whispered, staring into the darkness as if she could see what he couldn't.
A massive house loomed before them like a beast drowning in fog. Its crumbling walls were covered in moss that slithered like snakes over the lifeless stone. The only sound was the wind howling in Hans' ears, warning him to stay away.
A sense of fear gripped Hans. "A demon worshiper is definitely inside," he muttered.
"We'll circle around it to avoid it," Bella suggested.
But as they attempted to go around, a group of large dolls approached, leaving no room for escape. Bella suddenly shoved Hans toward them.
Hans shouted in disbelief, "Why did you do that?"
"This is what you deserve, thief! I can't trust someone like you!"
The dolls advanced toward Hans without weapons. He quickly pulled out his notebook, scribbled something, then tore out a page and threw it. The paper transformed into a wave of water that drowned the dolls.
He heard more dolls approaching, but he ignored them and ran into the house.
He felt a deep silence inside the house—no sound of wooden dolls' footsteps.
He cursed Bella in his mind as he walked until he reached a strange corridor. Along its length, he found numerous portraits of deformed people, each bearing an inscription underneath: "The Wambry family shall remain the original."
The more he looked at their faces, the greater his disgust grew. "The Wambry family? Strange! I've never heard of them before."
He pulled out a book about noble families that he had stolen from Roxon, but found no mention of the Wambry. "A whole lineage, yet not a single word about them in this book? Weird!"
He then came across a door with the inscription: "Here lies the Wambry family." He opened it, an unsettling feeling creeping over him.
Inside, he approached a mural depicting two beautiful siblings with golden blonde hair like molten gold and deep blue eyes like the sea. A strange urge compelled him to touch the painting. The moment his fingers met the surface, it tore apart, revealing a black book inside—its cover seemingly stained with dried blood.
Upon opening it, he read the title: "The Only Book of the Rulers of the Forsaken Continent."
The book began recounting the history of the Wambry family—from the establishment of the First Kingdom of Shara, the rise of noble houses, and the war that led to their downfall.
The Wambry were among those who sought power and engaged in the War of Succession. However, the other kingdoms eradicated them, deeming them unfit since they lacked royal blood.
"Zenet and Zantina, the married twins! Their union was the cause of their family's deformities."
Hans examined the illustrations, realizing that the family had been intermarrying among themselves, which led to the spread of genetic defects.
He continued reading. The book narrated that after their family's destruction, the Sun Twins fled to the swamp to hide, living there among the native inhabitants. Years later, they married each other and vowed to restore their family's legacy.
They raised an army of farmers and villagers to support them in their war effort, establishing Wambry Castle. Hans glanced around the room and murmured, "So that's why they chose this swamp."
For two years, they waged war against everyone, having no single enemy but rather all the great kingdoms watching as they fought. After those two years, King Janos of Shura sent thirty thousand soldiers to crush them. He erased everything in his path, destroying the family and its history.
The twins' descendants fled back into the swamp, continuing their cycle of inbreeding until the fifth generation, when a child named Zenet was born—the last of their bloodline, as he was infertile. A few years later, the family went extinct due to sterility.
Hans tossed the book aside and scoffed, "Sterility? Their story ended because of sterility?"
So, if Janos was the one who wiped them out, then it must have been around the years 734 and 735…
He smirked. "If Janos finally managed to defeat someone, he should really consider changing his title from 'The Loser.'"
Just then, he heard footsteps approaching. He turned to see a frightened doll trying to flee.
Hans grabbed it, and the doll began pleading for him to let go.
Finally, Hans smirked and said, "At last, I found someone I can talk to. Now, tell me everything about this madness!"