I opened my eyes, and a searing light pierced through the darkness. My heart pounded as I took in the sight. Massive statues, towering like mountains, their faces carved into cold, merciless expressions. Crystals embedded in their foreheads glowed with an intensity that felt alive, pulsating as if they held the power of the gods themselves.
"I am... in another realm?" I whispered, my voice trembling. "Where the guardians reside…"
My gaze locked onto one statue, Elena. Her stone lips curled into a twisted smile. satisfaction, pure and chilling. It was as though she had been waiting for me. My chest tightened with dread.
"Why am I here?" I screamed, panic rising. "Where is Anne? What did you do to me?"
The air around me grew thick, suffocating, as a voice erupted from the heavens. Deep, resonant, and ancient. "You consumed the Aura Crystal... Sebastian. You have bound yourself to our realm. You are now one of our Lords, but a slave to the almighty."
A wave of terror shot through me. My mind raced. A slave? The voice grew darker, heavier, filling every inch of space until it felt like the air itself was pressing down on me.
"If you do not become the strongest in your world, the price will be paid in the souls of your loved ones. Both realms will be claimed. Your daughter, your wife, every soul you cherish will scream for mercy, their voices haunting you, their lives sacrificed to guard this realm."
My knees buckled. The very thought of their voices Anne, my daughter. Begging, crying for me to save them, only to be dragged into an endless abyss. "The strongest? Or... my family's souls?" My voice cracked under the weight of it all.
I looked up at Elena, her crystalline eyes glowing with a sickening light. I fell to my knees, helpless beneath her gaze. "Is this your justice?" I spat, my voice shaking. "You claim to serve justice, and yet you would make me choose between power and the lives of those I love?"
The light from the crystal embedded in her forehead grew brighter, searing into my soul. Her smile deepened, more menacing than before.
"Justice was served when you were given a new life," Elena's voice was sharp, cold as ice. "But by entering this realm, you defied the natural order. This is your punishment. The almighty lords demand that you rise to become the strongest at any cost. Even if it means sacrificing your own father, Thorus Barson."
Her words struck me like a hammer. My father, too? My throat tightened, choking on the impossible choice laid before me.
"Become the strongest, or watch them die." The words echoed in my mind, relentless. There was no escape. Only torment.
The crushing weight of the ultimatum pressed down on me. My body trembled, my thoughts spiraled into a vortex of despair. The air grew colder, and I felt as though I was being torn apart. There was no victory here, only the choice between power... or the unimaginable horror of losing everything.
Elena's smile lingered, frozen in stone, as if daring me to refuse.
"Whyy?!" I screamed, my voice cracking with desperation. "Why do I need to be the strongest? What is the point of all this?!"
Elena's smile never faltered, her voice echoing like thunder from the heavens. "The Lords are not mere beings, Sebastian. They are entities beyond your understanding that are boundless, seeking only one thing: freedom. Our Lord is one among many gods. Their will is omnipotent, their desires unknown, but they are clear about one thing: only the strongest may survive. The rest will perish."
Tears streamed down my face, burning hot against my skin. The weight of her words crushed me, but there was no room for hesitation. I raised my head, meeting her glowing, merciless eyes. "Then I will sacrifice everything," I growled through clenched teeth. "I will give up whatever it takes... to be the strongest."
Her grin widened, sinister and satisfied. "Very well then, everything is proceeding according to our Lord's wishes."
The world around me began to blur, white light swirling into a haze. My body felt weightless, like I was being torn from the realm of the statues. But before everything faded, a voice cut through the fog with familiarity and softness.
"Strongest... in terms of strength? Or strongest in terms of position?" It was Anne's voice. My mother's. The words echoed in my mind, clashing with the madness of Elena's command.
As the light engulfed me, I could still hear faint whispers, memories of what I'd overheard, the chief discussing plans to send me to the capital in three months. Three months... My heart raced as the thought consumed me.
If I must be the strongest, then I need more than brute strength. I need to master magic. I need to rise in position. And I need to do it before anyone even realizes the true power I hold.
The light swallowed me completely, and my last thought was clear: Magic is the first step. I must master it all.