Oscar's rushed breathing was drowned by Erden's strides. He couldn't contain the thumping in his heart, not from overuse of Reis. All along, only the thought of returning home looped in his mind. As familiar trees whizzed by his sides and grooves from battles past entered his sight, Oscar urged Erden to go faster.

'Please be there!' A wordless prayer as Oscar closed his eyes for a moment. His eyes widened, stared longingly at the shoddy wall, which was falling apart, and the dirty tents. Atop the walls were ragged flags of the Blue Ocean Pavilion, flapping proudly despite their conditions.

"No…." Oscar pulled his hair, about to cry.

A large stone structure should have been in the center of the encampment, swirling with mysterious Ein. Oscar couldn't find it. It was gone, missing. Oscar nearly fell off Erden, barely able to hold on. With the reality in front of him, he merely chuckled.

"Calm down! So it's not there. That's fine. Maybe there's a clue left behind. You clung to this hope for five years, Oscar. Don't give up just yet." Gol-4 encouraged Oscar, knocking his head on Oscar's downcast face.

"Right…you're right." Oscar nodded. "There's still hope. Erden, let's go."

Erden grunted and paced slowly toward the encampment. Hearing the winds flap the canvas of the tents and the flags, Oscar smiled slightly, remembering what it felt like to be with civilization. There was nothing. He went over to where they had placed dead bodies in the past, seeing nothing.

"At least this means they made it out, or maybe the bodies were eaten," Oscar said.

"I prefer the lighter version," Gol-4 said. "This is where the portal of yours used to stand."

Oscar turned to the empty plot of land, seeing tall patches of grass, which meant they had been here for years. Getting off Erden, Oscar crouched on the land and searched around, knocking up the dirt. The grassy land became a messy dirt patch as Oscar continued to dig around.

"Nothing. There's nothing." Oscar started to laugh. His chest hurt from his loud laughter as if he had lost control of himself.

"Lad…." Gol-4 said.

Oscar punched the ground with a mighty shout. He couldn't let it end like this. Not like this. There had to be a way, and he had to find and grasp it. The journey here was not a failure. Oscar convinced himself it wasn't, but it was a step in a new direction.

"I'll just scour the entire realm if I have to. No matter how long it takes, I shall leave no stone unturned." Oscar patted his hands and clothes to get most of the dirt off.

"Let's head to Tectusen. You're a fabricator, and that has the only working furnace. A new armament will be a good partner for your journey ahead." Gol-4 suggested with a skip in its voice, eager to revisit the underground city.

"Just in case, I should search all the tents. Maybe someone left something useful behind." Oscar said.

One by one, Oscar searched the tents, scrutinizing every single corner. Despite his careful observation, the search yielded no results, finding empty tents full of dust and pollen. Oscar felt stressed by the ordeal as he entered another tent, expecting nothing.

Oscar froze, his gaze fixed on the moldy book on the bed. Excited that he finally found something, Oscar sprinted to the bed, lifting the book off its covers with a delicate touch. The book seemed quite old and falling apart. With a single turn of its page, the book tore at the seams.

"A book, huh? You've read the same ones over and over for five years. I'm glad you found something new to read. Hopefully, it's not some story." Gol-4 remarked.

"There's no author or stamp, so it's probably a personal journal." Oscar turned another page, finding faint yet readable words.

'I am Calvin Sagaiten, a Greater Elite Exalt of the Blue Ocean Pavilion, and I am writing this for anyone who might find their way here, friend or foe. We are stranded in this place. I can tell you in person if I am still here, but if you find only this book, I am either away or dead.

It's been a few days since the realm closed. I was quite unlucky to miss the mark as I was knocked out for the day. From what I did gather, our forces have made it out, and we have the Divine Essence.

Glory to the Blue Ocean Pavilion and the Brilliant Drake Empire.'

"They made it out! Hah!" Oscar cheered, his hands trembling as tears dropped from his eyes. He wiped them off with his arm but couldn't stop the constant tears. At least Oscar knew for sure that many made it out and that they won. He believed and hoped his friends were a part of the group that escaped.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Keep reading. This is only the first page. But this is fantastic!" Gol-4 cheered with Oscar.

Oscar read on.

'The encampment is still clean and well maintained. The walls should provide some safety from the beasts outside. However, how can I escape? This realm only opens every few hundred years, around 400. It's impossible to become a Knight Exalt here. What should I do? Is there any point in me trying to live on here?

After much thinking, I decided to venture out and look for survivors. One concern is about the previous times. Surely there must have been survivors the last two times people entered Ashen Grove, then what happened to the stranded like me? They could have gathered and created a civilization in this place, but where are they? What happened to them?

I went out and found nobody. Only a few more corpses which I regret to have left behind. Maybe starting a fire will let others know I am still here. I will try to make a huge bonfire for people soon.'

