Standing amidst that desolate grassland where his fog was slowly encroaching and spreading outward, Isaac took the moment to think of certain matters — relating not only to himself but also everything that had happened and will happen.
Finding a lone charred tree, he rested underneath its leafless branches.
His dark murky eyes then glanced over to the fog lingering around him and the ones that were near the other normal humans around — everything looked normal and there weren't any issues present. Yet, at the back of his mind, this sight couldn't help but trouble him.
His face looked down and saw his hand which was slightly trembling, only noticing it now. Seeing this, a feeble smile played on his lips, devoid of any joy whatsoever. "I knew it..."
"I'm still a coward..."
Forcefully shutting his eyes, he tried his best to calm himself down. He had done this many times before — countless, even — yet he still couldn't escape from his inner turmoil. He gritted his teeth as he inhaled and exhaled heavily, trying to forcefully calm himself down at all costs.
"No... It's not the same, it's not the same..." He murmured to himself, trying to remind himself of something. "I have them in control... It's my arcanum. It's mine."
"The fog's thin... No one's in danger... I have control. I won't... No, I won't... Yes... I, I am in control..."
He repeated those words over and over again for a few more moments desperately until finally, he began to calm down. As erratic and crazed as it was, it had helped him somewhat.
Seeing his hands stop trembling and his breath slowly returning to normal, a frail smile appeared on his face — one that was born of victory and pity over himself.
"That's right... It's fine now. I'm with Vertin now. I... I can fix things now."
He reminded himself of these words sporadically. What a terrible habit it was, really — repeating words over and over again just to find clarity.
Fortunately — or unfortunately, whichever you look at it — doing this rambling often works for him, causing him to finally calm down and regain some reigns of his rationality.
Remembering Vertin's words as well as the current situation he was currently in, a brittle laugh escaped his mouth.
"I'm with the main cast now... I can do better now."
Truth be told, Isaac himself — like the ceaseless mysteries surrounding Vertin, the Foundation, and Manus — also held a secret that he had not nor will ever tell anyone.
He was a transmigrator — and the world he was currently in was the world of a game he played in the past.
Should one think that it was a blessing to be sent to another world should think otherwise. Because for Isaac, it was certainly a death wish.
He had faced numerous struggles since his transmigration — some that had eluded him while some still haunt him to this day — as such, he doesn't count his transmigration a blessing. Yes, it was a curse.
A hellish nightmare, even.
But now that he was with the protagonist of the game — Vertin — he can finally strive towards the goal he had been seeking for all this time.
To return.
...and make amends.
Having regained some of his composure, Isaac collected his thoughts for a moment before regaining all of his rationality.
"...it's alright now."
Having finished his mental breakdown, Isaac compelled himself to immediately be optimistic as to avoid further damages to his psyche. "Yeah, everything's fine now. Can't waste time on silly things like this too much, haha."
...he uttered despite bearing a struggling expression.
Seeking to quickly distance himself from those previous unwanted thoughts, he quickly returned to what Vertin had assigned to him — lest he wanted to become a rambling fool immersed in his self-pity.
"Right, let's get back to business... Vertin said that I need to reach out to her teammates... But..."
His eyes looked far at the distance, as if trying to connect with something.
While he was in the throes of his mental anguish earlier, his fogs, on the other hand, have done their job and spread out across the fields. At some point in time, however, they met an anomaly.
He frowned. "That isn't right..."
Feeling the same sensation as his fogs were feeling from miles away, Isaac felt the anomaly they encountered at the very far distance of the charred forest.
It was an unnatural yet familiar feeling synonymous to eating something you know you've eaten before but taste completely different.
Sensing what it was, his eyes squinted. He soon realized what was happening. "This is... Also a fog? No, it's weird... An arcanum? Yes... But it seems more artificial rather than natural..."
Assuming a contemplating posture, Isaac pondered for a few brief moments — tackling his mind and searching for any relevant information that could aid him with this problem — until he finally gained elucidation over the matter.
