On the hard ground, Alice felt a glare of sunlight through her eyelids and opened her eyes as she looked away from her face. At the same time as her consciousness gradually awakened, Alice once again shivered her body in small increments. Even if she wrapped her body in a warm robe, she couldn't resist the cold air that entered through the cracks.


　The air that pierced the back of her nose with a twang made her consciousness clearer.
　That's when Alice realized for the first time that the fire in the campfire was completely out.
　In addition, the sun had come out a little while ago. He must have fallen asleep soundly, even though he said he was going to take over the turn.

''I'm sorry, Loki,''

　Rubbing her eyes, Alice raised her upper body up.
　But there was no reply that should have come back, only a needle-like wind.

'Loki-chan?' Her mumbled voice sounded empty. He shook his face hurriedly and looked around, but he couldn't recognize her. A feeling of heartbreak, as if she was a lost child separated from her mother, came over me at once.
　It was the same when he stood up with a huff and quickly exited the cave to further expand his range of vision.

　Not only around the creek, but a dense fog covered the landscape around us in white. It was as if a cloud had descended to the ground, and the scene was different from yesterday's.

　By that time, the frustration had turned to self-loathing.
　Somehow, I had a dim premonition that it would be so. Loki should have been convinced, but it was a lie to reassure himself.

　--Why?

　She couldn't stay or stand, but it was as if Alice didn't know what to do.
　She couldn't head anywhere, and only the length of time that had passed, the morning, gave her a bad feeling.

　Alice walked along the creek at a pause, though she wasn't headed anywhere in particular. She knew it wasn't a good idea to go out in a haphazard manner, but there was no way she could stay still.

　But soon after that.
　I was able to find a shadow of a person at the end of a wider river.
　The fog prevented her from recognizing it right away, but she could tell by the silhouette alone that it was Loki.
　She looked up into the distant sky, somewhat dumbfounded, unaware of Alice's presence. She was staring at something as if she was looking through this sheer cliff.

'Loki, where have you been?　I was so worried about you~
..........

　Relief flooded through her at once, and Alice patted her shoulder enough to squat down on the spot.
　Stomping on the pebbles, Alice followed her gaze as if to see what on earth she was blinded by. But all she could still see was a steep cliff.

　There was nothing to be concerned about.
　Doubtfully, Alice went behind Loki on the other side of the creek. There were damp branches and other things lying on the ground on this side, and perhaps she had gone to collect the branches she had cut, Alice thought.
　All the ominous things she had thought about so far were washed away.

'Wake me up if you're going to collect wood. Well, I slept so well.

　Heh heh heh, Alice scratches her cheeks in good shape and covers it up with a self-deprecating smile. It could be that she was trying to create an atmosphere for a conversation, or perhaps she was talking about it as a nourishment for the anxiety she had been feeling until just before.

　Even now, the anxiety is sitting in Alice's mind as if coiled up.

''Well I didn't want to wake you up, so I didn't want to wake you up.

　Alice realized a moment too late that Loki's words, which were suddenly uttered, were the reply she had just heard. Not only because there was a slight pause, but also because her voice was an empty reply.
　She didn't show her face to us, but kept her chin still and looking in one direction.

　Rather than a casual demeanor, it was more of a somewhat abnormal appearance.

　It's probably not just because this is the outside world. Even if the Loki you usually see doesn't show much emotion, it's because what's visible and hidden there are undeniably human emotions.
　He may look like a doll, but he can't be a doll.

　But now.....
　Right now, she looks like a puppet, and that increases Alice's anxiety. Never before had the conversation seemed so tasteless.

　And finally, she could recognize Loki in his voice just after Alice said, "I'll hold the wood, let's go home for now.

'Alice-san, I left a bit of space last night to go check on... the night party.'
"--!　Wow, oh, after all I said. I'll have to listen to you carefully.

　I tried my best to be as cheerful as I could, stifling my astonishment and pushing down my premonition that the premonition was true. Because the fact that Loki was here now was what mattered.
　I'm tempted to give him one of my sermons, but strangely, I don't feel like it. The fact that Loki wasn't there when she woke up made Alice feel lonely before she was lied to, because she felt lonely.

'I shouldn't have gone. As Alice said........no, no. I shouldn't have come back.'

　Lowering his gaze once, Loki monologues. Then she looked up at the fog-hidden sky once more. Her hair still shimmied lightly despite the moisture, and in the fog her hair seemed to glow with the clarity of the morning dew.

　Finally, Loki flipped on the rock.

''--!

　That's when Alice realized for the first time that she had only seen him from an angle behind. Loki had told her that he was headed to investigate the night meeting, but she had mistakenly thought he came back looking exactly the same. In fact, except for one part of her, her robe and even the clothes inside were clean.

