The street in front of me was full of people. Lined with stalls, shops, and decorations.
The same one I was walking in just as normal minutes ago… as if the festival didn't swallow us into it, but we ourselves went to it.
I wasn't the only one who felt that, because some people seemed to notice, but after staying for a while— it all began to feel natural.
As if the festival was always there in that day and time.
"Wake up, wake up!"
I punched myself on the stomach really hard when I found myself taking steps forward.
The punch didn't help much but it returned my senses to me for what was enough to put on my noise-canceling earphones.
When the music was finally too far away, I started to look around with a clear head.
If this was a festival, then how could I get out of?
Maybe simply went through it, to the end? Or just stay alive till the morning, when it all ends?
"What is the guarantee that this place has a morning?"
There's no such thing. Nothing.
I have no idea about what kind of places I ended up in, and I have no special knowledge that could do anything to help…
Even the system was clearly not responding since the last error.
Think Nathan, Think.
What is the best way to deal with such a thing?
"No, no"
What is the normal way? That could leave me alive without drawing attention?
AH—
Cancel, Cancel.
I was really thinking of the normal way but the view of the people who were going there into the festival made me delete the whole thing from my mind.
"Shall I stay here, waiting for help?"
I'm not even wearing that watch so the company would never know that I'm here. Plus… I had no idea if there was anyone who could help people in these situations.
Is there a special institution for that?
"So, waiting to be saved…"
No, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no no no—
The festival was already getting near without me going any further! As if it was expanding… minutes and I would be in the middle of it.
"So, running away isn't an option."
In my mind, I did revise the exploration manual again. First thing was to wear the watch, which wasn't with me. And the second was to make sure to follow the previous exploration records.
Neither seemed helpful.
So, I thought about it again. The sub points…
Wearing the watch had one massive property, which was to hide your face from anyone in the Vessels except your team…
Why?
One reason was that the anomalies sometimes recognize your face, and that could put you in trouble.
"I have to find a replacement, anythi—"
The music was getting near second by second and I wasn't thinking as straight as I must be.
Nothing in my pocket seemed fine, and putting some clothes on my face wasn't the best idea…
Think, think—
There was the S.P. items shop but that didn't work.
OH—
The shop!
I quickly looked at my hand to find that ring, the one that hides whatever part I need, and just gave myself a simple thought: Hide my head.
When I looked into my phone monitor then, all I saw was the collar of the shirt—nothing behind it or above it. As if it hid part of my neck as well.
"Nice, nice."
The festival had already reached me…
Now I have to find a way to escape this music.
I pinched my hand this time and it did a great job because somehow, the normal view that was in front of me became more traumatizing.
Human beings who wasn't a human beings at all,
And crazy stuff in the market—
"You! Elegant man! Come here and see what we have!"
I turned to my right to see what was going on. A man with two mouths and one eye was there, sitting in front of his stall.
There were Heads.
He sells heads—
When that fact fully settled in my brain, I was already out of breath… my whole body became stiff and nearly my soul came out.
He was an anomaly. And treated me like one…
I didn't even look at that view again and turned to see something else. Then when the fact that all 'else' things were somehow the same I couldn't stood straight.
Parts of human and animal bodies, crazy dolls that play and talk by themselves, and some stuff that I didn't ever think could exist in our world.
"What even happened to all the people who came with me?"
No, thinking of saving anyone when I couldn't save myself is such craziness.
I couldn't see anyone to start with, moreover… I could barely see where I was going.
"Where is that damned system when I need it?"
I pinched myself once more when the view started to get normal. Two times was barely enough.
"Any clue? Anything?"
I kept cursing the system while trying my best to get over what I'm seeing. The urge to vomit was burning in my throat and two or three pinches weren't enough anymore.
"Look for clues, look for clues."
You'll see what you are looking for the most, you will see what you are looking for the most, you will see what—
"What you are looking for!"
Suddenly something hit. The paper that appeared in my vision at first. The job!
This place may tempt us with what we want…
So what?
What could I do with such a conclusion?
Should I find a job?
