Count Zacries' ResidenceMonday Night, July 23rd, 2028
In his slumber, Cedric entered a dream. However, this dream was different from his usual ones. No familiar world-shattering destruction haunted him, but rather an endless void. A pure, cold emptiness, without color, without sound, without boundaries. An eternal darkness that swallowed all light, making the sensation of time and space irrelevant. Strangely, within that void, Cedric felt completely conscious. He could feel his body, move it freely, as if he truly existed there, not just a passive observer. This was an anomaly in the realm of dreams, full awareness amidst nothingness.
Soon after, a faint voice began to sound, whispering from the depths of the void. The voice was so soft, almost inaudible, yet for some reason, Cedric could clearly catch every word in his mind, as if the voice resonated directly within his soul. The words felt ancient, echoing with primordial power. "Cedric... your destiny has begun... this is the beginning..."
Cedric tried to find the source of the voice, turning his body within the endless void. He shouted, trying to call out, but no sound escaped. Only the same emptiness, stretching in all directions, swallowing every attempt at communication. The voice seemed to come from every corner, and yet from nowhere at all, a suffocating paradox.
Suddenly, the void began to crack, like a giant mirror shattering before him. The cracks made no sound, yet seemed to split the empty space. From within these fissures, an image began to form, and slowly, the emptiness around him transformed. The void now reflected an ancient, magnificent monument, yet it appeared gravely neglected. The sight was so real, its details astonishing. Thick moss and aggressively creeping vines covered most of its towering structure, as if nature was reclaiming the building. Intricate ancient carvings were faintly visible beneath layers of dust and grime accumulated over centuries. A strange familiarity ran through Cedric as he saw the monument, as if he had seen it somewhere, or felt it, perhaps even knowing its meaning without needing it explained.
Instantly, Cedric was jolted from his dream. He sat up in his bed, his breath a little ragged, his heart still pounding from the intensity of the recent dream. Cold sweat dampened his forehead. The quiet room, the ceiling, and the neat furniture – all real, yet the image of the monument was still clearly etched in his mind.
His attention then turned to the table beside his bed. There, the ancient book, Ivy's manifestation, which he had used the night before, now lay open on its own. Not only was it open, but its pages had shifted to the first page. On that page, a drawing was inscribed, exactly identical to the monument he had just seen in his dream. The details were so accurate, from the cracks in the wall to the vague shape of the carvings, even the moss clinging to it was clearly depicted.
Below the image of the monument, a name was elegantly written: "Aurevian Astravale". Beneath that, the full geographical coordinates and the name of the region where the monument was located were detailed, a location that clearly existed in the real world, complete with the most efficient route to reach it.
Cedric concluded that the dream was not just a fleeting fancy, and Ivy's book was no ordinary book. The monument existed, and there was a reason why he had been shown it. This was a clue, a calling. He decided that tomorrow, after school, he would go to that monument. To seek the truth, to test his hypotheses about Neva and Elysium, and to understand more about his newly begun destiny. His night's sleep felt short, yet it was filled with information that changed everything.
Count Zacries' ResidenceTuesday Morning, July 24th, 2028
The next morning, at breakfast together at Count Zacries' spacious and luxurious dining table, Cedric informed Chloe. The morning sunlight illuminated the dining room, contrasting with the darkness of his dream. "Chloe, after school today, I'll go for a bit to see the Aurevian Astravale monument. So, you don't have to wait for me."
Chloe paused her spoonful, looking at Cedric with furrowed brows. Her ruby-red eyes seemed a little surprised. "That old monument? I heard it hasn't been maintained for a long time, some even say it's haunted and strange things happen there. Why are you going there, Cedric? Isn't it too dangerous?" Her voice showed genuine concern.
Cedric merely smiled faintly, keeping his expression from revealing too much of his burning curiosity or the tension from his dream. He couldn't provide too much detail. "Just curious," he replied succinctly, without specific explanation. "I'm interested in ancient architecture and its history." He knew he couldn't explain everything to Chloe, not yet. Chloe was his good friend, but this was too big, too strange to simply share.
After school, without wasting any time, Cedric immediately headed to the Aurevian Astravale monument. He didn't change his school uniform, merely loosened his tie and put Ivy's book into his bag. The location was indeed quite remote, far from the city's hustle and bustle, surrounded by tall, lush trees and a barely maintained path. Upon arrival, he was greeted by an oppressive silence and a thick ancient aura, as if time had stopped in that place. The monument was exactly as it had appeared in his dream and in Ivy's book; magnificent yet forgotten, covered in moss and thick dry leaves, making it seem like a part of the forest itself.
