Tap. Tap.

Rayne's thoughts were interrupted by light footsteps echoing from a nearby rooftop.

The stride was quick and nimble—someone short, moving fast.

His eyes flicked upward, analyzing. If that's our thief, this'll be easy. Though he'd doubted it'd be an ordinary burglar.

Under the moonlight, a slender figure dashed across red clay tiles, each step crisp. In their grip: a staff pulsing with dense magic.

A black cloak. A hood. A dark green mask covering everything but the eyes.

Night. Rooftops. Concealed identity.

Every cliché of a phantom thief, Rayne mused.

"Rayne. Thief?" Kanna tilted her head.

"...No."

The outfit tugged at his memory. Someone from the original story... Staff, masked face...

Then it clicked.

"Wait—Mystogan?!"

His surprise melted into understanding. Of course. This explained the vanishing objects.

Multiple worlds existed—not theory, but fact. Earthland was his current realm. Mystogan hailed from Edolas, a world starving for magic. Its king sought to steal this world's life force through the Anima spell, converting it into energy for Edolas.

The missing items? Likely test runs before full-scale human absorption.

And Mystogan? A rebel sabotaging his father's plans.

"So the Anima experiments started this early?" Rayne murmured. Memory gaps made timelines fuzzy, but the pieces fit.

"Kanna. We follow."

Scooping her up, he channeled magic into his legs. The weight of his greatsword and Kanna—nearly 200 pounds combined—vanished as he bounded onto a store sign, then the roof.

But the figure was gone. Spotted us and switched to ground routes.

"There." Kanna pointed unerringly down an alley.

"Damn. Almost got seen."

Mystogan exhaled in the shadows. Roof-running had been reckless, but time was scarce. The Anima's resonance grew stronger—its next activation wouldn't stop at inanimate objects.

"First trial... Please hold."

His staff trembled as he sprinted toward the town square.

The square was mercifully empty. Perfect.

Pulling his hood lower, Mystogan watched space itself warp—ripples like water, then jagged cracks vomiting violet light.

"Now!"

His staff struck the ground. A sealing array bloomed, ensnaring the distortion.

For a heartbeat, it worked.

Then—

CRACK!

The spell shattered. The Anima spun backward, hurling Mystogan airborne. Ribs screamed as he skidded across stone.

"Reversed?!"

Horror dawned. Instead of draining Earthland, the spell would now suck Edolas's life into this world!

He lunged forward—

"Guh—!"

Collapsed. Blood filled his mouth.

Above him, the inverted vortex convulsed.

Then—

SPLORTCH.

Several black-clad figures were vomited onto the cobblestones.

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