Sleeping goddess

Not far from the edge of Death Forest, there was a colossal wall that separated the whole forest from the sprawling city on its other side, stretching far into the horizon as if never-ending. Suddenly, the surrounding leaves rustled in a hushed, anticipatory rhythm as a faint, indiscernible presence moved past their foliage.

Suddenly, with almost unnatural agility, a man appeared in view, out of thin air. It was Scar again, his red cloak now billowing in the breeze, his face still obscured by the white mask that seemed to become his signature. He perched over a sturdy branch, his gaze fixated on the towering wall that marked the border of the mighty empire.

While he continued to observe the towering walls with meticulous precision, his hand inched towards the mask over his face. In a deliberate motion, he removed the mask causing his hood to fall back as well, revealing his crimson-red hair and piercing crystal red eyes, seemingly gazing over the imposing fortifications before him. From the vigilant guards to the intricate runes that adorned the area, his gaze took in every minute detail.

Orion, the man behind the strange persona of Scar, was calculating his odds of penetrating these defenses by sheer force. After a thorough assessment, he concluded that a direct assault would lead to his undeniable capture unless the empire had no means of swift reinforcement—a very unlikely scenario.

Fortunately, he didn't need to resort to brute strength this time. Orion possessed a citizen badge from the heart of the mighty empire, a symbol of its citizenship from the ancient organization hailed from. His grandfather had not exaggerated; the crypt yielded numerous seals, royal-marked scrolls, and medals. With these artifacts, he possessed the means to venture inside the empire without any problem.

After observing the defenses over the towering walls for a few more minutes, with a flick of his wrist, his iconic red cloak and mask disappeared back into the red runes of his arm, joining the vast repository of his treasured possessions. He had received these runes from the projection of his grandfather to give him control over the crypt, but they turned out to be much more. These runes were able to store things within themselves as well, acting akin to a secret dimensional ring, hidden from prying eyes.

So Orion used them to hide his most precious possessions, like the books and the black box he had received as an heirloom, with the addition of attire of his new persona as well.

On the other side, his weapons and other necessary things were stored within his black dimensional ring. His runes were a secret, acting as his secret safe, while his dimensional ring would be bare for everyone to see.

With his external identity restored, carrying an air of authenticity and authority, Orion began to walk toward the main entrance of the city.

Seeing his nostalgic appearance, a frown appeared on the guard's face, making them stop him from entering. It was only natural, for they had no prior knowledge of this enigmatic figure. Despite the presentation of the citizen badge, doubt lingered in their eyes, but as soon as he took out the royal mark, their eyes shook in surprise, causing them to tremble in fear. They gave Orion a big bow as an apology and immediately moved away to give him the way.

'They were doing their job properly. that's surprising,' Orion thought as he entered the city.

While Orion had just taken his first step within the borders of the empire, somewhere within dark mysterious castle, inside a big luxurious room, a sound of rustling could be heard.

Inside the room, there was a woman sleeping on a luxurious chair, her whole being surrounded by layers of light grey fog. Her beauty was too stunning to ignore, seemingly radiating a divine presence, filling the room with a sense of otherworldly peace and tranquility.

Her features were delicate and refined, with high cheekbones and full lips. Her skin was as smooth as porcelain, covered with a warm golden glow that seemed to emanate from within. Her hair, long and flowing, was a deep, rich brown akin to chestnut, cascading down her back in gentle waves.

Dressed in a flowing white gown, the soft and ethereal fabric draped elegantly over her curves, shimmering and dancing in the light of the fog.

Despite the beauty of her features, it was the serene expression on her face that gave her true divinity. Her eyes were closed, her head leaning on the back of the chair as she took slow and steady breaths, deep in peaceful sleep. Her chest rose and fell in a gentle rhythm, with the only sound in the room being the soft rustling of her gown.

The room cocooned her in warmth, the grey fog enhancing her ethereal form, giving her an appearance akin to a sleeping goddess.

Then, as if an unseen veil was lifted, her closed eyes quivered a little, and a blurry image formed within her vision, revealing a man standing with his back towards her, perched upon a substantial tree branch with unfound arrogance. Though the image was obscured, she was still able to discern the telltale signs: the red runes that adorned the full length of his arm, a white palatine mask cradled in his hand in a casual manner, intricately adorned with red and gold symbols to its right side.

Striving to look more closely, she focused toward his face. But as if repelled by some unseen force, her eyes snapped open, jolting her awake from her sleep. Shattering the vision she was observing in her dream. As soon as she woke up, a huge ripple passed through the cluster of grey fog, causing the whole room to tremble under its might.

The woman remained motionless. Her eyes, bearing the strain of her visions, began to bleed, manifesting twin streams of blood that traced down her delicate cheeks. Yet, ignoring the pain and streaming blood, the woman moved to sit upright in the chair. She leaned forward, and her hand clenched into a tight fist.

"He's here," she declared, her words echoing inside the empty room with chilling finality. Her contempt for the man of her vision evident in her voice.

Her grey eyes shone with a red glint as her killing intent leaked out into the surrounding. The grey fog began to swirl around her like a churning storm, as if responding to its master's fury. Just like that, the sleeping goddess from a few minutes ago was no more. Instead, there stood an entity infused with a vengeful spirit, waiting to rip the man of her vision apart.