Even in that frozen moment, one person moved quickly.
"Ghislain!"
Yulian swung his sword at the black tendrils.
Slash! Slash!
Dozens of black tendrils were cut down. However, he couldn't completely sever them.
It all happened too quickly, and with Ghislain being captured, he couldn't go all out.
In the blink of an eye, Ghislain's body was pulled into the black curtain.
"Young Master!"
"Your Grace!"
Belinda and Gillian rushed toward the curtain. Their attacks, filled with rage, slammed against it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
They unleashed their full power, desperate to save Ghislain.
Yet, the curtain barely trembled and remained firm.
Unable to stand by, Parniel stepped in and shouted.
"Saint! Grant me your power!"
Piote immediately closed his eyes. His hair turned silver.
He gathered all his holy power in haste and channeled it to Parniel.
Fwoosh!
Parniel's mace shone brighter than ever. She immediately swung it at the black curtain.
Boom!
The curtain shook violently, yet it still held firm.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
No matter how much they struck it, the black curtain refused to open. Growing increasingly anxious, the others had no idea what condition Ghislain was in.
"Move aside!"
Jerome shouted as he began drawing in mana. He was prepared to pour every ounce of power into one massive attack. Nothing could match magic for destructive force.
Vanessa placed her hand on Jerome's back, transferring her energy to him.
Rumble!
The earth quaked as their combined mana swirled together. Jerome extended both hands.
Boom!
A tremendous surge of pure, unrefined mana burst out, focused solely on obliterating the target.
Rumble!
Magic and the curtain's energy collided. The curtain trembled more than ever, but that was all.
"Argh!"
Jerome gritted his teeth, gathering more mana. Having released so much power at once, blood trickled from his nose.
Vanessa staggered as well, her mana completely drained.
Even so, the black curtain remained unbroken—an impenetrable wall of despair.
"I'll try."
Then Yulian stepped forward.
The others immediately stepped back, watching him with desperate eyes.
Yulian slowly raised his sword and closed his eyes.
"Haa..."
Unlike usual, he was cautious. He needed to put everything into this one attack.
Yulian focused his will. His power defied the natural order.
The black curtain, too, was a manifestation of this world. He had to shake its very foundation.
Swoosh...
A heavy silence fell around Yulian. It felt as if the sky and earth held their breath.
At the peak of his concentration, he swung his sword through the air.
Whoosh.
A ripple, as delicate as a butterfly's wingbeat, spread out.
And then—
Crack!
The ground split apart. Unable to withstand the force of his will, the world itself fractured and collapsed.
The energy reached the curtain.
Flash!
The curtain split open. Everyone scanned the inside.
Ghislain was nowhere to be seen. The interior was still filled with darkness.
Belinda and Gillian leapt inside without hesitation.
Thud!
Both were immediately repelled as if they had hit an invisible wall.
The curtain rapidly reformed, knitting itself back together as though nothing had happened.
"Ah..."
Belinda's face contorted with despair. It seemed impossible to break through the curtain.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Gillian gritted his teeth and kept striking the curtain, determined to shatter it.
Parniel did the same, wielding holy power borrowed from Piote.
Yet the curtain only quivered without breaking.
After a long while, Yulian finally spoke.
"Stop."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
No one seemed to hear him. They continued their attacks.
Belinda stabbed at the curtain with her dagger, while Jerome and Vanessa poured out what little mana they had left.
Piote kept feeding them holy power, desperate to help.
Yulian spoke again.
"Stop."
This time, his words carried force. Finally, everyone turned to him.
Expressions of frustration, despair, sorrow, urgency, and anger were directed at him.
Yulian looked at them impassively and spoke slowly.
"Let's wait."
"..."
"He's not someone who'll go down easily."
"But!"
Before Belinda could protest, Yulian continued.
"There must be a reason it only reacted to Ghislain. We can't do anything right now—let's wait for a moment."
Yulian's voice was calm yet resolute. Strangely, his tone soothed the others, helping them regain composure.
This was another reason why Yulian had once led humanity's united forces.
Beyond sheer strength, he had a mysterious power that could bring people together.
"...Let's wait a little longer," Jerome said, sighing as he slumped to the ground. Despite his vast knowledge, he couldn't find a solution.
Vanessa asked anxiously,
"What if nothing changes?"
Everyone looked at Yulian. With Ghislain gone, he had naturally taken the lead.
After a moment of thought, Yulian answered.
"Then we'll bring every mage and priest from across the continent... and break it open."
