Malediction of the Depth – Silence in Judgement

Inside the Fog Wall was... a literal battlefield.

A forest without leaves burning in golden flames, yet that did nothing to change the darkness covering this place. It only illuminates a few meters of this fog-filled place.

Dawn was hesitant, she looked back, expecting to find the fog wall... but it was just an endless gloomy forest.

And worst of all, she was now alone. Luckily, she has most of her equipment with her, hidden in her backpack.

Quickly reaching a nearby tree, she turned her back to it. Then she unpacked and put on her gear, a pair of bronze goggles, a few bird-shaped drones, an exoskeleton, and her new mystic gun.

Dawn activated all of her equipment, using her powers to create weapons via Erudition and Creation. And then she applies her demigod power...

Upgrade. A simple yet powerful ability of Progress.

Her exoskeleton and goggles transformed into armor, glowing brightly with their exposed circuit lines. A knight in bronze, yet the shape looks not too different from intergalactic civilizations. Trekking through the dark forest, with sounds of battle and screams in the distance, yet also right next to her. This place was very confusing—

She turned to the side, firing her gun. Although its penetration power might not be as strong as Lea's gun, it has more explosive power.

But the person she shot at was way above her level. Tanking the explosion face-first, what emerged from the smoke was... A blood red-haired woman with feral golden eyes that are full of madness. It was Saintess Olivier.

"Oh fuck..."

Quickly, she commanded her drones and shot smoke bombs at the Saintess. A Beast can track down anything as long as she has the scent, so Dawn had prepared a lot of spices in those bombs.

Olivier is the second most dangerous person she has known, the first being Krima. Even as a demigod, Dawn was no fool to think that she could beat the Saintess. So she turned around and made a mad dash for it.

Turning around a tree, Dawn fired off more smoke bombs... yet the feral gaze of the Saintess was nowhere to be seen.

"Okay... this place is weird.", more so than she thought.

Creating an astral knife, she carved a marker on a nearby tree. Then walked backward, letting the fog cover the tree. And she walked back...

The mark was gone, and the tree was different despite looking almost identical. There was a subtle twist to the bark, something only Erudition can identify.

This entire continent... was a maze of endless portals.

That explained the battle that came from far and near at the same time, sounds and people are all over the place.

But Dawn didn't find this terrifying, rather, she smiled. She could use this to her advantage.

=0=0=

"Hmm? There is a person collapsed over here!!", a girl's voice rang out.

Inside an alleyway were two people. A young girl with brown hair and dark yellow eyes, wearing a simple white robe. And the other woman was wearing a black rugged cloak, her hair was a bright golden color as if it was glowing.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, revealing two hauntingly beautiful golden eyes.

"Oh... whoa...", the girl grasped, then she composed herself with an apologetic smile, "Sorry, you are just..."

The woman shook her head, "It's... fine."

Then she stood up, revealing herself to be very tall, like an adult man's height. She looked around, staring out of the alleyway with a hint of nostalgia, then at the girl who looked no older than 16.

"Where... am I?", the woman asked.

"Oh, this is Beiling, a small town at the frontier!!", the girl excitedly introduced her hometown. Then she quickly changed her tune, "Ah, I'm Lea! I'm a clergy in training of the Church of the Three Rings!!"

The woman's eyes were shaken, staring at 'Lea'...

"My name is Mercedes.", she stated, walking beside 'Lea'.

Yes...

The moment Lea saw 'Lea', she immediately knew what this was. A lie, a false reality created through delusions...

A peaceful, insignificant town, away from the troubles of the world.

She doesn't know how or when she entered this place. However, beneath her calm expression, hatred was boiling inside of her. This was the trial to obtain this Divine Domain. Like escaping from that Realm, the true Labyrinth of the Mind.

Walking along with her younger self to the Church, she looked around for a giant crimson pillar. There was no such place, making Lea think there was a different condition for claiming this Divine Domain.

Lea followed her younger self through the familiar streets of Beiling.

This place doesn't exist anymore... she reminded herself... Sinclair destroyed it, and everyone died.This is a lie.

But the lie was so perfect.

The bakery on the corner was where Old Martha sold fresh bread every morning. The fountain in the town square, where children played. The cobblestone streets she'd walked a thousand times as a young clergy member.

Even the smells were right, woodsmoke from hearths, the faint incense from the Church, the clean mountain air.

"Mercedes, are you coming?", the young Lea called back, her innocent face beaming with the kind of smile the real Lea hadn't worn in what felt like lifetimes.

"Yes...", Lea replied, keeping her voice steady, "I'm coming."

They reached the Church of the Three Rings. The building was modest, beautiful in its simplicity. White stone walls, three interlocking ring symbols carved above the door, stained glass windows depicting the winged three interlocking rings.

I used to pray here... Lea thought distantly... I used to believe the Lord would protect us.

Inside, more familiar faces.

Father Ernst, the head priest, with his kind eyes and graying beard, "Ah, Lea! And you've brought a guest!"

Sister Margit, always fussing over the younger clergy members, "Dear child, you look exhausted. Come, sit. I'll fetch you some tea."

