"Are they alive?" Aria looked around in terror.

“Not alive,” Lucius said with concern. “The forest sensed us. Few people use magic here, but I had to resort to a forbidden spell just now to kill the executioner.”

Deep within the Everwood, Aria and Lucius darted through, their hearts racing as they cautiously evaded the crawling vines that ensnared tree trunks. Shadows danced around them, occasionally pierced by sharp beams of light that outlined the dense mist.

Suddenly, they encountered the twisted corpses entangled in the tree trunks once more. Their eyes flickered open, releasing profound darkness. A chilling scream echoed through the forest as the vines aggressively reached out, attempting to seize Aria and Lucius.

"Evamergeinis," Lucius loudly pronounced a spell.

His palm emitted a dazzling white light, akin to a thunderbolt. The radiance enveloped them, momentarily dispersing the vines. But in that instant, a vine ensnared Aria's foot, swiftly dragging her towards a mangled corpse.

"Lucius!" Her voice trembled with fear.

Lucius turned, his eyes shimmering with white light. Concentrating all his strength, he unleashed another spell, the brilliance surrounding him like a blazing flame. He swung his palm towards the entwined trunk, a powerful shockwave of energy erupted, engulfing everything in its searing light.

The trunk emitted a piercing scream, seemingly enduring immense pain. The vines writhed violently, but before Lucius's magic, ultimately, the tree emitted a thunderous roar, flames swiftly engulfing it, along with the corpses entangled within.

Aria freed herself from the vines, standing beside Lucius, gasping for breath. Witnessing Lucius's extraordinary magic, her eyes widened in amazement. Yet, a subtle sense of unease crept over her, for in this mysterious Evergreen Forest, those corpses could awaken at any moment.

They eventually arrived at the entrance of a cave adorned with a white stone arch, carved with semi-divine script and some silver-glowing dried vines.

"This island has hundreds of caves, and I chose this one deep within the Eternal Tree Forest. Building a portal here makes it difficult to be discovered," Lucius explained.

"Did you build it to help me escape?" Aria inquired.

"I've been planning this for a long time," Lucius affirmed with a determined gaze. "There's a natural magical barrier here that prevents other demigods from sensing its presence."

Aria and Lucius descended down the white stairs, each step accompanied by faint echoes. Inside the cave, silver light flickered like scattered stars in the depths of the earth, lending an eerie and mysterious atmosphere.

As they ventured deeper, the sound of dripping water gradually became clearer, echoing like an ancient melody in the cavern. Finally, they arrived at a spacious underground chamber.

At the center of the chamber, a pool of silver light quietly emanated a soft glow, illuminating the entire cave. The radiance came from the pool, its surface shimmering with a gentle luster as if adorned with countless gems.

At this moment, water droplets incessantly dripped from the ceiling, falling into the pool with crisp sounds. The area around the pool was artificially excavated, resembling a giant bowl seemingly crafted to catch the falling droplets, infusing the cavern with vitality and vigor.

"This is the sap of the Eternal Tree, and these pools are specially designed to collect it."

"Why do you collect the sap?" Aria asked.

"It's the source of demi-god magic," Lucius replied, retrieving a silver vial from his pocket. "When we feel lacking in magic, we use the sap of the Eternal Tree to gather more power." He uncorked the vial and, with a wave of his hand, the liquid flew out, forming a continuously rotating circular sphere on the surface of the water.

As the sphere spun faster and faster, it resembled a silver-glowing meteor streaking across the night sky. Along with its motion, the surrounding air began to churn, creating a powerful airflow that brushed against Aria and Lucius's clothes, evoking an intangible sense of pressure.

Lucius's palm emitted a dazzling silver light, akin to a rising moon illuminating the entire underground chamber. His lips moved slightly, softly chanting ancient demi-god incantations, with a deep and melodious voice, as if whispering secrets of the earth.

Simultaneously, his eyes began to emit bright silver-white light, akin to two pearls sparkling with mysterious radiance. Beams of light burst forth from his eyes, spreading throughout the cavern and enveloping everything in a silver-hued illusion.

The ground began to tremble slightly, accompanied by deep rumbling sounds, as if the heartbeat of the earth. Ripples on the water's surface started to churn, forming an increasingly distinct vortex that swallowed up all the surrounding light and energy.Amidst collisions and frictions, the water's surface continuously erupted with strange brilliance, resembling the twinkling of stars, beautiful and mysterious.

Lucius released more silver light from the silver bottle again. Finally, after all the liquid was sucked away, the vortex in the pool began to transform into a black passageway extending to the bottom of the water. The force stirred the entire pool, opening a circular portal on the water's surface.

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"Now is the time for you to leave, Aria," said Lucius, his tone heavy with gravity. "The portal is open now, and Adomoye will soon sense its presence."

"Aren't you coming with me?" Aria's voice trembled, her eyes revealing unease.

"I cannot," Lucius shook his head. "There are matters I must attend to here. I cannot leave."

“Why?” Aria's voice carried doubt and anxiety. "If you stay here, Adomoye will kill you."

Lucius fell silent for a moment, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "Do you want to know why I would break my promise to save your life?" His voice gradually lowered, his gaze deepening. "Because my time is running out, so I've decided to make a plan to save you."

"Will you die?Aren't demigods supposed to live for over a hundred years?" Aria's eyes flashed with surprise.

"I have been implanted with a magic eye. I can no longer control it. The magic eye can burst out with power at any time, controlling my mind."

