Darian was taken aback for a moment, puzzled.
"Why is it on the platform? Father, weren't you carrying it with you before?"
Lord Vitus sighed, a note of weariness in his voice.
"When I was dragged into this world, I accidentally left the crystal on the platform."

I looked toward the elevated stone platform and the faintly glowing object upon it.
How the crystal got up there was irrelevant. The real, massive problem was how to get it back.
Darian also realized the issue.
"I see. But the magical stairs used to ascend the platform during the festival are gone... Father, do you have any way to retrieve it? For example, using your fire magic from a distance to blast it down?"
"Unfortunately, while my fire magic has decent power, it lacks that kind of precise control. Forcibly blasting it would only destroy the crystal along with it."
The lord shook his head.
"But Darian, didn't I have you learn the applications of the 'Ethereal Grasp' and 'Veiled Step' runes? Both could easily handle the current situation."
Darian's eyes darted away, looking somewhat embarrassed as he averted his gaze.
"Apologies... Father. I... neglected my rune practice."
This young master usually handled everything personally and wasn't arrogant at all. It's hard to imagine him slacking off... Probably, he truly just has limited talent.
...And what about me?

After a moment's hesitation, I said,
"Please, let me go. Sylvia's runes should be sufficient for this."
The lord looked at me, his gaze appraising.
"Adam, can the runes that elf taught you retrieve objects from a distance?"
I shook my head honestly.
"No. I plan to use frost power to build a temporary 'ice staircase' between the ground and the platform, then walk up and retrieve the crystal myself."
After a brief silence, Darian made a sound of surprise.
"Young man, you only just began formal combat training not long ago, didn't you? Are you sure? Your method... requires crossing that dance floor filled with those... those 'things'!"

I took a deep breath and tried to smile like Sylvia would.
"Of course there are problems. So, when I join the Star Corps, you must give me a more beautiful badge than the others."
Hearing this, Lord Vitus revealed a faint smile and said to me,
"Good lad. You have courage. You remind me of Grey Wilson from back in the day."
...What did he mean? "From back in the day" Mr. Wilson?
I remember clearly, before the beast tide attacked ten years ago, Mr. Wilson was smart but unremarkable in town, just an ordinary orphan.
Not long after the beast tide, he left Silverleaf Town and was never heard from again.
But during the beast tide, didn't he go to a safe place to hide right after saving me? How could he have met Lord Vitus, who should have been deep in the forest commanding the battle against the demons at the time?
"Did you see Mr. Wilson during the beast tide?"
The lord showed an ambiguous smile.
"I'll tell you after you return. Also, please be cautious. Try not to show any sign of 'noticing their movements.'"
...Right, we'll talk after I get back.
"Thank you for your blessing. I'm setting off."

I slapped my face hard to clear my head and walked toward the dance floor.
Jackson's transformation was horrifying.
But he seemed to have come to harm because he spoke the name Saqophigus. The musician Karl merely provided the inducement. The trigger was ultimately Jackson himself.
As long as I'm careful and cautious... it should be fine!
Holding onto this thought, I stepped by step approached the edge of the dance floor.

Whether it was those smiling dancers, the musicians playing cheerful tunes, or the recently joined, nimble-moving Jackson... they all seemed completely unaware of my approach, still immersed in their respective "performances."
Good. Just keep it that way.
Holding my breath, I climbed over the wooden railing and lightly dropped into the dance floor.

When I looked up again to confirm the direction of the platform—a face appeared without warning, almost pressing against my eyelids.
It was a strange dancer wearing a ridiculous pumpkin headpiece.
He was standing right in front of me, close enough to feel his breath, staring at me with wide eyes.

Fear washed over me like ice water.
I instantly clenched my fists, nails digging deep into my palms, using the pain to stop myself from screaming.
Calm down, Adam! Calm down! He just got close! As long as I don't speak, as long as I don't mention that name, it's fine! Absolutely fine!

I pretended not to see him and was about to sidestep away when the dancer's lips moved slightly, and he spoke.
I forced myself to look away, pretending I hadn't seen him at all, my body stiff as I tried to move around him.
However, the lips beneath the pumpkin headpiece twitched and let out a clear voice:
"I know... where Sylvia is."
As he spoke, I saw him slowly remove the headpiece.
My heart lurched violently.
Sylvia?! He knows?!
I almost immediately opened my mouth to demand an answer, but my gaze subconsciously caught a dark red mark on his neck—an extremely thin, thread-like crimson line, starkly separating the bronze skin below his neck from the sickly pale skin of his face above.
If that's the case... whose head was attached to his neck?
Absolutely must not look!

