The temple was actually in a worse state than Luan had expected. Its walls, once towering and magnificent, were now cracked and broken in too many places to count.
The domes were shattered with many of them missing their pointed tips, and signs of intense weathering was visible on them.
The floor tiles were also all but destroyed, fissures snaking through the cement like branches through the air.
Luan looked around at the edges of the walls, expecting to see some bushes or at least some overgrown grass, but there was nothing like that.
It was as if the cursed vegetation in the forest didn't dare grow near the premises of the temple.
'Well, that's a relief… at least I'll be able to sleep…'
Luan stopped and thought to himself.
'But what if the reason the vegetation isn't here is because there is an even worse bizarre entity…?'
He shifted his weight from one foot to another and nervously glanced at the large door frame in front of him.
He gritted his teeth. 'If I'm going to die if I enter, let it be so… but the forest is a surefire way to death… so, I have no choice!'
Luan gulped in an abnormal amount of saliva, then stepped into the temple with tightly shut eyes, half expecting a large maw to gobble him up the next second.
When nothing of the sort happened after five minutes, Luan opened his eyes, and what he saw almost made him run back outside.
Right there in front of him, was a gigantic stone statue. The statue was faceless and was dressed in a full set of body armour and by its side was a sword that seemed normal compared to the giant's body, but could crush him to pulp with a single wave.
His only consolation was that the statue was unmoving... at least for now.
As he recalled the sword forms that the giant executed, a shiver ran down his spine and he didn't move… until something else attracted his attention.
The domes were full of large, gaping holes that enabled the sunlight to shine inside the temple, giving it a warm feel, but this hole didn't have any sunlight shining through it.
Instead, a faint rainbow coloured light shone from the floor into the sky through the hole that was present above it.
This phenomenon interested Luan, so he walked unsteadily to the place.
As he walked, he spotted strange carvings on the wall. There was one where a bungalow was depicted, another different one where a thick and long black staff with inscriptions on its surface was represented.
As he traced the wall with his fingers, his hand finally settled on two carvings.
These carvings showed an octopus flailing its tentacles in the middle of five other figures that Luan assumed to be human.
Beside that one was the carving of what seemed like a man. The man was dressed in a robe and was holding a sword in his right hand.
There was a light smile on his face.
Luan didn't know why, but he felt his chest tighten when he looked at the man.
It was also as if his sword hummed briefly.
After some time, Luan shook his head and chuckled to himself. 'I can't believe I'm getting sentimental over some random scribbles on the wall of a temple in a godforsaken forest… aish…'
Meanwhile, the Lord of the Abyss in Luan's mind was in shock.
'How?! This piece of history was erased from the records of the world by Ritra himself! No no no no… I have to control this mortal to destroy it, I have to…
'Actually, there's no need to spoil my plans just yet. The boy doesn't understand a single thing, and I'm sure that apart from those two, the deities and the gods, no mortal is aware.
'Hm… I should calm down…'
Luan reached the spot where the rainbow coloured light was coming from, and couldn't help but let out an exclamation of surprise when he saw water.
Actually, calling it water was a bit of a stretch since the liquid was just a pool of rainbow looking liquid that didn't wet the floor it touched.
Luan dipped his cane into the liquid, expecting some sort of corrosion, but nothing happened.
Afterwards, he dipped his bruised right hand into the liquid.
He expected some sort of reaction, but all he felt was his hand getting cooler.
Upon removing the hand, the water still didn't wet it, but Luan's eyes widened in surprise once again.
His hand had healed!
He would be lying to himself if he didn't fear for his safety even in the relatively safe space that the temple was.
It was an unreliable element that could turn out to be his death later, but he had no choice.
With his many wounds, he was sure that the next bizarre entity would be ripping his head off his shoulders.
Therefore, this was an opportunity.
One he certainly didn't waste.
Luan stripped himself and jumped into the pool, immediately closing his eyes and becoming immersed in the cold but soothing sensation that came out from every part of his body.
Five hours later, he opened his eyes.
His ears were present, his shoulder was complete, and his sides were mended completely.
The pool even healed the wounds he had accumulated over the years, the ones he had no idea of.
Even better, the heart in his chest was beating again, making him feel as energetic as ever.
Surprisingly, the blood was also gone from his body.
After a moment of thought, he took his clothes and dipped them in the liquid, watching the blood on them dissipate as the clothes were mended and improved.
Luan smiled, then decided what his next course of action would be.
'This pool seems like the best place in the world to practise what I read…'
He was going to start his journey in the world of mana.