Another hour passed. Ellis, breathing heavily, was walking naked. From everything he brought along, only the golden crystal of the cat remained.
Holding his last golden crystal companion tightly in his hand, he felt a little cold and soothing sensation from it. It was his last solace after seeing some black spots on his skin and feeling the pain coming from them.
Looking at the timer in front of him and the remaining two hours, then at the bright light ahead, and noticing how it was actually a gray light like the color of the gate, Ellis estimated the distance was not more than a kilometer. He was hopeful that this journey was finally coming to an end and that he would make it.
[You have entered an area that restricts and imposes its will on the Twilight Codex.]
[Due to the urgent situation, the Twilight Codex will take immediate action.]
[Under article number 21010 SS, section 16, clause 7, the Twilight Codex will commence stripping "Ellis Miller" of the seed of ** and all of his status and attributes.]
Suddenly seeing the new message and feeling some kind of force coming toward him, Ellis made the most optimal decision he could think of and started to run with all his might toward the gray light, finding the force becoming weaker the closer he got.
But the pain of his skin, which felt like it was peeling off, and the corroding and deteriorating effects happening to his body, proved challenging.
After running 500 meters and feeling the force of the system nearly stopping, not even being able to take anything from him, Ellis couldn't be relieved because another message came right after the force disappeared.
[Going out from the Twilight Codex's influence under the wrong method, and not paying for the nurturing and help the Twilight Codex gave, the deserter's name will be put under the list o.....]
[Stealing the properties of…]
While continuing to run, he read the message. Seeing how the disturbance became too strong that even the message was incomplete, Ellis finally slowed down. Breathing heavily while feeling a lot of pain, he wanted to rest, to sleep somehow. But knowing there was no solution other than this gray light and knowing how the Twilight Codex was now after him, he forced himself to continue walking, hoping there would be a way out for himself there and that the gamble he was taking now would succeed.
When the remaining distance was no more than 100 meters, it became increasingly difficult to continue. Ellis felt like there was no remaining skin on his body, just rotting flesh. He was barely holding up with the cold and soothing touch from the golden crystal.
Continuing to walk while struggling to cope with the pain, Ellis finally fell down when the distance was no more than 10 meters. Coughing blood and not knowing what to do, he turned his attention to the golden crystal, the only thing that helped a little in his journey here.
Summoning his courage and not finding another way, he swallowed it. Feeling some energy welling up in his stomach and spreading to his whole body, he hurriedly continued forward, fearing some kind of complication that would come after.
When Ellis finally arrived in front of the gray light, he was surprised to find it was a gray shard of crystal or some stone. He couldn't be sure, but starting to feel immense pain in his body, likely from the crystal he swallowed, he hurriedly extended his hand toward the gray shard.
When his hand touched it, the gray light, which was bearable at first, became a lot brighter, even blinding. But an instant later, the gray shard started to dissolve in his hand, and its light came to his body.
Ellis first found his mind going blank, then he felt himself coming to another space, somewhere dark, without an ounce of light. He tried to feel his body, but even his sense of touch was becoming faint.
In this quiet and dark place, where he didn't know if he could hear or see anything, and now losing his sense of touch, he tried to say something but not being able to hear anything made him sure that all his senses were disappearing.
Ellis was frightened. He felt even his sense of self was disappearing, becoming nothingness. Trying to think and turn his mind on more to stop this feeling was not helping at all.
He felt all of himself dissolving into the surroundings, and his thoughts became still in the end.
...
Opening his eyes after coming out of his reverie, the first thing Ellis felt was how the world felt different, like being in a quagmire before but now getting out of it and trying the fresh nature and air.
He remembered the increasing clarity of his mind when he killed those people and the Nyxara cat. And he felt that if he continued to hunt a hundred, thousand, or maybe more of those unique creatures, he would eventually have similar clarity and perception.
Coming back to his senses and seeing himself lying naked on the ground of his apartment, he remembered all the shit he went through and was shocked that he was still alive. But seeing how he was still naked and the fresh memory of his pain and the feeling he got from that darkness, he was sure he was still alive.
Standing up and feeling the change in his body and how he became a lot stronger, not being comparable to his past self at all, he was surprised.
Going toward the mirror and seeing the change in his appearance—his gray eyes, combined with the light ash-brown hair, and the increased sharpness in his features—Ellis couldn't help but be surprised again. It's not like his face became someone else, but just seeing how his features became more defined, and especially his eyes, that felt like a world of their own, left a really strong impact on him.
And looking at his body that has become taller, maybe 186 cm, with compact muscles and a six-pack, and even his "roaring little dragon" that has become longer, Ellis was sure that if he now said he is the second most handsome man in the world, no one could claim to be the first.
After appreciating his body a little and seeing how he was still naked, Ellis hurriedly went to his room and put on some clothes. Even though they felt a little small, it was still manageable, better than developing some exhibition tendencies.
After calming down from the shock of his changed appearance and being still alive, Ellis finally noticed some mark at the corner of his eyes moving with him.