Chapter 173- The City Of The Mindless (Part 2)
"Why are they acting like this?" Rin asked as he looked at them carefully.
From the outside, these people looked normal, there was no noticeable change in their bodies or skin. All they had different were the dazed, emotionless eyes that stared into particularly nothing. It was as if their minds were disconnected from reality itself and were thrown into a different world, leaving only their bodies as the outer shell.
"Wait, their minds…" Rin's thoughts halted at that word.
From merely analyzing their current state, Rin didn't really find much useful information. However, the word mind was the key.
"Some kind of…"
"Drug." Elise finished his words as her eyes squinted to the size of a needle.
"They are completely drugged by some kind of substance or under a spell that disconnects their minds from the world." She added.
Evelyn's eyes widened as she also quickly reached that conclusion albeit with a more clear answer. To quickly verify her hypothesis, she quickly approached a random citizen and held their head.
Even though Evelyn wasn't really very knowledgeable in this field, she was still someone who relied on the charm as her power and charm affected the mind so she can at least check their conditions.
The moment her hand made contact with the citizen, she frowned visibly.
"Hypnotised… This is some kind of hypnotization spell." She said.
In this world, people with the ability to hypnotize others existed and it was actually more common than many would think. Although most users of this power can't really control people and could only do it on monsters and animals. The more complex the mind is the harder for them to control it so humans were one of the smartest if not the smartest creatures in Divine Sapphire.
'But, for this many people to be hypnotized. I have never heard of someone capable of pulling off something like this. How?'
Controlling one or two humans would've been impressive but not something impossible to pull off if the user was extremely talented and had a massive mana pool. However, when the number becomes in the tens or hundreds, then there was definitely something off, completely off.
"We need to move. They are going to move any time soon." Rin said suddenly, shaking Evelyn's thoughts away.
The two women nodded their heads and then they quickly escaped the area. Because of their high speed, they were able to quickly create a huge distance between themselves and the citizens.
The group kept moving, heading right toward the only place that could explain that weird phenomenon.
However, their speed quickly came to a halt when they found another group of humans moving in the streets ahead of them.
The trio had already agreed to not kill any citizen unless it was necessary. These people were innocent and had done nothing wrong so killing them would only create more trouble than help. However, this also created another problem, as not only can they not move in between them but they also can't use their powers to push them away.
Normal humans would end up with broken bones or heavy injuries if they were to be hit by an awakener let alone someone as strong as these three.
"What should we do?"
"We can only take a detour and reach the villa from the other side. However, I don't think that the other parts of the city aren't really filled with people."
"It's our only choice," Elise commented.
While Evelyn could easily charm these people and open the way, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't face another group of hypnotized people. Using her mana in such a stupid and wasteful way would only put them in trouble in case they had to face a very tough opponent.
So, they could only take the long way as it was also the most guaranteed way to reach the villa while still being ready for a fight in case there would be one.
The three kept discussing the potential roads they can take where the least humans were present. However, at that moment, a small sound reached their ears from behind.
The group quickly looked back and saw someone hiding around the corner with half their body exposed. The person seemed to be a small child that was barely 10 years old at most or less.
Seeing that he was exposed, the little boy tried to make a run for it. However, Rin had already moved before he could even think about escaping and appeared in front of him.
In his eyes was a clear surprise as this boy didn't seem to be like the others. His eyes seemed to be lively and focused. Even the way he acted was quite normal. This was the first time Rin was so happy to meet a normal person in his whole life.
"AAA…" Before the boy could even scream in fair, Rin put his hand on his mouth and signaled for him to shush.
"Listen, we aren't enemies. We are here to save you. So, don't scream or you will alert those people." He said in a whisper.
It took the boy a few seconds to finally calm down enough to not yell again. After that, Rin pulled his hand away and looked at him.
"A normal child?" Evelyn walked toward them as she examined the boy. He was indeed normal and unaffected.
"How is he not affected by this hypnotization."
"Let's ask him."
Seeing three people staring at him, the boy grew distressed and nervous. He still didn't understand what was going on.
"It's ok, take a deep breath and then talk. What exactly happened here?" Rin assured him.
"Mmm, ok… I-It all happened a week ago… Suddenly, everyone in the city stopped being normal and they started acting weird. They even tried to attack me. But, I was able to escape and hide in my house. I couldn't escape or find help. I could only fetch some food from nearby houses and then run back to my house. Hick, hick…" Tears welled up in the boy's eyes.
"I see… Are your parents ok?" Rin asked.
"I… don't know. I only live with my mother but since she was also affected, I could only put her in a room and close the door shut. I have been trying to feed her for a while, but she isn't responding at all…"
'Poor kid…' Elise thought to herself as her face frowned visibly.
It was unimaginable how much fear this boy had to go through alone in a weird place like this one.
"I see… We will get you out of here." Rin nodded his head and stood up.
"What? No! I can't leave while my mother is still stuck in our house. She will die." The boy protested.
Rin knew that, however, he couldn't really say for certain that leaving the boy here any longer would help.
"What should we do?" he asked Evelyn.
"Let's keep him with us for the time being. The nearest city is to the north. It takes at least 10 hours to reach it. That's too much time wasted."
Rubbing the back of his head, Rin asked the boy.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Cid…" Cid answered timidly.
"Hmm, I see, Cid. That's a cool name. I'm Rin and these two are Elise and Evelyn."
The boy's eyes turned to the woman that Rin pointed at and his eyes widened.
"Beautiful…" He murmured.
"What did you say?"
"Beautiful big sisters!" He said. In his eyes were sparkles of excitement as if he saw something great.
"..."
Rin didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Cid's reaction.
'Do kids these days react like that to beautiful women?' Rin smiled wrily as he thought.
"Anyway, are you going to show us where your house is?"
In Rin's head, he decided to leave the kid in the house until they dealt with the matter. They can't just let him go with them as that was not only dangerous but also nothing but an extra dead weight they have to protect which can affect their strength. Besides, since he was able to hide inside his house for a week, it can be considered a safe place for the time being.
Evelyn and Elise quickly caught on to his thoughts and nodded in approval.
"Yes… follow me." Cid accepted and started moving toward a small house on the other side of the street near an alley.
The way he walked was quite silent and fast.
'Very skilled, huh.' Rin thought as he walked after him.
The group quickly reached the door to the house. The kid then opened the door and walked inside followed by the trio.
The house was quite small and very narrow with only three rooms and a kitchen. Closing the door shut, he said.
"Mmm, welcome to my house… P-Please make yourself comfortable."
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