It had been about another two days before I finally managed to find my way out of the hollow mountains.
I had spent over a week hiding, suppressing my presence, and avoiding abominations.
My star was nearly out of light, its platinum radiance reduced to a mere silver candlelight.
I was running practically on empty, my trek across the hollow mountains wasn't exactly a pleasant experience.
For the first time in over a week, I looked around and saw not mountains, but an endless expanse of black and gray.
Off in the distance, I saw crimson coral-like structures sprouting from the black soil, the blood colored branches reaching out towards the endless gray sky, and a large body of water not too far from the coral.
Streaks of what I could only assume was sunlight highlighted the gray sky in shades of cold white, the signature warmth associated with the sun completely absent.
It was beautiful in its own eerie way, the black and gray acting as backdrops to accentuate the bloody red of the coral.
While it wasn't any Garden of Eden, it seemed far more hospitable than the harsh terrain of the Hollow Mountains.
I stood still for a moment, taking in the land before me, both the beauty and the ominous color palette weighing on my mind.
In a way, it sort of reminded me of the star tombs of my previous world, the tombs containing the world and will of a transcendent that couldn't yet pass on in peace.
Those worlds contained impossible sights, lacked the typical laws associated with reality.
I remember entering one where gravity had been completely reversed, and another that housed a demon that could manipulate the orientation of your limbs and body parts.
If you helped solve the regrets of the transcendent, you would receive a star relic: a reflection of their identity as a constellation, and a memento of their stories.
Ultimately though—
The star tombs were a peek into the forgotten past, a memorial of tragedy and regret.
Something had happened here; this land bore that same historic feel, like the ruins of a once-flourishing empire.
This place reeked of tragedy, of failure, of regret, of sacrifice.
For all I knew, the black and gray that color the land could've once been vibrant hues of green and blue.
The bloody coral blades that pierced the sky could've once been a vibrant forest that teemed with life.
Images and scenarios flashed through my mind, a habit I had picked up in my last life.
Like the dream realm, the continent where I had been born, raised, and eventually the one I had died protecting, was packed with unexplored history.
The stories of knights and kings of old, the memoirs of the forefathers of humanity, and traces of ancient races that had long gone extinct.
I indulged in the stories of old, my lack of social interaction brought forth a desire to understand others, to understand humanity.
History bore lessons; it held the experiences and memories of wise kings, while also holding the stories of fools and madmen.
To me, the people who populated the continent's history were my friends.
I understood more about them than anyone else; I understood why they did the things they did, I understood the way they thought, and I understood their personalities and identities.
It was intoxicating, "knowing" somebody was truly intoxicating.
Seeing this land, feeling the forgotten history entwined with its existence, my transcendent soul grew hungry, practically salivating at the thought of discovering this land's long-lost story.
I want to know.
I want to know what transpired.
I want to know why the ground was stained black.
I want to know why the sky was painted in shades of muted gray.
I want to know what the crimson coral was and why it was here.
My dissatisfaction with the nightmare spell all but disappeared.
The dissatisfaction gave way to gratitude.
A smile crept onto my face.
A pure, sincere smile graced my features.
The Spell had given me a gift, access to an ancient world.
Survival had consumed my mind for the past half a year since I arrived, blinding me to the wonders of the dream realm.
I had seen the dream realm as nothing more than an obstacle to be overcome, but now I viewed it from a slightly different lens.
This was a different world, teeming with lost history, and I wanted to find it.
With those thoughts in mind, I began my venture through this unfamiliar land.
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(A/N: I'm probably gonna release shorter chapters for a bit, just so I can keep up the same upload schedule while still being able to lock in for the rest of my classes.
I've been spending the past few days just writing up character profiles for the main cast, just so I can actually accurately portray them here.
I want them to feel like they do in the webnovel, and have them react realistically to whatever my OC does, so I've been rereading and just taking some notes on their behaviors and personalities.
Honestly, this chapter was my attempt at trying to give Audun more depth, to make him less 2D.
I hope you guys enjoyed, I'll see you next time!)