"... *Gulp*... I suppose I need to get into this place." Arthur sighed, feeling extrely nervous. If there was a place on earth he never wanted to step into, it was certainly this one. Everything about it gave him a feeling of primal fear that nothing else had given him, except for that giant creature underwater.
A place that felt like it erged from the deepest parts of hell, welcoming Arthur into its darkness with a wicked grin. He felt like each step he took toward this structure was handing himself over to whatever demonic entity there was.
A bead of sweat trickled down Arthur's face as his sharp eyes inspected every single detail of this behemoth of a castle, and yet every single mont, he would get even more surprised by the details.
The black goo oozing out of the stones wasn't completely black, and instead had a very faint hint of red, which gave Arthur a stronger chill. The peaks of this castle also had what he could only describe as weird protrusions, sharp as needles from this distance, as if they were a crown that decorated these towers.
'I have never felt more disgusted by a place in my life. What an awful energy it gives off.' Biting his lower lip, Arthur took the last step off the chain and onto the floating island. His boot sank a little into the wet, black dirt, making a very uncomfortable noise.
Unlike the desert he was in before, this dirt wasn't just dark. It was also very humid for so reason, even though there was no rain in this world. Yet, it also looked very dead and deserted, lacking any form of life on its surface.
On this soil, a very old path was roughly traced from that point toward this giant castle. The path was several hundred feet long and had several branches that led sowhere around the castle.
Arthur looked left and right before he started walking, making sure not to make too much noise. The mont he walked on that island, a very disturbing feeling struck him out of nowhere. He tried to pretend like he didn't feel it, but it was clear as day for him.
'Soone or sothing is watching …' He mused. 'I can feel it. These eyes are seeing .'
Whether it was pure feeling or raw instincts, Arthur was very certain of it. Every fiber of his being scread at him, alerting him to these dangerous eyes. He wasn't able to know where it ca from, and it only made those monts harder to bear.
Yet, he continued walking, getting closer and closer to the large gates of the castle.
'I want to call for Germa and the others, but… I can't… That thing will definitely hear .' He clenched his teeth as he stopped in front of the massive gates. Staring up, he felt completely dwarfed under this cyclopian world. From afar, it didn't appear as massive as it was, and yet seeing it from so close, he realized that… This was a creation far from what humans could manage.
Nothing about it felt human; each brick of each wall looked so gigantic that it appeared like small hills stacked up on top of each other.
"... I'm supposed to knock or…" Arthur blinked. "Can my knocks even be heard with how massive these ga-"
*CLICK* *HNNNNG*
At that mont, as if the gates were responding to his confusion, he heard a loud click echoing in his ears before the large doors moved on their own, parting open slightly. The sound of the ancient gates dragging against the dirt with their old hinges made the boy squint visibly.
'It can hear too, Great.' He exhaled.
"Well… Thank you for your courtesy."
Then, the boy looked left and right before walking through the gap into the castle. Imdiately, he was t with blinding darkness. Not a single light source could be seen inside, and yet from the sound each step he took made and the large echoes it created… Arthur realized that he was inside a massive chamber… A hall, perhaps.
He stopped again, slling the rotten stench perate the entire place like a plague. It imdiately reminded him of that black goo that killed one of his n. Imdiately, the boy put his hand on his sword.
'Whatever that black substance was… It certainly ca from here. I can't let my guard down.'
"..." His eyes inspected his surroundings before he oddly released his grip from his sword and smiled faintly. "You can co out. I already felt your presence a while ago. Not that good at hiding, are we?"
He spoke, seemingly to no one. His voice spread everywhere, sounding way louder than it was supposed to be. However, the boy didn't care about that as the next second, he heard a very deep voice respond.
"Hiding is for those who're ashad of what they believe in. I'm but a true believer."
As those words reached him, flickers of flight started igniting to his left and to his right. Small candles hanging on the stone walls sohow ignited out of thin air, quickly illuminating a good chunk of the hall and revealing many details.
Yet, only one single detail shattered Arthur's brain completely. Sothing that even when he looked at with his own eyes, he simply couldn't comprehend.
"They say power is given to those who seek it. But, that's quite wrong, isn't it, boy?" The man spoke as he stepped forward. "Power isn't given to those who seek it… After all, how many died trying so hard to achieve that forbidden fruit… The fruit of absolute power. How many died fighting for a taste of absolute supremacy? Yet, we all still believe that with hard work, we will earn power. No, no, no…"
The boy couldn't hear any of what the man was saying. All his senses locked on the sight he witnessed beneath him, his heart started racing, and all his instincts scread at him to run, as far as possible, and never look back.
"Power is given to those who are destined for it. Destiny had already chosen its people, the ones blessed by the good and the bad of this world. Everyone else is but a pawn, sothing that could be thrown away and never rembered."
'What… What… is this?' Almost by pure instinct, Arthur took a step back. His finally shifted from the ground to the man who had closed the distance considerably during his perturbed state.
"Stay where you are." Putting his hand on his sword, Arthur threatened his target. The man shrouded in darkness didn't listen.
"Who the hell are you?!" The boy yelled again as he channeled his mana. 'This man is no joke… I need to run… Now!'
Yet, even when he wanted to do that, his body refused to move as he willed. Whether it was fear, hesitance, or just the lack of ideas as to where he was supposed to go. He just stood there.
"Who am I? Well, courtesy indicates that you should be introducing yourself first."
Finally, erging from his darkness, Arthur could fully see the man's appearance.
"Isn't that right, boy?"
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