It was hard for others to understand how a world could be created, but Adrian could believe this after having experienced it himself."I'm sure you have your basis for thinking that, Adrian. I thought of that too but couldn't confirm it,” Rozi said.“This monument continuously provides energy to this world. If the monument disappears, this whole world will cease to exist. Thus, I believe there is an Apex Obelisk in our world too. If Wonder could create this world, then I'm sure ours was created by someone as well. Although Wonder’s world is very small, both worlds share similarities, which is the fact that they were created. That's how I arrived at the conclusion that there is something similar to this monument in our world as well," Adrian said. While the others were trying to digest everything he said, Rozi nodded and replied, "That's very possible. This world and our world are very similar, so we can be certain that the Creator is able to control our fates because he somehow gai
A person with a tainted soul would not survive the Celestial Lake. Rozi had managed to survive the lake in the past, which meant she had been accepted. However, Rozi was not a person of this era, but from over a thousand years ago. Adrian was of the opinion they needed to resolve this through the power of the modern generation. The lake's water was extremely clear, yet mysterious powers lay within. "I think my soul's pure enough. Wait here. Don't do anything after I've gone in." Adrian took a deep breath and prepared himself to enter the lake. Cian and the others watched anxiously, unsure of what would happen next. They knew based on what they heard from Rozi that the Celestial Lake could be fatal.Rozi said flatly, "Be careful. Don’t push yourself too hard."Adrian nodded and said, "Okay, I'm going in now." He jumped into the lake. Surprisingly, no ripples spread out when he jumped in. It was as if he had not jumped into a lake, but a mirror. Yet, it was not a mirror.Adr
They were doing their best to survive, just like the drawings on the palace walls. 'Is this the future?' Adrian was dazed by what he saw, but it was not over yet.The finale started to play…Adrian saw himself. Drenched in blood, he looked dead as he lay on the ground at the top of a mountain that reached the clouds. Jerome, Remy, Sage, Sylvia, and Strider were on the mountain too, taking a final stand despite their severe injuries. When Jerome slashed his sword across the sky, the dark clouds dispersed, and peace returned to the world.Everything that was reset had been restored.At that moment, Adrian felt a force pulling his body. Slowly, he was pulled out of the lake."He's up!" Cian yelled in excitement. Adrian gasped for air the moment he got back to the surface. They ran over to help him up. "Are you all right, sir?"Adrian panted for a while before saying, "I'm okay."After a while, his breathing returned to normal and he got to his feet. Everyone gathered around h
The Apex Obelisk was more than thirty meters tall and the endless power contained within it was palpable.Adrian gazed at it and saw a glimmer of hope. He asked, "Have you been to the top of the monument, Rozi? Do you know what's up there?"The top of the Apex Obelisk was broad enough to house a few people. Wonder had surely left a way for others to retain their memories if he knew how everything would play out, so maybe there was something at the top of the monument. Meanwhile, Rozi was stunned. She had not thought of that before. She realized she had neglected a very important point."No, I’ve not been up there. I don't know what to expect at the top.""Excellent. The secret to everything might be up there. I'm going to go and take a look," Adrian said."Be careful, sir. We don't know what sort of dangers are up there. Don’t let your guard down," Oliver warned. “I won’t,” Adrian said, then asked Cian, "Do you have a rope?"Cian nodded and took out a rope and hook from his b
There were more than five hundred corpses lying about!"What's the matter?" Rozi asked. "I was mistaken. It's not just twenty corpses, but more than five hundred. They all died a long time ago too."Adrian's reply shocked everyone once more.Rozi asked, "How did they die?""I'm trying to find out right now.” Adrian carefully examined the corpses and found they all had one thing in common. Though the degree of their decomposition varied, it was clear all of them had one burnt arm. Their burned arms were charred black, and some of the newer corpses even had burn blisters on them. They had either been electrocuted or burned with something extremely hot. "All of them have one burnt arm.""A burnt arm? What happened to them?"Everyone started discussing, but nobody could figure out what could have caused the burns. Rozi then asked, "Are you sure about that?" Adrian nodded. "I'm sure. They all have the same injuries. They must’ve grabbed something and then died. The rest of t
All of the pieces were coming together. Adrian finally made the connections after seeing the corpses and the stone with runes engraved onto it. "Rozi, you've recovered your memories, so were you the one who took the stone in the coffin?""Yes, I swapped the stone with a fake and took the real one. But my memory of what happened to it is blank. I can't remember where the real one is."Adrian smiled. The stone Rozi had switched out had ended up in his possession. This stone before him was similar to the one Mya found at St. Elmer's Church. At the time, he thought it was something his ancestors had forged, perhaps even containing extreme powers. The runes on the stone looked like human blood vessels. Although it was all only his assumption at the time, he could now prove both that and the stone before his eyes were similar. "I found that stone you lost, but it's not in my possession right now. It's in a locker back at Swallowston's Battle Warrior Department."Really? But I don't kn
Rozi said, "Why don't you let me do it instead, Adrian? You're the pillar of your country, someone who’s even more influential than me, and I've lived for more than a thousand years, so—""What?! Y-You're more than a thousand years old?! A-Are you kidding me?" Cian interrupted before Rozi could finish. Everyone’s eyes went wide with shock. After all, this was something impossible.Rozi shot Cian a glare after being interrupted and furiously said, "Keep your mouth shut."Cian quickly covered his mouth but continued to gaze at her in shock. Rozi continued, "Me dying now won't cause any impact, but you're different. You're still young. You should come back down here and let me do it instead."Adrian silently looked at the stone for a few seconds before carefully picking it up, completely ignoring what Rozi said. When he grabbed it, he silently waited to see if anything would happen. Yet after five minutes, nothing happened.The stone sat in Adrian’s palm like an ordinary stone.
Adrian nodded.Rozi then said, "It's getting late, and there's no need for us to stay here any longer. We should head back. We have to be extra careful. Those monsters at the palace will be waiting for us.” Everyone climbed down the Utopia Stairwell. Cian and the others were discussing what had happened throughout the journey, while Adrian and Rozi silently led the way. Rozi did not ask Adrian about what he had seen back at the lake, but his mind was filled with the image he had seen. The sky had been covered by a giant shadow, causing darkness to blanket the whole world. Moreover, the city had turned into a huge wasteland with monsters lurking about every corner. The surviving humans teamed up to try and find a way to retaliate as more of their kind died with each passing second.Most importantly, Adrian felt that the future he saw was not far from the present. "Is something on your mind?" Rozi asked when she noticed Adrian's expression. Adrian glanced at her and did not ans