Those flickering lights of the torches were casting ominous shadows upon the weathered stone walls where multiple cracks could be seen while above him chandeliers hung freely.
"Is somebody living in this place?" looking at those burning fire torches, he couldn't help but wonder.
The place looked old and creepy, yet those burning flames gave him the impression that someone had just lit it up. And, under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for those torches to keep on burning endlessly, wouldn't it?
While trying to comprehend his surroundings, he then slowly lifted himself from the ground. To his side, stone walls were erected, blocking his path. And, from the looks of it, he appeared to be in some kind of passage that led somewhere.
Looking at those grotesque stone statues, he couldn't shake the sensation of being watched. Though they appeared lifeless, for some inexplicable reason, it felt as if they were alive and would jump onto him any moment.
"Just where is this place? Is it inside the tower?" Lucius murmured as he tried to figure out his present location.
For a while, he stood still at his place, observing his surroundings. But, standing still at his place got him nowhere. Neither could he figure out his situation nor could he find a way to escape.
Being in an unfamiliar place, he was quite skeptical about leaving his present location, but if he wanted to find more, he needed to keep on moving. Only by doing so might he be able to find out more about this place.
But, leaving his present location had its pros and cons. By leaving his present location, he might be able to discover more about his situation. But, by leaving his place, he might also encounter dangers on his way.
And, who knows if there won't be traps in this place?
Unable to decide whether to leave his present location or not, Lucius found himself in limbo. But, after weighing both pros and cons for a while, he narrowed his eyes towards the dark end of the passage as he made his decision.
"Dangers lurk everywhere....., and if my death is inevitable then I'll die no matter what, regardless of my choice," Lucius murmured to himself as determination flashed past his eyes.
After making his decision, he then started to walk. Inspecting his surroundings, he vigilantly trod forward, trying to find out more about his whereabouts.
However, even after walking for a while, he didn't encounter any traps or any changes in the scenario. The walls were the same, and so were the statues.
It almost felt as if he was walking in circles. But, how would that be possible when he had been walking in a straight path with no turnings?
And, the end of the pathway still appeared as distant as ever. Even with all those fire torches, he still couldn't see the end.
"Am I walking in circles?" he questioned while stopping, feeling rather confused, "If not, why can't I get to the end?"
Then he glanced behind him. The passage behind him was the same as well. Having paid utmost attention to his surroundings, he was sure that he hadn't noticed anything strange on his way or missed anything.
"Perhaps, I'm passing through some kind of portal at a certain point?"
From the world he had come from, although rare, portals were still present. And, since portals allowed one to travel instantaneously, he couldn't rule out the possibility of entering some kind of portal that transferred him to his starting location, preventing him from advancing.
By linking his predicament with the portal, he tried to explain his predicament. Then again, he shook his head as he ruled out that possibility, "But shouldn't I feel nauseous?"
Often while using portals, one would feel nauseous. But all along, he hadn't been feeling that way.
For a while, he continued to ransack his mind, thinking of every possible scenario to explain his predicament. Then, a thought penetrated his mind.
"What if I break part of this identical statue as I move forward?"
By breaking down different parts of different statues, he could keep track of his path. That way, he could also confirm his suspicion about walking in circles.
But just as he walked close to one of the statues to implement his idea, he paused all of a sudden. With a feathered wing grown on its back, it had the appearance of a man with no pupils, dressed eloquently in some kind of robe, it carried a stoic expression.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed a small single horn growing from its forehead.
Though he had been observing it since the beginning, it was his first time looking it up so close. And previously, he had missed those horns.
Those feathered wings and godly appearance had made him believe that it was the statue of some kind of angel.
As, Gods, Angels, prophets, demons, and such were present in his previous world as well, he hadn't thought much of the appearance of the statues.
"Why must there be a hierarchy among species? If every creature is the creation of god, then why must one be placed above others? Perhaps, God likes to discriminate among his creation, his children. If so then I don't want to follow such a God."
"I, Astaroth shall become the voice of the oppressed. I, Astaroth shall seek justice for those denied of justice."
Lucius murmured subconsciously with his gaze fixated on the stone statue in front of him.
"Feathered wings, eyes devoid of pupils, a tiny horn which looks like a bump growing from its forehead because of his rebellion against the god," muttering such with a shaky voice, he closed onto the statue with a rather horrified look on his face.
Trickling down like rain, perspiration ran down his face continuously as he moved closer to the statue, appearing rather terrified and hopeful.
Then just as his eyes landed on its wrist, he went completely numb.
"And, the symbol of the sun with a cross.....,"