The air pressed thick and heavy as I crossed the threshold into Casa Supremium. My mask stayed firm—I never let it slip—but inside, something trembled, a taut violin string on the verge of snapping. This was no ordinary place. It was a world alive, pulsing with an energy that thrummed in my bones. Mountains stood like ancient guardians, rivers sliced the earth with silent rage, and the forests fixed me with knowing gazes, heavy with secrets I wasn't sure I wanted to unearth.
Everything here radiated beauty—a dangerous, piercing beauty. It burned the eyes and tightened the chest with its weight.
But beneath that tranquil surface, a trick lingered. Wildness ruled in the undercurrent. The strong survive; the weak vanish. Harsh, yet fair. A reflection of me. I walked that vibrant ground, each step humming with life: a distant beast's snarl, the faint song of falling water, a leaf's quiver in the wind. I sensed it all, stretching across an impossible span of 500,000 kilometers. The domain and I were one. Yet, in that fusion, an emptiness gnawed—a king enthroned in perfection, alone.
The waterfall drew me in. I didn't resist. Its waters shimmered, alive, charged with something immense—Life and Purification, forces that could sear the unprepared to cinders. Not me, though. They recognized me. I was their master. Everything here bent to my will.
Elowen, however, stood unguarded. Her eyes flickered with awe laced with fear. The water seemed to call her, yet warn her: you can't bear this. She stood frozen, captivated, fingers hovering just shy of its surface.
— "Do you feel it?" she asked, her voice soft, nearly swallowed by the cascade's roar.
I didn't answer right away. Our eyes met, and for a fleeting second, something slipped past my defenses—something I wouldn't name.
— "It's like it's alive," she murmured, her fingers grazing the water, hesitant.
— "It is," I said, my voice sharp. But a trace of warmth slipped through, uninvited.
She smiled—a small, defiant curve of her lips, as if challenging the weight of this place. Then, almost without thought, she asked:
— "Aren't you afraid?"
— "Fear is for the weak," I snapped, too quickly. Deep down, though, I knew: there was something I feared, something she stirred without realizing.
The air between us grew dense. It wasn't just the mist from the falls. Something rawer, older, pulsed in the space. For a moment, we stood on the brink of something forbidden. She stepped closer. I didn't back away—I couldn't—but my body tensed, every muscle taut. The world seemed to pause, caught between pushing us together and tearing us apart.
Then a roar sliced through—jagged, brutal. The primordial dragon shattered the quiet, its tail lashing the sky. Its fathomless eyes locked onto mine, delivering a warning I refused to read. Something felt wrong. New. I ignored it.
— "What was that?" Elowen asked, her body stiff, eyes wide.
— "Nothing you need to understand," I replied, already climbing onto the beast's back. — "Let's go."
She hesitated, glancing back at the waterfall, as if reluctant to leave its pull. But she followed.
On the flight back, I let the territory's weight crash over me. Its gravity was unyielding—a constant test, pounding against my strength, my endurance. I welcomed it. It was how the domain reminded me who I was, who I had to be.
The house rose on the horizon, and for the first time, I truly saw it. Not just stone and light, but a piece of my soul carved into the world. Its walls glowed blue and gold, cradling streams of starlight. Towers stabbed through the clouds, proud and untouchable. The garden thrived in vivid chaos—flowers bleeding color, trees whispering to the breeze. At its heart, a fountain spiraled skyward, its waters beating with the place's pulse.
Elowen stopped beside me. Her breath came quick, uneven.
— "This house… it's incredible," she said, almost to herself.
— "It's just a reflection," I murmured, voice low. Of me. Of what I am. I left the rest unsaid.
Her gaze met mine, holding something I didn't want to face. Admiration, yes—but pity too. As if she saw the solitude I carried and refused to admit.
We approached the entrance. The ground felt solid underfoot, cool air brushing my face. Yet a stubborn heat lingered—a spark from the waterfall, from what almost happened, from what I wouldn't let happen. It hung between us, invisible but impossible to ignore.
Even with my guarded facade, I felt its burden. And it troubled me more than I'd confess.
After the waterfall's cleansing, we returned. Curiosity tugged at me—I wanted to see the house's heart, despite it all. But before we stepped inside, something caught my eye. The primordial beasts, ever watchful at their posts, had changed. They encircled the house now, like keepers of a secret I hadn't yet grasped.
— "They're different," Elowen whispered, her brow furrowing.
— "Maybe," I said, curt. My mind raced. What's happening here?
I said nothing more. I entered, Elowen trailing close. Casa Supremium greeted me in silence, but I knew it lived as fiercely as I did. And for the first time, a question stirred: Was it hiding something I couldn't command?
The waterfall's echo faded. We returned home in silence, the water's song still humming in my ears. My face gave nothing away, but inside, a spark burned. What lay within? I reached out to the domain, and its answer hit like a fist: the primordial elephant, a massive male, stomped the earth, the ground quaking as if seeking my approval. The golden-maned lion, eyes blazing like embers, stood male too. Then the females—the black tigress, the fire phoenix, the colossal dragon. A gleam flickered in their stares. Not just instinct. Jealousy.
It irritated me, knotting something in my chest. Grow close to them? Absurd. These weren't mere animals but ancient forces, capable of turning a soul to ash with their presence alone. How could I imagine more with beings that could erase universes with a sigh? My expression grew colder. Detachment was my armor.
I dismounted the dragon, boots striking the house's ground. Everything here felt strange, almost alive. The house stretched vast—kilometers upon kilometers—yet it folded inward, cozy, as if embracing me.
