Clarke was stunned by the view surrounding him. He was now on a very comfortable bed, and in front of him stood a man dressed in elegant clothing.
The man broke the silence, saying, "I am the Minister, the one who sent the battalion to you."
Clarke replied, "Where am I, and what happened to me after I fell?"
The Minister laughed: "You are in the capital city of the City of Stars, in the royal palace."
Clarke asked, "What brought me here?"
The Minister answered, "I am the one who sent the battalion that fought alongside you and your friend. Trust me, your importance is beyond description. So I will tell you simply: you and the other one are the Men of Destiny."
Clarke looked at him, thinking to himself: What fool cares about all this? Should my life be sacrificed for others? I don't fight for anyone; I fight for myself. What does it matter to me? I'm not one of them, and even if I were, I wouldn't care. But he came at a very bad time. I want to know about the world I'm in and learn about myself too. I'll play along.
· "Alright, but don't leave out a single piece of information."
The Minister spoke cheerfully: "Well then, what do you say, Mr. Clarke, that we go out together, you and I?"
Clarke replied, "Actually, I wanted to take a tour. Without you telling me how magnificent the place is."
Clarke was amazed by the splendor of the corridors. The crimson carpet, oh its luxury! The artifacts, the artistic paintings, the doors, the imperial columns. Clarke thought: This is truly a masterpiece!
Then they reached a room. Clarke was astonished: two majestic statues of men, their features terrifying. One was made of a strange black metal, overflowing with a sinister aura, while the other had a pure aura that brought comfort, and its material was white diamond-like. Both statues gave off that feeling, but the room itself felt devoid of presence, inspiring awe and terror inside it. How could an inanimate, non-living thing emit an aura that made his heart race so fast?
The Minister broke the silence, saying, "It seems you have sensed Lucifer's energy. He is your ancestor. Forgive me, I didn't ask for your name."
Clarke said, "My name is Clarke. How can he be my ancestor? I don't know if I have a grandfather or any relative."
The Minister replied, "A pleasure, Clarke. Please call me by my name, Francis. To answer your question: before your appearance, a prophecy emerged that in a time unknown to us (due to our lack of information), an heir would appear, and this heir would deliver us from the curse. A curse that befell our people, and no citizen has been able to bear sorcerers or aura users since."
Clarke asked, "How is that? Is there someone capable of doing that?"
Francis answered, "Naturally, the abilities of Lucifer and Ornstein surpassed imagination."
Clarke said, "Perhaps one of them sought revenge or something like that, and inflicted this curse upon you."
Francis said, "Perhaps you are right. Rumors abound; sometimes they say Lucifer did it, sometimes Ornstein. But now, why blame the dead? First, we must get out of our predicament."
Clarke replied, "True."
Suddenly, Clarke felt a strange sensation. He wanted to touch the statue of Lucifer. He felt a strange energy pulling him toward it, glowing with a radiance that only he could see.
Clarke approached and felt a strange repulsion. The statue's own aura reacted more and more intensely the closer he got. Despite this, he resisted and moved closer. And when he placed his hand on the statue, a flood of information rushed into his mind. So intense was it that he was thrown backward.
He felt a tremendous change within himself, not in his strength, but in his mind. As if he understood himself, or something of that sort. Something that had been shackled in his heart—the will that had been imprisoned.
The Minister helped Clarke to his feet, saying, "Will is inherited. Many have long tried to do the same thing, yet the statue never reacted to them. It chose to react to you."
Clarke was stunned. Now he understood himself and knew what he wanted. And the first thing that crossed his mind was immortality. He felt a strange exhaustion, as if his soul had risen to the sky and then forcefully descended back to earth.
Clarke asked, "Where is Gene now?"
The Minister answered, "With Lady Alisa."
Clarke asked, "And who is this Alisa?"
The Minister answered, "She is one of the most mysterious beings. We do not know, but she possesses a strange entity within her. We all believe she is the hope."
