Roy's heart sank when he realized that his attempts at escaping the darkness had been futile. The darkness seemed to stretch on forever, swallowing him whole in its inky blackness. It was a void of emptiness that had sapped his strength and his will to go on.
Like a stagnant pond in the midst of a desolate wasteland, Roy felt as if he was nothing more than a lifeless entity wandering aimlessly.
He had nothing to hold on to, no memories to recall.
He didn't even know why he had tried so hard to escape this place.
What was he struggling so hard for? There was no escape from this hellhole. He had already experienced it!
With his last shreds of hope fading, Roy contemplated ending it all. He was like a matchstick, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
But just as he was about to succumb to his maniacal desire, a voice thundered in his ears, cutting through the silence with an authoritative and stern tone.
"Mongrel! Snap out it!"
It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck, jolting Roy back to reality and dispelling the suffocating darkness that had engulfed him.
Roy spun around, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice, but he found no one.
Out of nowhere, the darkness was illuminated by a mesmerizing purplish glow, causing Roy's eyes to widen in disbelief.
His attention was drawn to a surreal object that materialized in front of him, taking the shape of a cube but with a level of intricacy that was beyond his comprehension.
As he looked on, he felt an inexplicable pull towards it, as if it was alive and beckoning to him.
He couldn't tear his gaze away from the mysterious entity before him. It seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy, casting an enchanting aura around it.
"What are you looking at? Have you not had the pleasure of encountering a Void King before?" the Obsidian Overlord queried with a hint of superiority in his voice.
"No, I haven't." Roy asked politely, "May I inquire as to who and what you are?"
"Who am I is not important. What's important is that I possess the means to help you escape this place," the Obsidian Overlord said with a tone of authority.
"Do you know me? Why would you want to help me?" Roy asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Do not be distrustful of my intentions. Had I wanted to cause you harm, you would not be standing here alive." the Obsidian Overlord replied calmly.
"How do you plan to help me?" Roy queried.
"First, let me explain where you are. Every world is connected to the dream world in one way or another, and certain substances can push a person into the dream world. The dream realm has two sides. One is like a beautiful scenery. The other is like hell. And you are on the worst side of the Dream Realm in which a person sees what they fear the most. Now allow me to elaborate on how you arrived here. All that you see around you is a creation of your mind, a projection of your darkest fears, brought forth by the inhalation of Nightmare Dust in the Ghost Forest." the Obsidian Overlord explained.
"My greatest fear is walking in an endless expanse of darkness with no memories?" Roy said, surprised.
"From my perspective, your fear is peculiar. Theoretically, only those who have experienced death can suffer such nightmarish visions after breathing in Nightmare Dust. However, you appear to be very much alive," the Obsidian Overlord stated.
"And I hope it remains that way," Roy retorted. "So, how can I escape this place?"
"The power of the Sun and Moon can be used to rupture this nightmarish realm. Do you not possess this power?" the Obsidian Overlord asked, noticing Roy's hesitation.
"No, I'm afraid not," Roy replied.
"Are you telling me that you have achieved a unique level of soul cultivation but have yet to master the power of the Sun and Moon?" the Obsidian Overlord exclaimed, taken aback.
"Yes," Roy confirmed.
"What a waste of talent! In my countless years of traversing the void, I have rarely come across such prodigious individuals as yourself. Your soul is perfect, a one-in-a-million occurrence. However, you are tarnishing your perfection with such carelessness. Had you made such a mistake in the void, you would have been beaten to death," the Obsidian Overlord chastised.
"I am unsure whether you are praising me or scolding me." Roy rolled his eyes.
"It appears that you hail from a remote world. It is always the lesser realms that produce exceptional individuals with little knowledge." said the Obsidian Overlord with little to no consideration for Roy's feelings.
"If you are here to assist me, could you kindly provide me with an explanation of the power of the Sun and Moon?" Roy requested, attempting to move forward.
"Take this book and study it in detail." the Obsidian Overlord replied, offering Roy a tome. "Once you comprehend its contents, you will gain access to the mysterious power."
Roy smiled gratefully. "Thank you."
"For now, I will help you escape this dream world,"
"Wait! Will you really not tell me your name before we part ways?" Roy asked once more.
Roy was struggling against the terrors that plagued him within the realm's malevolent confines when the Void King arrived to offer his aid. If not for the Void King, he wouldn't be alive right now. He at least wanted to know the name of his savior so that he would have the means to repay the favor in the future.
As of now, the only thing he knew about his savior was his title.
"You are not worthy of knowing my name." the Obsidian Overlord retorted coldly.
"Can you at least enlighten me as to why you have chosen to aid me?" Roy asked, still inquisitive.
"You have intrigued me, and I am curious as to why you have ventured into a plane that is being consumed by the third layer of the void. I shall be observing you," the Obsidian Overlord replied cryptically.
Feeling the coldness in his tone, Roy didn't dare pester him any longer.
The Void King wielded his immense power to mount a ferocious assault upon the Nightmarish Realm, where poor Roy had become ensnared.
"Shatter!"
With a thunderous bellow, the King unleashed a devastating onslaught that rendered the very fabric of the Nightmarish Realm asunder.
The Nightmarish Realm had consumed Roy's memories, and now that it was on the brink of destruction, it spewed them out despite not wanting to.
Just when that happened, Roy's memory returned to him.
Everything started making sense to him; however, he didn't let the overflow of information stop him from focusing on the task at hand.
The Obsidian Overlord had created an opportunity for him, and he needed to grasp it!
Amidst the chaos, the darkness splintered into a million shards, revealing the opening to the real world, and Roy seized his chance to make his escape.
As Roy emerged from the Nightmarish Realm, his eyes fell upon a scene of utter desperation and horror.
"Delilah, don't do it!" he shouted at her.
As if she hadn't heard a thing, Delilah, the first woman Roy had shown genuine interest in after coming to this world, walked with unsteady steps towards a dark sunflower whose razor-sharp petals glinted menacingly in the dim light.