Cedric began to explore the entire monument, stepping among the ruins and towering pillars that reached towards the sky. He observed every corner, sensing the ancient energy emanating from the stones. His attention was drawn to strange murals carved into the stone walls, images whose meaning he did not understand at all, yet felt profoundly important. One of the most striking murals contained a perfect circle, and within that circle was a clock symbol with a transparent, highly detailed and complex mechanical mechanism, as if the clock was the time machine of the universe. Above the clock, there was a large single eye, staring straight ahead with an unreadable expression, radiating an aura of ancient wisdom. To the right of the clock, a dark mist seemed to shroud the clock, moving slowly, threatening to engulf everything. Meanwhile, on the left, brilliant starlight shimmered, seemingly protecting the clock from the mist, creating a dramatic contrast between light and dark. These symbols felt like they held deep meaning about destiny and the universe, yet Cedric could not interpret them specifically. Every line and curve seemed to hide a larger secret.
After some time exploring and analyzing, Ivy emerged from her book form, floating beside Cedric in her softly glowing fairy form. Her small face looked serious. "Do you know what that symbol is, Ivy?" Cedric asked, pointing to the mysterious clock mural. "It feels like... I've seen it before, but I can't remember where."
Ivy lowered her head slightly, her wings fluttering. "I don't know, my Deviant. My knowledge of ancient symbols isn't that extensive. However, I feel a very old and powerful energy emanating from that mural. This is not just a painting."
Cedric's intellectual curiosity was uncontainable. New hypotheses swirled in his mind. He extended his hand towards the clock symbol carved into the wall, feeling a strange pull. As his hand touched the cold stone surface, an invisible wave of energy rippled. The view before him changed completely. The mural-filled wall vanished in an instant, replaced by an endless misty corridor. Thick grey fog enveloped everything, severely limiting visibility, and the sound of his own footsteps was barely audible.
Cedric felt a little surprised, but in his heart, a strong conviction arose: if he wanted answers, he had to pass through this corridor. This was a gateway to something greater. Without hesitation, Cedric continued to walk forward, with Ivy faithfully floating by his side, her light dimming slightly so as not to attract too much attention.
During the journey through the misty corridor, a chilling silence prevailed. Suddenly, Ivy blinked frantically. "Cedric!" she whispered, her voice slightly strained and urgent. "I sense Neva energy from a Deviant! It's very strong and... strange!"
Cedric turned, his eyes instantly alert. His own senses weren't as keen as Ivy's yet, but he felt a subtle tremor in the air. "A Deviant? Where?"
"I don't know exactly where," Ivy replied, her voice trembling slightly, "but it seems very close. And their Neva... it's very dense and unstable, I feel danger."
Hearing that, Cedric quickened his pace, then ran through the fog, following his instinct, which was now connected to Ivy. He didn't know what awaited him, but he knew he had to face it. Suddenly, the corridor ended. He stepped into a vast open room, no longer a corridor. In the center of the room, there was a simple, ancient-looking altar, made of uncarved black stone, and in the middle of the altar, a cloaked figure stood, their back to them. The figure seemed to be chanting something, uttering strange names that sounded like powerful ancient incantations, their voice trembling in the darkness.
"It seems he's a Deviant praying to a god," Ivy whispered beside Cedric, "though I'm not entirely sure. His Neva feels very ancient, unlike other Deviants." Ivy then continued, her voice lowering, "It seems he wants to ascend levels through forbidden means, perhaps with a ritual involving gods who shouldn't be summoned."
Cedric frowned. "Outer gods? What do you mean? Are there other gods besides the seven orthodox gods from the seven nations of the world?" he asked in a whisper, trying not to make a sound, his eyes fixed on the cloaked figure.
"It seems so," Ivy replied, her voice full of mystery. "This universe is far vaster than we know, Cedric. There are many entities that transcend human understanding, entities that even high-level Deviants rarely know about. Those called outer gods... their power is boundless." They both continued to analyze and whisper, trying to understand the situation before them, formulating hypotheses about the ongoing ritual.
But suddenly, the cloaked figure stopped chanting. The dark energy that had been swirling around him suddenly vanished. With a slow movement, he turned his head, and looked directly towards the pillar where Cedric and Ivy were hiding. Fiery red eyes seemed to pierce through the darkness of his robe, full of power and a terrifying aura.
"It seems there's an intruder," the figure's deep, cold voice echoed through the room, filling every corner. "Come out now, before I drag you out by force."
Without warning or preamble, the figure shot forward like lightning, moving beyond the speed a normal human eye could catch. Cedric didn't even have time to react, no time to think or dodge. The figure landed in front of the pillar where Cedric was hiding and punched the pillar with immense force that made the entire monument shake. Cedric was thrown far back, hitting the opposite wall hard, pain piercing through his entire body.