"A bonfire?" Oscar was shocked. "Maybe If I hadn't been training for five years, I could have met Calvin."

"Or died from several factors. Look at that clawed Grovekeeper we met on the way. You would have died as a Middle Elite Exalt." Gol-4 reminded Oscar.

"Judging from the state of this book, he must have died," Oscar said somberly, turning the page.

'I burned the bonfire for several days. No one came. Perhaps I am alone in this realm, or everyone else died. I can't let myself be beaten up too much. Life isn't too bad here. I am one of the stronger existences here, so few can challenge me. But I miss home. I want to go back home.

Today, I decided to head for the central palace. The portals are gone, and the lands are readjusted, so the only place which I know for certain is in the same spot is the palace. A civilization lived here. Perhaps a way out is there.'

"He had the right idea, but the red root makes it impossible. The central palace is filled with its presence, and it's surely more active with the loss of the Divine Essence." Gol-4 commented.

"Enough. Let's see what Calvin wrote next." Oscar flipped the page.

'I reached the center and nearly lost myself seeing the central palace. The barrier around it is gone, but all the windows have red roots sticking out. The damned impossible Knight Exalt. How does something like this even exist here?

Looking at it, I remember the strange person from the Pavilion. He was only a Middle Elite Exalt but somehow slipped through everything, even the mass of Ein and spells, which even I could not fathom a way through. It was thanks to him we got the Divine Essence.

I wonder if he made it out. Someone like that would surely get the highest rewards. I feel slightly ashamed as a higher Exalt that I couldn't do better.'

Oscar stopped reading and sat on the worn bed. He looked at the page again, mumbling every word to himself. He never expected to read about himself in someone else's journal. What a strange feeling it was. Although it wasn't a story or history record, to be engraved in someone else's book was captivating.

After quelling the rising feelings, Oscar turned the page.

'What a shame. What a shame. There is no way out. The central palace is overrun with the red roots, and I have discovered the portals, only they are out of reach. It was hard to spot, but I saw four tiny dots in the air. After extending my sight as far as I could with my eagle anima, I saw the portals but no Ein swirling within them.

No one can reach them. It's impossible unless I can become a Knight Exalt. Screw it. The realm won't let me advance? I will do everything I can to destroy that rule.

I returned to the camp. Strange. There were so many Grovekeepers on the way here. I need to get ready in case they raid the encampment. I wish there were someone with me here. I'm tired.'

"That's it?" Oscar exclaimed. Turning through several pages until the end, Oscar saw nothing, only blank pages. According to Calvin's account, the portals were far out of reach. Slumping in the creaky bed from the depressing information, Oscar couldn't even laugh at his situation, knowing Calvin had tried and failed to get to the portals.

"Am I just doomed to die here?" Oscar mumbled, not even lifting a finger to wipe the dust from his face. "Was everything in vain?"

"I…I can't say. Calvin was an unfortunate soul. At least you have me and Erden to accompany you." Gol-4 faced the dim orange light coming in from the entrance. "It's almost night. Rest for now. Let me ponder a solution during the night. I promise I won't disappoint."

Erden came over to Oscar and rested his head on Oscar's free shoulder. Oscar wrapped his arms over the two on his shoulders, closing his eyes with a faint smile. He knew Gol-4's words were merely a show and a bluff, but one sentence rang true to him. He had them to be here with him, unlike Calvin, who spent his days alone.

"Right. Rest." Oscar rested on the bed, falling asleep in mere seconds.

…….

Demon woke up and heard the soft footsteps a long distance away. Something or someone entered the encampment. Demon didn't trust whoever might be coming because of Calvin's mysterious disappearance. Taking out his shield, Demon walked over to the exit.

"Oscar?" Gol-4's eyes began to glow. "No, you're not Oscar."

"I am, in a way." Demon responded. "I told you several years ago."

"I guess so. Can you tell me what you are doing? I know you care about Oscar somehow, so why are you parading around at night? You'll strain him even more." Gol-4 asked.

"Someone's approaching." Demon drank the blue potion. Grovekeepers were the likely suspect with such delicate footsteps. Before he exited the tent, he said, "Oscar is not in the best state of mind. I can handle this for him. You only need to think of a way to get us out."

Without waiting for Gol-4's response, Demon charged out of the tent. Before him were groups of Grovekeepers with gleaming green eyes. Staring at them indifferently, Demon fought well into the night, slaying the Grovekeepers.

…….

"Ugh." Oscar woke up with a splitting headache. "What a shitty morning."

"I agree." Gol-4 nodded from the side. "It might get even worse for you."

"What do you mean?" Oscar rubbed his tired eyes and washed his face with a bottle of water from his space pocket.

"I thought well into the night and was struck by an idea. However, it is borderline suicidal, with a small chance of success. No turning back if we decide to go for it. Only with a steely resolve can you hope to overcome it. Are you prepared?"