..At that very moment, in the level 0 to which Sherlock had moved, Sherlock was walking while annoying sounds filled the entire level, and then he said to himself: [This place is exactly like the legend, and this confirms one thing: some ideas that come in dreams are not merely fantasies, but rather a transcendent reality that manifested as an idea in the mind of a being]. And while Sherlock was moving through the notional space in this level, he then said in a low voice: Don't tell me there are frightening entities here like in the legends. Then Sherlock thought and said to himself: [No problem, I will use the invisibility ability so I can move more safely]. Then Sherlock tried to activate the invisibility ability, only to be shocked that it did not work, and he was extremely surprised: [Did this strange existence cause all the features of the mask to disappear, or what?!]. And while Sherlock was moving, the fool inside him spoke and said: The environment in this existence and everything here is completely different; the concepts here differ entirely from the other world, which affected the nature of the mask, which suddenly moved to another existence whose data had not been recorded. Then Sherlock thought for a moment while feeling some fatigue and exhaustion, and then Sherlock looked toward the void in one of the regions, a void stretching endlessly to infinity, regions where lights do not exist. And while Sherlock felt weak, even the legendary multiple-existence mask stopped working along with all its special features in this completely different existence and became nothing more than a worthless piece of junk, then Sherlock began to hallucinate and feel extreme tiredness while many illusions of strange entities he saw looked at him from the void, entities with smiling faces called the Smilers looking from the void as if they had inhabited it forever. Then Sherlock's body trembled: [I cannot stand this, those different referents that caused the concepts in this world to differ make me feel strange. This place is not suitable for me. There is something preventing me from enduring]. Suddenly Sherlock falls completely while hearing footsteps behind him, where someone says: It is a citizen, quickly take him to the care room, he is losing consciousness because he is not wearing the special suit, quickly move him. And while Sherlock's eyes are about to close, he sees a person looking at him wearing completely yellow clothes while a helmet resembling an astronaut helmet is on his head. Sherlock is shocked and says in a weak voice: Human spirit?! Suddenly Sherlock loses consciousness completely..
..[I feel a bit dizzy]. Then Sherlock opens his eyes to see himself in a closed room while the mask is not on his face, as the harmful purple energy has completely disappeared, which enabled them to remove the mask easily, revealing Sherlock with golden eyes, brown hair, and extremely white skin like snow. Then, while the lamp's light is in his eyes, he sits on a fully restrained chair, and in front of him sits a wrapped person, while Sherlock looks toward his back and says in a weak voice: Where am I? And where is my mask? And while many scientists wearing white suits stand behind a transparent wall from the outside, Sherlock cannot see what is behind it from the inside. Then the person turns to reveal himself and says: I am Doctor Pakolibs from the Path of the Oracle, Sequence Seven, Flame of Illusion. Tell me now who you are and where you came from; you do not seem to me to be from any of the three sections in the Backrooms. Sherlock is shocked and says: You are humans?! But how is that possible? How can human spirits come to this place! Then Pakolibs says: Answer the question first and then I will explain. I can see that you pose no threat, but the investigation is necessary. Tell me now how you got here? Then Sherlock says: I suddenly appeared in this place out of nowhere; I do not know how I came here! Suddenly the fool helps Sherlock and supplies him with some extra effects from the golden mist while Pakolibs uses the power of clairvoyance, which surpasses Sherlock's ability by far, to try to determine whether he is lying or telling the truth. Then he smiles and says: Welcome, O transcendent one. It seems that what happened to you is similar to what happened to us humans. We were killed in the material world as a result of many wars and nuclear missiles, and we moved to the spiritual world, and without any introduction we were transferred to this place where we became transcendent spirits and became in a higher existence than the spiritual world. I was one of the residents of Olympus, by the way, and after my soul was erased I moved here and transcended like the rest. Sherlock is surprised by all this information and smiles, saying: I did not think I would see humans again, indeed. Sherlock's eyes involuntarily tear up and he says: I truly missed being human. I thought that identity would be erased too. Then Pakolibs smiles and says: Take us out of here, the investigation is over. Suddenly the door opens and Pakolibs leaves, and the bracelet that was restraining Sherlock disappears, revealing that it was Pakolibs's illusion. Then Sherlock comes out to see a relatively small place, while there is a door leading to the Backrooms beside a thick glass wall with conceptual resistance. Then Pakolibs says: I am one of the scientists in this region. In this branch there are 4 scientists and more than 20 staff members working to research the Backrooms. Welcome, you are relatively safe here, and no changes happen in the notional space here. Outside this region, everything is subject to change in an instant. You may be beside someone and then suddenly they disappear and you find yourself in another place or another level entirely. And the chain of cause and effect is not what you think; there are things in this existence without a cause, where the result occurs directly without a cause or a chain of causes..
