Chapter 205: Farewell…

Inside the military base, soldiers stood at attention, their sharp gazes fixed on the young man walking calmly beside the General. Behind them followed his parents, along with several high-ranking officers of the army.

Each of them looked at Thoren with complicated expressions.

Respect.

A hint of awe.

And beneath it all… unease.

Elara walked quietly, her usual liveliness completely gone. Tears clung stubbornly to the corners of her eyes as she gripped her mother’s hand tightly, as though afraid that letting go would cause everything to fall apart.

“Don’t worry,” Serene whispered softly, forcing a reassuring smile onto her face. “Your brother will come back safely.”

Her voice was gentle.

Convincing.

But even she did not fully believe her own words.

Who could say for certain?

Who could guarantee that this would not be the last time she ever saw her son?

Beside her, Ardyn’s usually stoic expression had begun to crack.

As a man, he tried to maintain control, to appear strong for his family. But as he stared at his son’s broad, steady back, his heart pounded heavily against his chest.

He knew too much.

From everything he had learned, the second floor of the Abyss was nothing like the first.

It was far more dangerous.

At least ten times worse.

Many had ventured into the second floor.

But those who managed to return…They could be counted on one hand.

And now, his son was about to step into that very place.

Compared to the first time Thoren entered the Abyss, their fear had only grown deeper.

Back then, they had nothing. Now… they had everything.

Thoren had changed their lives. he had given them hope. He had shown them a world they had never imagined they would one day stand in.

And if anything were to happen to him…

How could they possibly enjoy the life he had built for them?

How could they live peacefully, knowing the price he had paid?

Ardyn clenched his fists tightly.

Perhaps… he would not be able to endure it.

Perhaps he would break.

And his wife…

He did not dare to imagine what would happen to her.

As for Thoren, he could feel their sorrow. He could sense the weight of their emotions pressing against his back.

But there was nothing he could do. This was their reality and they would have to accept it.

He had already made them a promise.

He would return.

And he intended to fulfill it.

“Master Thoren, you need not worry,” the General said with a confident smile. “I will have my men protect your family.”

There was no flattery in his tone.

This was a decision he had already made the moment Thoren entrusted him with a healing potion.

“I trust you on that,” Thoren replied with a nod. “I’ve already made preparations with my father. In a week, you may visit him and discuss the details.”

The General raised an eyebrow, a flicker of confusion passing through his eyes.

Preparations?

What kind of preparations could Thoren have possibly made in such a short time?

Yet, knowing the young man before him, he doubted it would be anything ordinary.

The thought alone caused his heart to skip a beat.

His gaze unconsciously shifted to Ardyn.

Could it be…?

Is he trying to bring me under his family’s influence?

The General was no fool.

He understood how the world worked. There was no such thing as a free lunch.

Everything had a price.

Still, he chose not to dwell on it for now.

There would be time to consider such matters later.

Right now… his focus was on seeing Thoren off.

The group soon exited the military base.

Before them lay the Abyss passage.

A vast, horrifying expanse of darkness stretched into the distance like the open maw of a monstrous beast.

Merely looking at it made one’s skin crawl.

Even the soldiers who guarded it day and night had never grown accustomed to its oppressive presence.

It was something that defied understanding.

Something that instinctively evoked fear.

Yet, to an Awakener, that suffocating dread was far less overwhelming.

Thoren walked forward and stopped at the edge of the darkness.

He turned back, his gaze sweeping across his parents… and everyone who had come to see him off.

For a brief moment, his eyes met Corven’s, who stood silently at the back of the crowd.

Then, he looked away.

Silence fell.

Heavy.

Suffocating.

No one spoke.

No one dared to.

Finally, Thoren broke the silence.

“I’ll get going,” he said casually. “Until we meet again.”

There was no grand speech.

No dramatic farewell.

Just a simple statement.

Then, he turned and walked forward into the darkness.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

Everyone held their breath.

Tears rolled down Elara and Serene’s cheeks, their quiet sobs escaping despite their attempts to remain composed.

Ardyn clenched his teeth, his jaw tightening before he finally exhaled in helplessness.

He pulled his wife and daughter close, holding them firmly.

Reassuring them.

Reassuring himself.

Everything would be fine.

They could endure this.

Thoren would return.

He had to.

They just needed to stay strong… and wait.

But deep within their hearts…

A whisper lingered.

A cold, unshakable doubt.

It crept into their thoughts, gnawing at their resolve.

And it made them shudder.

They watched as Thoren’s figure grew smaller and smaller, swallowed gradually by the Abyss darkness.

With every step he took, the sense of unease grew stronger.

The soldiers around them held their breath.

Many struggled to maintain their composure.

Even seasoned captains could not fully suppress the tension coiling in their chests.

Elara’s sobs grew louder.

Serene’s tears flowed freely now, no longer restrained.

And just then…

“Salute!” the General commanded in a deep, resounding voice.

Whoosh!

In perfect unison, the soldiers straightened and raised their hands in salute, their eyes locked firmly on Thoren’s figure.

A powerful wind surged from the depths of the Abyss.

It roared like a living entity.

And in an instant, it swallowed him whole.

He vanished.

Gone.

…

…

For Thoren, the moment he stepped into the Abyss passage, the world changed.

He was descending at a rapid speed through a dark, endless passage.

The wind howled violently around him, fierce enough to tear an ordinary person apart in seconds.

Yet, not a single strand of it touched him.

It was as if the storm itself avoided him.

He continued to fall, deeper and deeper into the darkness.

Time lost meaning.

Seconds felt like minutes.

Minutes felt like hours.

Then, gradually, his speed began to slow.

A sign he was nearing his destination. The darkness around him started to disperse, thinning like mist under a mysterious power.

Shapes began to form below.

A landscape.

A new world.

“Hmm…?”

Thoren’s brows furrowed slightly as a strong gust of wind struck his face.

His eyes sharpened.

“T-This…”

The scene shifted completely.

And in the next moment, he found himself standing in the middle of an endless…

****

[AN: Thank you everyone for the support and love. We’ve now come to the end of the first volume – Fourteen Days.

Now to the second volume.]

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