Aurelius was then pulled into a hidden dimension, feeling as though he was traveling for an eternity. He found himself inside a tunnel with ever-changing colors, which looked both wide and long. As he traveled, the tunnel seemed to tear through a barrier, leading him to a different place—one of darkness and chaos. Even within the tunnel, Aurelius felt a deep fear, as if merely being in this place could bring out his deepest terrors.
The tunnel continued to move towards a central core area. Along the way, Aurelius saw ghosts, zombies, ghouls, skeletons, and other unidentified, unclean beings. Trembling, he thought, "This looks more like hell. What is the place I've been living in? Is it just a facade, and this is the true hell?"
As Aurelius traveled, he suddenly felt something locking onto him. A fear of death enveloped him. Summoning his strength, he looked in the direction of the sensation and saw a pale, ghastly being with eyes glowing blue, like they were on fire. The being stared directly at Aurelius, and, sensing his gaze as a provocation, it released a powerful energy.
This energy spread at an incredible speed, reaching Aurelius almost instantly. The tunnel acted as a barrier, stopping most of the destructive force from the ghastly being. However, a small amount of energy bypassed the tunnel's barrier and hit Aurelius, sending him into shock and causing him to lose consciousness.
The ghastly being roared as it watched Aurelius travel further inside the tunnel, causing the whole hellish landscape to shake. The space around the being exploded, but then a unique power, the laws of hell, arrived, restoring the space. For the first time, the ghastly being showed fear and quieted down.
Who knows how long later, Aurelius regained consciousness, finding himself floating on top of pitch-black, ice-cold water that emitted an evil aura. The place looked eerie and dangerous. Surrounding the lake were black trees with equally black leaves. Suddenly, a wind swayed the trees, and a ghastly voice rang out from it, like someone calling. The voice carried a charm and attraction that could easily cause people to become lost in it.
Aurelius slowly regained consciousness and carefully got up, still floating on the water. He looked around, and just the sight of his surroundings sent a chill down his spine.
As soon as he was fully awake, it seemed like a seal had been broken. The trees began to sway, and the water of the lake started to ripple. The waves, which began at the edge of the lake, slowly moved towards Aurelius.
Seeing the sudden, drastic changes in this unfamiliar environment, Aurelius became vigilant. The waves near him morphed into hands trying to grab him. Already on guard, Aurelius dodged them.
More waves appeared, increasing from two to three. Sensing the danger of staying in the lake, Aurelius tried to move towards the forest. However, more wave-like hands emerged to stop him from leaving the water. He drew his sword to attack but found that his soul energy was locked, rendering him unable to use it. Unperturbed, he relied on his sword intent to slash at the water waves.
The sword intent cut through the waves, and Aurelius was close to reaching the forest when a water wall appeared before him. He used his sword intent to slash at it, but it acted like a barrier, stopping his attacks.
He tried to circulate his soul energy again but to no avail. Realizing he couldn't use many of his techniques, Aurelius attempted to jump over the wall. However, the water wall's height increased with his jump, keeping him trapped. Without his soul energy, he was left to rely solely on his physical prowess and sword skills.
Aurelius stood in the middle of the lake, dodging the waves while trying to analyze the situation. First, he focused on why he couldn't use his soul energy. As he looked within his body, he saw several locks over his acupuncture points and dantian. These chains had unique patterns, like Dao runes.
He attempted to use his sword Qi to break the chains, but they held strong. Unable to break them, Aurelius felt a sense of hopelessness. Meanwhile, the hand-like waves began to change. They started forming shoulders, heads, upper bodies, and eventually full human and creature shapes. These figures, resembling humans, devils, and other beings, appeared more lifelike as time passed.
Aurelius slashed at the water figures, but the more he killed, the more emerged. Seeing no way out, he decided to use one final attack, gathering every drop of sword intent for a last-ditch effort. Dodging the water clones, he moved near the edge of the lake to prepare for his attack.
Just as he was about to strike, he heard a voice, "Aurelius, help!" It sounded like Sophia. He turned towards the voice, only to hear another, "Caught you." This voice was beautiful and magnetic, unlike anything he had ever heard.
Realizing he had fallen into a trap, Aurelius thought, "I've been tricked. She was waiting for me to let my guard down." He tried to move but found his feet stuck to the water. As he struggled, he heard another voice, "Come to me," "Help me," and "Free me" echoing in his mind.
Unable to use his soul energy to employ the soul armor technique, Aurelius struggled more as the voices continued. His consciousness began to sink into an illusion. Meanwhile, the water that had trapped his feet started to rise, forming a skin-like layer around his ankles and slowly creeping upward, threatening to cover him entirely.
Aurelius stood on the street, watching people come and go, feeling a deep sense of confusion. "Who am I?" he wondered. "What am I doing here?" His mind swirled with questions as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. As he wandered aimlessly, he overheard a conversation between two people nearby.
"What's going on? Why has security become so strict, and why are so many army personnel and officials checking everyone?" asked person 1, clearly puzzled.
"You must be new here," responded person 2.
"Yes, I just returned from Northern Iceland," said person 1.
"Ah, that explains it. You haven't heard the latest news," person 2 continued. "The duke's daughter... what's her name again..."
"Sharon," person 1 interjected.
"Yes, Sharon. She's so beautiful she could topple a nation. Many young men and even kings have fought for her hand. It seems the prince of the Mayur Empire has taken an interest in her."
"The Mayur Empire? The largest and strongest empire on this continent?" person 1 asked, incredulous.
"Yes, that Mayur Empire," person 2 confirmed.
"So why the rush from the army and officials? The duke and king should be happy about this. Who is this prince, anyway?" person 1 inquired.
"That's where the problem starts," person 2 explained. "The prince who has his eye on Sharon is Akash."
"The Akash? I've heard of him. He's one of the most powerful princes, but many know him as the Mad Maniac. Since he was betrayed by a woman in his youth, he likes to carve and play with beautiful women. Many have died at his hands," person 1 said, his voice tinged with fear.
"Exactly. That's the problem," person 2 sighed. "Seeing this fate, the duke secretly sent his daughter away. The king was furious and imprisoned the entire duke's family. Now, they're searching for Sharon, who has escaped."
"Such a pity," person 1 mused. "Sometimes, being beautiful is a curse."
Person 2 nodded in agreement.
As Aurelius listened to their conversation, he frowned. The moment he heard Sharon's name, his instincts screamed at him. It was as if a warning bell rang in his mind, telling him that she was the key to his current situation.