No, of course not. What a crazy idea…
"Re-think it, rethink it, rethink it all."
I just stopped in the middle of the street, looking around me. The place was glitching in my eyes between a normal festival and a repulsive sight.
So… this too may used to be another normal place which turned somehow to a Vessel?
The forest house was a normal house that opened by a key, and the old company was a normal company where the work hours ended as usual.
And this is a festival.
How could anyone leave a festival?
By using the gate.
It is usually this simple— and usually we can find a map here or there…
"That's it!" The map!
Now that I had a goal in mind, things got easier. I didn't look anymore for something they sell but for any papers on the columns and walls.
"Where am I now?"
Maybe an hour passed, maybe two or three— I've lost track of time easily.
When the stringing pain in my hand started to be noticeable I gave it a look.
My palm was covered in blood. Some of it had dried, while some was still fresh… the cuts weren't serious, but I had to keep pressure on some of them for a while before the bleeding stopped.
"This way, I may die even before finding that thi—"
As magic. One paper on the wall five meters away catched my eyes immediately. The only paper I've seen until now.
I hurried up, almost tripped over something I didn't recognize. And when I was finally there, another hand reached out and picked up the paper.
"You need this?"
"...?"
A tall man, very familiar figure—
"Yes." I answered, fully aware of the fact that my head was invisible. "I need it."
"I see…"
When he looked sideways to see something, I recognized him.
The strong man with blue aura. The one Hero told me about yesterday.
"Why do you need it?"
"...?"
Why? Is that a trick or something?
"Isn't it a map?" I answered, not sure whether I should do that or not. "I need to get out."
"How did you know about it?"
"About what?"
"The way out?"
"I didn't know I just figured things out."
That was more suspicious and I knew, but whatever.
"Right…"
His gray eyes felt too cold to be human eyes. The sight of them sent a chill through my body.
"Where is your identification, and which department and unit are you from?"
"...? Non?"
"From where did you get that item then?"
He pointed at the ring, as if he already knew that it is what made my head invisible. I, on the other hand, shrugged my shoulders and just answered casually.
"I found it in a random boxs, maybe it's my grandfather's ring. Why? Did anything going wrong?"
Yeah. I have just chosen to play ignorant again. I don't even know that my head is invisible, there's nothing wrong.
Nothing.
"Did you saw a mirror?"
"No? I didn't really looked around with focus to see something."
"Right…" he looked above, seemed to be wondering what to do. "Let me help you then."
He took out his phone. I instantly knew what he was about to do but really hoped that he wouldn't.
But he did.
And I played as the most dramatic scared person in the world when he showed me myself in the camera…
I shouted and began to run my hands over my face, as if checking it was still there.
"My face! Where is my face!! Aah!"
"Calm dawn, calm down—" he simply helped me to take of the ring. "Look at yourself now… it is fine. This kind of items could do crazy things sometimes."
I nodded, seeming so helpless and pitiful in my reflection.
And I thought that that man would take the ring with him but he simply put it in my bleeding palm again.
"Wear it. At least till we get out."
"... okay." My shaky voice was a nice touch. "It won't affect me right?"
"No. Just take it off when we out."
"A- alright." I put it back again and thought about hiding my head. "Do you know how to get out?"
"You've already figured this out." He waved the paper in his hand, then looked at my hand again.
"So you keep your conscious by hurting yourself?"
"What do you mean? I've got a skin condition, so I scratched my hand raw.The atmosphere here is really unsettling."
"...?" Confusion was written all over his face. "Why the paper then?"
"Isn't even festivals has a map to the gate? This one is really uncomfortable one so I wanted to get out."
"... right, right."
The times he said 'right' made my saying of 'okay' unnoticeable at all.
Did I look like a hopeless case?
Maybe.
But at least that will spare me questions I don't know how to answer.
"Let's go then, we will talk after that."
That man didn't show the map to me, but he seemed trustworthy so I went after him.
What I didn't really think of then was a very obvious fact: No normal human being could deal with this in this cool way without being some kind of a weirdo. Or at least, belong to a weird institution…
And dealing with such things could never do me a favor.