　But that one part of her was very different from the one she had last night.
　The sleeve of her left arm had popped off from her shoulder, and the exposed skin, which should have been pure white, had turned a reddish-black discoloration from her second arm. She lifted it up and showed it to him, as if to say that the pain had long since receded.

　With a light leap, Loki crossed the creek and landed at Alice's place.
　If you get a close look at Loki's left arm, you'll notice that it's dried blood staining his arm. As far as I can see, he was so badly injured that he couldn't move a single finger, and the blood was clinging to his arm without a trace.

　In front of Alice's eyes, who was exclaiming, Loki apologetically lowered his arm. The motion certainly didn't seem to cause Loki any pain.

''Soooo, let's get you treated right away!　Well, what do I do first........well, I'll just wash the affected area first.

　To Alice, who was hesitant to even touch her.

''Alice-san, the wound itself is quite shallow, so it's fine. More importantly, right now--''

　In front of Alice, who bent her knees to check the condition of Loki's arm, Loki's body tensed up, just as if he was horrified.

　Immediately after looking up at the situation, Alice felt a cold sensation on her arm and turned her attention to it.

''How can it be raining at a time like this........rain...?''

　From the droplets of water that fell on her arm, Alice judged that to be the case, but the weather was a little too good for rain, even if the fog was too thick. There was fog, but no clouds in sight.
　Loki also noticed this and looked up directly above.

"Weird rain................how did you notice it? No, it's not!　Don't touch this rain, Mr. Alice, don't touch this rain!
'What!　You can't say that--!

　Loki instantly took Alice's hand and jumped under the tree. Then he spread his robe out and covered Alice and all of her with it to keep out the rain.

　Alice doesn't understand what's happening. But the look on Loki's face as he was pushed down on his back and struggled to hide their entire bodies as they overlapped on top of him told her that this was an unusual situation.
　She didn't realize it, but she was shaking in small increments. She was breathing so thinly and repeatedly that she couldn't even breathe well.

'I'm sorry, Alice, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I've brought upon myself, but bear with me.
Yeah. I don't know. I'll do what you say.
'Something terrible is about to happen. Terrible things are going to happen. It's probably unlike anything you've ever seen before. But you must hold on to yourself and control your magic.

　Loki's face looked to Alice as if he was apologizing repeatedly as he gave instructions.
　Then Loki muttered, "I didn't know this was going to happen," like a curse.

　Even though she couldn't grasp the situation in front of Loki like that, Alice was able to put her hands on her cheeks with a calm expression.

''It's okay. Loki-chan is here, whatever came........''

　Before she can finish saying all that, Alice understands - what she was frightened of.
　At first, yes ... it was a strange sound that made the air tremble like a horn. It rang out in a constant tone, but irregularly. Instead of approaching from afar, the sound suddenly fell from overhead. An unfamiliar sound fell with the monstrous rain, as if a passing rain was falling hard on the whole area.

　Alice's throat stopped, it was as if she had forgotten how to breathe.
　What this sound was, it was a sound, a change of sound, but at the root of it was an unimaginable magical force. And then there was the faint sound of something huge peristaltic above my head, above the trees. It's a strange sound that you wouldn't expect to hear in the midst of human activity.

　It was a low sound that seemed to come from a hole that could not be seen from the bottom. The sound sounds like the cries of something supernatural, like the earth and air. It definitely contains a bizarre musical scale that I would never hear even in the outside world, let alone within my survival zone.


　Gradually, Loki's voice emanating in her ear gets farther and farther away. I can see the desperation in her eyes, as if she is appealing to Alice in some way. Her face was so bloody that she couldn't possibly have the time to care for Alice. Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation, as if all the nerves in my body had been cut off. There was no pain, just a feeling of his body being pulled outward, which was gradually increasing.

　In the midst of all this, she feels Loki calling out to her, desperately trying to keep her conscious.

　Alice felt as if her body was about to come apart from the inside. There was no direct pain, but she could understand that it was deeply frightening. The magic inside her body was confused, as if it was trying to break through her body and get out.

　The source of this was an arm, with a heat that looked as if it had been branded. Yes, it was the part that had been touched by the rain.

　A small scream snatched from her throat leaked out, and Alice's body jerked upside down.
　Loki used both arms to hold that body down with all his might.

''Alice-san!　Alice.....


　Alice writhed and thrashed around unnaturally, as if she had been poisoned. As if someone was controlling her, against her will.
　Still, Alice was certainly holding on to her consciousness. Her hands gripping Loki's clothes were sweaty, and she was straining to endure as much as she could. She fought desperately against it.
　She was suppressing the raging magic power to the point that she was about to tear her own body apart from the inside out.


　While holding Alice down, Loki turned back to the source of the enormous amount of magical power that was pouring down on her.
　There, crawling and floating on top of the fog, a black shadow could be seen at the edge of his eyes. No matter how far it continued, the shadow took the form of a giant snake.