EARLIER BEFORE ENTERING THE REALM!

Entering his house, Oliver shut the door behind him with a soft but firm click, the faint echo of it bouncing across the quiet walls. His first agenda for now was simple—get something to eat.

So he walked up to the kitchen, his shoes echoing off the polished floorboards as he made his way through the dimly lit hallway. The house felt unusually silent, almost as if it were holding its breath, waiting for something unseen to unfold. The faint hum of electricity in the walls and the distant ticking of a clock only made that silence more pronounced.

Reaching the kitchen, he paused briefly, his eyes scanning the contents of the fridge as he pulled it open. A soft white glow spilled across his face, illuminating his tired expression. He selected from what was inside—specifically grabbing an apple, a loaf of bread, and a jar of peanut butter to complete the mix.

It wasn’t anything grand, nothing worthy of praise, but it was enough.

Coming back out, he sat once again in his living room, dropping into the couch with a quiet exhale. The cushions sank slightly beneath his weight as he began to devour what he had with him. Bite after bite, quick and efficient, as though eating was just another task to be completed rather than enjoyed.

The crunch of the apple broke the silence, followed by the soft tearing of bread and the sticky pull of peanut butter. It didn’t take long before he was full.

When he was done, he did away with the remains, tossing them aside with little care before wiping his hands lightly against a cloth resting nearby.

Now... he was ready to go back to the realm once again.

However...

Ding!

The sound pierced through the stillness like a sharp needle, sudden and impossible to ignore.

He heard it as though it was an alarm from his system, and immediately, a translucent interface flashed before his eyes, glowing faintly in the air.

Checking over the notification, Oliver furrowed his brows as he realized this was a message—from Bai Mina.

The same girl he had spoken to just a few minutes... maybe an hour ago.

’Hmm... that was fast.’

Hesitating for a moment, his finger hovered midair before he finally tapped on the message.

Apparently, it was a video recording.

The face of Bai Mina immediately appeared before him, clear and steady—from her head down to her neck. Her expression was composed, but there was something beneath it... urgency, perhaps even concern.

"Hello, Oliver Mori. This is my video recording to you. I did the same to a few other Rankers like yourself, but that’s not what is important here," she said.

Oliver rolled his eyes slightly, though he still walked over to his couch and took a seat, leaning back as he listened.

"The meeting of today was just a fluke—one planned by the Silver Guild—for a few disturbing reasons I will share with you."

Her tone sharpened slightly, losing the casual edge it had before.

"We have figured out a handful of what is going on, and we believe the drastic mutation of creatures in the Realm is caused by an experiment... one in which a Ranker is involved."

She paused briefly, letting that sink in.

"Or more importantly, a Ranker safe zone is involved in housing the full capacity of this experiment. Whether it be Alkarya, Zonin, or Balrum—one of these three zones is where the experiments are being carried out."

Oliver’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"I have vouched for our zone, but the other two are still very suspicious. While we have sent a few of our trusted people to investigate there, we would also like to have you on the case—but in Zonin."

A faint shift in her posture followed.

"I will also be joining you in Zonin, and preferably, I would like you to go disguised so as not to raise alertness among the crowd there. That way, we can accomplish the mission without causing too much trouble or alerting the enemy."

Her gaze seemed to harden slightly.

"Please contact me when you arrive."

With that, the video recording ended.

The interface flickered out, leaving Oliver alone once again in the silence of the room.

’She is wise to make it a video recording,’ Oliver thought, a faint curiosity rising within him. Not just about the mission—but about the people behind it. The ones mutating monsters... twisting the natural order into something grotesque.

If he chose to ignore this situation—if he assumed it would blow over—he would be terribly wrong.

The world was in danger.

And if he turned a blind eye...

Everything would be destroyed.

He couldn’t allow that.

He wouldn’t.

’I have to fight for this... and figure out who is behind it... and stop them once and for all.’

---

Now;

Oliver walked up to the crowd, performing trick after trick as though he were another person entirely. As though the hat resting low over his head had rewritten his very identity.

And perhaps... it had.

