"I feel like I've done a lot of work, but I still have to ask... Who are you?"

Returning to the dead darkness, Loren's consciousness turned his "vision" to the voice that suddenly sounded behind him, and spoke.

It is said to be an opening, but in fact it is more like a message transmission, where the two sides communicate with each other in a way that cannot be described by time and distance.

"It's not useless. The voice "spoke," and the message was mixed with a hint of explanation:

"It's the first step to understanding anything... The process of knowing each other is also the process of knowing oneself. ”

"How can one judge the relationship between 'one' and the world for an individual who has never seen another person similar to oneself, and how can a group of individuals who exist in the same area establish a relationship with each other and recognize each other as the same kind of existence if there is no 'extraterritorial' and 'extraterritorial' existence in this area?"

"As the sincerity of the first negotiation between the two of us, I can provide you with more than 5,000 different examples of the importance and necessity of this issue. ”

Alas?!

"Wait, no! I mean I know you... Hmmm!"

As soon as Loren, who was shocked, wanted to stop it, countless massive information had poured into his consciousness, and his thoughts, which had finally returned to normal, were once again shocked to the ground.

"I'm sorry. There was an apologetic look in his voice: "But I still think you should have an accurate understanding of these... And sharing the sorted message is the only way I can apologize. ”

“...... I accept your apology. ”

"Thank you. ”

The voice was neither fast nor slow, as if it could make people see a scholar strolling leisurely: "So, as the initiator of the question, please tell me first... Who are you?"

"I ......"

"Let me save each other some of the junk that needs to be dealt with, I know you're from the physical world. The voice said indifferently:

"Title, title, place of birth, name, identity, relationship... These meaningless messages, there is no need to pass them on, you just need to tell me... Who you are, that's it. ”

“...... You really think of me. ”

If he could, Loren really wanted to pull the corners of his mouth.

The voice didn't continue to sound, as if waiting for a reply from the black-haired wizard.

Silence, dead silence.

The black-haired wizard, who hesitated for a moment, turned his eyes back to the voice:

"As you know... I am not from the void. ”

Perfect answer, by denying the option to rule out the wrong while avoiding the question. ”

The voice seemed unmoved: "In that case, with the principle of equality as a benchmark, all I can tell you is... I don't come from the material world. ”

"So... You and I, two 'beings' from two different regions, have met in my region, and I think it naturally gives me some obligation to help you have a minimum understanding of the Void and prevent what happened again. ”

"What just happened?"

"That's right, you killed yourself almost without any outside interference, and this is something that no Void being would do, I think... You have an obligation to prevent you from continuing to do so. ”

The voice was serious, as if it really wanted to help himself.

The black-haired wizard wanted to frown.

"You're on the lookout, that's right, and good intentions without a cause should be on guard. The voice said lightly: "But this time it's a little different... If you just disappear, it's going to bother me a bit. ”

"So you don't need to be overly wary of my kindness, because it's entirely my self-interest. ”

"Troubled, what?"

Loren asked rhetorically.

"Message... Every consciousness that appears in the void for the first time will reveal a lot of information, thoughts, preferences, speculations, and concepts because it cannot control its thoughts...... Most of these messages are useless, repetitive and useless, but there will always be something different. ”

The voice seemed interested in the topic: "The new information is the source of the motivation to think, and there is no point in thinking when everything is still... To stop thinking is to die. ”

"So, you need these messages to keep thinking ... Uh, live?"

The black-haired wizard began to understand what he meant.

"Exactly, and the amount of information you bring to the table is enormous, many of which I have never been exposed to before. Loren could almost see the voice nodding to himself:

"So... You should know how much you mean to me, and I'm willing to help you. ”

"And the first step to helping you is to really take control of yourself. ”

Syllable!

As if the sound of water droplets falling into the bottom of the well, the darkness vanished, and in its place appeared in the dark-haired wizard's field of vision, his dream world.

The burning dark sun hung high in the sky, and below was the dilapidated Wimpal Academy standing in the middle of the abyss.

Loren could clearly perceive that the other party was observing his dream world very carefully and carefully.

"Very good, very good dreams... In the case of minimizing losses as much as possible, the limited thinking power is used to the limit. The voice said lightly:

"You can be sure that this is not a masterpiece that you did alone, but that the result is simple, clear and intuitive with the help of other beings, and all the necessary elements are presented in the most intuitive way. ”

Intuitively, why do I feel lifeless and especially middle two, especially dark and deep?

Especially that burning black sun.

This time the voice did not continue to care about Loren's emotions, and continued:

"The size of the castle symbolizes the scope and solidity of the dream world, reflecting the scope and endurance of your thinking in a certain period of time, as long as it exceeds this range and endurance, it will collapse;"

"The books scattered in the hall symbolize your memory, using the book as a carrier and nothing else, expressing the creator's awareness of the 'knowledge carrier'... I remember the type that was carved into stone or wood, or that kept ringing and echoing;"

"The cage in the hall symbolizes the restraint of emotions, and the existence of the material world seems to have special emotions for the existence that is exactly the same as oneself, and it is very capable of stabilizing emotions by killing or 'communicating' with oneself;"

The voice of the "Burning Black Sun ......" paused slightly, as if to sigh something: "It is a fantasy, an existence that transcends the material world, and it is a deception, a deception that is clear at a glance." ”

"Deception at a glance?" Loren bewildered.

