Facing the azure storm, layers of aura continuously broke and were rebuilt by Damian. But the flames were too vicious and destructive. Each time the aura broke and was reshaped, the flames inched closer to his flesh than before. His aura mastery was not up to par yet for facing a legendary.

Yet, Damian exceeded the very limit of his aura mastery. He pushed more mana into the aura enhancement runic spell, but it was merely a spell; it had a limit, control of quality—a forceful pull. Damian still had to use his utmost focus in continuously guiding and shaping it.

There had to be more inside, somewhere. The mana in him was almost 3%. He could not afford to go any lower. Aura was all he had.

Damian's vision blurred, a numbness spreading in the body; the lack of mana was evident. It felt like he was in a dream; it wasn't his flesh that was fighting. As if he were an observer of his own self.

Still, Damian went deeper and further in his flesh and mind than he ever had in search of aura. Even a few bits here and there were pulled out desperately by him.

The flames were getting disastrously close. He could feel the intense heat and piercing mana it emitted. All around him was blinding azure. The curved shield of aura was all that stood between the two.

And then he sensed it, or the lack of it. All corners of his flesh empty. An end to the aura inside him. There was nothing to force out anymore. As if the insides of him were just abyssal darkness, stripped of even the smallest ember of light.

The curved shield of aura broke. Blinding radiance of azure enveloped him in its whole. The burning of flesh forced his senses to open wide despite the lack of mana. And the drowsiness that came with it.

But it was just for a moment. In the next second, Damian felt a powerful, rude tug on his mind. And his mind was gone from the azure to complete darkness.

'So.. this is it? Death?'

Damian peered through the darkness and found it hollow and cold. He could still feel.. that was odd. Yet when he looked down where his flesh should be, only darkness was present.

"No, you are not dead yet." A heavy, primal voice echoed from the darkness.

Damian turned towards the source of the voice. There was a creature. A humanoid one, draped in a grey, tattered robe.

His head was that of a giant hunting dog—long muzzle, heavy fangs, eyes burning with sharp, predatory intelligence. Smoke drifted from his breath, and his muscles moved like living forged iron. Every step carried the authority of a creature born to command the fire-lit darkness.

'The Lord of Hell-hounds.'

"No, not him. I am called Syama." The dog-faced creature said, slowly walking towards him.

The skin was a much darker shade of red than the Lord of Hellhound, Damian noticed. But the creature knew him, knew his trial, knew even his thoughts. How could it exist outside of trial? What place was this? What was happening?

The robed creature gestured with his one hand, and the darkness dissolved.

The sudden light after the darkness made him blink. They were on a green ground. Above them was a dark sky filled with an infinite number of stars. The grassfield was surrounded by a forest on one end, and the other end.. was a city.

A modern city with concrete high-rise buildings, roads, and glass-windowed shops, etc.

'Back on earth? No, it looks like my astral plane.'

It grew after he had become a transcendent. Though he had seen it right after coming out of a trial for the third rank. It had grown even further since then. Must be because of the levels he gained after destroying Pigmen Planet.

Damian turned towards Syama. Both were facing the city in the distance.

"Who are you?" He asked.

Syama's eyes remained on the city with no walls or gates.

"We are hunger incarnate," the reply came.

Damian narrowed his eyes at We but said nothing. The creature continued,

"All of us were created at the beginning. Then we were set free in the mortal world. Though created together, not everyone was the same." Syama paused.

"Some of us could tame their hunger because theirs was not as intense. But not all. Hunger... Overwhelming hunger.. It crawls under your ribs and scrapes at you from the inside. It turns your limbs to wood, your thoughts to smoke. It makes every smell an insult and every minute a punishment. Hunger isn't just emptiness. It's a slow-burning fire that eats whatever parts of you it can reach, starting with your strength and ending with your pride."

Syama continued walking. Damian followed beside him.

"After desperate years, we finally found a lake of water that could sate that hunger. Only for a while, but the peace it gave was addictive for our restless souls."

"Some of us said we should share the water with all beings in the world. The lake was small. Just a few years for us to survive with it. With more beings, it wouldn't last a week. The ones with less hunger preferred the adoration and popularity that would come when they would be branded as saviours. For the rest, only sating the overwhelming hunger mattered."

"Those among us who attempted to seize the waters and said, 'We shall protect these waters' were branded as evil. You are born of foulness, greed, anger, and darkness, they said. You know nothing of kindness or love."

"Kindness and love? Hmph.. When your every waking hour is worse than death, kindness becomes just another noise in the distance. If the creator did not show us any kindness while giving us this insatiable hunger, why should we, who are mere animals without this peace of mind?"

"They could afford to be more because they were the creator's favorites. Who gave them the right to decide for all of us? Arguments happened, but they were blind to our needs. Addicted to worthless fame, needless sacrifice, slaves of virtue all of them—they could not see where the boundaries lay."

"We fought as one does when left with no choices, and lost. Hunger made us weak and simple-minded. We could not match their cunning or numbers. To shame us further, the creator rewarded them for this act of.. kindness."

"The water of the lake became ingrained with their blood veins and provided unimaginable powers, providing eternal relief. The darkness that was released from their bodies with this Purification was forced into us. We were banished. A different prison for every single one of us."

"We were weak before our own, but for the rest of the universe, we were the strongest and most ancient beings. Most of us sent to a different world influenced the creatures of that world, consuming all, gaining strength, learning to live with our hunger as time passed."

"But each time we were hunted like animals by those blessed by the so-called pure ones. After thousands of years spent fighting and running, destroying great numbers from either side. The creators finally mediated between us, and we struck a bargain."

"Worlds were divided. They will stay blessed but confined to their world. We will harness the darkness, but can travel to other worlds. They can choose how we travel, and we shall judge if they are worthy of the power they seek."

Damian and Syama had reached the city by the end. Roaming the empty, lifeless roads of the city. Damian was both intrigued and confused by the weird storytime. Was this happening because he broke his soulbound weapon, or was he truly dead and his eternal hell was listening to tales of old geezers?

There were some familiar concepts in the story, though. Magical water in veins could be referring to mana. Creatures of darkness, hungry and simple-minded. That sounds a lot like monsters from the dungeons. One side chooses the travel path, and the other judges. The choice of dungeons offered to fifth rankers and the monsters present in trials.

"Who was the one inside my first trial?" Damian asked, facing the red-skinned creature.

"He is called Sabala. My brother."

"Why are you here?" He asked.

"To help you see who you are."

"And who am I?"

"One of us."

"A monster?"

"A Demon."

Damian's eyes widened. This can't be true. The story he was fed was full of jealousy, and he could tell not everyone would see it as this guy did. If it was even true at all.

"Believe us or not, that is up to you. But you cannot deny your true nature."

Damian gritted his teeth. It did not make sense. If the difference between monsters and pathfinder was that one could choose to get mana veins and the other was simply born with it.. then he was human by all standards.

"But you were not born with it. You are Ben Carter of Earth. Are you so used to the lie that you believe it yourself now?" The Demon sneered.

"You!" Damian was about to curse, but then stopped himself. Begrudgingly, he whispered, "How do you know that?"

"You caught my sibling's eyes. Ever since, you have been of interest to us."

Damian stared into the eyes of the red-hound. "My spear.. I never earned that, did I?"

"Astras are not that easy to gain. Especially for us Rakshasa."

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