..Sherlock is extremely surprised while there are 3 scientists seated on chairs writing on papers. Then Pakolibs speaks and says: Well, now I must go so we can continue the research and send out the batches of citizens. You are now a new citizen and seem somewhat strong; you must go with the rest of the batches that go out. Suddenly Pakolibs raises his voice and calls someone, saying: Hey George, come here, we have a new citizen, introduce him to everything. Then one of the doors on the side opens and George enters. Then Pakolibs pats Sherlock on the back and says: Well then, I must go now. Go with George and he will explain things to you. Then Pakolibs leaves and sits with the rest of the scientists while they argue about something extremely important and unknown. Then at that moment George shakes Sherlock's hand and says: Follow me, please. At that moment Sherlock walks behind George while the fool speaks internally with Sherlock and says: I do not see them as posing any dangers. You can exploit them if you wish in your mission, and also your mask—you forgot to retrieve it. Then Sherlock says inwardly: Don't worry, everything is under control. And I am both happy and sad at the same time for the people of my planet in this strange existence. Then Sherlock enters a room where there are two people besides George, and he sees 4 yellow suits with helmets resembling astronaut helmets. Then George opens one of the boxes and gives Sherlock his mask and says: Your mask has malfunctioned. If you want to take it back, here you go. And if you want to leave it, the scientists sometimes adjust our belongings so they can adapt to this world. Then Sherlock says: No problem, leave it in the box; it is no use now. Then George says: All right, no problem. Nice to meet you, I am George from the Path of the Sun, Sequence Eight, Flame of Burning God. Then George points toward one of the two seated people and says: And that is Mika from the Path of Alchemy, Sequence Nine, Flame of Innovation, and she is new here like you, and this is General Ken, the head of our team from the Path of Night. He is extremely powerful in darkness and is Sequence Seven, the Black Light Sequence. Then Sherlock notices no reaction as everyone feels fear. Then Sherlock says: You all seem to be unwell. Then Mika was about to speak when Ken sharply interrupted, throwing the suit into Sherlock's face and saying: You will know when you go with us in the search from now on. And while everyone wears their suits, Sherlock speaks inwardly and says: Everyone in this place is psychologically broken. They have no hope or will; they only need a light to illuminate their minds, and I sincerely hope that that light will be me..
..Sherlock sighs and says in a whisper: Well, I hope everything is fine. On the other side, Doctor Pakolibs and the other scientists, Mary, Axe, and Rose, were sitting trying to analyze a strange phenomenon that had recently occurred and that the other headquarters, which are higher and more prestigious than the headquarters in level 0, could not analyze. Then Mary speaks and says while a screen behind her is ready to display something: Recently, an extremely strange phenomenon occurred where the main headquarters located in level 12 million discovered a strange phenomenon in one of the anomalous levels, namely level 0000. Scientists tried to interpret it as a phenomenon without a cause as usual, but there was a recording of moments before the conceptual cameras in level 0000 were scrambled. Suddenly Mary turns on the recording, and at that moment a crack in existence appears in the space in level 0000, and then a being appears and suddenly the camera is completely distorted and everything disappears. Then Mary continues and says: Currently, the organization is trying to contact Dr. Bright, who recently disappeared in an entirely unknown level, in order to try to explain the phenomenon, and they have currently taken the full search procedure for him, and this is what they sent us in the email through the senior alchemists from Sequence Five and Sequence Four. Everyone is shocked while confusion appears on Mr. Axe, Rose, and Mary. Then Pakolibs speaks and says: This does not seem like something without a cause. We know that the result occurs without a cause in this existence, but this seems like a breach of existence itself. So what should be done, and does this pose a risk? Then Axe speaks and says: This is dangerous; we do not know what did it or why. Rose speaks and says: Could it be a powerful entity capable of breaching existence in the Backrooms itself? Everyone falls silent while confusion, astonishment, and fear of the unknown appear on their faces..