If it wouldn't yield, they would destroy it, no matter what it took.
Yulian's cold, determined gaze said as much.
His words gave the others a strange sense of relief. They trusted that he would see it through.
The group stepped back, silently watching the curtain.
Hoping for any sign of change from the black curtain that had swallowed Ghislain.
***
"Oh?"
Contrary to the others' fears, Ghislain was perfectly fine. He looked around curiously.
It was dark. The area was filled with nothing but darkness.
Even in such a place, Ghislain remained calm. He focused on analyzing his surroundings, trying to understand the situation.
"Dark."
Fwoosh!
Dark transformed into the shape of a raven, faintly glowing red from mana.
— Ta-da! I'm here.
"What do you think? Any idea what this place is?"
— Hmm, something, something... feels nice.
"That's it?"
— That's it. What more do you want?
Ghislain gave Dark a scornful look. As expected, the creature was useless in times like this.
"Let's scout the area first."
Ghislain created several clones of Dark, sending them out in all directions. The glowing red forms scattered.
— Nothing here.
— Can't see a thing.
— Just darkness everywhere.
"Hmm..."
— Hey! Are we trapped here? I'm sca-red!
As time passed, Dark started panicking. Anyone would feel fear in such endless darkness.
Yet Ghislain stayed composed. He stomped the ground, testing its solidity.
"Do you hear... nothing?"
Ghislain was certain he was standing, yet no sensation came when he stomped his feet, and no sound followed.
He reached out to touch the ground.
"What?"
His hand extended past where it should have been stopped by the floor. Though nothing was visible, his senses told him this.
Ghislain confirmed once more that this place did not obey normal, physical laws.
It wasn't mind control. If it were, Dark would have reacted.
'Or... it's powerful enough that Dark can't react?'
He steadied his breathing and waited. The saintess's voice had called him before he was pulled in. This phenomenon couldn't have occurred without reason.
Hwoo...
Sure enough, after waiting a moment, a faint light traced a path on the ground, as if guiding him.
Ghislain began walking slowly, following the markings.
Before long, something appeared in his vision.
"Light?"
A tiny, floating light hovered in the darkness.
And from that light, a voice emerged.
"...You came. I knew you'd keep your promise. That's the kind of person you are."
Ghislain let out a faint laugh. A talking light? And acting as though it was familiar with him?
Quickly regaining his composure, he asked, "Who are you?"
"We already know each other well."
"..."
Was it really the saintess from his dreams? Even if it was, questions remained.
— I don't know you well, but my mage friend spoke of you often.
— A friend from the future.
When Ghislain first began dreaming, the saintess had said she didn't know him. She mentioned strange things—about him being a friend from the future—things he couldn't understand at the time.
Still, Ghislain tried to make sense of it using the information he had. After all, he had been seeing the past through his dreams.
But now she claimed they knew each other well?
It didn't seem like she was saying that lightly.
She had mentioned a "promise." That couldn't have been said without meaning.
So, he asked again, "Didn't you say you didn't know me?"
"I know you now."
"How?"
"Because we've met and spent time together."
"What are you talking about? I don't know you. I don't even know your face or name properly. I've never met you."
Ghislain had seen the saintess's face in his dreams, as well as the hero's and others', though some faces were obscured.
But could that be real? What if it was just illusions conjured by his mind?
He had never truly met or interacted with them. He had never shared proper conversations.
So, Ghislain couldn't claim to know them.
The light flickered slightly, as if smiling.
"I understand your confusion, but we'll meet soon."
"What?"
"The present, future, and past have shifted through countless attempts and coincidences..."
"What are you—"
"The past, present, and future move together."
"What are you talking about? Where is this place? What do you want? Speak clearly!"
"I can't intervene any further. This is the final arrangement I've made."
"Hey."
"Don't be impatient. Soon, you'll know everything. And the choice will be yours."
"Choice? What are you talking about?"
Ghislain pressed urgently. The light was beginning to flicker and shrink.
It felt as though the light was struggling to deliver its final words, pouring all its strength into them.
"Don't forget... do whatever you want... I'll respect your choice... and it will be the right one..."
"..."
After a brief silence, the light spoke softly, as if offering a farewell.
"Now... it's time for us to meet 'again.'"
Fwoosh!
The light scattered, spreading in all directions.
The dark space flooded with brilliant light, too bright to bear.
Ghislain shut his eyes, unable to endure it.
When he opened them again, he was outside the curtain.
The saintess's final words still echoed faintly in his ears.
— My precious friend, Ghislain Perdium.