When the plot-skips players into the game world

As Aiwass chanted, the space around him fell into complete silence in an instant.

Colors as vibrant as oil paints smeared across the space, and Aiwass's entire "contrast" suddenly began to rise dramatically, making him appear vivid and prominent.

The next moment, bright reds appeared on Aiwass's right neck, left chest, and abdomen.

They were not the dark red of blood... but rather, more like ketchup or liquid fire.

In an instant, Aiwass shattered, and the style and hue of the scene returned to normal—as did the sound.

His entire body was covered in shallow, unsplit cracks, from which the ethereal and intangible breath of Gemini Mirror seeped out. His entire body was suffused with white light.

Those three wounds were three doorways.

Like three moons of different phases, they exuded clear moonlight as they revolved.

The pitch-black, cold breath belonging to the Fallen Celestial Marshal seeped in from below Aiwass, continuously intertwining with the moonlight, filling the illusory purple outline of the card.

The black and purple breaths twined around one another, constantly tuning, condensing, gathering.

Aiwass softly called the Night Fiend's name, "Night Fiend... Vinesse, my little raven.

"I now call your name, endow you with the Brand of Jealousy.

"From this moment on, my life is your life, my destiny is your destiny...

"—obey me, Phantom Demon of the Path of Transcendence!"

The sonorous, yet hoarse voice of the Son of the Moon version of Aiwass, sounded like a whisper in the night.

Afterward, both Aiwass and Night Fiend solidified. The surroundings once again grew quiet and progressively darker, only the colors of Aiwass and Night Fiend becoming crisp and vibrant, like jewels illuminated by moonlight against the pitch-black night sky.

The pupils of Aiwass and the Night Fiend were a similar crimson. And in the moment their gazes met, a black, ethereal chain emerged from Aiwass's heart, piercing into the Night Fiend.

It was a chain forged of Aiwass's "soul" and "destiny."

It was not something solid. On the contrary... it was extremely fragile, a chain that needed to be handled delicately.

If Night Fiend struggled fiercely, merely breaking this chain would be enough to grievously wound Aiwass in an instant.

But she did not resist at all and stood motionless, allowing Aiwass to link with her soul, completing the resonance.

In a split second, darkness fell before Aiwass's eyes, and his entire being plunged into the abyss of nothingness.

When Aiwass opened his eyes again, he found himself in the familiar yet strange streets of the empire.

However, it was not Beyard who stood familiar to Aiwass on the streets, but a young black-haired girl, even younger than Yulia.

The young girl wandered alone through the rain. Her wet, clear and soft pupils shivered like an abandoned puppy, trembling. She wore a simple yet delicate white dress with a wide-brimmed straw hat on her head, her hands holding down her hat, yet her long hair still drenched by the rain.

The passersby detoured around her when they saw Beyard.

She walked forward in bewilderment, the people much taller than she formed two walls on either side, blocking off the entire world in the hazy curtain of rain. It felt like the street was endless, no matter how long she walked, she couldn't find its end, the sides of the street seemed to stretch to the ends of the world, with no edges in sight when she looked up.

In the entire world, there was only the sound of rain; no one talked to her.

Just like that, the girl continued walking, and at some unknown point, she had turned into a lady with an austere face and a noble air, still walking through the relentless rain. The streets on either side of her began to subtly change.

She was dressed in a long gown, with servants holding umbrellas behind her. Still, as she walked among the crowd, the crowd parted to create two walls of people to her left and right.

Yet, as she walked along the street, still no one responded to her.

Continuing on her way, she suddenly stopped and turned into the crimson-eyed Son of the Moon, the servants vanished, and her slender, pale fingers reached for her mouth, maintaining her silence.

Before she knew it, the surrounding rain had turned into a blood rain. The once swarming streets began to clear of people, and the shops on both sides became dilapidated.

Then, suddenly, a shadow burst forth from behind her and, grabbing her, rushed forward.

That shadow was like her, tainted by darkness, with two-thirds of it turned into a pitch-black silhouette. On the originally fair face, only one eye remained. The other eye had turned into a menacing red light shimmering in the pitch darkness.

That was her other self!

Humorously, she followed the swiftly moving shadow, a rare smile appearing on her face.

She happily talked to the other... but the shadow walked faster and faster, and she could no longer keep up, until she chose to let go with a smile, releasing her hand.

When the shadow suddenly felt a lightness in hand and turned back, she had already turned into a pool of fresh blood, dissolving into the blood rain.

The two walls of people had completely vanished. The world had become so serene.

The blood rain continued to fall to the ground, the Shadow Demon maintaining the posture of looking back, standing alone in the downpour of blood.

The street was empty, the once prosperous street reduced to nothing but post-war ruins.

Streams of pure steam that resembled black dry ice emanated from her body, and two streams of fresh blood slid down her face. It was unknown if they were tears or rainwater.

At that moment, she rubbed her eyes, looked up at the sky with no sun or moon, and shielded her eyes with her hand.