"That's right, it's the only existence I can't understand about your dream world, because the reason it appears seems to be to tell you that it's all just a lie... I can't understand why. The voice said quickly, as if it didn't want to linger too long on the topic:

"In any case, your dream world has laid the firmest foundation for you to master power... Most of the beings who step into the void for the first time in the material world often need to build their dream world from scratch to fit their own way of thinking. ”

"You don't need to, it's your advantage... Of course, it can also be a disadvantage, because you have completely integrated this dream with yourself, and it is impossible to modify it much. ”

The black-haired wizard stared at the burning black sun: "You mean ......"

"You're actually... The power has been mastered, but it is not really perceived yet. The voice continued, "There is a misunderstanding in this statement, so it can also be called... You just need to know what your power really is. ”

"And if you want to know what your power is, you must have a clear understanding of your own existence, which means ......"

"I... Be... Who?"

The black-haired wizard asked rhetorically.

"It seems that you have understood what the most critical question is. ”

So the topic comes back ... Loren couldn't help but think.

It may sound like you're defining yourself, but it's actually a matter of determining your position.

What is your last name, what does your first name mean, and why is it this last name?

Where are you from, what is your identity, are there any people like you, who is the same kind of person as you? Why are you the same as me, but different?

Who do you obey and who is loyal to you? What is it that makes sense to what you do, what is it that you have always insisted on?

Do you have friends, do you have relatives, do you have people who resemble relatives? Do you have enemies, do you have enemies that you must kill? Why are you friends, enemies, relatives, and enemies with him?

...... The black-haired wizard's consciousness began to enter into rapid thinking, and countless questions gave birth to countless messages, which in turn brought back memories and brought him back to situations he had experienced in the past again and again.

Outside the Wild Dog Village, the little wizard who looked at him in panic;

“...... Ainland, Wimpal Wizard Apprentice, future alchemist, what about you......"

At Wimpal College, the Daltonkander mentor who is wary of himself;

“...... I have to admit that I wasn't going to let you into this room in the first place......"

In Gumu Town, the confident Fanecis;

“...... Don't be too inhibited, just sit down and rest for a while......"

In Fort Deepwood, Ruwenfried, who talks and laughs with himself;

“...... I don't want them to think my wizard advisor is a sick man......"

In the Ancient Wood Forest, the elf war dancer Leya, who is very disgusted with herself;

“...... Stranger, explain your purpose ......"

and Isaac, Charlotte, Peter, Brandon, Luceen, Corona, Drexis, Carl Collin......

Who they are, what they represent and what does it mean to them, do they have a title that can be explained to all of them and will not be confused with anyone?

What comes to mind when they first see themselves?

This person... Who is it?

As Loren began to think quickly, this time his consciousness was not in the same pain and blur as before, but became clearer and clearer.

The "answer" hidden in the bottom of my heart is gradually emerging.

It's fast, it's fast.

He could feel it... It is something that can be seen, touched, smelled, and felt.

The answer is right in front of you.

Under the gaze of "the voice", the black sun burning in the dome began to tremble uneasily, and the light of the fire was bright and dark, as if it was in a final dying throes.

Standing in the abyss, the Wimpal Academy began to collapse, and then a large area of "land" rose from the lower layers of the abyss, and it quickly collapsed, as if it was constantly trying to find something.

"Boom !!!"

The flaming black sun suddenly burst open, splitting into nine in the sky, and the unbridled pillars of fire hooked them together to form a nine-pointed star that shrouded the dome.

When the voice looked over, I saw that the nine "stars" that were divided into nine also exploded, divided into smaller nine parts, and formed a new nine-pointed star... Layered and endless.

The burning flames outlined a huge ring around the cascading nine-pointed star, enveloping it in the center... The brand new "Black Sun", which was covered by countless nine-pointed star magic arrays, was born.

The black-haired wizard in constant thinking, constant self-examination, consciousness became clearer and clearer, and the earth under his feet rose and fell, and the cycle continued.

That one... is the answer.

It's yourself.

"Boom !!!"

There was another thunderclap, and Loren's consciousness opened his eyes.

Slowly raising his right hand, in the center of the "body" that did not exist, the imprint of the burning ring continued to overflow with flames, starting from the chest to shape his body's torso, neck, head, and limbs......

The flames swept by, and Loren had a simple and monotonous wizard's robe.

Surveying the new body, the black-haired wizard slowly turned his gaze to his side, and a pale golden looming "figure" appeared at his side, examining himself.

"So... Looks like you already have the answer?"

The voice asked calmly.

The black-haired wizard bowed slightly.

"In that case, let's start from the beginning. The voice whispered, "Honorable, Your Excellency from the material world, may I ask ......."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Loren. ”

Loren Turin smiled and read the answer softly:

"It's a wizard from afar. ”

At this moment, there was no confusion in his eyes, and his heart was as clear as a mirror.

Yes, for this world, I will never be a part of it, let alone belong to it, and I am not within its rules, not bound by its laws, but I have established a permanent connection with it.

I tried to fit in with the world, tried to make myself look no different from other beings in this world, but failed.

Asrael, Mezka, Seliol... Even if they don't show up, they will still come to the door.

To them, to the world, to themselves always... Always the stranger who came from afar.

If that's the case, so be it.

"Very appropriate title, somewhat ambiguous but... It does fit the meaning you represent, and you are a very unacceptable being to the world. ”

The voice said lightly, "Then, it's my turn." ”

"Loren, a wizard from afar, it's an honor to meet you, my name is ......"

"Holy Cross. ”