..Sherlock, George, Ken, and Mika stand at one of the doors, and while everyone has put on their yellow clothes, they all leave and the irritating sounds of the lamps return again, and the floor is damp. Then while everyone is moving, General Ken, the head of this team, speaks and says: There are 3 instructions everyone must pay attention to. First, we must never separate, and each person must remain with their partner. Second, never look toward areas without light, because what you usually see there is not an illusion. Third, never approach any area or spot with water on the floor, because that is probably not water, but either a entity or a glitch that transports you to another unknown level. The only goal here is to explore the areas and collect all valuable things we find in this place, as there are many items, potions, and everything possible here, and they are extremely valuable. Now let us continue moving with the direction of the arrow on the wall. Then everyone walks one behind the other following the direction of the arrow placed by the scientists, while a small robot leads them to make sure everything is perfectly fine, heading toward an area in level 0 called the Scattered Squares. And while everyone walks along the path and with the sounds of the lights and the scientists monitoring the route through the robot, George approaches Sherlock and says in a low voice: He is strict, isn't he? Then Sherlock says: I do not blame him; the situation is dangerous, and he is the team leader and bears full responsibility. Then George says: I lost consciousness when we found you as a result of the Backrooms environment, which contains a lot of information and truths that affect your perception, and also there is another reason. Sherlock is surprised and says: And what is it? Then George whispers and says: Your gaze toward the areas without light, where the level 0 entities are, the Smilers, and they are dangerous entities from the Path of Fear. They have different types, and they are three. Suddenly the robot stops at the end of the corridor. Then Ken says: We have arrived. At that moment everyone sees separate lines with empty areas in between like squares. Then Ken says: We must reach the door at the end of those squares, and we must be careful. Whoever falls, I do not know if there is a chance to return alive or even intact. Everyone becomes tense. Then Ken says: Mika, did you make the stability shoes I told you about? Then Mika says: Yes, sir. Suddenly Mika uses the extraction ability, which is one of the abilities of Sequence Nine of the Path of Alchemy, where Sequence Nine, Innovation, has 3 abilities: formation, storage, and upgrading. Sherlock looks at those strange shoes and says: They really look amazing. What are they doing? Then Ken says: They will help us stay stable so we do not fall into that abyss in the empty cubes..
..Then everyone wears the shoes except Ken. At that moment Sherlock says: Mr. Ken, what about you? Why don't you wear shoes? Then Ken speaks, saying: I do not need to. My path allows me to reach the area at the door easily without even walking on the edges between the cubes that are 5 meters long and also 5 meters wide. At that moment Ken uses one of the abilities of the Path of Night to release black light from his hand, and at that moment he forms a rope from his energy and extends it toward the area at the door so that there is a path there. Then Sherlock raises his voice and says: You have the ability to shape darkness; why don't you make a straight path for us to cross? Then Ken says: I will not always be with you on every mission. You must rely on yourselves. I am with you now, and if anything bad happens to you, I will be here this time only. Sherlock sighs and says to himself: [Even I can form golden mist, but after losing the mask's power I became much weaker]. George, Sherlock, and Mika begin trying to cross to the other area, and after several minutes everyone crosses to the second area except Sherlock, who advances slowly: [I always feared heights in the material world, and here I am facing my fears]. And while Sherlock is moving, a transparent feather appears from nothing, unseen by anyone. At that moment the feather falls directly onto the place in front of Sherlock. And while Sherlock is moving, Ken speaks and says: You must move faster, newcomer. We need to return. Sometimes all the lights go out here for no reason. Suddenly one of the walls beneath Sherlock's foot breaks, causing him to lose balance, and at that moment the lights go out suddenly! which makes Ken's vision limited. At that moment the lights return again in a fraction of a second, causing Sherlock to fall into the abyss between the cubes in another place in level 0, and the key of the Temple of Vindora falls from his pocket and, due to the slope of the floor, the key slides and collides with one of the water pools and disappears!..
