He spent the night at the mansion, resting and thinking about the previous day. He got up and packed his belongings as the sun reached the horizon and the first rays of light shone into his bedroom. He descended the stairs and pushed the bookcase to the side, and sure enough, there was a door. He opened it cautiously, not knowing what he would find behind it. Wooden steps appeared right in front of him, five steps down. A clearing appeared, it lay beneath a canopy of sinister-looking naked trees, their branches stretching out like twisted arms, casting an ominous shadow upon the ground. The twisted trunks rose high into the sky, their gnarled roots spreading out like fingers, as if trying to strangle the very earth. The emptiness of the clearing was accentuated by the ominous presence of the trees, their branches reaching down like clutching hands. A chill ran down his spine at the sight, as the darkness of the clearing was waiting to consume anyone who entered its embrace. He stepped down the steps, fog was lying low and making way as if the fog didn't want to touch the Antithetical. The smell of humid forest ground was mixed with something else, something sweet. The Antithetical used a torch to find his way through the forest, but there were surprisingly several other light sources. At first, he thought that every light source was a torch, but he was wrong. He noticed that those light sources were flowers. He walked along a path with numerous trees on both sides, but there were flowers growing along the edge of the path that served as guide rails and lit his way. The atmosphere was thick and it felt as though he was being drawn deeper into the forest. Guided by the light, he walked forward, his eyes losing color and turning pale as he gazed mindlessly at the path. The trees appeared tall and ghostly, their branches obscured by the mist, and the sound of water droplets echoed softly through the stillness, like gentle whispers. The mist filled the gaps between the trees and a few tiny water droplets seemed to float in the air. The wind slipped through the leaves and he heard the sound of cracking undergrowth with each step. Suddenly, a fox cried out, and the ravens were startled, causing him to snap back to reality. He realized he was in a wider open space, with no trees and only glowing flowers. The flowers had white, almost pale petals and the stamen and anther were shining with a faint golden light. In the middle of each flower, the ovary was shining, radiating a pulsating force of emerald light that was alluring. He had seen these peculiar flowers before, but only now did he fully appreciate their beauty, intriguing nature, and allure. Enchanted by their appearance, he moved closer and eventually knelt right before one in the middle of the clearing. He was entranced by the shining, bewitching light and reached out to grab the flower.

Visions flooded his mind, like a bolt of lightning. One of the images was of a grand and ornate chamber, with towering marble columns and intricate frescoes adorning the walls. A sense of ominous foreboding hung in the air, as if the very stones themselves were aware of some hidden evil lurking within and dark, ominous figures lurking in the shadows. At the center of the chamber, a single thing that he couldn't make out caught his attention. Despite its appeal, the thing seemed to radiate a sense of malevolence, as if it were a conduit for some dark and powerful force. The Antithetical couldn't shake the feeling that this thing was somehow connected to the curse that plagued him. He felt a deep sense of foreboding and a sense that this object was important to his redemption and journey. The next image that appeared in the Antithetical's mind was of a grand square, filled with throngs of people, all kneeling and prostrating themselves before a towering figure on a grand balcony. The figure was adorned in regal robes and a golden crown and held a scepter in one hand and a cross in the other. The square was surrounded by towering marble columns and grand statues of past leaders and religious figures. The Antithetical couldn't quite make out the details of the figure on the balcony, but he could sense a sense of awe and reverence emanating from the crowd below.

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The next vision was of a room that was dark and foreboding, with a thick and cloying smell of blood and rot filling the air. The walls were slick with some dark, viscous substance that seemed to pulse and writhe in the dim light. The floor was slick with blood and other, unidentifiable fluids. The screams of the doomed echoed off the walls, filling the chamber with a sense of impending doom and despair. In the shadows, the Antithetical could see dark, shimmering shapes, looming and ominous. He could feel their gaze upon him, hungry and eager, as if they were waiting for their next offering. The room was a nightmare, a place where humanity was no more. And as he gazed upon the south, his vision shifted, and he beheld the forest, through eyes unknown. He looked down upon a congregation of individuals, their crosses ablaze under the ethereal moonlight. With fervent devotion, they were sacrificing themselves. The misty night air was thick with the scent of smoldering embers and incense, casting a pall of gloom over the clearing. The trees, stripped of their leaves, stood tall and naked, like sentinels of a bygone era, ominously observing the macabre scene below. The forest was still, save for the soft rustle of leaves, crackling of burning wood and the last gasps of breath.

He awoke, cursed, and said, “What kind of magic is this? What kind of horror!? This is not something Laverna even mentioned?” Confused, as if in a fever dream, his vision blurred, and his eyes turned pale again. Panic spread through his mind, surrounded by the luminous flowers, which looked like vengeful ghosts in the blurred view, he searched for a way out. A way back to Laverna. Thoughts spread through his mind, thoughts like “You're not ready! How could you get that idea?!” Now he heard voices coming through the dense forest, and before he could fully accept his madness, two human-like beings appeared before his eyes.

“Whoa there, don't mind the scare, who are ye and what be ye doin' out here in the forest all alone and screamin' like a banshee?” said one of them. The Antithetical was unable to answer as he lost consciousness. The last thing he saw were two people holding torches and approaching him with what he thought was a bloodthirsty grimace.