THE TEMPLE OF BEGINNING
After crossing the portal, Danilo found himself in a zone identical to Zone 1 of the Divine Domain. A vast jungle. The only difference was the diversity of the trees, which looked far more peculiar, much more majestic.
— Welcome to the twelfth floor.
The voice, the notification, arrived.
The golden thread, still connected to the torn paper, suddenly wrapped itself around the arm holding it, and then a golden light spread across Danilo's body and teleported him away.
A minute after Danilo had disappeared, a figure appeared — a black woman, extremely beautiful, dressed in battle armor, her expression filled with fury. This person was Nzinga Otchali.
Danilo appeared inside a massive hall. The hall was white, but it was an ancient white, worn by time.
WELCOME TO THE TEMPLE OF BEGINNING
The peculiar thing about this place was that instead of scattered treasures, which should have been there, what stood were dozens of colossal pillars supporting the ceiling. But the ceiling didn't exist — above his head was a clear, serene blue sky.
The most disturbing part was that when he looked at this sky, he felt no wonder at all. Instead, a strange conviction whispered inside him that this was normal… that it had always been this way.
Each pillar had a carved frame.
When he fixed his eyes on the first frame, an overwhelming drowsiness washed over him. Alarmed, he averted his gaze — and instantly, he was awake again.
Shocked, he looked back at the same frame. The drowsiness returned, heavy, as though trying to drag him into an eternal slumber. The moment he turned his eyes away, it vanished.
He tried repeating the experiment on other pillars, one frame after another. The phenomenon was always the same.
And the strangest thing of all was that, once he looked away, he would completely forget what he had just seen. No matter how hard he tried to recall the image, his mind was empty, as though nothing had ever been observed.
— These frames must be treasures… — Danilo muttered to himself.
Then, like a lightbulb flicking on above his head, he had an idea:
— Why not take one?
He moved toward the nearest pillar, careful not to look directly at the frame, keeping his gaze lowered to the floor. The distance seemed short, no more than two meters. But no matter how much he walked, the pillar never came closer.
When he finally raised his eyes, he was shocked to find himself in the exact same spot. Not even a centimeter closer.
Stubborn, he tried again, this time staring directly at the frame. He managed to take a few steps forward, but the crushing drowsiness struck again, like invisible hands dragging him into a bottomless abyss of sleep. He had to look away quickly, or he would have collapsed on the spot.
After several attempts, he finally understood the cruel logic of the hall:
the only way to reach a pillar was to look straight ahead and endure the overwhelming drowsiness. Any other method would trap him in place.
Frustrated and cautious, he decided to leave the frames for now. He turned toward the end of the hall.
There, upon a raised platform, stood a majestic altar, accessible by seven steps. At the top rested seven ancient boxes, each radiating an aura as though carrying the weight of ages.
Four of the seven boxes were already open.
Danilo walked toward the altar, but as soon as he stood before the steps, his heart began to race. He froze, staring at them apprehensively, afraid that each one might conceal some invisible trap.
In his mind, scenes from the novels he used to read flashed by: each step representing a challenge, each one doubling the gravity or testing the resolve of the challenger, until only those chosen by the heavens could reach the top.
He swallowed hard.
— If that's the case… I'm screwed. — he thought, refusing to lie to himself.
After all, he wasn't a protagonist. He was never the strongest, nor the smartest. If he could live his whole life without great difficulties, hiding away and living quietly, he'd be more than grateful.
The mere thought of facing a test — whether physical or psychological — already drove him into despair. He was absolutely certain that if this altar was truly a place for chosen heirs, his chances of success were zero.
He looked again at the distant frames, at the false sky above the hall, then at the sealed boxes on the altar and concluded that no matter how easy the test might be, he wasn't qualified. Because the being that could one day own this place — where even the mere image of a frame could neutralize him — would be so far beyond him that even the simplest trial would crush him. The weight of this place was heavier than any increased gravity could ever be.
And yet… the steps remained there, silent, waiting for him to take the first step.
When Danilo set his foot on the first step, he froze, waiting for something to happen — invisible pressure, lightning, an ancient roar. Nothing.
He climbed the second step, already bracing himself to faint from fright. Again, nothing.
Relief flooded his chest, and he let out a nervous chuckle.
— Whew… it was just paranoia.
Suddenly, confidence surged through him. He climbed the rest of the steps almost skipping, as though he had just defeated the greatest enemy of his life: his own imagination.
Before the altar, the seven boxes awaited, aligned from left to right. Danilo observed:
The first was open.
The third, the fourth, and the fifth as well.
That left only the second, the sixth, and the seventh unopened.
Expectation surged inside him. His heart raced faster with every step he took toward the last one.
— If the first and the fourth are already open, then the seventh must be reserved for me. — he thought, with almost childlike confidence.
He raised his wrist and glanced at the mission's timer: 11 minutes had already passed.
He sighed in relief.
— That imperial beauty would never let me escape alive. Even if I were ten times stronger, she was forty times stronger than me — forty damn times! I wouldn't survive out there. So… the objective is simple: hide here until the time runs out. Get the reward practically for free.
And a cheeky smile curved his lips.
— With luck like this… maybe I really am the protagonist?
Without hesitation, he moved to the seventh box and opened it.
A multicolored scroll emerged, glowing with living light, as though condensing thousands of colors around it. A notification resounded in his mind:
Congratulations on your reward!
You are one of the few beings chosen to receive it.
You will be teleported out of the TEMPLE OF BEGINNING.
He couldn't believe what he read. He would be teleported out of this safe place — forced to survive outside, with that crazy woman likely hunting him down. He just prayed she hadn't dared to follow him here.
A one-minute countdown began.