Steven moved slowly through the empty room, making sure he walked closely along the four edges of the space. His eyes carefully studied the texture of the walls, but even so, he could not ignore the sheer grandeur of it all.
The beauty of this place was something that could easily be compared to that of the Sanctuary itself.
'It's almost as if the gods themselves live in this place,' Steven thought to himself, momentarily forgetting that this was still a part of the accursed realm. The realization returned quickly, souring the awe in his chest. It was sickening how the Realm hid its vicious intent behind a well-crafted façade every now and then.
Shawn did the same, though he paid the room little attention or validation. His focus remained solely on the inscriptions carved around the chamber—an old runic language, weathered and scarred by time.
Meanwhile, Nott simply tracked behind Steven, forever loyal as he stayed close to his Master, his presence silent yet ever-watchful.
Steven had noticed the runic carvings as well, but he paid them little thought, as he had no idea what they meant. Sure, he had gathered more information about the realm than most, but it was still far from enough to decode some strange language long lost to the delicate hands of time.
As he continued to trail around the room, a notification finally popped up before his eyes.
{You have successfully entered a Forgotten Kingdom}
{Welcome, Steven… Null of Salvat}
Steven froze mid-step, his breath hitching slightly as he reread the message.
"Forgotten Kingdom?" he repeated aloud, his tone a little unsure.
Then, more notifications appeared, displaying additional information.
For a brief moment, he turned toward Shawn out of curiosity, wondering if the other awakened had received the same message. Apparently, he had. The robust man stood frozen in place as well, seemingly processing whatever information had been delivered to him.
Steven let the moment linger, his mind briefly considering whether he should trust this man or not.
'After the honourable fatso, I'll trust him… probably in the next life,' he muttered inwardly.
Finally, he turned his attention back to the system and scanned through the information presented before him.
{Location: KILOGUARD}
{Status: Find Information Bearer}
Steven arched a brow at this, placing a hand beneath his chin as unease crept into his thoughts.
'So this place is KILOGUARD… or at least it was,' he thought, swiping the notification aside and revealing the next set of data.
Three maps appeared before him, each portraying a vast section—likely all of KILOGUARD. On the massive layout were several dots: one red, and three grey, positioned at fixed locations across the map.
"How do I know—" Steven began, only to halt mid-sentence as the system answered before he could finish the thought.
Additional information appeared, identifying the red dot as himself, while the three grey dots were labeled as potential exits from the horrid hellscape.
'Are these dots my way out of this place… or the entire realm?' Steven pondered. Doubt gnawed at him, something deep within urging him to believe that escaping wouldn't be so simple.
Still, even if it wasn't an outright escape, it could be one of the many conditions required to leave the realm.
"Seems like we have a long journey ahead of us, Nott," he whispered.
"This is insane."
Steven turned as the booming voice of the mighty awakened, Shawn, echoed through the chamber. The man craned his neck around in agitation, his demeanor visibly shaken.
Steven's gaze met Shawn's bulging eyes—eyes that held far more terror than his expression suggested. After only a second, Steven could no longer suppress his anxiety.
"Why the sore look?" he asked.
Shawn froze for a moment, then a grin slowly crept onto his face. "Sorry…"
Steven frowned. 'What is with this guy and apologies?'
"My system displayed a map," Shawn continued, "and the number of awakened currently in this place with us… We aren't the only ones that spawned here."
Steven saw no joy in that revelation.
Shawn, however, was clearly excited, and for good reason. He likely preferred relying on others. Knowing there were more awakened than just Steven brought him a sense of relief. There was strength in numbers, after all.
But for Steven… he hated groups.
In every large gathering, there were always leaders, those who believed themselves superior and beneath them, the expendable ones. The ones meant to obey, to sacrifice, to be used. That was modern society for you. Gather people together, convince them they share the same goal, inspire them with a few well-placed words, then use them to accomplish your own ambitions.
'How ideal. And heroic.'
Steven narrowed his eyes, staring at the edge of the holographic map where a number was displayed.
{Number of Awakened: 32/40}
Only eight had died.
More than a handful were still alive in this cruel, unforgiving place.
Steven exhaled slowly. "How convenient."
---
Meanwhile, within the dislocated halls of the ruined kingdom of KILOGUARD…
The walls lay caved in, the roofing broken and dilapidated at several points. The marbled floors were gone, replaced by deep craters filled with charred stone pavement, blood, and scattered human remains.
From this hellish scene emerged a single woman.
She limped forward, one leg dragging uselessly behind her while the other bore the burden of her weight. One hand clutched a burst-open gut, her intestines visibly spilling from the wound. Her face was drenched in blood, her entire body trembling from pain—countless broken bones, torn flesh, and bleeding wounds screaming for rest that would never come.
That she was still alive was nothing short of a miracle.
At the center of a massive crater behind her lay a lucid being—a monster so horribly mutilated that its features could scarcely be discerned.
Or perhaps this was simply how it looked.
Grotesque. Foul. Rotten. Nauseating.
Whichever the truth was, the sight alone was enough to turn the stomach.
Buried within the crater alongside the Shadow Eater were the torn remains of five awakened—those who had fought beside her, and fallen to the beast's merciless hands.
She groaned as the memories replayed themselves again and again in her mind. Her body shivered violently as terror resurfaced. This… this was the end result of a battle between her party and a Heinous Disaster.
Her lips trembled as she frowned.
"That should be the third Disaster now…" she muttered weakly.
Her gaze lifted slowly, eyes hollow yet burning with something dangerous.
"What's fucking next."
The ruined halls answered her with silence—thick, suffocating, and waiting.