Vylonia's eyes were fixed on a glowing old book, its white cover radiating an otherworldly energy. This was the priceless item that the auctioneers had auctioned off earlier, and Vylonia had been the lucky winner, purchasing it for a staggering 100 million gold coins.
As she delicately turned the pages, she discovered that the book contained a God skill, but not just any God skill - a Righteous God skill. As a demon, her nature was inherently at odds with the righteous energy emanating from the book. However, despite knowing that she couldn't use the skill herself, she was also a collector, and having a God skill in her possession could prove to be a valuable asset in the future.
Meanwhile, Eryndor was in his own room, having long forgotten about the embarrassment and loss of 30 million gold coins at the auction. After all, he had stolen that gold from the Lich, so it wasn't as if it was his to begin with. He chuckled to himself as he took out the stone he had bought for 30 million gold, now affectionately known as the "stone of embarrassment."
As he examined the stone, he noticed that it was indeed emitting a strange energy, vibrating constantly in his hand. A mischievous grin spread across his face as he thought, "Good, perhaps I can use it as a... vibrator?" He caught himself, realizing how that sounded, and quickly corrected himself, "I mean, to massage my back and legs with it."
Eryndor tossed the stone a few times, enjoying the feel of its weight and energy in his hand. However, as he recalled the scene where Edric had laughed at him and called him an idiot for buying a "useless" stone for 30 million gold coins, his expression darkened. Anger flared up within him, and he threw the stone at the wall of his room, watching as it bounced off with a loud thud.
With a huff, Eryndor lay down on his bed, letting sleep drift over him. As he closed his eyes, he was transported to a beautiful dream, one where he was the hero, and Edric was the one who was embarrassed and defeated. A satisfied smile spread across his face as he sank deeper into slumber, the stone of embarrassment all but forgotten.
As Eryndor drifted off to sleep, a strange and unexpected event occurred. The stone he had thrown earlier, which had been lying on the floor, suddenly turned to dust. A brilliant golden light burst forth from the dust, illuminating the room with an otherworldly glow. The light rushed towards Eryndor, entering his forehead and filling his mind with a vivid and intense dream.
In the dream, Eryndor found himself standing in a vast, ethereal domain, witnessing a titanic struggle between two massive divine creatures. A 3-eyed toad, its body a deep, dark black, faced off against a golden fairy, its wings shimmering with a radiant, golden light. The two creatures were engaged in a fierce battle, each attempting to push the other out of the domain. Their powers were evenly matched, with the toad's black energy clashing against the fairy's golden energy, creating a stark contrast that seemed to shake the very foundations of the domain.
Eryndor felt tiny and insignificant before these colossal beings, overwhelmed by their presence and the sheer scale of their struggle. He watched in awe as the toad and fairy exchanged blows, their powers surging back and forth in a dazzling display of light and energy.
But just as Eryndor was becoming fully absorbed in the battle, a tiny, annoying fly began to buzz around his head, distracting him from the spectacle. The fly's incessant buzzing grew louder and more irritating, until Eryndor, frustrated and annoyed, slapped at the fly with his hand.
As he made the motion of slapping the fly, Eryndor's dream began to distort and dissolve, and he felt himself being pulled back into his physical body. He was unaware, however, that his actions in the dream just had a profound impact on the domain he had been witnessing.
Unbeknownst to Eryndor, the domain he had been watching was actually a representation of his own consciousness, a symbolic landscape that reflected the inner workings of his mind. And when he slapped the fly, a massive, invisible hand had manifested in the domain, crushing both the toad and the fairy to the ground.
The two divine creatures, realizing that they were no match for the newfound power that had entered the domain, decided to abandon their struggle for supremacy and instead choose to share the domain.
Eryndor, still fast asleep, was oblivious to the profound changes that had just occurred within his own mind.
In an unknown land a portal opened and threw Cassius out, his magic drained to the core. His limbs felt like lead, weighing him down. He looked around, taking in his surroundings, and a mix of relief and confusion washed over him. "I have reached the Netherworld," he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible.
But as he gazed out at the unfamiliar landscape, a nagging question crept into his mind. "Where is Ravenswood?" He had been separated from his companion during their journey, and now he had no idea if Ravenswood had made it to the Netherworld as well.
Meanwhile, a million miles away from Cassius's location, a massive tree towered above the landscape, its branches stretching towards the sky like giant arms. In a nest perched high atop the tree, a portal suddenly opened, and Ravenswood was thrown into the nest with a thud. The impact left him dazed and disoriented, his body limp and unresponsive.
As his vision began to clear, Ravenswood's eyes focused on the eggs that surrounded him. They were enormous, each one the size of an adult human. One of the eggs began to crack, and a string of fear coursed through Ravenswood's body, leaving him paralyzed with terror.