"Elzera?"
Karyk looked at the surroundings. He couldn't find anything extraordinary in this place. It was just like a normal world. In fact, if it weren't for Aliac's words, he would've thought that he was somehow back in his world before the advent of magic began.
There were some traces of elemental energy, but it was very weak. Compared to the Realm of Gods, the energy here was almost non-existent.
The azure sky mirrored that of Earth, with a sun veiled behind a blanket of clouds.
"Why do you call this place our hell?" Karyk asked. Even with his strength, he couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary.
He also didn't feel any danger. As far as his senses could cover, there was no life form. The ground beneath his feet was covered in a plush bed of grass, extending as far as the eye could see, creating an illusion of an infinite and peaceful meadow.
The tranquility was disorienting, given the ominous title that had been given to this place. Karyk couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss, yet he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
"You think that because you haven't experienced this place completely," Aliac said, gesturing for Karyk to follow him.
The two of them walked through the place for half an hour before Aliac finally stopped. As far as the eyes could see, there was no obstruction.
"Try walking ahead," Aliac spoke as he remained still.
Karyk could still sense nothing. He stepped forward, soon reaching right next to Aliac. With slight suspicion, he scanned the surroundings once again. Still he couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary.
As he moved further, he unexpectedly encountered an invisible barrier blocking his path. A frown formed on his face as he reached out to touch the barrier.
The barrier was right before him. He could even touch it, but strangely enough, he still couldn't sense it, which should've been impossible.
"Confused why you couldn't sense the barrier?' Aliac asked Karyk, who looked back.
"Even I couldn't sense the barrier. That's why this world is so strange. The barrier isn't made using the Divine Energy. It also isn't made using Elemental Energy.
"It's made with something really strange, which we are completely unfamiliar with. Not only can we not feel this element, but..." He stepped mid sentence.
He took a few steps back before speaking, "It'll be more efficient for you to personally experience it. Attack the barrier and try to break it."
Karyk raised an eyebrow, skeptical of the suggestion. Still, he wanted to know more about this place as well. He also wanted to know why Aliac was more wary of this place.
He created a dark sphere with the Aura of Death, using his Divine Aura to further strengthen the attack. Although it wasn't his strongest attack, but it was powerful enough.
After finishing the creation of his sphere, he effortlessly swung his right arm, shooting the dark sphere with precision towards the barrier.
The sphere collided with the barrier, causing a momentary flicker of energy. However, what happened next was something that Karyk hadn't expected.
His attack didn't cause even the slightest of damage to the barrier. Instead, that strange energy of the barrier devoured his attack, becoming even stronger.
This was the first time he had seen the Divine Aura being devoured like that.
He glanced back at Aliac. Whatever this new element was, it felt dangerous. It was the perfect counter for the Divine Beings of their world. And it was just a barrier.
"So the reason I can't feel any Divine Energy in this place is..." He muttered, but he already had the answer.
The weak traces of the Divine Energy in this place made him certain that this world wasn't a barren land. It also had the Divine Energy, but that energy was completely devoured by this strange new element.
****
Gabriel read the letter in his hand, in which Ezekiel talked about his experience.
"It was the day I met him... He was the one who freed me from the Eternal Punishment of the Gods. He also healed me, and gave me a purpose and the strength I needed to fulfill this purpose."
"We didn't know each other's language, but I could feel that he was like none other. His presence was different from the present of the gods. It wasn't overwhelming like the Divinity of Gods. Instead, it was something... something else entirely."
" It was like something that existed yet didn't exist at the same time. One moment, he felt that he was just a mortal who had lost his way. And the next moment, I felt that he was a Divine Being who could destroy the entire universe if something angered him."
"I had lost everything. I didn't have anything to offer him. I wasn't strong. I wasn't clever and I didn't hold any influence either. I could be of no use to him, yet he reached out his hand towards me."
"With him, I entered the World of Elzera. A world that could only be described in one word... magical."
"They had an entire civilization. It was a civilization where even the weakest person was stronger than the gods who had destroyed my family and my world."
"It was only in that world, I realized how laughable I truly was. I... lost everything at the hands of someone who couldn't even be compared to the weakest person there. I was pathetic... But I also had hope. It was a hope that I had lost, yet it was reignited."
"It was a hope for revenge. If I could learn from them, even if I couldn't get as strong as them, I could still have my revenge. And for that, I was willing to do everything! My life held no value for me. Even if I had to sell my soul to the devil, I was willing!"
"Elzera... It was my last hope. It was a hope that I couldn't afford to lose."
