Mr. Gharrick looked at Neir—not just an ordinary glance. There was something behind his gaze, as if he was trying to unravel the tangled threads of an invisible puzzle.
"Neir." His voice was soft, but laden with firmness. "Dani is over there, isn't he?"
Neir looked down, her fingers gripping each other in her lap. She didn't answer immediately, but her silence was clue enough.
Mr. Gharrick didn't wait for confirmation. He shifted his gaze to a corner of the room, toward an empty space that seemed able to reach Dani's existence.
"Dani," he called faintly, yet without hesitation.
Silence.
Neir swallowed. Usually, when that name was spoken, something would respond—the sound of Dani's breathing, an indistinct murmur, or some other sound from his world. But this time, it was empty. Quiet.
"…He's not answering."
Mr. Gharrick frowned. "Can you still see through his eye?"
Neir shook her head slowly.
"Hear?"
The girl shook her head again, this time more firmly. Her hand rose, clutching the left side of her head restlessly.
"I can't even see or hear from my left side…" her voice weakened. "It's as if… that part disappeared with him."
Mr. Gharrick took a deep breath. If his theory was correct, then this was more complicated than he imagined.
Neir remained silent, lost in her thoughts. She remembered, just before everything vanished, she saw something—a store with metal stairs. Dani was there. Then… Dani fell. A loud crashing sound echoed in her head. After that, silence.
Neir bit her lip. Even remembering it made her chest feel tight.
"Did you see something before that?"
Neir nodded vaguely. "He… fell from metal stairs." Her voice trembled slightly. "And after that… everything disappeared."
Mr. Gharrick narrowed his eyes. His head lowered, as if pondering something deeper.
"I hope he's okay," he murmured. However, from his expression, Neir knew the man had other thoughts.
Then, without warning, Mr. Gharrick stood up.
"Stay here. I need to check something."
Neir lifted her face, slightly confused. But before she could ask, the man was already heading toward the back door of his house.
The Back Storage Room
Mr. Gharrick moved quickly toward a small storage room behind the house. Neir followed from behind but stopped at the doorway.
Inside, piles of cardboard boxes and wooden crates filled the space. Dust flew as Mr. Gharrick began unpacking them one by one, searching for something among old books that hadn't been returned to the library yet.
Neir leaned against the doorframe, waiting quietly. The sound of rustling paper and shifting objects was heard repeatedly.
Time passed.
Mr. Gharrick was still busy flipping through page after page. His eyes were sharp, scanning every piece of writing within.
Then—
He went still.
Neir straightened her back.
Mr. Gharrick grasped an old book with a faded leather cover. His fingers traced the pages quickly before finally stopping at a particular section.
A long sigh escaped his lips. "It seems I've found it."
His voice was hoarse, but there was something in his tone—certainty.
Neir stared at him intently. She didn't know what was written in that book. But for the first time since all this began…
She felt a sliver of light beginning to pierce the dark mystery enveloping them.
---
Mr. Gharrick flipped through the pages of the old book he had found.
His eyes scanned the ancient writings while a small lantern beside him flickered. The room was quiet, only the sound of rustling paper. Neir stood at the doorway, waiting, her chest slightly tight with curiosity and anxiety mixing into one.
Mr. Gharrick finally stopped. His breath was deep, as if weighing his words before speaking.
"Neir," he said softly, yet with certainty. "Etherium is like air. Invisible, but everywhere. The difference is, it's not just air—it's energy that can affect the world, even dimensional boundaries."
Neir nodded. She could still follow.
"And when this energy is disturbed—whether through misuse or something that shouldn't have happened—anomalies can arise. Like the sensory exchange you're experiencing with Dani."
Neir clenched her fist. So, this wasn't something normal?
"There must be a trigger," Mr. Gharrick continued. "Usually an artifact… or a ritual."
The green pendant.
Neir immediately realized. "Could it be… that pendant caused it?"
Mr. Gharrick raised an eyebrow. "Do you have it now?"
Neir shook her head. "I lost it."
Mr. Gharrick sighed. "If that pendant is indeed the cause of all this… then we have a big problem. Especially if it contained liquid Etherium."
He opened another page, pointing to faint, faded red ink notes.
"Etherium energy, when disturbed, can create unforeseen phenomena. Sometimes temporary. Sometimes permanent. Sometimes… irreparable."
Neir shuddered. There was something about that sentence that made the hairs on her nape stand up.
"Then, what happens after this exchange occurs?" she asked softly.
Mr. Gharrick was silent for a moment before answering. "If that pendant is the trigger, then it's highly likely… someone is looking for it."
Neir froze. "Someone?"
Mr. Gharrick's gaze grew more serious. His hands clasped on the table. "Neir…" he said, his voice lower. "Do you remember what happened in the Beysolun Forest?"
Neir fell silent. That word… Beysolun Forest? Why…
A flash crossed her mind.
An explosion.
Shelves collapsing. Books flying. Wood shattering.
Someone entered the library.
Neir's heart beat faster. "That explosion…" she whispered. "From that mage!"
Mr. Gharrick nodded. "Yes. She destroyed the library door. I tried to protect you, but she was faster."
Neir swallowed. "She… wanted the pendant?"
Mr. Gharrick looked at her deeply. "And if she hasn't found it yet…" he took a deep breath, "then she's still looking for it."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Neir gripped her clothes. This wasn't just about her exchange with Dani. This wasn't just about the voice that disappeared or the vision that was cut off.
