Levin didn't know what happened. Or… To be more exact, he couldn't proceed everything happened in front of him so quickly.
He had just woken up from probably the strangest, creepiest, and most terrifying dream he had ever had. Now, the soldier woke up watching the building he currently lived in start to crumble slowly, like a sand castle meeting the wave from the beach. The sight was so absurd that he felt like he was still in another bad dream.
'What the fuck is this? The second episode of Levin's creepy dream?!' He cursed inwardly.
However, the confusion state didn't last long. The combination of Mira's panicked voice and the content behind her shout forced him to be awake instantly, and even though his brain hadn't comprehended the situation to the fullest yet, his instinct as a soldier kicked in, starting to scan the entire room to figure out the problem.
"What is going on here, Mira?!" Levin yelled, trying to find the girl and his gun. "Fuck! Where is my fucking gun?!" He cursed out loud when the laser gun was not in its usual place. "Mira?!" The man shouted once again.
"Uncle, here!" The little girl returned the yell from the different parts of the building. "I cannot get through the door!"
Levin frowned, moving back a little. Then, after that, he rushed toward the door, trying to tackle it with his shoulder as powerful as he could.
Brugh!
"Ouch!" He cursed, feeling a dull pain in his shoulder. "What the hell?! How could this door be as strong as a fucking steel when it is crumbling like a wet castle?!"
"Uncle, what is going on there?!" Mira shouted from the other side of the door.
"Nothing! Just trying to figure out how to blast this door!" Levin shouted back. Then, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Mira, is my laser gun there?"
There was a sudden pause before Mira shouted back, "No, Uncle! I didn't find your gun here!"
"Fuck!" Levin started to lose count of how many times he cursed today. This was probably the worst scenario possible here. They still didn't know what happened, yet they were trapped inside this building without any way to get out. "Stay there, Mira! I will try to think about something here!"
Right after that, Levin glanced toward his surroundings, trying to observe everything that was going on there. That was when he realized the absurdity in front of him. Not just the wall that was crumbling like wet paper, but the floors that he had just stepped on twisted and lifted like waves, sending chairs flying through the air like angry birds. A kaleidoscope of colors filled the room, with floating clocks spinning wildly and giant balloons bouncing around like they were alive.
This was like the craziest playground that any child had ever – or never – dreamed of in their life.
However, a soft whisper suddenly tickled his ear, making Levin snap his head quickly, trying to find the source of the voice.
'… It go…'
'Just… It go…'
'Let it go… Just let everything go…'
At first, it was so quiet he almost didn't hear it. But as the craziness continued around him, the whisper grew louder and clearer. The voice was smooth and soothing, like a gentle breeze on a warm day. Levin could feel a strange pull, tempting him to abandon his worries and fears straight away. It felt like the whisper wanted him to free himself from everything that held him back—like he could float away, weightless and free.
"Fuck!" Levin cursed out loud, suddenly feeling a sharp pain on his tongue. It seemed that the strange whisper in his ear really pushed him to the brink as it even triggered Levin's body to defend itself from the incoming attack. This was the method that the military had been teaching all of their soldiers, forcing themselves to bite their tongue hard enough until it bled whenever they were about to fall from someone's hypnotize. Fortunately, somehow, this cruel method was able to save his ass from the stranger who was trying to influence him. "I don't know who and where you are, but I will make sure you won't enjoy your last moment before dying, Bastard!"
"Ku… Ku… Ku…" The ethereal whisper earlier suddenly turned into a creepy one when it heard Levin's promise. "But mister soldier… How could you do that when you have already sent the culprit to hell in the most painful way you can think of?"
For that, Levin widened his eyes in realization. "A psychopath laugh and an illusion… Are you the fucking illusionist that I killed a few days ago?!" He asked incredulously.
"Bingo! You get it right! Ding! Ding! Ding!"
Levin felt the corner of his mouth twitch a little when he heard the cheerful announcement as if this was just a mere-quiz event on television. However, deep inside himself, he sighed in relief as he finally figured out something. At least, now he knew the culprit behind all these crazy shits in front of him.
"So, what are you doing here? Should you be in hell already?" He asked, trying to be nonchalant. The tension on his shoulder also dropped a little, and while he was still worried about Mira, he knew from the experience that the best way to deal with the illusionist was to find his whereabouts first.
"Hell, huh? Ku… Ku…. Ku… What makes you think that I haven't been there already?" The illusionist's creepy voice came once again, and Levin couldn't help but shudder a little. "I just came back here because of you, Mister Soldier…"
Levin frowned a little at this unexpected information. "Because of me?" He repeated the man's words.
"Yes, Mister Soldier. I am here because of you." The illusionist spoke once again to confirm his words. "After all, it is you who choose my power, right?" A hint of mockery and amusement could be heard in his tone.
Levin clicked his tongue once again, starting to get annoyed at how cryptic the illusionist was in his answer. "What the fuck do you mean by me choosing your power? I have never done something so stupid like that before!"
"Oh, are you sure about that?" The amusement in the illusionist's tone really started to get under Levin's skin. "Just think again, Mister Soldier. Try to remember clearly what is going on… Even in your dream…"
That last part was enough for Levin to realize everything. All of the crazy illusions that happened here and the voice of the illusionist coming back from hell, it all came down to one thing, "Those fucking saplings from my weird dream! That is what you are talking about, right?!"
-0-
Meanwhile, far in outer space, the crow man smirked as he watched the record of what happened on the earth that he controlled. "So, we finally have the first awakened player, huh? And from an ordinary military, nonetheless? Not bad… But with this, the real game can finally start. I wonder if you can be the number one player for the rest of the game or not… Come on, Soldier! I hope you can entertain me here!"