Unedited*

"Is there a passageway here? You can’t tell at all." Below them, leading toward some cave, were some barely noticeable and slightly slippery steps.

Edward could practically guess where the steps were just by the footsteps of the one leading him. Even with spiritual energy, he couldn’t see them.

If it weren’t for the guide, he would have tumbled all the way down.

Strangely, the body of this Sanguine in front of him was glowing. It was different from those outside.

’I feel like I’ve seen that glow before...’ Edward frowned and recalled the head that had nearly killed him a second ago.

’I see. They glow the same way...’

"You’re wondering about me and my glow, aren’t you?" asked the Sanguine, showing no signs of agitation beyond a smile.

Edward nodded.

"Actually, I’m wondering about you, too," replied the Sanguine, turning to look at him as he continued down the stairs. "What are you, or who are you? It’s the first time I’ve seen someone so similar to us, yet so... colorful."

"Colorful?" Edward frowned. He was wearing black clothes—where was he colorful?

"Haha, yeah. Look at your skin—it’s white, but not pale like ours. You have blood, but you also have that strange green stuff surrounding it; it’s like tubes. You have little red things on your hands and all over your body. Even though your head looks like mine does now, there’s something weird inside it... You’re very colorful. Your blood isn’t as red as ours, and you have white bones... What the hell are you?"

Edward looked at him, puzzled. For several minutes, he didn’t know what to say. ’This guy... Can he see inside my body?’ He was alarmed. He felt exposed in front of this guy. It was an uncomfortable feeling.

Although he didn’t seem to have any ill intentions, he was still a danger.

"Hahaha." The Sanguine suddenly burst out laughing, and they arrived at a place with a half-door made of wood that glowed because it had microorganisms on it. He opened it, and on the other side was a small cave with few things around.

It was lit by the wood and its microorganisms. Thanks to that, Edward was able to survey the area.

The cave walls were made of the same black rock as the stairs.

"Come to think of it, there was some of that black rock at the cave entrance too, on the tree walls," he thought.

"Apparently, you’re one of the lost races. You’re amazed by many things that are basic to us. History tells us that used to happen quite often." The Sanguine sat down on a rock-carved bench and motioned for him to sit nearby.

But seeing that he didn’t move, he spoke again. "They won’t find you here. The Sacred Rocks of Aleskra protect us; it’s impossible for them to find us."

"Sacred Rocks of Aleskra?" Edward looked closely at those rocks. Without light, you couldn’t perceive them, and even with light, it was a bit complicated because they seemed to have something that repelled the light or swallowed it up; he couldn’t understand that effect.

Despite that, the lights were still on, so you could make out what was there. Especially if you also used spiritual energy, you could even stare at it and make out its shape.

"Why do I feel like I’ve seen this before?" Even though he tried to remember, for some reason he couldn’t.

He finally nodded and sat down next to the Sanguine to stare at him.

"You’re a Sanguine, aren’t you?" Edward asked directly, after staring at him for several minutes straight.

He nodded. "I am. And before you ask why I’m hiding or why I don’t look like them... They are Corrupted Sanguines. They have been corrupted by the evil forces of the God of Shadows and are now working for them, usurping the position of our Venerated Aleskra."

"Corrupted and uncorrupted Sanguines... God of the Shadows..." Edward shook his head. "There’s a lot I don’t know. Where I come from, the Sanguines haven’t existed for tens of thousands of years, and I’ve never heard of the God of the Shadows."

"Where are you from?" The Sanguine frowned. "I saw you fighting earlier, and I saw that you have a few pets..."

"I’m a human," Edward replied immediately. "My name is Edward Lux, and I’m a normal human—a beastmaster."

"Beastmaster... Edward Lux..." The Sanguine seemed to recall something, but his mind couldn’t pinpoint the source of the information.

"Do you know anything?" Edward asked.

"Maybe I know something, but I’ve already forgotten it. Humans are a race, right? From another world?"

"Uh..." Edward smiled with a touch of embarrassment. "Maybe."