There was someone out there.
Someone who wanted that pendant.
And they might not stop until they got it.
---
Mr. Gharrick nodded slowly. "She thought the pendant was still with you."
Neir bit her lip, remembering how her body was suddenly lifted into the air without being able to resist.
"Her magic was so strong," Mr. Gharrick continued heavily. "I couldn't even get close. She pulled you… then teleported to that cave."
Neir lowered her head, her breath caught. "She said I was carrying something that belonged to her…"
Mr. Gharrick sighed. "She thought the pendant was still with you."
For a moment, silence enveloped the room. Only the sound of the lantern flame flickering, dancing over the old wooden table.
Then, Mr. Gharrick opened his book again, his eyes sweeping through the pages quickly.
"Sensory teleportation…" he murmured. "A phenomenon connecting dimensions, binding one consciousness to another. This isn't something that can be done carelessly."
Neir lifted her face. "So… this isn't ordinary magic?"
Mr. Gharrick shook his head. "Far from ordinary. I've read that to create an effect like this, other materials are required."
His fingers tapped the table, then he began listing them one by one:
— Celestium Crystal, functions like a magnifying glass, capturing and focusing Etherium energy.
—Black Obsidian Powder, acts like fine thread, stitching one dimension to another.
—The blood of a living creature, a symbol of life that strengthens Etherium energy resonance.
—A magic circle made of Liquid Mithrilium, which contains and channels Etherium like a large vessel holding water.
Neir fell silent, trying to understand it all. But one thing bothered her.
"If it really requires those materials, then… someone performed a ritual, right?"
Mr. Gharrick nodded slowly. "That's the problem. Rituals like this aren't common. Even among academics, this information is more often mentioned as rumors circulating underground."
"Rumors?"
"Yes. Some believe it, some consider it a myth. But certain parties… they try to dig deeper, secretly. And if someone truly succeeded in doing it, that means they have resources that can't be taken lightly."
Neir bit her lip. "And… Dani and I ended up affected by it?"
Mr. Gharrick closed his book. "That's what we need to find out. If that pendant is the key, then you're not the only one interested in it."
Neir tensed. As if something inside her said—they didn't have much time.
Mr. Gharrick stared at the faintly glowing Etherium liquid in his memory. "But that woman… she seemed careless. No traces of Celestium Crystal in that cave, no Mithrilium circle. It seemed she only relied on that pendant, like a poor farmer hoping for rain that never comes."
Neir looked at Mr. Gharrick, her heart filling with more questions than answers.
---
Neir tensed. Something swirled in her mind—a vague shadow of a cold cave, flashes of green light, and the muffled sound of an explosion. But the more she tried to remember, the fainter everything felt.
"That mage wanted to exchange you for the pendant. I had no other choice… so I agreed to hand it over."
Neir felt her chest tighten. "Then why…?"
Mr. Gharrick lowered his head, his lips drawn into a bitter smile. "I slipped."
Neir frowned. "What?"
"The ground in the cave was slippery. As that mage was about to take the pendant from me, I lost my balance and stumbled. I tried to hold on, but ended up crashing into you."
Neir held her breath. Something felt wrong. Her head throbbed slowly, as if her body still remembered something her mind was trying to forget.
"The pendant slipped from my hand," Mr. Gharrick continued. "And before I could grab it back…"
Thud.
Neir swallowed. "It… hit my head."
Mr. Gharrick looked at her with a regretful expression. "Yes. Right on your forehead."
Neir unconsciously touched her forehead. "I remember… the pain," she whispered.
"When the pendant hit your head, a crack appeared on its surface," Mr. Gharrick explained. "And then—"
"An explosion," Neir cut in, her voice trembling.
Mr. Gharrick nodded. "Green light spread throughout the cave. The Etherium inside raged, as if losing control."
Neir blinked, faint flashes filling her mind. Green light. Strong wind. A hissing sound. And then—
'Mr. Gharrick!'
Her own voice echoed in her head, but not through her mouth. It only existed in her mind. She vaguely remembered reaching out, but her body felt light… then everything went dark.
"I immediately lunged at you, trying to protect you from the explosion," Mr. Gharrick continued. "But you were already staggering. And before I could do anything…"
"I'm not entirely sure what happened after that," he went on, more quietly. "But I remember one thing—a scream. That mage screamed, then the green light exploded just like that. I shielded you with my body, and when everything subsided… she was gone."
Neir swallowed, her heart beating faster. "So… she died?"
Mr. Gharrick shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure. I didn't see her body. No ashes, no traces. Only emptiness."
Neir bit her lip. "Then… maybe she's still alive?"
Mr. Gharrick fell silent. He wondered the same thing. If that mage was truly dead, why was there this lingering unease haunting him?
If that mage had vanished, why did Neir feel as if something was still unfinished?
Neir swallowed. "So she… wanted to exchange her senses with someone else?"
Mr. Gharrick nodded slowly. "Not just anyone. Someone from another dimension. That way, her body could receive new senses without the risk of side effects, and she wouldn't need to use mana or Etherium just to see or hear."
Neir felt the hairs on her nape stand up.
"But to do that, she needed something as a bridge. An artifact that could cross world boundaries. That green pendant…"
Mr. Gharrick looked at Neir with a worried expression.
"If that pendant is in your hands, then she will definitely come looking for you."
Neir held her breath. But deep in her heart, she knew something Mr. Gharrick didn't.
That mage was already dead.
And that green pendant… was already destroyed.
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