Brother Aldric, young and enthusiastic, always eager to discuss theology, "A new face! Welcome, traveler. What brings you to our humble town?"

Lea watched them. Listened to them. Remembered them.

All dead. Every single one.

"I'm just passing through.", Mercedes said with a practiced smile that felt like wearing a mask, "Your... Lea here was kind enough to offer shelter."

"Of course, of course!", Father Ernst beamed, "Any friend of Lea's is welcome here. We're small, but we have warm hearts and full tables."

The conversations flowed around her. Plans for the upcoming harvest festival. Concerns about a merchant's sick child. Debates about theological interpretations of ancient texts.

All so mundane, peaceful. So utterly normal.

This was the life Lea had lost.

Not the grand battles or mystical powers. Not the cosmic conspiracies or divine interventions.

Just... this. Simple kindness, a nice community. People caring about each other for no reason other than shared humanity.

"Mercedes?", the young Lea touched her arm gently. "Are you alright? You look sad."

I am... Lea thought... I'm so tired of being sad.

"I'm fine.", she lied.

Days passed in the illusion.

Lea integrated herself into the town's rhythm. Helped with daily chores. Attended services. Spoke with people who thought she was just another traveler seeking temporary refuge.

And with each conversation, each interaction, she learned more about the nature of this trial.

And then one day... the familiar Father Ernst spoke differently, completely unfamiliar to the man who cared for her in the past.

"The Labyrinth tests the mind.", Father Ernst explained one evening, completely unaware of the irony, "It shows you what you've lost. Forces you to confront your past."

The Divine Domain was using the memory of those she cared to speak.

"And how does one escape?", she asked carefully.

"By accepting what cannot be changed.", Father Ernst said with the certainty of someone who'd never actually faced such a choice, "By letting go of attachments that bind us to suffering."

It was guiding her.

By destroying everything... Lea realized.

She saw it now. The structure of this false reality. And ironically, the thing was guiding her to obtain it.

To claim the Divine Domain of Unconscious, she had to reject this dream. Had to prove she wouldn't be trapped by nostalgia for what was lost. Had to demonstrate that her will to move forward exceeded her desire to remain in comfortable delusion...

Maybe because she had escaped the true Labyrinth of the Mind, not this Reflection.

She had to destroy Beiling. Witness the tragedy again.

But this time, by her own hand.

At night, alone in the guest room the Church had provided, Lea stared at her hands.

In this illusion, she had both arms. The stump where the Blood Knights had severed her right arm didn't exist here. The wound in her side was absent.

She was whole. Unmarred.

I could stay... part of her mind whispered... Just stay here... In this peaceful lie. Forget the real world. Forget the pain.

Forget everything.

No Sinclair hunting her. No Charlotte manipulating her. No cosmic forces for her to deal with.

Just Beiling. Just a simple life. Just... peace.

...

"But it's not real...", Lea whispered to the empty room, "None of them are real. They're already dead."

Young Lea, the innocent version of herself, knocked on the door, "Mercedes? Can I come in?"

"Of course."

The girl entered, carrying two cups of tea. She sat on the bed beside Lea, offering one cup.

"You seem troubled.", the young Lea said softly. "Like you're carrying something very heavy."

You have no idea... Lea thought... You're me. Before everything went wrong. Before I became... this.

"I've done terrible things.", Lra admitted, surprising herself with the honesty, "Hurt people. Killed people. Become someone I never wanted to be."

Young Lea didn't look shocked or horrified. Just... sad. Understanding, even.

And she realized again, the Divine Domain was in front of her.

"The world can be cruel", she said quietly, "It forces us to make impossible choices. To survive in ways that damage our souls."

"Aren't you supposed to tell me to pray?", Lea asked bitterly, "To seek redemption? To trust the gods?"

"The gods are silent more often than they speak; they have their own things to handle. The natives are trying to fix the world in their own way. The Outsiders have their own agenda.", the young Lea said, and for a moment, her eyes looked ancient, "Sometimes, all we can do is keep walking forward. Even if the path is dark."

Lea stared at her younger self. At this projection of innocence that somehow understood.

"What if the only way forward requires destroying everything?", she asked, "What if moving on means burning down the last good memory you have?"

Young Lea gave a smile that was sad, knowing, ancient, "Then you burn it. You mourn it. And you keep walking."

She set down her tea and took Mercedes's hand.

"Because staying in beautiful lies is the same as dying, isn't it?"

Lea felt tears burning in her golden eyes.

"I don't want to destroy this place...", she whispered, "I've lost so much already. This is all I have left of... of who I used to be."

"I know.", the Divine Domain said gently, "But you're not that girl anymore. You can't be. The world won't let you."

It walked to the window. Outside, Beiling slept peacefully under starlight.

"Destroy it.", it said without turning around, "Set yourself free. Become what you need to become."

"And what's that?", Lea asked.

"Whatever comes next."

Young Lea looked back, and her eyes were no longer innocent.

"Burn it all down, Lea Darkwill. Prove you're strong enough to let go."

Then she was gone. Dissolved into shadow.

Leaving only Lea alone with her impossible choice.