..Sherlock becomes enraged and feels lost while Ken calls from above and says: Don't worry, we will come to you, just do not move and do not make any sound. At that moment Ken looks toward George and Mika and says: Wait here, I will be back. Then Ken rushes and descends into one of the cubes behind Sherlock. Then Sherlock stands and feels intense anger and hopelessness: [I lost the means to return to the Temple of Vindora! No, this is extremely bad, why is all this happening to me?]. At that moment the fool speaks from within him and says: Don't worry, I am coming down with you, and the transcendent golden mist is with us, we will find another way, you just have to calm down. Then Sherlock tries to accept reality while hearing footsteps approaching. At that moment Sherlock says: There he is, he has arrived. Then Sherlock stands and looks toward the approaching shadow. Suddenly the fool inside him speaks and says: That is not Ken!..
..At that moment Sherlock feels an aura and an extremely crushing pressure, and then he hears a scream so loud and terrifying that one of the Smilers is moving in the light! The entities called Smilers were made up of three types. The first type, from Sequence Nine and Sequence Eight of the Path of Fear, lived in areas without light and had no bodies, only an extremely large smiling head with countless teeth and red eyes with a white pupil in the center. They could not move in the light. Any being who looked toward the darkness would be manipulated and guided into the dark until they were devoured or, if they resisted, would lose consciousness. The second type was somewhat rare; they had become capable of existing in the light in a form resembling water, and any being who approached them would be dragged into their own world. They were entities of Sequence Seven of the Path of Fear. As for the third type, it was almost impossible for them to exist in this weak level, where the Smilers took on a new form with a body that had long arms and long feet, extremely thin, gray in color like the shade of a pencil line, and they had huge mouths and sharp claws, and they were extremely fast. They are entities of Sequence Five, which is extremely rare; the probability of their occurrence is almost zero..
..At that moment the entity approaches Sherlock extremely closely while Sherlock feels immense pressure preventing him from moving and manipulation by fear making him terrified. At that moment Ken appears in front of Sherlock and says to him: Come on, climb with me. Suddenly the entity reaches behind Ken and stabs him in the chest while blood pours from his mouth, then he screams loudly: Run quickly, everyone, return to the headquarters. At that moment the pressure is focused on Ken's existence by the third-type Smiler entity, and then Sherlock feels anger and was about to activate the fool to appear. At that moment the fool speaks internally and says: Don't delay me, I will not be able to endure for long, and also we have become much weaker; I will not be able to withstand him for long. Suddenly the entity swallows Ken's head while Sherlock grits his teeth and runs quickly. Then the entity turns its gaze toward Sherlock and throws Ken's corpse, and then Sherlock sees a water pool in front of him and remembers Ken's words: [It could be an entity or a gate to another level]. Then Sherlock rushes quickly while the entity is about to seize him with its claws, and Sherlock enters the water pool and is transferred to level 140..
..After several days, in floor 0, a report arrives about the incident that happened on May 5, and the report states the following: 4 soldiers disappeared in level 0 in a highly mysterious incident, and the small robot's cameras were scrambled, and no bodies have been found so far, which increases the suspicion that they were transferred to another level. Then Pakolibs feels deep sadness and says: So I have lost more soldiers, and as usual what happened was forged so that there would be no tension, since the organization is working to colonize the Backrooms and make them homes for many humans, just as humans colonized the Earth in the material world. Then Pakolibs continues, saying: I hope they are found. At that moment Pakolibs sends the message, which through a highly advanced certain technology will reach the main headquarters in level 12 million and the organization behind the headquarters. After a few moments, Pakolibs, who is still awake while everyone else sleeps in the relatively safe chambers where everything outside the safe chamber has become complete absolute darkness, receives a message on his device, which says: Please adhere to falsifying the correct information in order to keep the citizens of the upper class in complete safety across the various levels. Violating this condition leads to legal prosecution. For more information, please go to file 5 of chapter 411 regarding legal reviews. Pakolibs feels complete despair, sad because the organization follows this inhuman principle that does not care about the other humans who explore the Backrooms. Then Pakolibs moves the chair and looks toward the absolute darkness behind the conceptual glass and feels an existential weight, then says sadly: If there were a wise creator god behind all this, would life really have been like this? Or if this were a test, then it is extremely harsh, beyond what the human soul can bear. I am afraid..