Feeling like I could somehow create a miniature blue reaper, I decided to give it a try... and to my surprise, a real blue reaper appeared.

The Golden Reapers, curious, stared intently at the tiny figure resting on my palm, their expressions resembling that of older siblings gazing at a newborn.

The blue reaper looked just like me, just like the Golden Reapers. However, there were subtle differences that set it apart. The most noticeable was the large witch's hat made of water it wore. Its body, aside from being tinted blue, was much more transparent, almost like pure, clear water. Inside its translucent body, faintly glowing embers pulsed rhythmically like a heart.

The edges of the blue reaper's hair were blurred, giving it a misty, dreamy appearance. As if waking from a deep sleep, the blue reaper blinked its eyes open wide, glancing around curiously. Surrounded by the watchful eyes of the Golden Reapers, it seemed to sense their gaze. Flustered, it pulled its hat down over its face and crouched low. Was it... embarrassed?

Then, it began writing something in the air with one hand—an indecipherable series of symbols. Yet, somehow, I understood the message perfectly.

"Please fall into a deep sleep while standing."

The words, formed from water, appeared in the air before transforming into light and streaming towards me.

What a strange, wizard-like creature had emerged.

The blue reaper cautiously lifted its hat, glancing at me to see if I had fallen asleep. Realizing I was still awake, it seemed unsure of what to do and quickly pulled its hat back down. When I poked it gently with my finger, it let out a small "puff" and dissolved into mist, disappearing from sight.

In the middle of Seoul Forest, nestled among ancient trees, stood a brick house that seemed completely out of place in the modern world. The weathered bricks, covered in moss, blended seamlessly with the surrounding nature, as if the house had grown out of the forest itself. Inside, the scene was even more peculiar, like something out of a fantasy novel.

Tools and furniture that looked as though they belonged in another world filled the space. A large fireplace radiated warmth, casting dancing shadows on the walls. The flickering firelight illuminated shelves filled with books bound in leather inscribed with strange symbols and a collection of curious items.

On a sturdy wooden table cluttered with scrolls and parchment sat a mysterious bottle filled with a softly glowing liquid. An indescribable energy pulsed through the bottle, its contents unlike anything one would normally encounter.

Exotic herbs, found only in Seoul Forest, hung from the ceiling, with a mortar stained by the remnants of these herbs resting beneath them. In this fantastical, patchwork home, a young girl lounged casually, speaking up.

“Sis, can we go visit Yangcheon-gu Lake?”

“No.”

The sight of Yangcheon-gu Lake, glimpsed during a brief trip to Seoul to buy supplies, had been mesmerizing. It looked like a stunning tourist destination that could soothe one's soul just by gazing at it.

“Why not? Everyone else seems to go there without any issues.”

“Absolutely not. Let me explain just how dangerous that place is.”

The tall woman spoke as she naturally pulled a white herb from the cupboard. Lighting it, the herb burned with a milky flame. As it burned on the wooden table, it quickly turned to ash. When she swept the ashes away with her hand, not a trace was left on the table.

“Objects—no, grimoires—are fundamentally beyond human understanding, but they share a few common characteristics.”

The woman gave several examples, explaining how some fire-based Objects could burn only people, leaving their surroundings untouched. However, she also cautioned against blind faith, noting that there were always exceptions.

With a serious expression, she looked down at her younger sister and said, “In that place, people can die without anyone feeling sadness, and strange things happen without anyone finding them odd. We’re not going now, but we will go soon. So just wait quietly.”

“Really? We’re really going?”

Watching her sister's delighted expression, the woman silently apologized in her heart. The trip to the lake was sure to be anything but the pleasant outing her sister expected.

After dealing with the old woman, the return to the cruise ship was eerily quiet. The staff from Sehee Research Institute had yet to awaken from their slumber. The Golden Reapers, perhaps worried about the unconscious people, were tending to each fallen figure with care.

Their expressions were gloomy. Even though the fog had lifted, revealing a clear sky and a beautiful lake, the people remained trapped in sleep.

It seemed that defeating the old woman hadn’t been enough to wake them. She had mentioned lending me the “power of the Blue Moon,” so perhaps that needed to be destroyed to wake them up. But when I looked up at the sky, I only saw the Red Moon and the ordinary moon.

