Riven Veylor sat alone in his camp room, a deep frown etched into his forehead.
A flashback...
Rain poured down like the sky itself was grieving. Car horns blared in the distance. A bridge loomed ahead, shrouded in mist.
And a man—walked forward, wearing the same expression Alex had worn just moments ago.
Defeat. Lifeless eyes. A soul abandoned by hope, expecting nothing from the world.**
Riven gritted his teeth, his hands trembling slightly. He had buried that memory long ago… until now.
"That look…" he whispered to the stillness. "I'd forgotten it."
Silence fell, heavy and suffocating like the storm raging inside his mind.
"I did the exact same thing… to someone like him."
His gaze dropped, voice cracking under the weight of truth long denied.
"Did I… become the very person I once hated?"
A cold blue screen flickered into view before him:
---
Task Complete.
Objective:Earn gratitude from Alex Veylor, true heir to the Veylor Clan—by sending him to his death.
Reward:+1 Point | Affinity Increased: Space Element
---
Riven's eyes widened.
"True heir…?" he muttered.
---
Meanwhile, Alex had wandered through the forest the entire day, only stopping when darkness enveloped the trees like a living shadow. He climbed up a large tree, settling on a thick branch. His back rested against the rough trunk, his body aching.
He could still see a little in the dark, but not enough to grasp the world clearly.
"Did my dreams grow bigger… after living with humans?" Alex wondered, gazing into the starless, black canopy above him.
"Did I start trusting people?"
He shook his head slowly.
No. I never trusted them to begin with.
I did feel something… something different for someone. But now, I can't even name that feeling.
It's already buried under everything I'm feeling now.
His fingers curled tightly around the bark beside him, knuckles pale.
"Did I expect something different from Selene than I did from others?"
I shouldn't have… right?
But it doesn't matter anymore.
She's like all the others.
Let's stop thinking. Just rest. I haven't had that for a long time.
Alex closed his eyes, and sleep embraced him.
---
When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing before an endless sea, stretching far beyond the horizon. The water was crystalline—so clear it reflected the sky like polished glass.
His wisp floated beside him, now grown into the size of his head, pulsing faintly.
"I'm here again… after so long," he murmured. "But how did this barren land become a sea?"
He stepped forward and entered the water.
The sea embraced him.Its cool essence flowed over his skin and into his soul. His body relaxed, his spirit uncoiling. All the weariness—physical and emotional—melted away.
Alex lay on the surface of the sea, floating like a leaf, eyes closed, breathing calm.
It felt like peace.
Something he hadn't known in years.
---
He opened his eyes again as sunlight struck his face, piercing through a canopy of leaves. It was midday—the sun rested directly above, its rays dancing on his skin.
Alex yawned and stretched, smiling faintly.
"I haven't slept this well in so long... The last time must've been at home... more than eight years ago."
He sat up, blinking in the light, feeling lighter, freer, as if the mountain of burdens on his shoulders had been lifted.
---
Unbeknownst to Alex, he had broken through to the second stage of Mind Space From Awakening to Mind Condensation.
The sea he saw wasn't just an illusion—it was pure elemental essence, now nourishing the very fabric of his soul.
That single drop of essence in the vast sea was enough to transform him, cleanse him.
It was why he felt so light. So alive.
Alex rose to his feet, renewed.
"Let's move north," he said to himself, his voice steady.
"Toward that big tree."