"No matter," the armoured man declared. "I'll help you out of this continent. Think of it as me repaying a favor from the past."
He waved his right hand, signaling for Zuria to follow, then turned his back and strode toward the deep forest.
Staring into the consuming, light-devouring darkness, Zuria felt the hairs on his neck prickle. He hurried to catch up, staying close to the armoured man's shadow.
He even restrained his habit of talking to himself, feeling that being seen as a lunatic would not improve his chances of survival.
Zuria felt like he was slipping away from his previous self. Although he once starved himself to death, the pain of being hungry and thirsty was bearable to him.
But strangely enough, he felt a soul crunching fear at the thought of being killed and devoured. That sense of fear made him hesitate, nervous, and confused.
That's why right now, his first priority was to get out of this damnable place.
Hold on, Zuria thought, grumbling internally as they walked. What am I doing following this total stranger into a death-trap? Am I a five-year-old idiot?
Though the self-criticism was sharp, he still followed, his hand shooting out to grab the large spike on the armoured man's shoulder.
The armoured man shook his head, a dry chuckle rumbling inside his helm.
"Hahaha, kid, you need to hold tight or I might leave you behind," he teased.
"Don't misunderstand!" Zuria defended himself, his voice strong despite the grip he had. "It's pitch black in here, and I can't see anything! How am I supposed to follow if I can't see you? I'm not scared, you hear me?"
"Whatever you say, kid." The man's laughter echoed through the trees.
"You got a name kid? Mines Brexas." Brexas asked while introducing himself.
At that Zuria stayed silent for a few breaths before replying. "Benedict..." Technically he didn't lie, both have Benedict in their names.
"The third son? No wonder that bastard Fredrin keep telling me to stay in this stupid ass place." Brexas grumbled under his helmet in a low voice.
Although it was still loud enough for Zuria to hear.
"You know my father?" Zuria asked simply.
Brexas let out a snort and then said. "No. I just had a debt to pay, now I'm paying it back."
Their conversation ceased at that point, and they continued walking in silence, neither of them asking anything more. The darkness didn't seem to bother Brexas as he navigated the unseen path.
Considering he wore a helmet with no holes, this place must have been nothing special to him.
Time flew by, but their journey had not yet ended. Zuria felt he had been walking for three hours or possibly more, yet it seemed they still had a long way to go.
Strangely, no Demonic Beast had attacked them, even though they were walking deep in the Abyssal Forest. This made Zuria curious, but he held his tongue. His mind was full of chaotic thoughts, jumping from one topic to another.
Perhaps because he now felt safe and not in any immediate danger, his mind returned to random things. He even felt his depression creeping back. He shook his head and tried to distract himself with something more productive.
He then remembered the magic he had cast—a simple fireball that turned out to be quite bizarre...
Zuria's thoughts then delved deeper into his memory, trying to recall the process of casting magic in this world.
Normally, a mage needs to mold their mana into a magic circle before successfully casting a spell. This is the standard procedure for most beginner magicians when learning to cast. While one can skip the step of forming a magic circle, casting a spell with one is easier and more stable.
Magic circles are unique to each magician. They can be drawn however the caster desires: less complicated circles are easier to cast, but those who design more complex circles can make their spells stronger or faster to cast.
After the Magic Circle comes Elements. A magician's primary element differs according to their affinity with it. Of course, they can still use other elements they've learned, but those spells wouldn't be as powerful or as easy to master as those related to their strong affinity.
As Zuria thought it over, a critical detail surface. Back then, his panic and single-minded focus had caused him to forget the crucial step of forming a magic circle. Instead, he'd just forcefully mixed the unknown energy with his mana.
Could this be why? How could a simple Fireball, one that hadn't even left a scorch mark, suddenly possess a corrosive effect?
He tried to focus his mind again, painstakingly reconstructing every step of that moment. Then, the deeper realization struck him.
He hadn't merely been distressed at that time, he had been gripped by a primal, paralyzing fear of being devoured.
A fear of being eaten alive and being slowly digested inside a monster stomach, a slow and painful death that follows...
That was it!
His serious expression broke into a bright realization as a smile formed on his face.
Emotion was the key. The spell became something like a curse when it landed on that Ogre.
A feeling of assurance settled over him. He now had a way to protect himself, he could kill even a giant monster brutally and efficiently if he was careful.
Now his confusion has been cleared, Zuria continued to walk in the darkness with a little confidence.
His injuries has long been healed completely. Showing how absurd his condition were. Broken bones and internal injuries could be healed in under an hour tops.
It honestly astonished him. Even for him, a 29 years, formerly depressed old guy, being transported to a new world with something of an overpowered ability. His inner child resurfaced without him realising it.
And don't forget the two of them has been walking for more that 3 hours now. But Zuria only slightly feel out of breath before that feeling disappeared slowly over time.
It was a constant of being drained and filled with energy, although his body were feeling great. His mind was under a lot of stress and fatigue. It simply couldn't keep up with the things that has been going on all until now.
So being so carefree walking in the darkness like this was somewhat a blessing for Zuria. Being nervous aside, he finally have a moment to rest his tense mind and body.
As his mind began to settle into a rhythm of exhausted relief, at this time he could see a faint light up ahead. The overwhelming darkness was finally broken, not by any light from above, but by a faint, ghostly luminescence that seemed to bleed up from the ground. As his eyes adjusted, he saw it.
They were no longer on the forest floor. They were standing on an ancient, worn stone floor. Ahead of them, the path was blocked by a colossal, moss-covered archway built of black, unpolished granite, stretching perhaps thirty feet into the unseen canopy above. Engraved upon the arch, barely visible in the faint light, were symbols Zuria did not recognize, a chaotic mix of sharp lines and curved glyphs that felt unsettlingly alive.
Beneath the arch was a sheer, dark void. It was not the darkness of the forest, but a concentrated, absolute blackness that seemed to absorb the weak light around it, like a hungry maw.
"What is this place?" Zuria asked with a whisper. A frown graced his face.
Brexas didn't answer right away. He raised a gauntlet, tapping a single, blunt finger on one of the granite columns. A faint, silver light—perhaps mana, briefly illuminated the carvings, then died.
"You told me you want to leave the continent." Brexas said, his voice deep and serious. "Then here it is. You can go leave the continent from there." He pointed at the swirling dark void.
He then turned, his armour creaked softly as Brexas faced Zuria. "That's the entrance to the Abyss. You'll love it there, as long as you're strong enough, you can be anything. The strong makes the rules in that world."
Zuria's mind finally collapsed. This fucking... I said i want to leave the continent. Not going to the damn hell...
°°°°°°°
{A/N: You probably has noticed it now, but this novel going to be a slowpaced one. I'll try to write more as the story progress tho, the beginning going to be short and frustrating i believe. 🤣}
{Again, all i can say is that, please bear with me for a while. Xd}