Then, suddenly, a foul stench began emanating from the lake. The Golden Reapers jumped in surprise and began staring at me intently.

What? Why are they looking at me?

As I moved, they scattered in all directions, fleeing in panic.

Could it be that they’re avoiding me now? After just a few mistakes? That’s a bit disappointing...

Inside a truck with heavily tinted windows that barely let any sunlight through, two men were grumbling.

“Couldn’t they have outsourced this? Why do we have to supervise it ourselves all of a sudden?”

“It’s probably because of that failure with James’s factory. The ‘all-knowing’ director failed, so they must be pretty pissed off.”

The two men chuckled as they recalled the rare sight of the director losing his temper.

“Honestly, the whole thing was a bit strange. The director is practically a walking encyclopedia when it comes to Objects, yet he failed this time.”

“I’ve never liked him. No matter what data or experiment results you showed him, he always insisted that his word was final.”

“Yeah, he’s more of a prophet than a research director. It was so annoying when he was right all the time, but now that he’s wrong, things might finally get better.”

The truck came to a stop at the edge of a large, transparent lake—Yangcheon-gu Lake.

“Finally here. Let’s get this over with and head back.”

The men, having reached their destination, put on gloves and boots, then began unloading large barrels from the truck and rolling them into the lake. The barrels reeked of oil, the stench so foul it made them wrinkle their noses in disgust as they worked.

“What the hell is in these things to make them smell so bad?”

“Beats me. Seems like only the senior researchers know. With the director mad at us, who knows when we’ll make senior ourselves.”

As they rolled the barrels into the lake, the temperature around the lake seemed to drop. From deep within the lake, thick fog began to emerge, spreading across the surface. It started as a thin veil but quickly thickened into an opaque shroud. The denser the fog grew, the quieter the surroundings became, as if the world itself were fading away.

“Is this really okay?”

Muttering to himself, the man felt a growing sense of isolation, as if he were the only one left in the world. But there was no reply.

“....”

A faint wailing sound reached his ears, so distant it seemed to come from another world. It was so soft that he wouldn’t have noticed it unless he was extremely tense.

“Are you okay? What’s going on?”

In a panic, he shouted into the fog, but the thick mist muffled his voice, turning it into a dull echo.

Footsteps sounded in the dense fog, the crisp crunch of gravel underfoot. Following the sound, the man came face to face with a skull dripping with fresh blood.

“Aaaaah!”

The skull, still covered in flesh as if freshly skinned, was held in the grasp of some monstrous hand.

“How... how could this happen?”

The director had assured them that any Object in contact with the black liquid would be rendered harmless. But now...

“You will suffer eternally, your skin melting away.”

His skin began to dissolve like butter, but when he tried to scream, his melted mouth could produce no sound. He tried desperately to crawl away across the rough, uneven ground, but his melted limbs wouldn’t move.

As the fog cleared, only a red mass was left on the lakeshore. Writhing in endless agony, it continued to curse the director who had deceived it.

I sat on the railing, wearing a sad expression as if deeply affected by the Golden Reapers' retreat. I made sure to look as melancholic as possible. Seeing this, the Golden Reapers hesitated, then slowly approached me.

Eventually, one of them hopped onto my lap, shaking me gently as if to apologize.

And at that moment, I gave it a playful push with my finger. The Golden Reaper looked shocked as I gazed down at it with a mischievous smile.

Heh.

Realizing it had been tricked, the Golden Reaper flailed its limbs in dismay before sinking into the water with a splash.

When I summoned it back from the lake, it lay limp on my palm, its expression one of resignation, as if realizing that there was no one it could truly trust.

I’m sorry. That was a bit much, wasn’t it?

I gently stroked the Golden Reaper’s head, trying to convey my sincere apology. I kept petting it until its mood improved.

As I was pondering how to wake up the people who had been put to sleep by the old woman, I suddenly had a strange feeling.

Sitting on the railing, I looked down at the lake, noticing that the water had taken on a slightly darker hue. Reflected on the surface was the sky, and within it, a blue moon. Unlike the usual sight of two moons, there was only one reflected in the water.

I found it—the Blue Moon!

A smile crept onto my face as I focused my “eyes” on the Blue Moon.

Destroy the Mirror of the Blue Witch.

Fortunately, the destruction condition for the Blue Moon was quite clear.

Maybe this time, things will be a bit easier.