An eternity seemed to have passed.

The Darkness around him complimented it as it stretched for an infinity.

Varian thought he was mentally resilient. That he was strong both in the head and body.

But in this unending darkness, he faced his own weakness.

Feelings of restlessness crept into his heart and he wondered if he could really get out of this never-ending prison.

Uncertainty bred restlessness, restlessness birthed fear.

Fear turned into despair and when despair was about to swallow him whole, Varian's dull eyes gleamed with hope.

'I want to meet Sia. I broke my promise to her. I wantI want to make up with her.'

'I have to meet Sarah. I don't know how she's doing. I miss her.'

'If I die, who'll be the best man for Kyle's wedding?'

'Tutor Seth, Master Evander, and Sovereign Irene, they helped me one way or another. I can't let them down.'

There were people who he deemed important. People who made his life better.

And then

'I have to yet to kill Charles.'

'I vowed to exterminate the Xander family.'

'I need to slaughter Julius and Kreo.'

There were people who he hated with every fiber of his being. People who made his life hell.

The positive and negative thoughts ran in his mind in a never-ending loop.

If they're thrown into a dark room with no source of contact whatsoever, ordinary people would experience severe psychological impact.

Varian

Varian had to survive in a dark void for what he felt like 80 hours, roughly three days.

But instead of losing their light, Varian's eyes started to shine with a greater passion.

In the sea of darkness, his eyes were the only thing that shone with hope.

Then

Then it happened.

A small point of light appeared in the darkness.

Then it expanded to the size of a ball, a bowl, a car, a house, a hill, and finally, everything lit up.

"Haaaa!" Varian raised his arms and guarded his eyes against the blinding light.

In fact, it was quite ordinary, but after being in darkness for so long, his eyes took a lot of time to adjust back.

"Woah!" What came into view was a large ash-colored room with walls on three sides and metallic bars on the fourth.

Looking above, all he could see was the familiar darkness.

"Haaa!"

A lot of questions floated in his mind.

'How did I fall for ten minutes and not end up injured but safely landed?'

'What is this place?'

But he didn't think.

Instead, he.

"Fuuuuuck!"

Varian closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. His shoulders slouched and the stiffness in his body relaxed.

While he appeared nonchalant throughout, he wasn't very calm internally. He had no idea if he was going to live or not. While he told himself he had reasons to live, would the darkness give a crap about his feelings?

Taking deep breaths, Varian completely calmed himself.

His attempts to circulate his mental power were futile. So were his attempts to teleport out of this room.

Varian smacked his lips and slowly walked to the metallic bars. This place resembled a prison cell more than anything.

'A prison cell where the prisoners are prohibited from using their powers.' Now that made perfect sense.

But the question

'How the fuck do I escape from here?'

Kacha!

Varian's question was answered the moment he held the metal bars.

Like wooden dust blowing in the wind, the metal bars turned into powder and dispersed.

"Wha"

Varian's eyes widened in surprise.

[This place was severely damaged when the System escaped.]

Varian cocked a brow as he stepped out of the room.

It was a huge corridor with the same desolate grey. With dozens and dozens of prison cells on either side, it seemed to stretch on forever.

Varian sighed deeply. The system only said he'd be out of the darkness in eight minutes. It made no mention of how long it'd take to escape this place and go back to the throne hall. Or even if that's possible.

But he kept his hopes up.

'You escaped from here, that means you know this place well. So, guide me to the exit, will ya?'

[Of course.]

'Lezz go!' Varian fist-pumped the air, but the air didn't explode as it should.

His powers were sealed off.

[Go seven miles straight and take a left. Oh and do it as fast as you can, which is around fifteen minutes.]

'Pardon?' Varian almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. If he was high, no, forget, even if he was a low awakener, that distance wouldn't be a big problem.

But as a mortal, fifteen minutes was a bit

[It's best to go as fast as possible. Since even this system can't perceive what's happening in the prince's hall. You have to meet her, don't you?]

Varian gritted his teeth.

Sia

'Fuck it. I'll be there in no time.'

He bent on one knee, assumed a proper posture, and began running.

In the long and wide ash corridor forgotten by time, the heavy breathings of a single man echoed.

He left behind a trail of sweat.

Varian gave it his all.

He was fine for the first mile. Not bad for the second. Somehow managed the third.

But the fourth mile

"Haa! Haa!" Varian ran as he felt his throat burn up.

The distance wasn't the problem. It was the speed.

He was running too fast. So fast that his legs, especially his jointsthey were burning.

The pain afflicted every bit of his lower body. Right from his soles all the way to his thighs.

His clothes were completely drenched in sweat and Varian's hair stuck to his forehead as he ran like a madman.

Thoughts like

'She'll be alright.'

'You don't need to do this.'

'Sia is strong. She can take care of herself. Take it slow.'

When these thoughts appeared, Varian resolutely pushed them down.

He ran with even more vigor.

'This is the chance I got after so many hardships. I don't want to lose it because of a moment of compromise.'