Norr may not the best spy there is to in this world but he was very good at what he did. That's why, even after sending more than dozens of people before Norr, nothing was gained and every operation failed very badly.
The pirates either got captured the moment they stepped a foot on the island trying to sneak in or got captured soon after even if they choose to enter from places that were loosely secured.
Finally, Captain Crook had to send his best spy, which was Norr. If even he couldn't get anything then, Crook will have to use other means or go back without accomplishing his orders.
When Alex's carriage passed by, Norr noticed that the young man was smiling while looking out of the window. He may not have looked directly over the place he was hiding behind but his gaze did pass by the tree and just after that Norr saw his lips curving itself into a smile.
A shiver ran through Norr's back, his instincts told him that he was already exposed. He was hesitating whether to run away from this place and escape out of this island at the first chance he can get. But if he really did return back empty-handed, Norr knew better than anyone else about how his captain would react. He will definitely kill him if not cut off one of his legs or arms.
'Maybe, it was just me imagining things. There was no way he could have found me even from that distance... For god's sake, is that young man even strong like he had been rumored to be. What if he is just a puppet and someone else did things for him so that he can become the lord... He is alone right now with no guards around him. The other people sitting beside him do not look strong. Maybe I have a chance to kidnap him and beat him until he speaks everything out from his own mouth or gives him to Captain Crook... Ugh! What should I do?' Norr thought as he scratched his head.
Norr felt he was stuck in a messy conundrum.
Going back empty-handed was out of the question. Therefore he could only go forward. Now the only he had to decide was whether he should take Alex Mordrake now since opportunities like are rare to get or play it safe and try to fish out information from other people in places like the small villages around the cities.
'No, there is one more thing I can do... That is run away from everything... fuck who am I even kidding.' Norr quickly rejected this thought because he knew how hard that would be. Now the only thing he could do was be brave enough and be lucky enough to hit the jackpot. Yes, he was thinking of kidnapping Alex right now. He had the pride of a sea ferrying pirate too. How can he get scarred in front of a little boy?
Thinking of this, Norr jumped out of his hiding place. The carriage had not gone far away. He immediately took out the two knives he had been hiding inside his clothes and took the first to run behind the carriage after taking one good look at the surroundings.
But just then a ghost-like voice sounded right behind him like it came straight from hell, prisoning his soul in an unbreakable icy cold chain.
"Friend! That's a stupid thing to do."
"!!!" Norr's head turned ever so slowly. He saw two deep blue eyes. Eyes that made one lose his mind in it.
It brought an insurmountable pressure with it that weighed heavily onto his very soul. There was no defense, no barrier, and no resistance in front of the invisible force penetrating the pirate's soul.
The rich blue light contained in those two eyes possessed an incomparably formidable aura. It clearly demonstrated the power it possessed.
The next moment, Norr found himself standing beneath a dark starry sky... with two full moons in the background. They were so big that they almost covered half of the sky with their size and so bright that it made it look like it was daytime.
A barren land full of the desert laid across him with no sign of trees till where his eyes could see. In whichever direction did his eyes turned, Norr could only see the white sand sparkling underneath the two moons. The temperature was low enough to freeze the sweat that had appeared on his forehead.
Norr's body shivered, his throat gulping repeatedly.
'Where the fuck am I!!!'
...
Alex rubbed his forehead with his fingers. He was feeling a little headache but nothing he couldn't handle. Norr was still standing dazed with the pupils in his eyes dilated to the extreme. The pirate had been captured in the illusion he made perfectly.
"Haa... it works! But the pain sure is irritating..." Alex smiled seeing his trick working. He felt his spiritual force depleting steadily. The most he can support the illusion is five minutes.
It might seem too little time but actually it's not. A minute in real-time can be stretched to a day inside the illusion. That means. if Alex wants then he can make Norr be inside the illusion for five days. The illusion he creates feels very much real. Distinguishing between Alex's illusion's and reality is hard if opponents soul is not powerful then Alex's.
"Brother Alex, why is he standing there like a dumbass," Siera giggled as she suddenly appeared from the direction of the carriage. Behind her was Ciera walking towards them without even having a shred of worry on her face. It seems like she fully believed in the strength of Alex just like her little sister Siera who was more like some kind of braindead fangirl.
"Alex, why is he like this?" Ciera asked the same question. Though she felt no threat emanating from this person now but she still chose to stand near Alex just in case.
"Well, you can say he is dreaming right now. A dream that can make or break any man. Let's wait for the results, shall we?"