Ding!
[You have entered a dangerous secret realm: "Sun Temple"]
This was the very first panel that appeared before Alicar as his eyes slowly opened, his vision blurry and unfocused as he struggled to recall what had happened to him.
It only took him a few seconds to remember everything though, and as soon as he did, he immediately got up, his mind frenzied with panic and confusion as the events replayed in his head.
He looked around and noticed that he was in a forest, though it was much more different than the one they had been in before, the atmosphere thick with an oppressive energy.
The small clearing they were in seemed relatively normal at first glance, except for the fact that many trees around them seemed... scorched.
Not by fire, but by something else entirely as it seemed to pulse with an eerie, otherworldly energy that made his skin crawl.
Alicar looked up toward the sky, it was grey and dim, but the sun was completely dark.
It emitted light, but more than anything, it felt like it was simply there to destroy anything under its gaze, a malevolent presence watching from above with sinister intent.
Alicar looked around and saw that beside him were the 19 other awakeners that had been attacked by Rick, all of them sprawled across the ground in various states of unconsciousness.
Alicar was the first one to have woken up from the brutal assault that had knocked them all out.
After a few minutes though, he noticed movements coming from the others as well, including Iris stirring beside him, her eyes fluttering open.
One after the other, they each got up, looking just as confused and disoriented as Alicar had been a minute ago, their faces pale with fear.
"Where the hell are we?" one of them shouted, his voice trembling with obvious terror as he scrambled to his feet.
"The base commander attacked us, right?" another asked, rubbing his head in pain as he tried to piece together what had happened.
"A SECRET REALM?!" a third exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief as she read the panel that had appeared before her.
Iris didn’t say anything at first, but Alicar could see the panic in her expression as she understood what had happened to all of them.
Rick had knocked them all out and sent them here for some reason no one here knew, and that reason was clearly not a good one.
"Calm down, people," one of the more mature awakeners rose from the ground and shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos, "It’s a secret realm, meaning that there IS a way to clear it!"
Secret realms were extremely rare, so much so that many awakeners never saw them in their entire lives.
They gave immense rewards to those who clear them, sometimes even granting a [True Title] that elevated their status beyond normal limits.
Finding a secret realm was both a blessing and curse though, as they were all extremely difficult, to the point where attempting one was often suicide for the unprepared.
"My name’s William," the same man continued, his voice steady and commanding as he surveyed the group before him, "Let’s introduce each other and figure out how to get out of here!"
While he was talking, Alicar decided to use his class to peer into his soul and assess his potential, curious about the man who had taken charge.
[Name: William Bodwell]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 4]
[Vessel Potential: Good]
’Pretty good,’ Alicar nodded to himself, acknowledging the man’s capabilities. ’Though he’s underleveled, like everyone else here.’
The average level for awakeners in this place was 2-4, meaning that none of them were particularly strong or experienced enough to handle real danger.
But of course, William seemed determined to make the best of a terrible situation, his optimism almost infectious despite the circumstances.
"This might be our chance," William said with a hopeful expression, trying to rally the group with his words, "If we can survive this and clear the secret realm’s conditions, we may gain rewards that push us even further!"
After his speech, most of the people in the clearing began to introduce each other, sharing their names and classes with varying degrees of nervousness.
Alicar also greeted some of them though he made sure not to get too close, keeping his guard up at all times as he assessed each person carefully.
Iris on the other hand was surrounded by people almost immediately, her identity drawing immediate attention from the curious crowd.
"Oh my god, it’s Iris from the Crowford family," one of the girls of the group gasped.
"B-But why is she here?! She’s supposed to be in the base!"
"That bastard Rick must have aimed for the weakest among us," William’s expression darkened, his voice dropping low with contempt, "And since I heard she awakened a support-related class, she won’t be able to do much to help us fight."
William then turned his gaze toward Alicar and nodded faintly, acknowledging his presence without much further interest.
William’s presence was enough to lift up the group’s morale, at least a little, as he took charge of it all with natural authority.
Alicar actually appreciated it, though he knew for a fact this would not be enough to save them, not in this place.
And indeed, before any of them could even wonder what they would be doing next, they heard a voice cut through the air with urgency.
"Huh, guys?" one of the awakeners, named Elliot, pointed at the sky with a trembling finger, his face pale, "Is it just me or is the sun moving?"
Alicar immediately looked upward and, indeed, Elliot was right, the sun’s form, previously completely dark and round, was now distorting and shifting.
In fact, Alicar could feel an unbelievably powerful aura coming from there, a presence that made his skin crawl and his instincts scream at him to run.
[A being with an overwhelming soul is near.]
Slowly, the sun’s form started to change, growing a pair of massive wings and white eyes that looked down from above at all the humans beneath it.
The creature’s gaze was cold and predatory, filled with an ancient hunger that seemed to have no end, a hunger that had been waiting for centuries.
"This is..." one of the awakeners stammered, unable to finish his sentence as his voice died in his throat.
It let out a terrifying shriek that resonated across the entire secret realm, shaking the very ground beneath their feet, before diving down with incredible speed.
"THAT’S NOT THE SUN," William shouted, his voice filled with urgency as he realized what was happening, "IT’S A—"
But before he could even finish his sentence, the beast reached their location and swung its massive claws at the group with devastating force.
In an instant, half of the twenty awakeners were cut down, their bodies falling lifelessly on the side, blood pooling beneath them in horrible puddles.
...
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