"Everfrost! Freeze in mid-air!"
I immediately formed my second rune, sealing the pumpkin headpiece solid.
He violently pushed against the pumpkin, the force strong enough to snap his wrist, yet it couldn't budge the magic in the slightest.
Not daring to delay for a second, I turned to move around him. But at that moment, he used his uninjured hand to grab his own neck and then, with casual ease, tore apart the body below his head—the body belonging to someone else.
Blood splattered. A head descended from within the pumpkin.
Damn it! Can't use the second rune on the head. That would probably count as 'recognizing' it too!
I had no choice but to hurriedly close my eyes, plunging myself into darkness.
Calm, calm, Adam! Calm! The problem isn't that big!
I asked loudly,
"Young Master Darian! Can I open my eyes now?"
Darian's voice rang out.
"Yes! He's already taken his head away!"
A wave of relief washed over me, followed immediately by a shudder.
...No, that's wrong. Darian can't accurately point out the existence of the 'head.' He knows that very well.
The person speaking isn't him.
Half a second after I thought this, another Darian's voice indeed sounded.
"Young man, no! You absolutely, absolutely must not open your eyes now. No, you cannot open your eyes until you leave the dance floor! Be mentally prepared too!"

I couldn't help but tremble.
Why go to this extent? The head fell behind me. Why can't I open my eyes?
Could it be... could it be that in the few seconds my eyes were closed, something even worse appeared in the dance floor?
The darkness instantly felt prickly; even the air grew heavier.
My breathing gradually became rapid; my heart pounded like thunder.
Damn it.

Darian couldn't explain in detail due to the rules. Those 'things' could very well imitate his voice to mislead me. He also couldn't guide my direction.
In that case... I can only rely on touch and memory.
I forced myself to recall the direction and distance to the platform I had seen moments ago. Relying on a vague impression, I walked forward a few steps.
Then, I crouched down, stretched out my hands to touch the cold ground, focused my mind, and activated my first rune. Threads of cold air surged from my palms, rapidly freezing into a ten-step ice staircase on the spot.

Next, I gathered cold air again, 'drawing' a long ice pole in the empty air before me. I carefully swung and probed with it toward the remembered direction of the platform.
Soon, a light thud sounded as the front end of the ice pole touched something solid.
The platform! It's still a bit higher... Good, my sense of distance is correct. About a half-meter height difference.
I created three more steps, probed the platform again, concentrated my magic, and built a bridge between the staircase and the platform.
...Good. Made it wide and sturdy. No mistakes in the construction process.
I tested it twice with my foot, stepped onto the ice bridge, and started walking toward the platform.

Then, on the ice bridge that should have been empty, I bumped into something.
Something slimy, cold, and flesh-like without bones clung to my cheek and my probing arm.
Its texture was extremely soft and slippery, yet it felt like an invisible, elastic wall blocking my path, cutting off my way.
Every hair on my body stood on end; goosebumps densely covered my skin.
The dance floor... the ice bridge... what has it turned into during the time my eyes were closed...?
...Forget it. Can't stop.
I bit down hard on the tip of my tongue. The intense pain forcibly dispelled some of the fear and distracting thoughts.
Without further hesitation, I reached out with my other hand to feel ahead, confirming the extent of that 'soft wall,' then strode forward, pushing through toward the remembered location of the lord's chair!

The slimy, cold soft wall pressed tighter and tighter, as if possessing life, writhing, enveloping my entire body.
At the same time, it seemed to be constantly secreting mucus, sliding down my skin. A few drops even seeped into the corner of my mouth, flowing into my throat, bringing waves of intense, nauseating choking sensations.
I forcefully suppressed the urge to vomit that was almost bursting from my throat, endured the omnipresent, slippery, cold touch...
Alright, don't overthink it.
One step, another step. Just need to walk.
One step, another step.

My foot landed on something solid, with a stone-like texture.
The platform! I'm here!
I didn't dare to linger, nor did I bother to wipe off the disgusting mucus on my face and body. I immediately, stumbling, felt my way to the chair in the center of the platform based on memory, reached out, and fumbled around on the chair.
Soon, my fingertips touched the target—something cold, hard, yet with a strange elasticity! The crystal!
Joy surged in my heart. I tightly hugged the crystal, Stagnated my feet, and leaped straight off the platform.

After landing steadily, I didn't dare to pause for even a moment. I broke into a sprint, dashing out of the dance floor! Run! Get out!
Only when my body slammed hard into the wooden railing with a thump did I react. I scrambled over the railing and fell heavily onto the ground outside the dance floor.
But I still didn't dare to stop. I crawled and ran another few dozen meters forward until the music behind me grew distant and faint.
"Young man! Over here! You did it! Come quickly!"
Darian's voice! This time... this time it sounds real!
My heart steadied a bit, but I still hesitated for a moment. After confirming no other voices, I rushed toward the source.
As I got close, sensing the familiar presence of people, I cautiously, tentatively... slowly opened my tightly shut eyes.
Darian and the lord were right before me, their faces filled with admiration and disbelief.
I shook my head, feeling a bit dizzy from lack of oxygen, and said to the lord, "Your Lordship, I... I successfully got the crystal. Next, how do we..."
Halfway through my sentence, my words caught in my throat again.
An intensely strong, icy, palpably malicious feeling of being watched coiled around my soul like a venomous snake.
I lowered my head and looked at the so-called "crystal" I had been clutching tightly to my chest all this way.
It wasn't a crystal at all.
It was an eyeball.
Encased within it was a green eye... strikingly similar to the red one Mr. Wilson had shown us.
As I met its gaze, a voice sounded beside my ear.
"You saw me."