“Ethan, what’s the story between you and them? Why are they blaming you? What exactly happened to you? Why do you look so different? I mean, it’s not that I don’t like your appearance, but I’m curious about the change. How did you survive?” Aria asked, bombarding Aengus with questions.
Drake, Yona, and Princess Delilah’s ears perked up at the mention of survival and change, their curiosity evident as well.
Aengus sighed inwardly, feeling the weight of their expectant gazes. He didn’t want to lie to Aria, but with a stranger—Princess Delilah—standing there, he couldn’t be entirely forthcoming either.
“Aria,” Aengus said gently but firmly, “I promise, I’ll tell you everything once we get out of here, alright? But right now, we don’t have time for this.” He glanced toward the looming threat beyond the gate, emphasizing the urgency of the moment.
“Oh, okay…”
Aria’s eyes softened, understanding that now wasn’t the right time but still craving answers. She nodded reluctantly, trusting him to reveal the truth when the time was right.
Delilah and the others kept their thoughts to themselves, but the intrigue in her gaze remained.
“Aria, you two should leave us here quickly. We will stay at a safe distance. We are not that weak, you know,” Princess Delilah smiled, trying to sound reassuring.
“Yes, Sister Aria, go quickly!” Drake said.
“Be careful, Lady Aria!” Yona added worriedly. “And you too, Ethan. Please come back safe. We need to have a get-together after so long…” She looked at Aengus with a faint smile.
Drake added with a grin, “Yona is right, we should get together, Ethan. Then you can tell us your story.”
Before Aria and Aengus could respond, Delilah suddenly shouted, “Look, the gate is closing!”
They both turned to see the massive gate slowly closing.
“Let’s go, Aria!” Aengus called out, not wasting a moment. In a flash, he swept Aria into his arms, moving like a gust of wind.
Though Aengus knew Aria had grown independent and didn’t need constant protection, he couldn’t help but want to keep her safe by his side.
As he carried her, something caught his attention—his Eyes of Appraisal failed to detect Aria’s stats. It was rare, a sign that either a mysterious power was involved or the person was simply too strong for his ability to gauge.
He became curious about what had changed her so much but kept the realization to himself.
Aria, nestled in his arms, gazed up at his serious, focused face. A faint blush crept along her neck as she became aware of the closeness between them, her heartbeat quickening at their body contact.
As they took one last glance at Princess Delilah and the others, the gate shimmered with a bright, blinding light, obscuring what lay beyond. But Aengus, with his heightened senses, saw what others couldn’t: an energy portal leading to an unknown space.
Instinctively, he pulled Aria closer, gripping her tightly, remembering how they had been separated when they first entered Dwarvania. He couldn’t risk losing her again.
“Aria, we might get separated. Be careful!” he warned, his tone serious.
Aria smiled softly, trying to ease his worry. “You don’t need to worry about me, Ethan. I’ll find you quickly if we do,” she promised, her voice calm and reassuring.
“Swoosh!”
“Swap!”
As they crossed through the portal, a strange sensation of energy surged through them, the familiar pull of displacement gripping their bodies. The moment Aengus landed on the other side, his worst fear was confirmed. He stood alone, Aria nowhere in sight.
His heart sank as he scanned the eerie, unfamiliar surroundings. The portal had indeed separated them.
His Heart of Darkness calmed him down, but his face turned cold with silent fury.
He was in an open field, with the horizon seeming endless.
Observing everything, he was impressed by the level of Space Manipulation at play. From his initial guess, the person had effortlessly separated hundreds of thousands of people, which shouldn’t be that easy.
“Ho ho, what do we have here? Another powerful warrior!”
All of a sudden, Aengus heard an unfamiliar voice and found an old man with a kind face standing there out of nowhere.
“Who are you?” Aengus asked calmly, trying to gauge if this was the being the dwarves had spoken about.
The old man let out a warm smile.
“I am in charge of the trial, young warrior. There are exactly 100 levels to this trial. If you can clear all the levels, you will be granted any wish you desire. And of course, with each level cleared, you’ll receive an exciting reward. Are you ready, young hero?”
Aengus raised an eyebrow.
“Heh, you’re going to give everything away for free? Or is there another catch?” Aengus asked sharply.
The old man’s eyes flashed with a strange glint for a moment, which Aengus didn’t miss.
“You’re sharp, young warrior. There is a catch. If you fail, you’ll die—nothing more, nothing less,” the old man said, his smile now taking on a chilling edge.
Aengus remained unfazed by the threat.
“Is it the same for everyone you brought here? And can I refuse?” he pressed on, keeping his calm.
The old man’s smile tightened, irritation flickering beneath his calm facade.
“Yes, it’s the same for everyone, young warrior. I trust that answers your question. May you survive!”
Without waiting for a response, the old man vanished in a hurry, clearly uninterested in answering anything further.
Aengus carefully scanned his surroundings, his senses heightened as he searched for any signs of being watched.
Given the level of space manipulation the other party had demonstrated, it wasn’t impossible.
Nevertheless, it would be no small feat to monitor hundreds of thousands of people at once—even for a powerful being.
What puzzled him more was the reason behind the trial. If the being in charge could wipe out the dwarves so easily in the past, why go through the trouble of creating something as elaborate as this trial? There had to be something restraining them, preventing him from doing as they wish.
Or maybe, there’s something more to this test, Aengus guessed.
Suddenly, with a soft swoosh, the air rippled around him. Two creatures appeared, seemingly tearing through the fabric of space itself.
They were towering, twice his height, with skeletal forms, razor-sharp claws, and ghostly bodies that flickered in and out of existence. Their presence felt almost ethereal, like shadows, and their glowing eyes locked onto Aengus with malevolent intent.
A quick use of his appraisal ability revealed their information. They were Nyx Creatures, beings capable of traveling through space, existing in a soul form.