He remembered one crucial information.
"Yes... Since this place is under the Manus' watch, they should have added some measures to keep everyone inside." A vague memory soon surfaced in his mind. "If I'm not wrong, this should be Forget Me Not's doing..."
"If that's the case, then... What am I supposed to do now?"
Left sitting alone underneath a charred tree, Isaac's shoulders slumped down. "I can't control them... Since they're not natural fogs, they won't listen to me. They're mechanically loyal to the one that conjured them..."
It was the truth. Isaac's ability might be able to conjure a fog around him that could induce certain negative effects, but when it comes to controlling it, he does have some problems. But it was not at the point that he was at complete loss of control over it — no, it was more like reminding your pet who its owner is from time to time.
His fog, conjured by him, is easily tamed and controlled by him. Though, sometimes they do escape his grasp. Likewise, controlling other fogs requires him to 'tame' them first.
"Just my unfortunate luck..." Leaning back to the charred tree, a wry sigh escaped his lips. "Now what do I do? That darn fog conjured by Forget Me Not is not letting anything pass through it like a barrier. How am I supposed to contact Vertin's team then?"
Should he just directly walk out of the fog barrier? Most likely not since the area was heavily secured by both the local government and the Manus.
He deeply contemplated the matter, trying to find a solution to his dilemma that could potentially hinder his favorability with Vertin— when suddenly, a voice suddenly reached his ears, causing him to immediately snap back to reality.
"Excuse me."
At the same time, with the help of his fog, he immediately located where the source of the voice came from. Turning his head over to a certain direction, his eyes immediately caught sight of the person that just spoke.
'That is...'
That person walked over, and Isaac was able to scrutinize her appearance. She had short, wavy blonde hair that framed her face, and a pair of striking green eyes that would quickly catch the attention of anything who sees them.
Her outfit, meanwhile, consisted of an elegant, dark blue dress with intricate details, including a fitted bodice with a black lace choker and a gold pendant. A white shawl draped over her shoulders, adding contrasting to her dark ensemble.
Lastly, she held a cane with an ornate silver handle adorned with floral motifs.
She looked elegant — yes, elegantly sophisticated. She had the air of nobility and reticence around her, making her look more couth.
Approaching Isaac — who was momentarily frozen by her sudden appearance — she spoke to him with a measured and collected tone.
"I saw you converse with Vertin earlier... Are you acquainted with her?"
Although she didn't directly say it, if one were to know the proper context behind her words — like Isaac was — then her words only held one meaning; was he on Vertin's side or the other.
Isaac paused for a moment, figuring out the right words to say in front of her while maintaining a composed façade. He was trying not to look too giddy or suspicious — which he hoped was working — when facing her.
Thinking of all the possible ways to be amicable to her, Isaac finally decided to speak. He stood up and spoke candidly.
"That's right. She talked to me about some really interesting plans... How about you, Miss?"
The woman adjusted a strand of her hair while maintaining her poker face. She then told a cryptic sentence that would make no sense to anyone else if they don't know the proper context. "She also told me about an interesting matter. About a 'tomorrow' that she wants to witness."
Hearing this, a wry scoff escaped his lips, immediately catching on to what had transpired. "If that is so, then shall we help her find that 'tomorrow' which she seeks?"
She lingered for a bit before nodding, seemingly having confirmed something that he wasn't certain of. "Very well. Since you have been benign with 'them' so far, 'they' trust you for now."
'Them?' The term she used caused a momentary confusion for him. However, he didn't interrupt her words.
Looking at him with that same elegant poker face, she introduced herself. "My name is Druvis. Druvis III."
"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Druvis." Reciprocating the gesture, he bowed slightly. "I'm Isaac."
"I hope we'll have good cooperation."
Not far from them, a plant was swaying in the breeze as it enjoyed the moisture the fog above it was providing.