After what felt like an eternity, the passage opened up into a larger room, dimly lit by glowing crystals embedded in the walls. Lin Xiao collapsed against the floor, gasping for breath. The air here was calmer, and the oppressive energy seemed to have faded—at least for the moment.
He stood up slowly, taking in his surroundings. The room was vast, the ceiling high above him and the walls lined with ancient symbols similar to those in the chamber below. In the center of the room was a stone altar, glowing faintly with an eerie blue light. Lin Xiao's eyes narrowed. There was something important about this room, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
Approaching the altar cautiously, Lin Xiao felt a strange pull, as though the altar was calling to him. He reached out, his hand hovering just above the glowing surface.
Lin Xiao hesitated, his hand hovering just inches above the altar. The faint blue light from the altar flickered, almost as if it was reacting to his presence. He frowned, his instincts screaming that this could be a trap.
Suddenly, the system chimed in again, startling him.
[New Objective: Investigate the Altar]
[Reward:- ???]
He wasn't sure what the unknown reward could be. What if it was something powerful, something that could help him escape this nightmarish labyrinth and get back to his world? But what if the altar held something darker? The question gnawed at him, but there was no other option in sight. His mind raced through all the possible outcomes—good and bad.
"I guess I don't have much of a choice…" Lin Xiao murmured to himself, his voice barely audible in the vast, empty room. His gaze shifted toward the glowing surface. Maybe the reward was exactly what he needed to survive.
He took a deep breath, bracing himself for whatever might come next, and pressed his hand onto the altar. The instant his skin made contact, the light surged, enveloping him in a blinding flash. Lin Xiao gritted his teeth, expecting pain or some sort of backlash, but instead, the energy felt strangely warm, almost comforting, as if the altar had been waiting for him.
Suddenly, his vision blurred. The room around him warped and bent, and Lin Xiao found himself standing in a completely different place—a vast, endless void. The sky was a swirling mix of dark clouds and flashes of blue lightning, and before him stood the shadowy silhouette of a figure, cloaked in darkness, it was the same figure that tried to take him before.
Lin Xiao's breath caught in his throat. "What… is this? Who are you?"
The figure stepped forward, its presence immense and suffocating. Lin Xiao felt his body freeze as the being spoke in a deep, echoing voice.
"You seek answers, mortal," the figure said, its voice vibrating through the air like the rumble of a storm. "But you tamper with forces beyond your understanding."
Lin Xiao's mind raced. This was no ordinary being. Whoever—or whatever—this was, it had immense power, far beyond anything he had encountered before.
"I'm just trying to get home," Lin Xiao managed to say, his voice shaky but determined. "If you know a way to help me, then tell me."
The figure laughed, a deep, resonating sound that sent shivers down Lin Xiao's spine. "The path you walk is fraught with peril. You have touched upon the threads of time itself. To meddle in such matters invites destruction, or worse."
Lin Xiao swallowed, his hand still pressed against the altar in the real world, though his mind was now elsewhere, trapped in this strange vision. "Then how do I fix it? How do I leave?"
The figure was silent for a long moment, its glowing eyes piercing into Lin Xiao's soul. Finally, it spoke again.
"There is no easy answer. But if you survive what is to come, you may find the way back. However, be warned—the choices you make from this point onward will shape the fates of many. The threads of time are fragile, and once broken, they can never be restored."
Lin Xiao felt a cold sweat break out across his forehead. This wasn't just about him anymore—he was playing with forces that affected everything.
Before he could ask more, the vision shattered. He blinked and found himself back in the room, standing before the altar once again. His hand was still resting on its glowing surface, though now the light was dimmer, as if the energy had been drained.
The system chimed again.
[Altar Investigated: Time Thread Awoken]
[New Skill Acquired: Temporal Resonance]
[Reward: ??? - To be revealed upon activation]
Lin Xiao's heart pounded. Temporal Resonance? What did that even mean? Before he could process it fully, the room trembled again, and the eerie black mist began creeping back, swirling around the edges of the chamber.
"Great," Lin Xiao muttered, pulling his hand away from the altar. He could feel the shift in the air, as though something far worse was waiting for him just outside. The shadowy figure's warning echoed in his mind.
"Choices you make from this point onward will shape the fates of many."
Lin Xiao took a deep breath, clenching his fists. He had unlocked something within the altar, something tied to time itself. The unknown reward hung in the air like a mystery, but for now, all he could do was press forward.
With one final glance at the fading glow of the altar, Lin Xiao turned toward the dark corridor ahead. He needed to survive this place, whatever it took.
With a deep breath, Lin Xiao focused his energy and activated Temporal Resonance, the new skill he had just acquired.
The air around him shimmered, and before he could even process what was happening, the ground disappeared from beneath his feet. He felt a sudden pull, like he was being yanked through time and space itself.
When his vision cleared, Lin Xiao found himself not in the dark corridor he had been walking through, but standing in the middle of a vast, golden river.
He was floating effortlessly, moving along with the current as the river carried him forward. The golden light that made up the river's water was overwhelming, illuminating everything around him with a surreal glow.
"Where... am I?" Lin Xiao whispered to himself, his voice echoing strangely in the endless expanse of light.
The river was colossal. He couldn't even see where it began or ended—both the horizon and the distant sides of the river were obscured by a brilliant haze. Lin Xiao couldn't tell if it was day or night, as the entire space seemed to exist outside of time itself.
The water, or whatever substance the river was made of, was not like any liquid he had ever seen—it felt more like he was flowing through pure energy.