The scene of the memory slowly shifted from the battle. It showed slides of the butler serving Elton. Years slowly trickled by, and before long, he was no longer the warrior that had defied her.

Even his style of movement had shifted, from a resolute warrior to a domineering workmaster of the castle. He left behind the sword and armor, taking on a different path. The past him was slowly left behind, looking from the darkness as the butler walked away, every step stabbing his heart and every step reforming it into a new one.

The scene finally came to a stop when the butler stood before Elton, before Aren's trial, the moment where Elton had ordered him to kill Aren. The scene shocked Aren, seeing the direct order from Elton to the butler.

After that, the memories stopped, and Aren was pushed out of the mind by force. His body jerked back to reality, covered in sweat, his breath slightly shaky. He took a deep one to calm himself, his eyes heavy yet focused and resolute.

"You were just a man that wanted to save your own daughter… a warrior," Aren muttered under his breath. He clenched his fists tight, staring at the floorboards.

These memories had shown him that the trials were beyond what was shown. He did not know what exactly had happened to the butler's world, but it had something to do with the trials, and it had led to the destruction of their entire world.

"Could it be they failed the trials? Is that what happens when a world fails a trial?" Aren muttered. He took a deep breath, pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind for now. There was not much he could do with the information, beyond the fact that he now knew the trials were far more deadly than first perceived.

The immediate issue he had to deal with was the fact that Elton seriously wanted to kill him, and there was a reason beyond what he knew. He wished he could find out why, but there was no way for him to know.

"Tsk. I'll have to grow stronger even faster. If they are coming for me, I'll keep getting stronger until they can't," he said with a resolute look in his eyes.

No one was going to save him from the hands of an angel. She had the resources to attack him constantly, and the only one who could save him from it was himself, his own strength.

Since he was done with all the important stuff, he finally checked what was left, the new skills that he had gained.

[Shadow Bind.]

[Shadow Armor]

[Shadow Bind: Create tendrils from shadows within a hundred-meter radius]

[Shadow Armor: Creates an armor of shadow, doubling all-around defense. Cooldown: one hour]

"These are great," he said, smiling as he looked at the new skills he had gotten. His arsenal was getting larger.

"Alright, what's left is evolution, but I think I'll hold on that till I'm back. I don't know how long it will take."

Rather than carry out his evolution, he spent the night reading the martial arts scroll, learning the movements as best as he could. When he had the chance, he would put it into practice.

Slowly, the night trickled by as he read, and not long after, the sun rose. The day he was meant to head out of the domain had finally come.

Aren left the inn and headed for the center of the town, where there was a gate people used to leave through.

He arrived there, and there was a bit of a line, mostly made up of new awakened who wanted to head back as well. Most of them had finished the trials yesterday and were eager to see their families again.

When it got to his turn, there was a man in full black armor from the Black Knights. He stretched out his hand, and Aren dropped his guild card into it. The knight scanned it for a few seconds and then handed it back to Aren with a nod, allowing him through.

Aren walked to the gate and stepped through, leaving the God's Domain for now.

[...…]

The voice inside the darkness had been constant in Leon's ears. He had listened to it speak so much that it had planted seeds within his mind. It increased the hatred he had toward Aren and his desire for vengeance.

Finally, after a day of hearing the smooth, persuasive voice, his soul gave in.

"What do I need to do?" he asked.

That question was all it took. Suddenly, glowing dark purple hands shot out of the ground around him and wrapped around his body. Some of the hands grabbed the chains that kept him bound, and immediately, the chains shattered, freeing him from their binds.

"Come with me," the voice said.

All the hands pulled the confused Leon into the ground, and he vanished from the dungeon cell.

The hands dragged him through the earth at extreme speed, but he was too weak to react or fight back. He felt the air grow hotter as he was pulled downward. His eyes looked ahead, and he could see the glow of flames passing through the rocks.

Finally, he was pulled through the stone and thrown to the ground. The moment his body hit it, his skin was instantly charred.

"Arghhhh!" he groaned in pain, using what little strength he had to push himself up, but whichever part of his body touched the ground burned instantly.

Leon stood in a place that looked like hell. He was on a stone bridge that twisted through a massive lava lake, the lava so hot it filled the entire place with extreme heat.

The walls were made of rock, as if this place lay far underground. The space itself was massive, endless, with no visible end, just towering rock formations stretching into the distance.

Screeches echoed as black humanoid creatures with bat wings and glowing red eyes flew around the area.

"Welcome to the Abyss, Leon. Get on your feet," the voice said as Leon groaned in constant, burning pain.

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