Almond opened the door and saw an old woman with messy gray hair sitting on a cushion behind a small table, with candles illuminating the tiny room.
“Sit.”
Almond took a deep breath. ‘No point in wasting time feeling things I don’t need to feel.’
‘Nothing can scare me, nothing can make me give up.’
Almond sat down on the cushion and nodded at her. “So, where am I?”
“You are in the Paradise of Nightmares. A type of dimension where only souls can go in.”
“So my soul is here?” Almond frowned. “What if I die here?”
“You don’t know?” the old woman blinked and smiled. “Well, if you die here, you’re dead completely, into void, out of existence. Your soul becomes a negligible nourishment for the Grimworld.”
‘She sent my fucking soul here!?’ Almond felt anger as he clenched his fist, ignoring the increasing pain from his fingers as he did so.
“But you will not die if you die here. Whoever sent you set up an anchor point outside, so if you die here, your soul will return.”
“Oh…”
Almond sighed in relief. “Alright, that’s better.”
‘But why don’t you tell me everything at once?’ Almond internally rolled his eyes.
“But if you die here, you will still sustain damage to your soul.”
“…”
Almond blinked and smiled as he remained calm and asked the important question, “How do I leave here? Or rather, how do I leave here after awakening my soul?”
“So that’s what you are here for. A rather extreme measure to awaken your soul, I’d say, but this method is indeed fast and impactful.”
The old woman chuckled as she finished speaking and added, “As for how to awaken your soul, it’s simple. Just walk, encounter the nightmares, overcome them, and survive until you find yourself back home.”
“That’s it?” Almond frowned.
“Indeed. Each nightmare you overcome makes you stronger, and you must find and utilize the strength of your soul. Let me give you a tip,” the old woman grinned. “Truth. Seek the truth of your soul and ignite a desire to the extreme. Soul awakening in the Paradise of Nightmares will give you something more than just a soul awakening.”
“So, good luck, young man.”
“Thank you,” Almond nodded and stood up before bowing and turning around to leave.
However, when he opened the exit door, the scenery that lay in front of him was not of the town.
But of a red sea. An ocean of blood. Black stones floated like tiny islands, but he couldn’t see the end of the ocean.
Almond was taken aback, but he was ready for anything, and he meant anything.
Taking a step forward, he stood on the first stone platform, with the stick in his hand, but the pain was strangely gone.
He saw his fingers and everything was healed. His hunger was gone as well.
‘Thanks, granny. Now, I’ll go and severe this fucking nightmare into two to make a path for myself.’
At that, Almond jumped and arrived on the second stone platform.
*Splash…splash!*
Four bloody tentacles burst out of the crimson ocean blindingly fast before dragging him into the sea, turning his world red. His left hand grabbed the stone’s edge, but the rest of his body below was dragged by the tentacles.
But with a single swing and a primal roar, Almond severed all of them and climbed up.
His eyes fiery, his gaze unwavering, and his will unstoppable.
‘My blade is my desire. Nothing can stop it, for it can severe everything!’
Almond continued. His eyes birthed a spiritual glow, fearless and unfettered, as his will ignited the desire he ardently believed that nothing could stop him.
And so, he jumped again and moved.
He cut the throes and terror wide,
Upon the crimson sea of tide.
Where nightmares swirled in waters red,
And whispered doom with every tread.
Black stones drifted, frail and thin,
Each step swirls darkness to grin.
From depths unknown, the tendrils rose,
Their twisted dance of deadly throes.
They coiled and grasped to drag him deep,
But Almond’s blade would never sleep.
A single arc—the sea was torn,
The severed limbs lay limp, forlorn.
Yet silence hummed, the air grew tight,
The nightmare shifted in the night.
A city loomed in fractured light,
Its twisted spires a jagged blight.
Faceless figures, grim and pale,
Drifted forth with voiceless wails.
“Turn back,” they mouthed in warped dismay,
Their hollow eyes led minds astray.
But Almond swung, his blade held true,
For lies and fear were nothing new.
With severing will, he cut their chains,
And watched them fade like ghostly rain.
The city crumbled, shadows fled,
Yet still the nightmare twisted red.
A barren field, a sky blood-bright,
With endless doors that warped his sight.
One stood open—gold and vast,
Yet every step erased the past.
His fingers blurred, his feet unwound,
As time itself began to drown.
“Walk forward, die. Turn back, decay.
Forget yourself, or lose your way.”
Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire
The voice was grand, yet Almond grinned,
“Forgetting means the nightmare wins.”
Slash! Severe! Rip apart!
Flames surged high in spectral hue,
Gold and silver, white and blue.
The shattered dark, the broken chains,
A roaring fire within his veins.
His body burned, his mind ran wild,
Yet through the storm, he only smiled.
The weight was gone, the nightmare undone,
His soul stood bare, as bright as the sun.
Light unfurled from wounds once deep,
The severed past he would not keep.
For those who sever, those who rise,
Shape their fate with open eyes.
Almond stood, his will set free,
A blade of self—his clarity.
No dream, no fear, no god, no chain,
Could ever claim his soul again.
…
“What’s going on? Where is Almond?” Rudra frowned. “It’s been a day since he made an appearance.”
“His Spirit Wraiths also can’t sense his location,” Lily said, her voice laced with worry.
“Damn, what the hell happened…” Natalia muttered.
The three of them were on the Mountain of Radiant Zenith, Almond’s territory in the Sanctuary Area.
Almond had added all Grim Breakers, including Julian and Roken, and Admiral Rudra as the residents of his territory so they could enter.
The last thing Admiral Rudra knew was that Almond arrived here after sparring with old man Hiroshi and Silvester.
“This is troubling,” Admiral Rudra rubbed his temples. “Astra had searched the entire planet, and there’s no sight of him anywhere.”
“Maybe he used some kind of item and went into a different dimension or something?” Natalia blinked. “I mean, he got some rewards and things even we don’t know.”
“Wait, that Broken Myth Bead, did he unlock it or not?” Lily frowned and then shook her head. “No, I think he didn’t unlock it yet. He’d have told me.”
“What are you talking about?” Admiral Rudra asked.
“It’s something I got from the mystery box, I think, right?” Natalia turned to Lily.
“Yeah,” Lily nodded. “We used a roulette ticket, and it gave us a black box after the needle stopped at [Random] section. Then you opened the box, which had the Broken Myth Bead. It’s an item that requires 1000 Perception to inspect.”
“Broke Myth Bead,” Admiral Rudra’s brows furrowed. “Well, so we are ultimately not sure of where he went and it could be anywhere.”
“That sounds about right, yeah,” Natalia wryly smiled.
Lily took a deep breath and decided as she said, “It seems we can’t do anything about this except for waiting. I am going back to the region of wildered and finish the war event.”
“I’m sure he will return, safe and sound,” Lily clenched her fist. “Until then, let’s wrap up the war with victory and continue training because wherever he is, he isn’t stopping his progress.”
“Yep,” Natalia grinned.
“Alright, you two go do your things. I’ll do what I can, though waiting is the only option it seems.”