I had no idea. He came here through a hidden door behind a low-level Cursed Land. He shouldn’t have gone very far, but it certainly seemed like another world.

The atmosphere was different; the air was fresher and more natural. There was less pollution; here it was daytime and there it was nighttime... there were many things that told him it was another world.

But that was something he didn’t know.

"Curious. Did you come without knowing? How did you get in here? Did you just fall from the sky?"

’Falling from the sky... That sounds like an isekai summoning.’ Edward laughed at his own nonsensical joke.

"No, I came through a door. A very heavy door that’s located at..." He turned around and tried to orient himself to see if he could point out the direction, but he couldn’t. "Uh, well, it’s near where there’s a giant waterfall."

"A giant waterfall..." The Sanguine’s red eyes gleamed. "The Gate of the End!"

He immediately stood up and ran toward Edward. "You—do you have the key?"

Edward frowned. He couldn’t understand how that place was considered the Gate of the End, but he sighed. "I only had the entrance key. After I used it, it disappeared inside the gate. I don’t have it anymore."

"Entry key..." The Sanguine leaned back, resting against the hard furniture. "Did you kill the Gatekeeper, then?"

"Um... maybe. I had a battle with a Death Knight who claimed to be the guardian of that gate."

"A Death Knight? Was he strong?"

"He wasn’t any stronger than any of the ones chasing me a few minutes ago."

"Ah." The Sanguine seemed to wince in pain upon hearing this. "It’s been so long that even the Great Protector has lost his power. It’s a shame."

"I haven’t been following what you’ve been saying for a while now, you know? I came here just to find a Temple. I don’t intend to get involved with you Sanguine people unless it’s unavoidable."

"Heh." The Sanguine shrugged. "I’m afraid I have to give you the bad news that it is unavoidable, then. All of this is the Temple."

"All of this?" Edward frowned. "So far I’ve only seen a great river, lots of trees, a radiant sun... What’s so temple-like about that?"

The Sanguine took a deep breath and stood up. He walked toward the stairs and picked up a piece of sacred rock.

Then he turned and stared intently at Edward.

In a deep, enigmatic voice, he spoke.

"Welcome to the Temple where races fall and converge.

To the place of the dead who live for eternity and the living who die eternally.

Welcome to Aleskra."

The sacred stone leapt from Sanguine’s hand into Edward’s and glowed brightly, revealing a colorful and sometimes dark world that lit up the dim room.

It was like a screen showing the Earth from space.

Edward was perplexed, not only staring at the rock and its transmission, but also trying to understand the Sanguine’s words.

But the Sanguine hadn’t finished speaking. "Once you enter through the Gate of the End, there is no turning back. That is a hermetically sealed door, and it is impossible to open once activated. I suppose you’re out of luck, little foreigner."

"Is this really the Temple of Aleskra?" Edward asked, voicing his greatest doubt.

"It is." The Sanguine confirmed. "Our Venerable Lord Aleskra created it many years ago."

"And... have you ever seen Aleskra?"

"See him?" The Sanguine tilted his head in confusion. "No one can see God. Or can you?"

’...No one can see God.’ Edward repeated those words in his mind.

Is Aleskra a kind of god?

’I can’t ask him. Apparently, they feel a great deal of adoration and veneration for Aleskra. Asking him might put my life in danger.’ Edward nodded. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

However, he was curious, for in his world he couldn’t recall any urban legend mentioning that Aleskra was a revered god.

Some chants refer to him as the king of death, others as the king of fear, but he is not presented as a god. Could this be a different Aleskra?

’Even if he is a god... it’s dangerous.’

If that god is alive, then being in this world was the most dangerous thing he could possibly do. He’s just a young student—what is he doing trying to steal a god’s resources or kill his subordinates?

’I must be crazy.’ He shook his head, determined not to reveal too much of what he intended to do; he would proceed with caution.

Edward nodded. "And you call me a foreigner, but in my world, there are records of Sanguines who lived alongside us in one of the eras. Don’t you have records of that? From the Age of the Three Giants."

"From the Age of the Three Giants?" The Sanguine raised his eyebrows slightly.