Varnel felt pressured and he held his hands tightly and felt very dizzy for a moment.
"Ah, it feels so strange… like there's something active in my mind. Ah, never mind…" he muttered, blinking rapidly as if to clear a veil from his vision.
Ansel looked up from the beat-worn journal he was sketching in. "Varnel?" he said, voice low. "You look dazed. Are you all right?"
Varnel's gaze drifted toward the cracked window. The brass sky outside was the same muted copper, but somehow the city seemed to shift when he looked away—hints of impossible angles in the rooftops, a gear-shaped shadow sliding along a distant wall.
"Did you hear that?" Varnel's voice was taut, his fingers trembling around the hem of his tunic. "Someone just… laughed. They called my name." He swallowed. "Varnel… come to me. Ha ha…"
Ansel set the journal aside and crossed to him, placing a steady hand on his shoulder. "You heard nothing but your own fears," he said gently. "Still, let's sit for a bit. Breathe."
Varnel closed his eyes, inhaled a slow, ragged breath. The laughter receded—fainter than the hiss of the burner—but its echo lingered like a perfume he couldn't shake. When he opened his eyes, they were brimming with unease.
"I—I don't think it was just my imagination," Varnel admitted. "It felt as though something tapped into the amulet's pulse." He reached up, fingers brushing the rune at his throat. "Maybe the breach is responding."
Ansel's eyes softened. "If it is, we'll face it together." He guided Varnel back to the desk, where two steaming cups of bitterroot tea waited. "Drink this," he urged. "It'll help clear your head."
Hands still unsteady, Varnel accepted the mug and took a careful sip. The warm bitterness spread through him, anchoring him to the moment. He closed his eyes again, focusing on the taste, on the feel of Ansel's steady presence beside him. For the first time since dawn, his heart slowed.
"You remember the tide engine schematic?" Ansel asked after a moment, voice gentle but insistent. "The one we sketched weeks ago?"
Varnel nodded. "You mean the harmonic valve for dimensional pressure?" He set his cup down and reached for a pencil. "I've been thinking… if the breach can call me by name, it understands frequency—or at least tries to mimic it."
Ansel leaned in, fingers tracing the pencil's paper path. "Then perhaps we can use that. Build a counter-resonator—a device that plays back its own call in reverse, so we can tune it like a key in a lock."
Varnel's eyes lit. "A harmonic mirror. Yes." He sketched a rough circle with two interlocking crescents inside. "If we attach this to the crown's secondary coil, we might—" He broke off as the laughter returned, softer now, like water dripping down a distant shaft.
"Varnel…" it sighed, "we miss you…"
He froze, pencil hovering above the paper.
Ansel watched him, unblinking. "Tell me exactly where it seems to come from."
Varnel closed his eyes, turning his head slowly. "That wall," he whispered. "Almost like it's behind the plaster." He pointed.
"Well," Ansel said, standing and retrieving a small hand-drill from his satchel, "let's open a window."
Varnel suddenly felt very sleepy and a little dizzy. He suddenly fainted and made Ansel panic. "hey wake up. hey you fainted?! oh my god." Varnel heard vaguely what ansel said before he completely passed out.
then Varnel dreamed of some entities calling him. "hey varnel.." with a soft sigh. "hey what are you doing?" with a slightly rough tone. "Varnel we miss you!" with a sad and sighing tone.
Until the afternoon passed, Varnel woke up from his sleep and realized that Ansel had left. He felt a little dazed. He also realized that before he had a dream like someone called him and he looked in the mirror. He saw someone else in the mirror, not himself. He was shocked. "Ah s.. what is that?!" in a tone of anger.
He also got a view of a library building in the rarely visited city of Eirnmoor and a few strange whispers. "library..library.." Varnel felt a little dizzy.
Varnel muttered "Library? The library is in Eirnmoor. Is this a clue?" Not long after, Varnel immediately put on his robe and went out to go to the library.
with a slightly beautiful city view and drizzle, raindrops exposed to smoke and fog that is quite thick smelling of alcohol and iron. "Ah this smell...a I've inhaled it too often. I'm bored.." he left on foot after 5 minutes of walking.
when on the way he met a comedy show wearing a clown-like outfit that was a little scary. varnel muttered "uhh what the heck is that? so ugly."
Suddenly there was a woman who seemed to be running from being chased by something and accidentally bumped into Varnel and they both fell. The woman fell on Varnel's lap. and suddenly created romantic and awkward atmosphere. the mysterious woman..
Black haired. Emerald green eyes. Smelling of alcohol mixed with the smell of roses. Varnel was stunned and muttered "this smell.. unique?.. and she's beautiful." The woman immediately stood up and apologized "s-sorry" with a small sigh. he continued running.
Varnel said "what the..? ah never mind.." even though Varnel seemed to have feelings for the woman. After walking for 10 minutes he arrived at the library.
"It's been a long time..I haven't been to this library" Varnel entered the library which was spacious. "Wow. It seems like the older this place is the cooler it gets huh?" He started walking and His footsteps echoed throughout the corners of the library because the place was so quiet.
he walked and walked and the amulet he was carrying suddenly vibrated and it started to rain. "what? is it raining again? oh no. i didn't bring an umbrella. why is my amulet vibrating anyway. is something wrong?"
he continued walking with the noise of the heavy rain outside and the cold temperature inside. with a little sound of thunder of course. and after he walked in the library for 5 minutes. he saw a strange book.
Varnel approached and took the book. It turned out that the book was also vibrating and connected to Varnel's amulet. "What is this? They are connected?" Varnel opened the book and recognized that the book The contents were written in..normal ink is slightly reddish. And then he realized that the cover of the book was made of..malleable iron and the paper was made of... ordinary paper. "Oh my gosh, this book is so scary and... it smells. Ugh I feel nauseous." He opened and read each page which explained something absurd and in strange language.
"ah there are some things that i can't understand. the language is also strange and hard to understand. this is interesting.."
he opens to page 49 which explains that there are 4 primordial and absolute beings that have immortal bodies that they all exist in beyond our logic and our imagination. The page contains and reads..
Page 49
4 Primordials Beings.
1. The Jester Beyond the veil, Tarot
comedian from the veil of reality. This entity is the most mysterious and unpredictable entity. He is also one of the entities that make up this dimension.
2. The Fool of All Realms, Dolea
the fool, he got lost in all dimensions because he was stupid. Fighting 1 stupid person is more difficult than 100 smart people. That statement explains how stubborn a fool is.he was among those who composed this dimension
3. The Paradox Walker, Itharveil
an entity that continues to run and is based on concepts, plots and other things. he was always walking and stopping and walking. he walks in the gap—the edge of dimensions. every time he walks he reading all the plots there were.
4. Always Try In Big gap, Aseroth
he is the smartest, the most trying. he is also the emptiness itself and he is also not the emptiness. he is something different.
Varnel read page 49. which describes the 4 primordial entities.he was shocked and his head immediately felt dizzy when he opened the page. and it was like trying to remember something and there were 4 different ones calling him. "hahaha! he read it!" with a loud laugh. "he read what?" with a questioning and confused tone. "Varnel. he read it.." in a polite tone. "Varnel! you read it!!"in an arbitrary but painful tone. loud. but soft. all the voices were buzzing throughout varnel's head. and his voice started to fade away..
"Oh my gosh. This hurts so bad!" with a loud varnel scream that echoed throughout the library...
Varnel's emotions subsided and he muttered, "Ah, so annoying.. Ah. There's one more page. Page 50. Everything is torn.. Wait.. Is this a symbol?!.."