The figure looked down at Cedric, who was sprawled on the ground, with a disdainful gaze. "A Viriant? You have a Key, it seems," he said, his gaze sharp on Ivy who appeared beside Cedric, now trembling.
Ivy was startled, hiding behind Cedric. "He can see me! He's not an ordinary Deviant, Cedric!" she exclaimed, shocked that this Deviant was the first who could see her directly.
Cedric immediately reached a conclusion, his brain quickly analyzing the data. This meant he was not an ordinary Deviant, and the Deviant in front of him was at a level far beyond his own. "A high-level Deviant!" Cedric shouted, trying to get up, every movement feeling heavy.
Instantly, a number of large dark tentacles that seemed to be made of pure shadow energy, emerged from behind the black-robed figure, writhing like giant snakes. Attacks of dark, shadow-like energy shot repeatedly towards Cedric, like arrows of darkness, followed by the coils of those tentacles trying to catch and crush him. Cedric, still unrecovered from the first blow and not yet mastering his Neva, could not dodge or defend himself. He could only surrender.
All the attacks hit Cedric. He was thrown back again, hitting the corner of the room with a loud thud, his body feeling crushed. Many open wounds appeared on his body, and fresh blood poured from his mouth, ears, and nose. His vision began to blur, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Cedric was on the verge of death, his consciousness fading. In his mind, he wondered, is this the end? Is this where it all ends, in this eerie old monument?
Suddenly, a strange warmth enveloped the air, amidst the thickening fog. A blurry, mysterious figure emerged from behind the thick fog, stepping silently, as if its feet didn't touch the ground. The aura emanating from the figure was so strong, yet calming. The figure stood between Cedric and the cloaked Deviant. It turned towards Cedric, its face indistinct, but its voice sounded calm and full of power, as if from a distant place. "Rest for a moment, you have fought well."
The mysterious figure then shot forward, moving like a flash of light in the fog, beginning a fight with the cloaked Deviant. A fierce battle ensued, beyond Cedric's understanding of physics. The entire room trembled incessantly, as if the earth was quaking. Rumbles and explosions of Neva clashed, producing deafening sounds. Dust and chaotic energy filled the air, making visibility even more difficult. However, this battle seemed one-sided. The mysterious figure that emerged from the fog dominated completely. It easily dodged all of its opponent's attacks, moving like an untouchable shadow, even the large tentacles could not harm it. Meanwhile, it continuously launched powerful counterattacks invisible to the naked eye, each attack causing immense impact.
The battle, so quick and intense, suddenly ended. The dark-robed Deviant lay helpless on the ground, his robe torn and his Neva extinguished. The mysterious figure did not fatally wound him, only rendered him unconscious. The figure then approached Cedric, who was still lying weakly, barely breathing. It touched Cedric's body with its hand, a touch that felt warm and full of energy. In an instant, all of Cedric's wounds completely disappeared, his body felt perfectly restored, even the exhaustion he had felt earlier vanished, as if he had never been injured at all.
Without saying another word, the mysterious figure vanished, retreating back into the fog, speeding into the unseen void, leaving Cedric alone in the place that had returned to normal as the quiet Aurevian Astravale monument. There were no longer any signs of a battle, no cloaked Deviant, as if it had all been an illusion. Only Ivy floated nearby, appearing equally shocked.
Cedric, now fully recovered but with a troubled mind, stood up. He looked around, trying to comprehend what had just happened. The mysterious figure had saved him, but who was he? And what was his connection to all this? With his head full of questions and the terrifying experience he had just endured, Cedric decided to go home. It was almost late evening, the sky beginning to darken.
Count Zacries' ResidenceTuesday Night, July 24th, 2028
At Count Zacries' residence, he arrived at the main door. Chloe opened the door. Her face looked anxious, her eyes showing deep concern. "Cedric! Where have you been? It's so late, I was so worried! What happened?"
"Sorry, Chloe. I got too engrossed looking at the monument," Cedric replied, his voice slightly hoarse from the experience he had just had, and he deliberately didn't mention what had just happened. "I'm very tired. I'm going straight to bed after cleaning myself up," he said, implying how exhausted he was and how much he needed rest.
Chloe sighed in relief, but a trace of worry still lingered in her eyes. "All right. Make sure you get enough rest."
Cedric then went to sleep, but this time his sleep was not as deep as usual. The blurry figure who saved him remained in his mind, a new mystery etched into his memory, adding to the long list of questions about the world he had just come to know.