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Chapter 21 – The Empty Zone
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The group departed before dawn.
No ceremony.
No farewell words.
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There was only one goal:
The un-summonable zone.
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Distance: one day of travel.
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On the way—
No magical beasts.
No unusual signs.
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Too normal.
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Lira was the first to speak.
"The quieter it is, the more dangerous."
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Elias did not object.
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Rei went ahead.
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He realized before anyone else.
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Not with his eyes.
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It was a feeling.
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"Stop."
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The team froze.
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"Stop where?" Lira asked.
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Rei did not answer immediately.
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He raised his hand.
Creating a small magic pulse.
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No response.
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No diffusion.
No absorption.
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Just… disappeared.
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Elias tried to summon a shadow.
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Nothing appeared.
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Magic didn't work.
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Not blocked.
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But—
It didn't exist.
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They took a few more steps.
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The space didn't change.
Trees were still trees.
The ground was still ground.
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But everything… lacked a layer.
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Lira whispered:
"Like the world is hollow."
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Rei noted:
> No magic fluctuations detected
No soul responses
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A zone—
Without a system.
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They ventured deeper.
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A village appeared.
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Or more accurately—
The ruins of a village.
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The houses were intact.
Not destroyed.
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But no people.
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No corpses.
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No signs of departure.
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Just… emptiness.
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Rei stepped into a house.
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The table still had food.
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Not completely spoiled.
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Time had stopped at a moment.
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But no one was there.
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Lira murmured:
"Did they vanish?"
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Elias looked around.
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"No."
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"No signs of panic."
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"As if… they had never existed."
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Rei stood in the room.
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A strange feeling appeared.
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Not danger.
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It was… familiarity.
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In the internal system:
> Environment analogous to state "not applied"
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Rei said:
"This zone is like me."
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Lira turned back.
"What do you mean?"
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"Not classified."
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Suddenly—
A sound echoed.
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Not footsteps.
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It was… something dragged.
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The team turned around.
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At the end of the path—
A figure stood there.
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No face.
No shape.
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Like it was distorted.
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Elias stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
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No answer.
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The figure moved.
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Not walking.
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It… glided.
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Rei stepped forward.
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The distance decreased.
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The closer—
The clearer.
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Not human.
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Not a magical beast.
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Something… unstable.
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Its body slightly deformed.
As if it could not maintain a fixed shape.
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Lira stepped back.
"What… is that…"
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Rei stopped three meters away.
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The two "entities" looked at each other.
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No emotion.
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No hostility.
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Just… recognition.
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In Rei's mind—
A data line appeared.
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> Object: Unclassifiable
Similarity: High
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The figure tilted its head.
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As if… observing.
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Then—
It raised a hand.
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Not to attack.
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Just… touching the air.
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The space trembled.
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Part of the scenery behind it disappeared.
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As if erased.
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Lira shouted:
"Stay away from it!"
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But Rei didn't step back.
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He walked forward.
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Elias called:
"Rei!"
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Distance: one meter.
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Rei raised his hand.
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Touched.
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No collision.
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No force.
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Just—
Two "existences" overlapping for a moment.
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A stream of data flowed in.
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Not memories.
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Not language.
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Just… state.
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No definitions.
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No position.
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No constraints.
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Rei withdrew his hand.
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The figure disappeared.
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Did not run.
Did not attack.
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Just… gone.
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Silence.
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Lira panted.
"What was that?!"
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Rei answered:
"…Unidentified."
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Elias looked at Rei.
"What did you sense?"
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Rei thought.
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"…No system."
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"What do you mean?"
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"No classification."
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"No rules."
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Elias understood.
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This zone—
Was not destroyed.
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But…
Separated from the system.
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In the distance—
A tall, thin man looked through the crystal.
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The image of Rei touching the entity.
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He smiled.
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"Finally, we meet."
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"Intermediate entity… and the empty zone."
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End of chapter.
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Hidden status board:
> Rei (零)
Contact with unclassified entity: Confirmed
Similarity level: High
Notes: "Object is not unique."
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Arc 2 continues.
And this time—
Rei is no longer the only exception.
The world begins to show… things similar to him.
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