Void... an existence ancient as the Universe itself.
They have both existed simultaneously since immemorial times, but people have yet to learn the truth concealing behind the mysterious Void.
There were no records in the World of Oblivion about this Mythical Realm, so Atlas had no idea what was waiting for him beyond that portal.
"Hmm... what strange sensation... the Chaos Energy inside my body is chaotic..."
That was the first change he noticed while his body slowly drifted through the unknown.
Luckily, there was no pain or anything that could harm him.
That strange feeling lasted until the darkness disappeared, chased away by an intense white light.
"Is this the so-called Nihility Dimension??"
Atlas looked around stupidly, shocked by what his eyes could see.
As soon as his feet reached the new world, the young man found his group standing at the center of a vast, round, stony platform.
The surface was plain with regular marks, indicating that it wasn't a natural object.
Moving his gaze around, he found his surroundings particularly bare because there was nothing else other than it, or at least that was limited to an area of thirty feet around him.
Beyond that was what truly shocked the young man...
Floating islands of different sizes were placed all around the vast place.
It was as if portions of the ground were brutally pulled out from the tenacious body of an unlucky planet.
The smallest ones were barren, like the one where his group was standing. Their only commonality was the stony platform placed at their center.
Other than that, the most peculiar one was the more expansive island floating far in the distance.
Differently from all the others, this particular piece of land was floating at the center of the vast space and connected to all the fragments through a narrow bridge made of smaller black rocks.
Actually... it could be considered narrow only compared to those giant islands. In fact, they were large, at least ten feet.
"How could such vast space exist..."
Atlas was left speechless. The new world around him was like one of those mythical planes recounted in ancient tales. A hidden heaven for his exclusive use.
The young man was so attracted to his surroundings that he didn't even notice old Drunkum lying on the ground, breathing lightly.
Indeed, just as Falgnis had predicted, in this world outside the rule of their Universe, the wicked clutches of the evil one could not reach him, giving the poor old man the longed-for peace.
As for Rose, she was sleeping peacefully with her arms wrapped around the young man's neck.
None of them knew that they were standing inside one of the most mysterious places in the Universe.
Holding Rose's graceful body in his embrace, Atlas started walking toward the narrow bridge that was directly connected to the central island.
It took him a few seconds to reach his destination because, unlike the others, those two fragments were almost attached to each other.
As soon as his feet landed on the ground, made of soft grass, Atlas could feel his body assaulted by some kind of power.
He didn't know what this feeling was, but he was sure of one thing: the air around him was devoid of Chaos Energy.
"It's so strange... why is there no Chaos Energy around?! This place is ineffective for cultivation. It's such a pity..."
Atlas mumbled, moving to the island's center where a strange rocky structure was standing.
It wasn't anything particular. In fact, it was simple and crude, as if a bunch of rocks of different sizes were put in a single place, forming a giant canopy.
It took him almost half an hour to reach the small entrance, but for some reason, as soon as his feet were one step from there, a mighty repulsive power halted his advance.
"Hmm?!"
Confused by the strange circumstances, Atlas looked around curiously. Still, the entrance was shrouded by a dark veil, blocking his view.
"Well... that's strange. I can feel no repulsion in me, yet something is blocking my path... Why?!"
Even the young man didn't know where that weird thought came from, yet since his feet landed on this island, he could feel the surrounding power guiding him to this place.
So why he couldn't move forward?
Since there was no way in front, Atlas took a step back, but something changed precisely at that moment.
"What is that??"
With his gaze fixed on the dark veil, Atlas noticed the appearance of unrecognizable symbols.
The strange phenomenon lasted only a few moments until the strange symbols began to change shape rapidly, becoming increasingly eccentric and challenging even to catch its shape clearly.
The process lasted a long time, and the change became so substantial that the symbols began to enlarge and increase.
The young man could sense a powerful connection with the veil and a resounding call, like a call for help.
Bewitched by the turn of events, Atlas did not even realize that the arm with the Aether Primeval Stigma was moving in the direction of the veil as if attracted by something.
Slowly, the hand reached the target and placed the palm at the center.
The swirl of symbols subsided, and very naturally, they changed until they formed a series of perfectly understandable words...
"Only the ruler can reach the heart of the Realm..."
Those words were clear since he was undoubtedly the owner of the Aether Primeval Stigma, so why couldn't he move forward?
Atlas repeated those words a couple of times as if enchanted, but suddenly, he felt his chest burning and brushed by a soft sensation.
Lowering his gaze, Atlas finally noticed the young woman's body in his embrace.
She was so light that he did realize his mistake.
"So, this was the reason..."
She was sleeping so serenely in his embrace, as if nothing was around her other than his warm body.
After spending so long inside Falgnis' Realm, her body was covered in sweat and dust, yet there was still a sweet smell all around.
Taking a deep breath, he gently placed her body onto the ground since it was clear that the force from before was repelling her and not his body.
Nothing could stop him now, and with a firm step forward, his body crossed the veil...