"For that reason, ever since I was born… this place has been my only world. But my mother… she can no longer stay here. Anyone who reaches the sixth stage of power is forced to descend into the Black Depth."
Louskas froze in place.
"The Black Depth?"
She nodded quietly.
"Yes. There's a rift between the realms. If you look far enough down, you'll see a black ocean… but it's not just an empty void. Down there live creatures who have surpassed the sixth stage, and beasts that no longer belong to this world. It's a prison… and a graveyard all at once."
Louskas blinked, startled.
"Wait—what do you mean by realms?"
She tilted her head, a touch of amusement in her eyes.
"Ah, yes… There are six realms in this place—or perhaps, six continents. Each continent has its own laws. Right now, we're in the second continent—The Continent of Beasts. Anyone can enter it. But the third continent requires at least the second stage… and so on. As for the fifth, you must've already passed through the first continent first. That one… is terrifying."
Six realms inside the shard's world? That revelation hit harder than anything before.
"Then that woman I met earlier—"
"Yes," she interrupted softly. "She's from the fourth continent—The Continent of Witches. Be careful with them. They carry strange marks, and tribes with… stranger ways."
Louskas pressed on, a note of tension in his voice.
"But… when I met her, I couldn't sense any shard from her. I thought it was just because I was in pain, but now I'm not so sure."
She smiled gently.
"You'll discover why… soon enough."
Then, after a short pause, she added,
"As for the Depth… no one truly considers it a continent. It's something that shouldn't exist."
Louskas didn't respond right away. He had already seen a glimpse of that dark abyss. He needed a moment to digest all this. The idea that creatures of the sixth stage and beyond dwelled there… made his own strength feel like a flickering candle before a storm.
For them, he was nothing more than an ant—trying to crawl across an endless sea of shadows.
"Irissa…" he finally said, his voice softer now, more respectful. "I'm sorry… for what you and your mother had to endure. But… may I ask something?"
She looked at him and nodded with a quiet, melancholy smile.
"Of course. But remember… don't ask anything that might shatter your future."
Despite the tension, he chuckled lightly.
"Fair enough. When did you arrive here? And… what stage are you in now?"
She raised an eyebrow and let out a soft laugh.
"Trying to ask a lady's age in a roundabout way, are we?"
He didn't reply. He simply waited.
"I've been here… for a thousand years." She took another slow sip of wine. "And I think you already know what stage I'm in."
A chill ran down Louskas' spine. Of course, he knew.
"You mean…"
"Yes." She cut him off gently, her gaze distant as if seeing something he couldn't. "I'll be joining my mother soon. Maybe today, maybe a month, maybe a year. But it's inevitable."
A strange tightness filled Louskas' chest—an unfamiliar ache. Despite everything he'd been through, he rarely felt attached to others. But this girl… this woman who had fought for so long in silence… they stirred something different in him.
A thousand years of solitude.
A thousand years of waiting.
It was a life he wouldn't wish upon even his greatest enemies.
And yet, amidst all that sorrow, one thing was crystal clear to him.
For irissa and Silvara to leave this place…
He would have to take control of this world.
And that could only mean one thing—He had to reach the sixth stage… and surpass it.
A strange smile crept onto his lips.
A mix of resolve, madness, and burning anticipation.