For an eerie second, everyone was simply flabbergasted, bodies frozen and eyes staring at the sky above. But then the darkness began to move.

At first, Deon thought the glass ceiling was cracking. The violet-black sky pressed downward, drooping lower and lower until it looked like wet ink.

Hana took a step back. "What is that...?"

Deon’s hand moved toward his pocket immediately, grabbing onto [Blade] and pulling it out in one smooth motion.

Damn it, ink again? Could this be the same as the Master Office?

"Everyone, move away from it!" Joshua shouted.

Several contestants listened at once, stumbling backward from the center paths as the darkness finally touched the garden floor.

But instead of spreading and attacking them like Deon thought, it instead gathered into tall and thin shapes.

One became a man in a black tailcoat, holding a silver tray against his chest. Another stretched into a woman wearing a lace dress and a wide-brimmed hat.

And just like that, more followed—butlers, maids, musicians, guests in fancy attire.

Their bodies were made of shadow at first, faceless and dripping. But layer by layer, the details began forming over them. Within seconds, the empty garden had become crowded.

Spectral guests sat around tables as if they had always been there, their translucent hands stirring cups that hadn’t existed just a moment ago. Servants moved between them with silver trays, pouring tea into cups without spilling a single drop.

And somewhere in the distance, the shadowy musicians lifted their instruments, and a soft melody began to drift through the air

Deon’s fingers loosened, but he didn’t take his hand away from his pocket.

"They’re...friendly?" Hana asked softly. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"For now..."

But just as the words left his mouth, something immediately caught his eye. At the far side of the garden, a pavilion was suddenly there.

Deon was sure it hadn’t existed before, but now it stood near the conservatory like the entire garden had been arranged around it.

White pillars supported a round roof covered in climbing roses, with thin curtains that hung from the side, swaying with a wind that didn’t exist.

And at the center of the pavilion sat a woman. The moment Deon saw her, he already knew.

The Lady of House Velvet sat with both hands folded over her lap. Even if her body was made entirely out of shadows, somehow Deon could read her expression.

She seemed to be staring at nothing, her mind completely aloof, in a party that was supposedly dedicated to her name.

But he couldn’t try to decipher anymore, as voices rose from behind him, spotting the woman.

"That has to be the Lady!"

"Y–yeah! But where the hell are we? And what’s going on?"

"Everyone stay calm," Joshua said, though even his voice had gotten tighter. "The sub-game has only just started. We need to observe before we—"

Before he could finish, the shadows stretched again.

Long ribbons of darkness slid from underneath, sprawling out across the stone paths before snapping towards each and every single contestant.

"Move!" Deon shouted.

Several contestants screamed as the shadows lunged.

Cards flashed throughout the garden as a combination of gray and green light spilled forth. Someone swung down a large hammer while another fired a burst of wind that scattered flower petals across the path.

But the shadows didn’t care, and one black ribbon had already found its mark. A woman near the conservatory screamed, clawing at her face as it wrapped around her head.

"Get it off! Get it off!"

"It’s attacking!" the spear user shouted, stumbling back.

But as Deon dodged the tendrils, his eyes were laser-focused on the woman on the ground. No, not the woman—the shadow on her face.

It didn’t seem to tear into her skin or choke her. Instead, it spread across her face in a smooth layer before forming something...

A mask resembling an owl.

The woman froze, both hands trembling against the newly formed object. Her breathing came out quick and panicked from beneath it. "W-What...?"

Before anyone could process that, more shadows struck. One hit the spear user, wrapping around his face before forming a mask that looked suspiciously like a bear.

Wait...is this some kind of mechanic built into the event? Hmm, it’s probably something we can’t avoid.

Joshua seemed to have caught onto the same thing, muttering softly to himself. "Proper attire..."

"Everyone!" Deon yelled. "Don’t try to resist it. It won’t kill you, it’s part of the event!"

A few contestants hesitated, still backing away from the crawling shadows. But he knew better.

If this was part of the event, resisting would probably be treated the same as refusing to wear proper attire at a noble party. And that would lead to being kicked out, which in system terms probably meant—

Death.

A shadow ribbon shot toward Hana. She flinched, hands rising instinctively to protect her face before forcing them down, heeding Deon’s words.

The ribbon wrapped around Hana’s face. Unlike the others, hers was delicate and pale, shaped like a small white dove with blue markings around the eyes.

"H-Huh...?" Hana touched the edge of the mask carefully. "It’s...not hurting me."

"Don’t try to take it off," Deon called from the side. "If this is proper attire, removing it might count as breaking etiquette."

A man near the entrance had already started clawing at the mask forming over his face. "Get this thing off me!"

The moment his fingers dug beneath the edge...the mask started gripping onto his face. Blood started running downward, only to stop as Deon had managed to pin the man down and stop him from resisting.

Only then did the mask finally settle onto his face, resembling a raccoon.

He stared down at the man beneath him. "See?"

The man trembled, hands hovering near his face but no longer touching the mask. "I-It was hurting me..."

"Because you were trying to rip it off."

"I panicked!"

Deon sighed, pushing himself up and stepping away, but his eyes remained on the surrounding shadows. More ribbons moved through the garden, each one finding a contestant who hadn’t yet been dressed for the party.

"Uhm...D-Deon?" Hana stuttered.

"What?"

"Behind you..."

He turned, only to see another black ribbon running directly toward him. Before he could even react—

It crashed right into his face.