"But your eyes look normal." Aria suddenly looked up, wanting to see Lucius's eyes clearly, but what she saw was a pair of clear gray eyes.

At that moment, a sharp scream came from the distant cave entrance, and the corpses on the eternal tree emitted tearing cries. Someone had intruded into the cave, their footsteps echoing from the tunnel beyond.

"We've been discovered. Let's go, Aria. Remember my words, go to the town of Longhorn and find someone named... Neven Everhart."

"You can't stay here. We can't part like this. Come with me, and I'll find a way to help you remove the magic eye."

"It's not that simple. You know too little about me," Lucius said, his gaze firm. "You must leave here and seek Neven's help. Only you can leave this island, and only you can find the forgotten answers."

The footsteps in the distance grew closer.

Aria carried her dagger and pendant, bravely stepping into the icy waters of the pool. The water rushed fiercely, instantly soaking her skirt. As she hesitated about leaping into the swirling vortex, a powerful force suddenly dragged her towards the center of the whirlpool. Aria lost her balance in an instant, pulled into the water by the force. With the increasing strength of the whirl, she began to plummet towards the bottom, her body enveloped by the force, unable to control herself.

The icy water seemed to penetrate her bones, sending shivers down her spine. She felt the immense pressure of the water, as if it were about to devour her completely. Closing her eyes, she felt as though she were trapped in an endless abyss of darkness, helplessly sinking into it. In this chaotic world, she felt lonely and helpless, as if she had been thrown into an endless darkness, unable to find any hope or light.

Suddenly, she felt her body sink as if losing gravity, and then she fell into a space without water.

Aria opened her eyes, her body hitting the icy ground hard. She lay there, feeling sore all over, and it took her a while to recover from the dizziness. When she raised her head, she was surprised to find herself in a vast snowy landscape.

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, surrounding her in a sea of white. She felt a bone-chilling cold, her breath turning into mist that hung in the air. At this moment, the sun was gradually setting, casting a faint orange hue across the sky.

"Lucius," Aria whispered, though she knew Lucius wouldn't be traveling with her through the portal. She looked around, finding nothing but the drifting snowflakes where she had fallen.

Where was this? Apart from the snowflakes and the trees, there was nothing.

Trembling, Aria stood up and saw a white horse not far away.

Aria walked towards the horse.

The horse was as white as snow, its fur shimmering silver. The saddle was exquisite, shining brightly. There was a backpack hanging on the horse's back, and Aria quickly opened it, pulling out a fluffy white feather cloak. She quickly put on the cloak, shivering from the cold. Then, Aria found a heavy pouch in the backpack, filled with shimmering gold coins. She continued searching and found a map at the bottom. Aria unfolded the map, which already marked her location and the destination she needed to reach, Longhorn Town.

This was all prepared by Lucius, arranging everything before the journey.

After fleeing Celestial Sanctum, Aria spent a full ten days before reaching the small town of Longhorn mentioned by Lucius. Situated to the north, it was the closest settlement to the border of Sovereign Bastion.

Clad in a white feathered cloak, Aria's eyelashes were frosted over. The winter in the north was much colder than she remembered, and the long journey left her feeling weary and worn.However, when Aria saw the lights of Longhorn Town in the valley below, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of excitement.She was getting closer to home. Now, all she needed to do was find a man named Neven Everhart, as Lucius had instructed, and persuade him to return to Sovereign Bastion with her. Perhaps, in this small town, she would find all the answers she sought.

As night fell, Longhorn appeared desolate and lonely, with scarcely a soul in sight. Finally, Aria stopped outside a candlelit inn - the only place in town emitting any sound. The upper floor of the inn offered accommodation, with sporadic oil lamps illuminating the darkness. Through the wide windows of the spacious dining room, dimly lit by candlelight, she could see many people chatting and drinking inside.

Pushing open the wooden door, a blast of cold wind mixed with snowflakes rushed into the lively interior. The dim oil lamps illuminated the slender figure draped in a white feathered cloak, and suddenly, the entire inn fell silent.

The room was filled with guests, each dressed differently, seemingly from various places. They all turned their gaze towards Aria as she entered, as if beholding a peculiar traveler from a distant land. Aria glanced around but couldn't discern the origins of these people.

The patrons continued to stare at Aria as she entered. Of course, clad in her white feathered cloak, she resembled a startled deer who had wandered off course.

Clearing her throat, Aria approached the diminutive bartender with an air of feigned confidence, rapping lightly on the counter. "Hello, is there accommodation available here?"

"Oh, of course," the bartender snapped back to attention, swiftly pouring her a glass of berry wine. "Have some hot wine to warm yourself up," he said warmly.

After a moment, conversation gradually resumed in the tavern. Aria breathed a sigh of relief, cradling the large wooden cup as she stood quietly, taking a sip of the hot wine.

"You're not from around here; I have a good memory, I know everyone in town," the bartender said, eyeing her with curiosity.

"Can't you be a bit modest?" someone mocked the bartender loudly. "In a town this small, who doesn't know everyone?"

The bartender grimaced. "Stop prying into my past; I'm telling the truth," he retorted.

Aria took a sip of wine, offering a forced smile along with the other patrons.

"Where are you from?" the bartender asked as he poured another drink.

Feeling a bit awkward, Aria knew she couldn't easily reveal her identity. She tried to come up with a suitable lie. "I'm from the south, and I've had quite a few adventures along the way."