Differently from the outside space, what waited for the young man inside was endless darkness.
Atlas couldn't see even his hands...
Even his screams were devoured by that emptiness...
It was a nightmare for the poor young man where even time was forbidden, and only his thoughts could save him from insanity.
Separated from everything, Atlas tested his resolution and called Progenitor Nihilir after a while with all his heart.
'Nihilir... I need your help...'
He kept calling and screaming, yet no one answered his plead.
'Fuck, this damned place... where am I?? I need to find a way out...'
He did not know how long he had been in, yet after so long, something changed.
Finally, he could discern the space around him. Even though the emptiness completely inhibited his senses, somehow, he knew something was there. And after a long wait that lasted probably twice, if not three times, as long as before, there was a new change.
"I... I can hear again ..."
It was his voice he perceived, but it sounded so distant.
Suddenly, as if shaken by that faint sound, the darkness split as if stuck by a beam of green light.
Like his voice, the beam of light was very faint, almost imperceptible, yet it was enough to bring Atlas a shred of hope in that dark world.
Through his eyes, he could glimpse something in the distance.
It looked like a humanoid figure, but his vision was too blurry to make out its actual features.
"Nihilir... is that you?"
Atlas called loudly his name, but for the umpteenth time, no answer reached his ears.
The distance between them decreased very slowly, making the object in the distance more obvious.
Some parts were easy to guess.
In the right hand was an instrument very similar to a staff with a slightly more domed top.
The left hand was a bit more distorted and complex to describe because the object was smaller than the staff and had a distinctive shape.
As for the main body, it was impossible to discern even the tiny detail.
Atlas's mind was momentarily lost when a gray mist surrounded the statue, covering it entirely within seconds.
It was as if the dark world did not want to reveal its secrets to the young man.
Atlas was curious and intrigued by it, but he was like a fish out of water at that moment, and nothing could change what was happening.
His body advanced without delay, propelled by an unknown power, and finally halted when it was only a few steps away.
"What now?"
It was the first time in a long time that the young man felt so confused and overwhelmed by such oblivion.
"Hey... what do you want me to do? Why did you bring me to this place?"
Not knowing what to do, Atlas looked around and tried to communicate or at least attempt to get some answers.
He certainly did not expect a response, yet he was shocked when small parts of the cloud broke away from the main body, forming some words.
"Only those who control the power of the Eternal Void are worthy of this place."
Those words confused him even more because they didn't give a clear answer.
Fortunately, it did not end there. In fact, the space changed again, giving the young man the answer.
The grayish cloud became turbulent in a few moments as if shaken by a mighty wind.
The words vanished, chased away by the strange phenomenon taking with them the cloud that tried to hide the secrets of the void.
The object re-emerged from oblivion, showing itself again in that world of darkness, but there was something strange about it.
"A statue with my own features... How is this possible? The stick-like object disappeared... Could it be that it was all an illusion?"
In fact, the statue was a copy of himself, with a completely different shape from that seen before.
"Hmm..."
Puzzled by the scene, Atlas could not help but guess: "Perhaps what I saw earlier was the previous owner of the Aether Primeval Stigma..."
It was a more than sensible guess but without an answer.
There was a moment of peace, but then, the space began to crumble.
The process did not last long, and shortly after that, the young man found himself a few steps away from the statue inside a cave.
Finally, that nightmare was over. Feeling the floor beneath his feet gave the young man some comfort.
Looking around, Atlas could see a gap about thirty paces away, from which the unconscious Rose could be glimpsed.
"Who knows how long I had been in there... According to Falgnis, somewhere in this realm, a portal connected with the Aethereal Ebony Orchid should exist on this place. I cannot linger any longer."
Since there was nothing else besides the statue inside the cave, Atlas wasted no further time and searched for a passage to the outside world.
Nothing much happened this time. Indeed, the young man walked past the opening and picked up the young woman from the cold ground without any problem.
The vast space had remained unchanged. The myriad of small islands continued to swirl around the main one, making the view sensational, to say the least.
"Hmm... there are many islets, but only a few have a bridge to reach them... how strange."
In fact, besides the one with Drunkum, there were other fragments connected to it.
There were no differences between them, so Atlas chose the closest one and, in a few minutes, reached the central location where another platform was.
As soon as his feet rested inside the platform, a portal large enough for a few people to pass through appeared precisely in the center.
The sudden change surprised him, but he recovered when he noticed what was on the other side.
A new, utterly unknown world had appeared beyond the portal. The flora there was so peculiar that it was unfamiliar even to him.
It was as if the world on the other side was not Oblivion. An absurd revelation for the young man, to say the least.
In addition to unfamiliar shrubs and grasses, scattered almost everywhere were some stones covered with a patina of a scarlet color. However, the problem was not their color but the nearly transparent smoke flowing from the bottom in contact with the ground.
Another addition to the oddities of that world.
Unfortunately, no life forms were present to unequivocally confirm his assumptions. Still, of one thing he was confident, somehow other portals existed in the Nihility Dimension, so somewhere out there existed other Aethereal Ebony Orchids not conjured by him.
"Perhaps... they are the flowers planted by the previous holder... I should find some time and explore what lies beyond..."
A burning desire for adventure had lit in his heart, but he knew now was not the time to delve into the dangers of what seemed like other worlds.
After one last long look through the portal, Atlas proceeded to another small island.
A few minutes passed, and the young man faced the same problem.
Another portal had appeared, but it was evident from the frightening view beyond that this one would not take him to the island of Falgnis.
"Mhm? They look so similar to a strange race living on the other side of the continent."
A few steps from the gap were creatures pretty similar to humans but had clear points that made them different from them. Their bodies were covered with very opulent armor and emanated an oppressive aura. But what made the young man doubt for a second time was the venomous spears held firmly by a hand with only four fingers.
They were knowledgeable beings, probably equal to humans, if they possessed artifacts of such a degree. Yet, he couldn't remember the name of their race.
Atlas lingered no longer there and checked the other portals very quickly.
Lava-filled and underwater worlds were visible in the following two portals. However, it was impossible to get even the smallest detail from them.
By now, the mystery concealed in those passages to other worlds had captured his interest, and he was determined to not return to the outside world until he had checked them both.
There were still two places to check, so he resumed his search.
In a few minutes, he reached one of the two platforms, and surprisingly, the world on the other side was just what he was looking for.
The verdant forest around and the mountain in the distance was, without a doubt, a clear sign that this was the passage to Falgnis' island.
He only needed to step forward to find salvation, but curiosity about the unknown led him away from there.
At last, his feet rested on the remaining platform, and with his heart throbbing with excitement, Atlas waited for the portal to reveal itself.
Slowly, a gap opened, and the concealed world showed itself...