The Mystic Dominator

the boy who disappeared

　　Stepping inside the mansion was a world away from the outside world.

　　A horrible fog filled the mountains in the darkness of the night, and the air was still heavy with the dreariness of the overcast clouds.

　　Inside the house, however, it was warm and dry, a completely quiet and peaceful scene.

　　The boy led the way, a few steps ahead.

　　The three of them arrived at the living room on the ground floor.

　　On the left side of the room, a wood fire blazed in the fireplace.

　　On the right side of the room, there were steps leading upstairs, and next to it was a table attached to the wall.

　　And on the carpet in the centre of the living room was a dining table with clean white napkins laid out in advance, as well as hot soup and bread steaming on it, and near the edge of the table, there was even some cut up meat.

　　The not-too-dark room seemed, at first glance, to have no problems at all.

　　But Ronald and Nessus looked at each other, and the meaning in their eyes was unanimous.

　　Quite a dangerous place-

　　Just then, the boy who led the way had gone to the wall table next to the stairs on the right, and then moved skilfully to organise the items on it:

　　"If you three are here, you can sit down and rest first."

　　"I still have enough food here, and considering that we'll be facing the dangers outside together next, it's important to replenish our strength as soon as possible."

　　Before the words fell, without waiting for Ronald and Nessus to react, Thomson, who seemed like a startled bird, shouted:

　　"You don't think we are fools!"

　　"Still pretending there at a time like this, how could a normal person eat these things?"

　　"No!"

　　"Rather, at times like this, what kind of person prepares food in advance!"

　　"......"

　　Eyes watched as Thomson shouted out his opinion like a vent.

　　The air in the living room instantly froze, as if the warmth of the fire couldn't stop the temperature from dropping.

　　This guy was too reckless-

　　Although there was no problem with what Thomson said, the timing of his opening was considerably bad.

　　Directly pointing out the suspicious places on the other party was tantamount to directly pitting the two sides against each other.

　　In a situation where the outside world was surrounded by crises, this was absolutely the most foolish choice.

　　Another few breaths passed, and the boy slowly put down the teapot in his hands before turning his body to face the three people.

　　The young face was covered in confusion, not seeing any embarrassment in it at all.

　　"This sir, what are you talking about?"

　　"In this kind of critical moment, only sincere co-operation can be solved together ......"

　　"You can get away with it!"

　　Suddenly, Thomson spoke up and interrupted the boy's explanation.

　　The middle-aged businessman who was temporarily out of danger, at this moment, it was as if he was in control of things, and he even stepped forward to come in front of Ronald and Nessus, protecting the two behind him.

　　"Quickly reveal your plot!"

　　"Otherwise I won't let you go!"

　　"......"

　　Being too expressive ......

　　The succession of shocking encounters had clearly brought this middle-aged man's emotions to the brink of collapse.

　　This kind of strength, in a sense, was already his subconscious protecting his ego.

　　In the face of this situation, the two Ronald men at the back also glanced at each other rather tacitly.

　　Nessus shook his head slightly, the meaning clear in his stony eyes.

　　--He didn't want Thomson to keep stirring the pot.

　　Until he got the most basic information about this 'boy', he was going to stop this Thomson from stirring things up.

　　Ronald immediately shook his head at Nessus as well.

　　At the same time, he also drew two arcs covertly with his fingers, dividing the boy and the three of them into two sides.

　　In the end, Thomson was one of their own who had fled over with them.

　　Versus this boy who can see the problem at a glance, even if it is not a human being is not yet known ......

　　After all, the words had been made clear, so it was better to let Thomson continue.

　　Taking a step back, this kind of provocation in a clear-cut, bordering on hysteria mode was bound to elicit some useful information as well.

　　Nessus frowned.

　　Ronald's thoughts, he could indeed understand.

　　But he still didn't want to take desperate measures for safety reasons; Thomson's state was simply too dangerous and could easily make things completely uncontrollable.

　　Unfortunately, without waiting for him to make a decision-

　　A new turn of events had begun in silence.

　　Hearing Thomson's words, the boy's eyes gazed down at Thomson, and the confusion on his face gradually solidified.

　　Finally along with the corners of his mouth rising, a helpless and sarcastic smile surfaced.

　　"I said ......"

　　"Why are you so ungrateful, you fellow?"

　　"Wouldn't it be nice to sit down peacefully, eat a beautiful meal before you die, and finally die without any pain?"

　　"Still really calling for a headache ...... hmm?"

　　Just as he was about to do something, the expression on the boy's face suddenly changed, and his eyes went to the roof.

　　"Forget it, you few ordinary people can't do anything anyway."

　　"Just wait for death slowly here."

　　Dryly handing down a death sentence to the three, the boy's figure then gradually faded in the air. In the end, just like a translucent ghost in a film, he lay down in a backward position towards the wall behind him and disappeared into it.

　　--Inside the empty living room.

　　At this moment, it became a situation where there were only three people again.

　　"Gulp--"

　　Seeing the scene happening in front of him with his own eyes, Thomson stared wide-eyed and swallowed a mouthful of saliva full of nervousness.

　　Pointing at the location where the boy disappeared, he asked in a trembling tone:

　　"He ...... me ......"

　　"This ......"

　　"How is this possible?"

　　Unlike Thomson who was in shock.

　　Ronald and Nessus' reactions were crisp and clear.

　　Nessus, with a clear purpose, took two steps to the wall where the boy had just gone down invisibly, and studied it with his face almost pressed against it.

　　It was the method of the other's disappearance that concerned him.

　　Ronald, on the other hand, began to wander back and forth across the living room, scoping out his surroundings while making sure to stay out of his companion's field of vision.

　　--

　　A few minutes later, while Thomson was still unable to explain the things he saw before him.

　　Ronald ended his probing, then graciously sat down in a chair in the living room.

　　"Nessus, how's the research going on your side?"

　　"Things aren't too good on my side."

　　Hearing Ronald's enquiry, Nessus got up and came over, shaking his head regretfully:

　　"The walls and the floor are fine, and there's no residue left behind by similar hallucinogens, that guy was able to disappear in front of our eyes purely relying on his own ability."

　　"What about you? Any luck?"

　　"......"

　　Waving a hand at Nessus, Ronald displayed the tinderbox he'd just found over by the fireplace.

　　"One good news, one bad news."

　　"The good news is that this house shows signs of recent habitation, and the matches I just found over by the fireplace still look new."

　　"There are signs of recent habitation ......" After less than three seconds of contemplation, Nessus pressed on, "And the bad news?"

　　"......"

　　"The bad news ......"

　　"According to the results of my observation just now, the number of 'people' in this room is definitely no less than five."

　　Hearing such a result, Nessus' furrowed brows stiffened even more.

　　"Can you guarantee the accuracy?"

　　Ronald nodded confidently:

　　"The indentations left by the chair feet on the carpet, the size and use of the porch hangers, and the number of dishes cleaned all corroborate for me."

　　"Basically, you can't go wrong."

　　"So we should be dealing with a minimum of five people including two to three little ones ......"

　　Rumble-

　　Suddenly, a loud bang violently exploded overhead.

　　Ronald didn't even finish his discovery before he directly stopped.