At the northern district of Luveria, a small kingdom located in the Winterflame nation, there exists a very large forest that the common folks were scared to venture into because of the dark tales surrounding it. They called it the Dark Forest of Luveria, or the Dark Forest for short.
In the past few years in Luveria, many people, especially men, have suddenly gone missing. Most of them were taken from their families, who were slain afterward, while others disappeared without any notice or bloodshed.
During this period, the Lord of Luveria summoned some of his best magi with investigation spells to investigate the situation. However, despite many years of investigation, they could only conclude that the missing folks had been taken by the Blood Witch, the infamous legend that rules over the Dark Forest.
In his effort to save his people, the Lord of Luveria sent some of his best warriors and combat magi into the Dark Forest, but sadly, none of them returned. The mystery of the missing people and the Dark Forest remained unsolved.
* * * * *
It was nighttime, the calm crescent glow of the moon shining over a facility hidden deep inside the Dark Forest.
Inside a room in one of the structures in the facility—a bathroom, with nothing but a plastic bath filled with warm water—Xavier could be seen observing his face in the mirror hanging on the wall. There was a slight relief on his face.
"Thankfully, this body has got a pretty nice face. I will do well to use this to my advantage in the future."
After observing his face, Xavier proceeded into the warm bath Carla had prepared for him. He had to take a bath before accompanying Carla to the Chamber of Blood.
"I wonder what the Chamber of Blood is about and what they are going to do to me," Xavier sighed. His situation was pretty tiring.
As someone who had control over his life in the previous world, Xavier found it difficult to relax, knowing his life would now be under someone else's control. The zeal to break out as soon as possible and gain sweet freedom grew stronger in his mind.
He bathed slowly, using the soft napkin placed beside him to clean his body thoroughly. After his bath, he grabbed the special uniform prepared for him and put it on.
It was a dark red robe with black embroidery. On the back of the robe, there was an emblem: a rose flower with flames burning on top. Xavier tried to decipher the meaning but failed.
At least it was much better than the rag he wore earlier, so he did not complain.
Walking out of the room, Xavier was greeted by the faces of two new guards.
"Lady Carla asked us to bring you," one guard informed.
Xavier noticed that these guards treated him with more respect and less hostility compared to the first guards. They did not drag him as soon as he stepped out of the bathroom and even waited to get his permission before taking him to Carla.
'It is probably because of the uniform I am wearing; it is much different from the rag I was wearing earlier,' he suspected.
"Okay," he agreed.
With his permission, the guards began leading him through the short passageway. One walked in front of Xavier, and the other stayed behind to watch his back.
As they approached a certain area, strange noises began to reach Xavier's ears.
Among the strange noises, there were cries of pain and human voices frantically pleading for their lives. These were the only sounds he managed to recognize; the others sounded like the cries of unknown beasts.
Xavier nervously gulped down a mouthful of saliva. Although Carla had assured him that he wouldn't be hurt because he was now an important part of the mistress's arsenal, he still felt a little scared.
Lost in his thoughts, Xavier failed to notice Carla's presence. It was only when he heard the guards greeting her that he woke from his daze.
At this point, he was standing in front of a strange gate that seemed to lead to another area. The noises he had been hearing earlier were louder now; they seemed to be coming from behind this door.
He could also sniff out the metallic smell of blood and traces of medicinal scents.
Carla stood in front of the door with a calm expression, observing him. She shook her head before snapping her fingers, causing the gate to magically open.
Seeing this physically impossible scene, Xavier wasn't amused. He had already seen a witch flying on a broom; a door opening with a snap of fingers was just earth technology done in a magical format.
As the gate flung open with a rusty creaking sound, a new environment was revealed to Xavier. What he saw made his jaw drop. Beads of cold sweat perspired from his face.
It was a stunningly dark scene, embodying every negative aspect of the world. It was a true vision of "Hell on Earth."