Chapter 3: Darkness

Bright Red sun was rising in the sky as beautiful white snow was falling on the ground.

A city existed surrounded by clouds, in which even the streets were covered by snow. Special Carriages could be seen being driven on the roads which surprisingly weren't slipping in the slightest on the ground covered with snow.

This city which covered hundreds of kilometers in the area looked really beautiful as many beautiful structures could be seen throughout the city. All the residences were at least a hundred meters wide. Shiny golden color could be seen in areas of the houses not covered by snow.

In the centermost portion of the city, A large palace was standing tall, having over five hundred meters of width and length. Inside a luxurious room of the palace, A beautiful young man could be seen sleeping soundly.

This young man looked to be around 24 years of age. His head was full of shiny black hairs that came down to his shoulders. His perfectly chiseled face made him look like he was a heavenly prince with every contour being the definition of perfection. This man slowly opened his eyes. His bright blue eyes finally gained focus after the initial blurriness.

"Hmm...?" He looked at the roof as a confused expression clouded his face. 

"Wha.... hmm? I... I can speak?" He muttered with a shocked expression. 

" I... I can feel my hands and my legs again?? What is happening? " He muttered as he tried moving his hands. His expressions became excited as his hands moved the way he wanted them to move.

"Have I recovered? The doctors finally succeeded? " He muttered with a smile. 

"Little sister, your brother can finally come back. You won't have to be sad anymore" He muttered with a smile filled with melancholy. 

" But first where am I? Doctor? Nurse!?" He called out. 

" Master, You woke up!!" Came a voice as two beautiful maids stood up from their seats with a shocked and excited look on their faces. 

"I'll go inform His majesty," One of the maids said as she hurriedly exited the room. 

Xu Liang heard the voice and tried sitting up. After some effort, he succeeded. As Xu Liang got up from his lying position, the bed sheet covering his body slid down from his chest, showing his well-toned body. The maid couldn't help but blush as her face turned red, but she didn't remove her eyes from Xu Liang's uncovered chest. 

"Mengchan?" Xu Liang muttered as he saw the maid but he became shocked as soon as the name came out of his mouth. Xu Liang didn't know why he said this name as he felt like he had never seen this girl before. 

"Yes, your highness. I'm Mengchan. You still remember me!" The maid happily exclaimed. 

" It's so good that you have finally woken up! His majesty and her highness will be so happy when they know this news. I'm sure they will get here as soon as they can after hearing this news. " The maid said with a bright smile.

Xu Liang couldn't understand what was happening and what was going through his mind. He knew the girl but he didn't know her. He felt like he was drunk and having hallucinations. He felt like his mind was playing tricks on him. 

Xu Liang wanted to reply, but his head suddenly started aching as new memories kept appearing in his mind. 

A memory appeared in his mind. He could see himself sitting in the darkness. He was a five-year-old kid, sitting alone in a dark place with no speck of light visible anywhere. He stayed in this darkness for what seemed like an eternity. 

Until one day, Light finally appeared. A portal opened right in front of him. He gazed at the portal with a blank look in his eyes but didn't move. He stayed sitting. Soon, A man dressed in Golden armor, with shiny golden hair, carrying a red ax in his hand came out of the portal. Bright lights were shining from this man's golden armor, but Xu Liang didn't move. He didn't even blink as if he was not alive and couldn't be affected by anything happening in the world. 

"Hmm? is there a boy in this ancient ruin? How did it happen? The formations outside weren't broken, and the defenses of this ruin are the strongest I had ever seen. I had to work so hard just to get inside, and a boy is already here. Is there another easier path that I didn't know about?" The man muttered as he looked at him. Xu Liang didn't respond. 

"How did you get here, little kid? " The man asked as he looked at him. 

Xu Liang heard this man's words and tried remembering, but he couldn't. His memories were blank. 

"Can you speak? How did you get here?" The man asked him again. 

" I... don't... remember" Xu Liang looked at the man with his deep blue eyes for a brief moment and replied to him in an emotionless voice. 

"Do you know where you're from? What about your parents?" The man asked Xu Liang again. 

" I... don't... remember" Xu Liang replied again. 

" Do you at least know your name?" The man inquired again. 

" I... don't... know...I... can't ... remember... anything" Xu Liang said as he again tried remembering but he received no success. It was like his life was a blank slate. 

"Oh, it looks like you lost all your memories. It's good that you still remember how to speak at least" The man said with a smile. 

" How long have you been here?" The man asked again. 

"Since... forever" Xu Liang replied in an emotionless voice as he gazed at the man. 

"Your forever probably means the last few years. Looks like you somehow found the opening of a portal in your world and entered this place without knowing. It's an ancient ruin that even I didn't know about. Its workings are mysterious, so anything is possible. I think you might have lost your memories during the spatial travel. ' The man muttered as he looked at him. 

"How are you still alive in this place? What did you eat?" The man asked again. 

Xu Liang moved his hand and pointed towards a specific direction. The man gazed in the direction he pointed at and was shocked to find a small tree nearby. Its branches were black, while it's fruit was golden. There was only one fruit hanging on the small tree. 

"That... that ...? " The man stood there with a shocked look on his face.