His movements were exaggerated, playful, almost theatrical as he danced between illusions and sleight of hand. Cards flickered between his fingers, vanishing and reappearing in flashes of light. Flames sparked briefly from his palms before dissolving into harmless wisps of smoke.

The crowd gathered tightly around him, drawn in by the spectacle.

Their laughter, their claps, their gasps—it all blended into a symphony of admiration.

Well...

Oliver was truly a different person.

As he introduced himself, he was Michelangelo Crustfold—the wandering magician.

He finally came to a stop at the edge of the watching crowd, where a girl stood—clearly no older than sixteen. Her fingers were crossed tightly in front of her chest, her eyes wide with excitement. There was something pure about her expression... something untouched by the harshness of the world.

He cleared his throat and bowed slightly.

"Beautiful maiden, what catches your breath in your throat?"

She froze for a moment, clearly not expecting to be addressed, before a smile slowly spread across her face.

"It’s nice..." she began softly, "seeing such a beautiful sight. I never thought I would see something like this... especially in the Realm."

Crustfold rubbed his small goatee thoughtfully and smiled.

"Oh, so you are a lighthearted lady... as beautiful as they come. A bright thief with a lustrous smile," he said smoothly. "Would you like to see a trick?"

The crowd leaned in slightly, anticipation rising.

But—

She shook her head.

A ripple of surprise spread through those around her.

That wasn’t the expected answer.

Instead, she simply smiled and waved her hand lightly.

"Seeing you happy is enough... that is my only request."

For a brief moment... Crustfold paused.

Then he nodded, turning away playfully as he began to walk off, his coat swaying lightly behind him as though caught in a breeze that didn’t exist.

And then—

Grab!

"Wait."

Crustfold froze.

The grip on his arm was light... but firm enough to stop him.

"Tell me something, please, Mr. Magician... why are you without a shadow?"

Silence fell.

The crowd, once filled with noise, now stood in quiet curiosity.

Because now that it had been pointed out...

It was undeniable.

Beneath him—despite the clear presence of sunlight—there was no shadow.

At first glance, it could have been dismissed as a trick.

But now...

It lingered.

Heavy.

Unexplained.

Crustfold remained silent for a moment longer, before shrugging lightly as though it were of no importance. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Let me tell you a tale... of a little man in a valley."

His voice softened, drawing the crowd in once more.

"There was once a man who lived in a vast valley, filled with rolling hills stretching as far as the eye could see. Those hills rose so high... that he could never quite witness the full beauty of the sunset."

The wind seemed to whisper faintly through the crowd.

"So every evening, just before the sun would set, he hurried—climbing a hill with all his strength. But by the moment he reached the top... the sun was already gone."

A pause.

"He missed it."

His gaze shifted slightly.

"Out of spite and grief, he descended once more, returning to the valley to wallow in his loss."

"Then came sunrise."

"Another beauty... waiting for his eyes."

"He climbed again—faster this time. Harder. Determined. But the moment he reached the peak... again... it was gone."

"He continued this cycle... again and again."

His hand slowly raised.

"We do not miss opportunities because we are not smart enough to seize them."

And then—

A bouquet of flowers appeared in his hand.

Pink and bright white... glowing faintly as though alive.

"We miss them because we are too impatient... too scared... too comfortable at the bottom of the hill."

The flowers shimmered.

"We fear standing at the pinnacle... waiting... because we begin to believe the sunrise or sunset will never come again."

The petals began to dissolve into flickering rays of pink light.

"But opportunity... comes more than once."

His voice softened.

"You might miss it the first time... but if you remain standing... no matter how heavy it feels..."

The light faded.

"You may catch the next one."

Silence followed.

Then—

A final smile.

"Be patient."

His eyes flickered briefly, something darker passing beneath the surface.

"The reason for my missing shadow... will be revealed in due time."

With that, he gently pulled his hand from the girl’s loosened grip and stepped back into the crowd.

And just like that—

He was gone.

Vanished into the sea of people.

Leaving behind nothing but whispers... curiosity...

And a question that refused to fade.

Who really knrw Where... magician without a shadow was wandering off to?