I stepped inside. The air weighed on my shoulders. Walls shone black as volcanic rock, twisting light into warped reflections. Old paintings in their frames seemed to murmur forgotten stories. Furniture blended the ancient and the new, a quiet dance across time. Everything flawless, untouched, as if time itself feared to approach.
I climbed the stairs—glass steps with fish swimming beneath, each one vibrating softly underfoot. In the corridor, my room awaited: a small chamber, 20 square meters, yet it seemed to devour the space around it. The bed loomed enormous, a sprawl to lose oneself in. Purple curtains swayed on their own, and dim light traced shadows that explained nothing.
The air grew thick. Breathing felt like swallowing history. The dark walls, the light-absorbing furniture—they knew me. It was hypnotic, a dive into a bottomless well.
In the closet, clothes lined up like choices shouting to be made—old tunics to sleek modern cuts, all black and white. I picked a black shirt, matching pants, sneakers—simple, yet heavy with intent.
Then I saw the blindfold. Not just fabric—it felt alive, warm to the touch. I replaced my old one. It settled over my eyes like a veil, shutting out the world and something beyond. Others hung there—white, black—each guarding its own mystery.
The bathroom called. The tub stretched like a small lake, its crystal-clear water glinting. Steam rose, clearing my mind. I sank in. The heat wrapped around me, renewing every fiber.
I stepped out, dressed. No cologne—my scent already carried the domain's mark, faint but sharp as a cold blade.
A notification blinked in my mind. I'd ignored it before, but now it pressed. I opened it.
— Something's about to shift, I thought, my heart jolting unexpectedly.
The air thickened, waiting. The message flared:
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Achievement detected:Used the pressure and gravity of Casa Supremium to train.
Reward:
➤ Bracelets that mimic the pressure of Casa Supremium.
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I reached out. Four black rings appeared, etched with dancing stars. I touched one—warm, alive. I slid two onto my wrists, two onto my ankles. Here, they felt light. Out there, in the common world, they'd crush me. Walking would become a battle. A faint smile crept onto my lips. I liked that. Casa Supremium wouldn't let me go.
I moved to the window. The horizon sprawled in breathtaking chaos—mountains tearing the sky, rivers gleaming like veins, forests swallowing the past.
— "Interesting," I murmured, my voice nearly lost in the stillness.
The bracelets were more than a prize. They bound me to the house. Every step beyond these walls, wearing them, would be a ritual—a reminder of who I was.
I left the room, my silent steps echoing through the corridors like whispers of an old secret. The house's spirits moved around me, unseen but undeniable. The air grew heavier with each stride, thick with their vigilant presence—alert, ready to answer my smallest gesture. My indifference, though, was my strength, a cloak I wore effortlessly.
The house felt alive, almost greeting me as I moved. The corridors breathed, a subtle pulse rippling underfoot. Shadows danced restlessly on the walls, swaying to a rhythm I couldn't yet grasp. This was no mere building of stone and wood—it was a living thing, a mirror of me: powerful, absolute, untouched by the world's disorder.
Adjusting the bracelets, a thought struck. They weren't just gifts. They were proof, symbols. Their weight went beyond the metal on my skin; they were part of me, a testament to the dominion I held here. — They mean more than I see now, I thought, an unseen pressure rising—not in my body, but in my soul. A symbolic force, shaping my path in ways I couldn't yet decode.
As I left the room, that weight deepened. Intangible, yet inescapable, as if the bracelets tied me to something greater. — Let's see where this takes me, I whispered to myself, my steps echoing down the hall, each sound a herald of what was to come.
The portal to Nael's house consumed us. In a blink, the noisy, chaotic world outside fell away. Here, silence and order ruled, but it was a silence that bore down on my shoulders. I glanced around, my heart skipping.
Pillars rose high, thick as ancient trees, their surfaces etched with marks that seemed to whisper tales from a time beyond my reach. The walls carried the scent of eternity—damp, timeless. Yet the rest felt starkly modern: sleek black tables, silver chairs, chandeliers casting soft light as if floating free. It was beautiful, yes, but strange too. — "This is unexpected," I murmured, my eyes scanning every detail.
Nael said nothing. He walked, his firm steps striking the polished floor. He seemed part of the house, as if it bowed to him without a sound. I stood still, trying to make sense of it.
Then I saw them—the spirits. Tiny, almost transparent, they drifted through the air with a grace that warmed my heart. Some had childlike faces—big eyes, mischievous smirks. Others looked like creatures, with small ears and tails swaying slowly. — "Nael, they're… adorable!" My voice spilled out, too loud, brimming with wonder I couldn't hold back.
He stopped, turning just enough to pin me with those cold eyes. — "They're guardians. Don't be fooled. They'll eat souls if they have to." His voice cut like ice, thin and sharp.
I laughed—short, accidental. — "Seriously? These little things?" But the sound died fast. One spirit—smaller, with round cheeks and bright eyes—floated toward me. It was so charming I crouched, hand reaching out to touch. My mistake.
It paused, head tilted. Its gaze pierced me, far too deep for something so small. A chill crawled up my spine, as if it measured my very essence. — "Don't touch," Nael said, not even looking back. His tone carried a weight I didn't like.
— "Why not?" I asked, easing my hand back. My heart raced, though I hid it.
— "They don't like it. And you wouldn't want to know what they do when they're angry." He walked on, as if it were nothing.
I swallowed hard, watching the spirit drift away. Cute, yes—but now I saw the danger veiled in its softness. This house wasn't just lovely. It was alive. And it demanded my attention.