Clarke said, "I want one thing: to get to the library, if possible."
The Minister replied, "Why?"
Clarke answered, "I don't know, but something is driving me. I want to read it, something there. I am certain I will find it if I go there."
The Minister said, "Very well, I won't ask too much."
He called his secretary and said to her, "Escort Mr. Clarke to the library."
As they headed to the library, Clarke was lost in his thoughts. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but something in his mind was screaming to be found.
They arrived. Clarke entered and asked the secretary to leave.
Clarke's mind was boiling; he felt extremely tired and weary. He sat on one of the chairs.
And suddenly, he fainted. He began to see a series of events like a fast dream.
It was a terrifying battle. Clarke couldn't see the faces clearly, but their clash was so horrifying that the fight he witnessed surpassed his understanding. The battle was extremely fierce, making his heart pound with excitement. But what was this power? Does something like this exist? Their collision alone created gaps in the sky, and the dust was thick due to the scattered debris. They destroyed the City of Stars, completely.
Then the person possessing the dark energy stood before Clarke's spiritual form. Clarke was terrified, thinking he wanted him, but soon that person turned and saw him, and knew what he wanted.
Clarke stepped past the person in front of him, as they were merely memories. Was that Lucifer? he asked himself.
Then Lucifer was struck by a lightning arrow. Thick smoke spread across the horizon.
They were speaking words that Clarke couldn't understand, as if something was preventing him from hearing.
Suddenly, Clarke felt he was about to exit the memories. "No, damn it! There's still a little left. I want knowledge. No!"
Clarke woke up terrified, shouting, "No!" His heart was racing. He felt as if he were on solid ground.
But his feeling grew stronger. He began to move, following this feeling in his soul, as if it were guiding him with directions. He found a bookshelf at the bottom. There, he found a strange book consisting of 300 pages, named "Secrets of Heaven and Earth." Clarke was astonished that he could read it. Was it because of the information that had flowed into his head? He didn't care; he thanked Lucifer for helping him.
And then he was amazed by the first page, which spoke of immortality.
He read the page aloud: "To the reader, this is a message for the aware. For the world is no longer fit for living. We are merely insects now. I have faced unknown enemies and suffered a tremendous number of injuries. They are trying to protect the passage to the immortal world. They do not want any human in that world."
"You who are reading, you are likely the heir to my teachings. Your journey begins now. Let me first tell you about your first destination: my inheritance in the forest of the City of Stars. It activates automatically with the will and the statues of the rulers, meaning every 500 years. There are no friends in this world. The inheritance is very difficult, divided into three levels. And you must know what is coming for you. Focus well!!!"
"The first thing you will face: an army of the dead, a lowly sorcerer. His soul was used to turn him into a slave. You must kill him before he allies with any of those who will confront you, and it is the beginning of everything. Not much time will pass until the second stage begins, likely two days."
"The second stage: an army of orcs and ghouls. Do not underestimate them."
"The third stage: The Mimic Horse, and this is very dangerous. It is not the type that attacks, but it deceives you with your memories. It uses the darkest memory in a person's heart and attacks the weakest mental state and the most tense among those present."
"After that comes the fourth stage, which is the attack of the giant sun, the will of the lord of the blaze of madness."
"A person I killed. I added his will is a great sun that controls the minds of humans and beasts with the effect of madness. Currently, I cannot tell you what to do, so discover it for yourself. It will not be difficult for you." But I have one last piece of information about this stage.
"The effect of madness will not activate; instead, it will eat your mind, and after that, you die. The will consumes everything to the point of satiety. Therefore, I gave it a special name instead of the Will of the Mad Sun, but the Will of Gluttony."
"After that, you will be able to reach the giant cave. At that point, you will begin three tests. I know you are smart and will solve them!!! For now, I will tell you many things that no one has told you about."
Clarke's heart raced from the amount of information. He had absorbed so much, and there was still more.
To be continued!!!!!!