Lost Lands [1]

Void looked at it. A castle rose like a twisted giant, with sharp towers that scratched the roof and walls plagued by shadows carved in stone. It was not a refuge, but a warning: its impossible arches, its gargoyles with open jaws seemed to whisper threats to those who dared to cross its doors.

The cave was closed, emphasizing that this castle was the only way out. Void walked towards it, impatient and slightly impressed.

The closer he got, the more imposing the castle became. The enormous doors were protected by giant stone gargoyles.

Void stopped in front of the door. Gruuuum... The solid door began to open slowly. It stopped. It seemed to have opened enough for the young man to pass through.

The light barely filtered inside, trapped in bloody stained glass windows that dyed the floor with disturbing reflections. The torches on both sides of the hallway walls began to light up wide.

'It's like doors...' Void thought, looking around curiously.

The hallway was incredibly wide, making the young man look like a simple ant. Its dense air made Void constantly on guard.

The silence was constant. The only thing that echoed between the walls were his footsteps. Soon, another door appeared in front of him.

This time the door was smaller and less imposing, however it was majestic. It was a dark blue color, decorated with golden touches along the entire door.

Gruuuum... Again the door began to open. 'I'm getting tired of this.' the young man thought, slightly annoyed.

Void pushed open the heavy door, stepping over the threshold into absolute darkness. For a few moments, there was complete silence, broken only by the distant echo of his footsteps. Suddenly, a sudden glow surprised him: not the usual torches, but a majestic chandelier hanging from the ceiling, whose hundreds of candles seemed to dance to the rhythm of a non-existent wind, casting writhing shadows on the ancient walls.

The candles on the chandelier danced in the light breeze that entered the room. Still, it was enough to see it. Void was in a meeting room with a style similar to the Middle Ages.

A round table lay in front of him. "What is this?" he asked himself in confusion. With hesitant steps he approached.

There were ten chairs surrounding the table. All of them were in impeccable condition. The chairs were imposing, carved from dark wood and adorned with gold details. Their high backs, with strange symbols, and arms decorated with dragons conveyed power and authority, while the purple silk seat evoked royalty.

However, that would be the case for nine chairs, the tenth was destroyed. Not only that, its appearance was completely different, it was a simple wooden chair, cracked and full of spider webs.

Void could not stop wondering the reason, however that was something he could not know. Leaving that aside, there was something else that had stolen his attention. On the table was some sort of ancient map.

He approached it cautiously. The map showed something resembling a continent, although it was too large. But that wasn't important, what Void really cared about was...

'Why is only this place marked?' Although the map showed a huge continent, everything was darkened except for a place in one corner of it.

In that place, some golden words shone under the candlelight:

"Lyncandel."

The name of that region was surprising, on Earth this clearly didn't exist. "What is this exactly?" Void murmured, looking at the name of the region.

The way the golden color of the name danced under the light was ostentatious, almost hypnotizing.

Void couldn't hold it in, his mind seemed to be out of control. All he wanted was to touch that name for some reason.

His fingers touched the worn map and gently trailed towards the name. When he finally touched it, his fingers hovered over the prominent name.

For a few seconds, nothing had changed. However, when Void lifted his fingers, satisfied that he had touched it, a light from the map shone brightly.

Void covered his eyes with his forearm. And after a few moments the light began to fade.

He slowly removed his forearm from his face. "I'm getting tired of the flashes." he stammered, looking ahead.

In the blink of an eye, Void felt like he had left the majestic hall behind and entered a completely different world. He now found himself in a gloomy dungeon, where the air was filled with the penetrating smell of dampness and mold, mixed with a faint metallic tinge. Every drop of water that fell from the ceiling echoed in the oppressive silence, and the damp cold seeped through every crack, making each inhalation seem to carry with it the weight of centuries of neglect.

The place was dark and worn. Water droplets constantly fell to the ground, emphasizing Void's loneliness at this moment. The light breeze, unlike the castle, was not pleasant but hot.

The hallway on the other hand was narrow, making it difficult for Void to pass. The feeling was unpleasant.

Void walked without knowing where he was going to get to. His steps showed no doubt, mostly because he knew that in this place there could be nothing dangerous apart from the oppressive humidity.

In fact, the only thing he wanted right now was to get out of this place.

Void advanced with increasingly desperate steps through the narrow corridor. Dust, suspended in the air like tiny particles, infiltrated his lungs, making each inhalation burn as if he were breathing fire. With each crash against the worn walls, he felt his body weaken, but his determination to escape from that oppression intensified.

And after a few seconds of despair, the corridor began to widen. The wider it became, the air became slightly fresher.

"Cough, Cough, Cough..." Void stopped and began to cough hard, trying to get rid of the dust in his lungs.

After slightly regaining his breath, Void looked ahead. "Another door...?" he asked himself annoyed.

[Spiritual weapon available.]

That voice appeared in Void's mind.

[To enter this region is to face the unexplored, where every shadow hides an unknown danger. Death lurks in every corner, and what seems certain could be your downfall.]

The voice warned the young man again. Void remembered the stone tablet in front of the castle, where they also warned about the danger of what is behind this door.

"To enter this region?" he asked himself confused. But he quickly remembered, Lyncandel. "I'm really where that map indicated..." he whispered in disbelief.

There was a moment of silence. Void only wanted revenge on Cypher, why did all this have to happen to him? What if he died in this strange place without being able to take revenge?

Arthur and Jiho were the only thing he could consider family, however now they were alone without him providing them with that weak protection, even if it was only as a way of mocking the other slayers.

Some dark fragments began to form in front of him. Slowly, they began to fuse together, eventually forming into Void's spiritual weapon, a black katana.

The young man let out a slight smile, trying to think that they were going to be okay. "In the end I have no other choice..." He firmly grabbed the katana and took a few steps towards the door. He pushed it.

Creeeeak... The rusty door opened, the pure and fresh air quickly flooded the dungeon.

[You have entered the Lost Lands. Good luck, Marked]