"So... you mean, I've taken over your body?"
A deadly silence followed—only Gill's heavy breathing could be heard. After a dozen seconds, a sigh echoed through the darkness, and the voice finally replied briefly.
"Yes."
Many questions flooded Gill's mind. What exactly had happened? How did it happen? What did it mean? One question after another surfaced in his head, yet none of them had an answer.
Among all the questions, one bothered him the most.
'What was that thing?'
What was that shiny object that hit him and destroyed his body and the space around it? When he saw the image the voice had shown him, he realized the thing that struck him was just a small object—perhaps no larger than a fist.
But… what was it?
Back then, when he was inside the portal, he couldn't see it clearly. The shiny object had come toward him at the speed of light—making it impossible to see.
The object had first appeared in the distance, blending in with the countless stars in the portal—small and gleaming with light.
Until the space itself trembled, and he sensed something was wrong. One of the "stars" moved strangely. It was just instinct, but his instincts screamed that something dangerous was approaching. And before he could react, the object that was once far away suddenly appeared right in front of him—as if it had teleported.
And that was the last thing he remembered before everything was destroyed without a trace. But… why wasn't that boy's body destroyed too, while his own body was shattered completely? Could it be that the object slowed down after traveling through space?
But that still didn't make any sense!
Breaking free from his deep thoughts, Gill stared blankly into the void, as if he could see something within the dark emptiness. He spoke in a low voice.
"Do you know what that object was?"
Two seconds passed before the voice answered.
"No. Isn't that what I should be asking you?"
Gill fell silent for a moment before speaking again, this time with a questioning tone.
"How were you able to show me that vision… if you were the one who got hit by the object?"
As soon as he spoke, the space around him changed. What was once a dark, empty void now became a desert—nothing but sand as far as the eye could see.
And then, a figure appeared before him. It was the young man who had been struck by the same object as Gill. He had short black hair, brown eyes, pale skin, and the same height as Gill—180 cm.
The young man turned to face him. Their eyes met, staring at each other in a deadly silence. He didn't respond—just stared.
After several seconds, Gill asked again.
"What is this place? Is this some sort of illusion you created?"
The young man replied briefly.
"Yes."
They fell into silence again, staring at one another.
Then Gill spoke again, this time with a tone full of confusion.
"Why are you so calm? Shouldn't you be panicking or angry? You seem way too relaxed about this situation."
The young man who had been expressionless suddenly laughed—loudly.
Gill frowned. What's wrong with him? Has he gone mad?
"Why are you laughing? Do you think this is funny?"
The young man stopped laughing and looked at Gill with an amused expression.
"No, it's just... never mind. You asked why I'm not panicking or angry? Why should I be angry?"
He shook his head before continuing.
"What's done is done, and it can't be changed. Sure, I should be mad at you. But what can I do? It seems like you're caught up in this mess too. There's no one to blame."
Gill looked at him strangely. What was up with this guy? He seemed far too calm—like someone who didn't care about anything that happened to him.
Seeing that Gill was full of questions, the young man turned around and began walking through the desert. Gill followed behind him.
After walking several meters in silence, the young man spoke again.
"What's your name?"
Gill paused for a moment, then answered.
"Gill. Gillbert von Hart."
The young man stopped, and Gill halted behind him. He turned around to face Gill and smiled.
"Oh... Gillbert von Hart. That's a nice name. I guess I should introduce myself too. My name is Reven Nox."
The young man—Reven—was still smiling, and now his smile widened.
He spoke again, and his words left Gill confused.
"Looks like you're not from around here, so let me welcome you."
Reven paused for a moment, then continued. What he said next gave Gill a strange expression.
"Welcome to the Divine Natural Order. Or, as some people call it... hm... oh yeah, Earth."