Ben stared at the closed door in front of him while a monster's lifeless body lay on the ground behind him. His subordinates were splattered with the monster's crimson blood as they looked back at him, confusion evident in their eyes as they focused on the massive gate before them.
"Are you sure this is where Daren lives?" Ben asked, a puzzled expression on his face. His four companions shared his confusion; they had all fought and interrogated the monsters that led them here, but uncertainty still lingered. The creatures had pointed them in this direction through their dying words, but whether to trust that information was still a question.
"They all said the same thing consistently, which means we must be in the right place for our search," one of the subordinates explained logically. They glanced back at the imposing gate, recalling how the monsters had spoken of Daren with genuine respect, although Ben and the others didn't think much of him based on reputation alone.
"Then what are you waiting for? Destroy the door," Ben ordered firmly, his gaze fixed on the obstacle blocking their path to their objective. "We promised our lord that we would finish this mission before nightfall. We need to complete this before he arrives; our Lord is already on his way here," Ben added, emphasising the urgency of their situation. They were devoted followers of Aeren and knew he wouldn't wait patiently for them to settle everything at their own pace.
"Yes, sir, Ben," the four responded in unison, understanding the gravity of his words completely. They moved closer to the palace door of the village, ready to act decisively. Taking out their heavy hammers and sharp axes, they prepared to strike the door with force. To their surprise, the door began opening slowly and steadily before them without any violence needed.
"Huh, it opened by itself," one of them remarked with confusion as they observed the now ajar door.
Ben stepped forward cautiously as the door opened, taking his position in front of it and stabilising his stance, ready to execute whatever plan the situation required. He paused when he saw the human girl responsible for opening the door from within. He wasn't surprised by the situation at all; he had half-expected something like this. Daren was not someone who adhered to the world's conventional rules and would die following them blindly. If he had been that simple, he wouldn't have risen to dominate both human flesh and harness the strength of monsters for his own purposes.
As Ben continued to observe carefully, he began to read Daren's strategic thoughts and felt a twinge of reluctant admiration for him. It was clear that Daren posed a real danger to their mission. He had allowed the slaughter of the monsters without any interference, letting those involved face their fates while he watched from safety. Ben noticed that Daren had been observing them from the very start, as the door had opened precisely just as they were about to break through, signalling the awareness Daren had previously demonstrated to him.
"He is smarter than I initially thought," Ben murmured to himself quietly, a calculating smile forming on his face at the prospect of finding someone intellectually similar to himself. However, he reminded himself soberly, "It's a pity he has only a short time left to live." He needed to stay sharply focused on the reason he had come here: not for entertainment or intellectual sparring, but for the sacred duty he owed to his Lord. This was precisely why he personally arrived to arrange a proper meeting for his master.
The two women who had appeared looked at him respectfully and bowed, saying, "Lord Daren is expecting you all." They raised their arms gracefully, gesturing for him to follow them inside. "We will guide you to Lord Daren." Their faces bore no emotion whatsoever, and their eyes showed an unsettling emptiness that Ben noticed immediately.
Ben regarded them without feeling any sympathy, acknowledging the situation with complete indifference. "Very well, lead the way," he replied curtly, as they turned their vacant gaze toward him.
The two women led Ben and his subordinates, who followed closely behind them through the winding corridors. As Ben surveyed his surroundings attentively, he noticed that the entire area was filled with lush green branches everywhere; they were all integrated parts of the palace structure itself, creating a breathtaking scene that resembled a living green palace paradise. The sight was beyond merely beautiful; vibrant flowers bloomed abundantly among the green branches, their brilliant colors shining radiantly as the sunlight touched them gently. However, as the sun gradually dulled and evening approached steadily, the flowers began to glow mysteriously on their own, making the palace appear almost surreal, as if they were all dreaming of an impossible green paradise.
Ben stopped abruptly in his tracks, unable to tear his eyes away from the mesmerising branches and flowers. He was completely mesmerised by the lush foliage, and his desire to see more of this beauty grew stronger with each passing moment.
"Truly magnificent, right?" A voice suddenly snapped him back to reality. He turned quickly to see a monster standing nearby. The creature was human-sized, not ten times larger like the others, but its strength far exceeded that of any monster Ben had ever encountered before. Ben assessed the being carefully, contemplating whether it was even worthy of meeting his lord. Though he trembled slightly at the monster's overwhelming strength, he pushed through his fear to judge its qualifications properly.
Ben smiled with satisfaction, realising this creature had indeed qualified to meet his lord. "Yes, it is magnificent," he replied carefully, trying to mask his apprehension about the illusions being generated by the vibrant branches, fearing it would be shameful for him or his lord to show fear of mere flowers and greenery.
"Are you the one who has been killing all of my kind?" Daren asked directly, fixing his penetrating gaze on Ben. He recognised that Ben had finally broken free from the enchantment of the green paradise, or he would have risked losing all connection to reality and becoming nothing more than an empty vessel for illusion.
"Yes, it's me." Daren was stunned by the unexpected voice he heard from behind him. His guard immediately went up as he turned to look over his shoulder, finally seeing Aeren standing perfectly still, his eyes fixed intently on the green branches and glowing flowers. As Aeren gazed deeply at this green paradise, the powerful illusion began to shatter dramatically, revealing the harsh reality hidden beneath it.
"Who are you? What are you doing to my paradise?" Daren panicked as he witnessed the illusion breaking apart piece by piece. As the true reality of the village emerged from beneath the beautiful facade, he began to shiver uncontrollably at the sight of his precious paradise collapsing, its beauty reversing as it returned to the sky above. "Please, stop! Don't do this to me," he pleaded desperately, feeling his strength ebbing away rapidly as the green illusion returned to the world of fate, ascending slowly to meet its true heaven.
"I'm doing nothing at all," Aeren replied calmly, though he could clearly see the green paradise fading into the distance. The place around them began to crumble physically, and Daren, desperate for answers about this heavenly reality, couldn't grasp its deeper meaning. He looked helplessly at the green light as it drifted back to its rightful place in the cosmos.
Daren felt himself breaking down mentally as his paradise vanished completely, and like him, all the creatures of the village began to dissolve within their shared illusion. It was as if they had never truly existed, empty from the very start. The monsters faded from the world of reality, leaving only echoes and memories behind.
The humans watched in absolute awe, their eyes fixed on the sky as the fundamental truth of their world was revealed. They fell to their knees, barely able to cope with the overwhelming weight of this revelation and its significance in their lives.
They could see only one thing clearly: they were all chained, unable to perceive what lay beyond their shackles.
"AHHHHHHAAAAAHHHHHHAAAAA..."
"AHHH, please... help me, Lord..."
"AHAHAHAHHHHHHH..."
Screams filled the air as they confronted their reality and the true nature of their existence. Their bodies began to melt away as they beheld the vision of heaven. For Aeren, understanding blossomed as he absorbed everything unfolding in that green paradise. He watched the humans and monsters accept the truth of their illusions.
As the green heaven returned home, Aeren stood alone, left in an empty place. For miles around in every direction, there was nothing but desolation, with only Aeren remaining in the vast, barren ground, the sole survivor of that phenomenal event.