Exodus, in his human form, dreamt of shadows.
Shadows that were born out of the eternal, omnipresent darkness. Shadows that began to stalk and hunt their prey.
This represented the souls and spirits that had been consumed by the [Tenebrous River]. The realm which the dead enter when they die.
But, Exodus was not dead. He was merely dreaming, yet somehow, perhaps due to the influence of Nihilism, he had made it to the Tenebrous River. This was as if to say, that even in the farthest thing away from the World Barrier, the world of dreams, the influence of Primordial Darkness would still be able to reach them.
And, in the Tenebrous River, those who were not meant to be there would be consumed by Nihilism, that would form from being tainted by the eternal darkness.
"Hmm… this seems to be a separate realm from the world I know. Is this a realm beyond the World Barrier?"
Exodus stood right in the middle of the eternal darkness, but he hadn't faded at all. He seemed to be resisting it, with the help of the Eternal Life Void's power he put forth. The Nihilism that consumed him right as he succumbed didn't last, it seemed. He still had one reason to live, after all.
"I am one of the strongest of the current era. I can resist this much at least." Exodus spoke.
"But, with all the shadows and palls that are stalking me, I'm sure that they will pounce soon. But, when…"
At that moment, they did as he expected, and the shadows surrounded him and encircled him in darkness. But, with his Bloodstained Slayer, he massacred the spirits and cut and cut again.
A single year passed, and he had cut through millions of spirits, with both his sword and his claws.
Ten years passed, and he had slaughtered more than hundreds of millions of spirits and cleaved through the darkness with all his might.
Hundreds of years had passed, and he had destroyed billions upon billions, while maintaining his sanity, keeping it from being consumed by the nihilistic properties of the eternal darkness.
And then, as he cut down many more spirits, Exodus saw petals flow in the direction he was facing. Bright red petals, that seemed to flow in a river shape. Throughout the eternal darkness, this seemed to be his only saving grace.
"It has been too long since I've seen something other than darkness. Let me follow this for now. I need to know what's going on here before I do something for real."
Exodus transformed into a wyvern and flew towards the direction of the river of petals. The more he travelled in its direction, the more he began to gradually realise that the petals were transforming into drops of blood, and forming a river of blood, which was eventually turning into a sea of blood and petals.
At last, he found himself hovering over that sea of blood, and being watched over by the souls and spirits which had transformed into shadows. He turned around, observing everything around him, until he noticed a lotus flower the size of a human, coming close to him.
"…It's you, isn't it? No wonder I felt something was off." Exodus said. The lotus flower blossomed and out came a majestic woman, who was unlike anyone else he had ever laid his eyes on.
Not just because of her jaded beauty, but because she was like him. A mythical beast, with the power of a Void World.
She laid her eyes on him and giggled, coming closer, face-to-face with him.
"You realised, right? This place is not the Tenebrous River anymore, but an illusion I created to trick it into making you come here. This is the Crimson Lotus Sea, my domain, as the [Incarnation of Beauty]."
"Incarnation of Beauty? What do you mean?" Exodus asked. The beauty in front of him already seemed dangerous, from the way she smiled, down to the way she presented herself fully.
Her hair resembled lotus flowers, and she wore a seductive dress of white and red silk. Her figure was like a marble statue, and her face represented a true beauty.
"You don't know what Incarnations are, because they don't exist in your era, known in history as the [Disastrous Era]."
"…You're being vague. Explain further."
"How blunt. Of course, I will. Just wait." The Incarnation of Beauty replied.
"But first, what you need to know, Exodus, Incarnation of Ashes, is how long it has been since you have been sealed in the Lake of Ashes, your tomb. It is now a historical site, where a legion, led by the Great General Serrate, battled against you, who is now known as the [Forlorn Ash King], and barely won."
"Wait. You talk as if this was an event that happened long ago. How long has it been since I was sealed in the lake?" Exodus asked.
"Around about ten thousand years. During that time, so many things have changed that you'll be surprised. Very surprised. One of the things that have changed is that we mythical beasts are now far larger in number than we were during your era, and we are now called [Incarnations]."
"…Interesting, very much so. So, what do they call Catastrophes like me now?"
"They call them Dark Incarnations, and Catastrophes of the old ages, like you, Forlorn Kings. And, might I say, you seem utterly deserving of that name. Even the aura you let off far surpasses the Incarnations of this era. You could be my new man…"
Exodus shook his head.
"I don't have time for a flower like you. All I want to know now is: why have you come here for me?"
"Because I want you to wake back up again. I have heard of your history, and have determined that you could be the solution."
"Solution to what?"
"To finally make it fully beyond the World Barrier. We still haven't managed to make it past the darkness, you see."
Exodus grinned, creating the fearsome visage of a wyvern's exhilaration.
"I see. Then, perhaps I can join you. But, how can we make it out?"
"Didn't I tell you? This is my domain. With only the snap of my fingers, the real world shall appear to us once more. Are you ready?"
Exodus transformed into a human, and nodded, just before the sea of blood beneath them erupted, and the darkness that swirled above them turned into a great vortex. He needed to summon his wings to keep steady, while the Incarnation of Beauty merely relaxed in her lotus flower.
Above them, a white star appeared, signifying the entrance into the real world, while the shadows of the Tenebrous River swirled around them in both fear and anxiety, fearing the sight of tremendous power.
Just then, petals flowed, and the full power of the blood sea was shown, as it shot upwards with incredible speed.
"Good luck, darling." The Incarnation of Beauty said as the lotus flower closed shut, covering her.
"…I haven't seen such an insane woman in my life, daring to test me," Exodus muttered, before transforming back into a wyvern and revealing one of his Art Forms: [Draconic Longevity].
Using this Art Form, he absorbed some of the matter around him and used it to temporarily preserve his heart with Mystic Rejuvenation, in case the impact would be too much to handle.
But, once they left through the other end of the vortex, a blinding light devoured them, and, in the next moment, Exodus found himself drifting in the skies above the clouds, above an expansive forest region.
"…You exceeded my expectations. To think you would escape that, unscathed." The Incarnation of Beauty said to Exodus after the lotus unfurled open, who had now gained his original body back.
"…I feel… weak. My wings are shredded, and my flesh is still injured. Has it been ten thousand years?" Exodus asked.
"Of course it has. Though, the conditions of your slumber in the Lake of Ashes may have made it harder for you to regenerate. But anyway, I suppose I must introduce myself." The Incarnation of Beauty said.
"My name is Pangea. The Incarnation of Beauty." She said, as her petals floated all around her fantastically.
"Pangea… I suppose you know this already, but my name is Exodus… the Forlorn Ash King."
Pangea giggled, before turning around in her lotus flower.
"I purposely withheld saying this until now, but the Western Gange Kingdom may already know that you have escaped, and there should be at least five Flying Battleships coming here currently."
Exodus narrowed his eyes.
"You're testing me again? I'm sure you know that I am the Lord of Ash, do you not?"
"I do. But, as you are now, you may not even match against the weakest among the human forces, the soldiers and generals, let alone other Incarnations." Pangea said while smiling.
"Show me your strength."
Exodus exhaled.
"Usually, I hate when people try to gauge my strength. But, since we share a similar destination, for now, I guess I can reveal it to you."
"But, I take offence to what you said," Exodus replied. His eyes turned into a swirl of red and purple as he grew larger from his First Art Form: [False Dragonification].
"Anyone beating me, without my permission?"
"Never. Not in a million years."