In Grand Heavens Boundary, the existence of the Titan Race was long forgotten. They had been extinct for several hundred thousand years, and even the giants who were birthed from them didn't have any records about them.
This was partly due to the sheer amount of time that passed and the disposition of Titans and Giants. In terms of written history, they were far worse than other races as they were disinclined to keep such records.
However, more than that was another reason. The Titan Race had been actively erased from history by experts of the past, and their descendants were banished into the Void Corridor so as to completely eliminate the possibility of Titans reappearing in the universe.
After all, the Titan Race was a race of traitors.
***
The small alcove opened up around Damien and Granny Liu, giving way to a long earthen corridor that descended deeper below ground.
Damien followed Granny Liu through this corridor, watching as it opened up gradually and became a cave system that spanned several hundred thousand kilometers.
This place was the home of the Titans, if they could even be called that anymore.
Generations had passed since the first group of Titan descendants was banished to the Void Corridor. Even Granny Liu was in the 5th generation born after the migration.
As time passed and they were forced to inbreed to keep their people alive, rather than compounding, their bloodline continuously became more impure and thinned until the currently existing Titans were mere shells of their previous glory.
There was a reason the Titan Race was so feared. There was a reason they were only partially exterminated and banished instead of fully wiped out.
The Titan Race of the past had a true gift from heaven in terms of physical strength. Even the weakest Titan could demolish their peers with fists alone.
As if their strength wasn't enough, the universe also gifted them with divine bodies that were nigh indestructible.
When the ancient experts took care of the Titan Race back then, they simply weren't able to kill every Titan, leading to Damien's meeting with their descendants in the current era.
These descendants termed themselves the Cloud Giant Race. They were somewhere between Titans and Giants, leaning more towards the former.
'But even if their current potential is heavily deteriorated, it's still greater than many of the people existing in the current universe.' Damien thought to himself.
Talking down about the Titans was easy when one wasn't aware of their strength.
Damien could only use their descendants to put them into perspective, but even then they were unfathomable.
'Just why did a race with such a close connection to the universe turn traitor?'
It was a curious twist of fate that didn't make sense to Damien at all. Especially since he'd met and interacted with the Cloud Giants, he couldn't understand their ancestors' intentions.
'There must be some plot.'
Were the Titans innocent?
Probably not.
But did that change Damien's opinion of the Cloud Giants?
It was a question that didn't even need asking.
The faults of the past generation were the faults of the past generation alone. If the current generation was clearly different, what was the use of persecuting them?
Such an action only needed to be taken if they decided to follow in their ancestors' footsteps.
Granny Liu led Damien through an array of tunnels for several minutes, her speed gradually increasing as they moved along.
Within a few minutes, they were racing through the tunnels faster than the speed of sound, using their residual mana to quell the sonic booms that were threatening to form behind them.
"Granny, where are we going?" Damien asked curiously. They must've been halfway to the very bottom of the Wild Continent by now. He couldn't think of a reason to go so far for a mere meeting.
Granny Liu glanced at him in exasperation. "Didn't you say you wanted to take a trial? Did you change your mind?"
Damien's eyes widened. "Nope! As expected, Granny Liu knows best!"
The Titans of the past were a curious race. They were incredibly independent and without many positive relationships with other races, but they had a single tradition that allowed cooperation. This was the so-called trial.
In Titan tradition, if a guest ever came with a request that required the race to move as a whole, they would be assigned an appropriate trial to complete. Only after proving themselves would they be granted aid.
The Cloud Giants adopted this tradition as well, however, they weren't necessarily able to carry out trials when no other intelligent life existed on the Wild Continent.
When Damien first learned of their tradition, it wasn't through them, but rather through the memories of one of the forgotten emperors that he devoured.
He didn't immediately confront them about it and instead chose to keep his chance for when he needed it more.
'Actually, the original plan was to use the trial to convince them to move to the Sanctuary, but I can find a different method for that.'
Actually, Damien had formed some greater ambitions recently, so it was good that he got a different opportunity to take the trial.
After all, besides requiring help from the Cloud Giants, Damien also wanted to experience the traditions of this forgotten ancient race.
Eventually, Granny Liu and Damien reached a point that seemed to be a central node of the underground tunnel system.
Here, an intense heat blazed, coloring the air a burning red color.
Standing in the center of this small open area, Granny Liu halted.
"Little monster, your request is a big one. To fight the Nox is one thing, but to slaughter a Supreme is another. Rather than a single trial, you will be given three. The first is endurance, the second is perseverance, and the final is morality. If you can pass all three trials, we will spare no effort to help you."
Damien looked at the heated floor curiously. 'The trials are more character-driven than expected. Considering the reputation of the Titans, I expected it to be something more belligerent.'
"Good. If it's just these three facets, I have confidence in passing." He responded to Granny Liu.
Granny Liu smiled an ominous smile. "If that is your decision, then let the first trial of endurance begin!"
"Huh? Granny, wai—!"
Before Damien could finish his sentence, Granny Liu rushed out of the open space, reentering the tunnel system and slamming her foot into the ground.
"Have a great time, boy!"
Those were the last words Damien heard before his vision was filled with red.
"Fuck! That's hot!"
Crack!
Rumble!
Before he could readjust to the heatwave, the ground below him cracked and shattered into countless pieces.
The lava pit that lay below was revealed to the world.
And as Damien tried to fly to avoid falling in…
He suddenly found that any sort of movement was restricted entirely.
'Ah, fuck. So this is what she meant by endurance.'
VOOM!
As Damien's wry smile grew, a wave of flames enveloped him and dragged him into the lava pit.
His body descended without a struggle and began to burn under the lava's surface.
And though Damien had experienced such a lava quenching once before…
'This still hurts like hell!'
