His eyes opened wide, a strange ghastly glow illuminating within. With each second, the glow intensified, letting a bright, visible ray of light stretch in the air.

Mira let out a sharp gasp as she lunged towards Lucian. Ignoring her previous worries, she quickly picked his head off the ground and tried to wake him up.

"Tian! Wake up! TIAN!!" Her voice wavered as tears trickled down her face.

***

*Swoosh!*

Suddenly, Lucian felt as though his pain had receded. No, as if it never really existed.

His hands, his body—everything seemed light as a feather, as if they had become free.

Lucian somewhat recalled this feeling; it was similar to what he had experienced five years ago.

He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the blank space ahead. Just like he had expected, he was in the same white realm from before.

"But why now?" He asked himself, thinking about reasons that could've pulled him here.

Just a moment ago, he was at a crucial point for his breakthrough. Now, he was sucked back into this realm.

"While there is a small possibility that this is nothing more than a dream, if it truly was, then there should've been at least a slight tension. This isn't like it." He pondered, looking around as though trying to find someone.

5 years ago, when Lucian came here, he unexpectedly found someone. A grim laughing silhouette, chained as if sealed from the world.

"If only I could find him, maybe I'd know?"

With that said, he quickly got up and looked at his hands. As expected, his body shimmered in the same white glow.

He shook his head and began walking forward.

15 minutes later, as he continued to march forward, a strange sound caught him off guard.

"You..." A strange, strangled voice reverberated in his mind. It was the same voice from before. Suppressed yet primal.

Lucian froze. Then, he hesitantly turned his neck around. Right behind him, a small hole had appeared in the air.

'Didn't I just walk from there?' Lucian asked himself silently and sharpened his gaze.

"You..." The same voice echoed.

As Lucian scanned through the area, he noticed that the hole seemed much like a tear. A tear in the fabric of space that separated two dimensions.

Though the other seemed much more hostile. He saw a few cracks stretching from the initial hole. As the cracks spiderwebbed, the tear eventually grew bigger.

It was now the size of a thumb. The air around Lucian had already begun to ripple. It was being affected by the corruption that poured from the other side.

But it didn't affect Lucian in the slightest. For some reason, breathing the same air brought him comfort. The one you'd get after lying in your bed after a month-long trip.

"Go..." The voice echoed once again, but this time, it was inaudible.

It startled Lucian awake, but he couldn't understand what it actually said.

Then suddenly, a sharp pain surged through his spine, similar to the one he was facing during his breakthrough.

"Am I... going back?" Lucian muttered out loud as his vision began to grow blurry. But he wasn't done yet.

He was curious about the identity of this voice. The chained man. The cracks in the air. And this strange white dimension.

"Who... are you?!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, expecting to hear a response that could satisfy his curiosity.

"GO AWAY!" The voice thundered.

*Swoosh!*

Almost instantly, Lucian faded away from the realm. The cracks that had appeared in the realm automatically began to heal themselves.

"Never... Come... Back..." The voice sounded faintly for the last time before fading away along with the crack.

***

"Mmm..." As the pain seethed deep in his bones, Lucian slowly opened his eyes.

His vision was blurry, but he could see the faint silhouette looming above him. Mira held onto his face affectionately.

Thinking he failed, she couldn't help but shed tears, unaware that he was already awake.

"It's all my fault, Tian. Please don't hate Mira for disturbing you." She cried out loud.

Lucian's senses were still not clear, as he couldn't properly hear her voice. But he could recognize her voice.

He slowly raised his hand and touched her cheek. Mira widened her eyes. She looked below and found Lucian awake.

As if a sense of relief washed over her, she smiled brightly as tears continued to flow down her face—just with a different purpose this time.

Feeling her warm tears fall on his face, Lucian couldn't help but smile. He had survived. He was still alive.

But his body was far from alright. He couldn't truly feel anything.

*Ding!*

---

———————————————————

[#~System Notification~#]

———————————————————

[Congratulations! You have broken through the Qi Condensation Realm!]

[Congratulations! You've broken through the 4th stage of the Qi Condensation Realm!]

[You have failed at breaking through the Foundation Establishment Realm!]

[With combined will, Transcendence has made it possible for you to avoid any severe penalties.]

[In return, you will not be able to sense/channel/cultivate Qi for the next 7 days.]

[Congratulations! Both Infinity and Transcendence have been satisfied with your actions.]

[Sensing the faint vibrations in your seals, both Infinity and Transcendence have shaped a possibility where you return alive!]

[Congratulations! The aforesaid possibility has become the new reality!]

[Both Infinity and Transcendence have witnessed the true "you."]

[According to the will of Infinity and Transcendence, you are being presented with a choice.]

└ [You can gain all the powers/abilities/cheats of your true self. But in return, your current self would become the true self.]

└ [Or, you may gain a chance to visit the armillary of the gods and choose a weapon that suits your taste without any repercussions or price.]

---

'They have seen the true 'me'?' Lucian thought as he noticed a system window materialize before his eyes.

He began recalling his memories to know who or what the system was talking about. Then, he remembered it.

'Is it talking about that ghastly form I took in that white realm?' his brows slightly arched. 'Or is it the voice that I heard?'

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