It took him a second to realize: he was made to participate in those events again, but… why? Where was he meant to be? Who was manipulating him? He remembered a mysterious lulling haze—and the world around him shattered. The more Izumi thought, the faster the cracks grew—the reality was more like the scenery of a theater falling apart. He concentrated so hard that clots of emerald energy began to curl around his head.

Think. Kangaero. Kangaero. Kangaero. Kangaero. The thoughts in his head were running along a bizarre trajectory. Point, right, right, point, left. Faster, faster.

That was all because…

His mental struggle with himself defeated the curse. The fake reality crumbled completely, but in the emptiness around, some objects began to take shape one after another.

Was it… a Ferris wheel?

In front of the investigator—now back to his adulthood—rolled out a huge amusement park with a festival in full swing. Bizarre xylophone music was playing in the distance, and gigantic rides of all kinds were joyfully winking at visitors with colorful lamps in the twilight.

However, there were no visitors. Izumi stood all alone in the middle of eye-catching sign boards, paper lanterns and LED-decorated trees. The carousels were up and running, but no one enjoyed the ride inside.

“This is still an illusion, but… something feels different. I haven’t figured out what, exactly.”

A persistent noise was ringing inside Izumi’s head. He headed to where the center of the park was supposed to be, passing joyful but abandoned stalls full of cotton candies, lollipops and stuffed toys. Unable to resist the urge, the mage touched a panda plushie. It felt quite real.

The row of shops ended, and the Viridian reached the crossroads. He bounced aside when a nearby ride began to move: the cabin slammed down a tall column with a roar, simulating a free fall. The mage ran to look at the huge mechanism and after a close inspection he found that there was a passenger inside.

“Viktor!”

Izumi’s thoughts sparked again. He rushed to the carousel operator’s booth, broke the window and reached for the control button—he had never tried stopping the rides before, but figuring out an unfamiliar dashboard wasn’t a big deal for a Sage. Creaking and screeching, the cabin slowly sank to the ground. Jumping over the fence, Izumi raised the over-the-shoulder harness and checked on Viktor. He was alive, but unconscious. After the mage shook him a bit, the Amber twitched, opened his eyes and began to gasp for air like a rescued drowned man.

“Thanks to the Goddess!” Izumi sighed.

“What the hell was that? Where are we? I’ve just been in a falling helo…”

“Helo?”

“Helicopter. Me and Cruz were… oh, shit, Cruz…no, no, no...”

“They are making us experience the most memorable moments of our past. Stay strong and don’t focus on it. We all need to let it go. Let’s move on.”

“Cruz… I… I am so sorry…”

“Stop it!” It wasn’t typical of Izumi to sound so harsh, but he couldn’t let Viktor lose hold of himself. “We must find who is behind this ASAP. Everything here breathes purple magic, and I cannot imagine who is able to generate it in such quantities. It is so powerful that it almost defeated even my own mind.”

“Shit. Where are the others?”

“I believe they are enchanted somewhere here as well.” Izumi helped the Battle Mage to get out of the cabin. “I need to prove my theory. I hate to ask you such a personal question, but what memory was forced upon you? I mean, with the helicopter.”

“One of my days in the army. It felt so bright, so real. I got into a time loop just before the landing. Kept on jumping out after our medic, Cruz. Again and again.”

“A free fall… that is how they reinforce the emotional background—by finding a trigger or a point of contact…”

“Urgh, can you speak in tank, please?”

“What I’m trying to say is that I might know where we should find Hitomi. Do you see a rollercoaster or bumper cars somewhere?”