Chapter Eleven: Gozzo Island

An endless darkness enveloped him completely. Comer struggled with all his might to break free from that overwhelming force vortex, but it seemed futile. A horny-like force compressed space, trapping every part of his body so tightly that even the slightest movement was impossible. His body floated helplessly in chaos, with breathing becoming a heavy burden.

He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids wouldn’t respond. Darkness and silence dominated everything. Comer had no idea how long this chaos would last or how much longer he could hold on. Yet a faint glimmer of determination within him told him that giving up meant falling into an abyss from which he could never escape.

Time passed unknowingly. Comer only knew that he had fallen asleep several times but forced himself to stay awake through sheer willpower. The loneliness in the darkness easily consumed those who struggled. It was a battle of wills. When Comer finally managed to open his eyes, he knew he had won this confrontation with fate.

Lying quietly on the stone slab, Comer didn’t get up right away. He adjusted to the sunlight filtering through the glazed tiles on the dome. The dark stone walls around him appeared especially cold and towering. Only this beam of sunlight could reach his face through the glazed tiles. Could it be the sunlight that had awakened him?

He carefully stretched his body and regulated his internal energy. His sore muscles and the massive surge of magic power made it hard for him to control his body, nearly causing him to fall from the oddly shaped oval stone slab.

A cool, dark energy flowed through his body. Comer suddenly realized that the magic energy within him had increased dramatically, becoming immense and unstoppable. An almost uncontrollable impulse surged within him, forcing him to exert all his mental strength to prevent accidents.

His clothes seemed unchanged, but Comer felt as if they had gotten smaller, making him feel constrained. The sculpted patterns on the dome also became clearer. A rough yet stern face appeared at the center of the dome, with the glazed tiles forming the eyes—Hades, the god of the underworld?!

Komer was shocked. Had he not been thrown into another world? Or was there still a place in that other world that worshipped the God of Darkness? He remembered clearly that although he had mobilized all his strength to resist the pull of the starry magic matrix, its power was too immense. He felt as though his own dark primal energy had been completely consumed, yet he still failed to turn the situation around, eventually falling into a daze and plunging into chaos.

Gently moving his body, Komer quietly rolled off the stone slab. Lying on it was quite comfortable, but it gave him the feeling of being a sacrifice. Clearly, this was a large temple, most likely a dark temple dedicated to the God of Darkness, Hades. But where could there be a temple openly worshipping Hades on such a grand scale?

Komer glanced around briefly. The floor of the mirror-like hall was spotless. Behind the oval stone slabs stood a huge statue of Hades holding a whip of darkness—a very common depiction of the God of Darkness. Komer had seen this style before on the seal at Xuluo’s waist, and in the memories of the Dark Emperor Kenifer III, such images seemed even more ubiquitous.

Suddenly, what had previously been a vague memory became crystal clear in his mind. Every detail he had experienced, every moment of the Dark Emperor’s life, flooded into his memories—vividly detailed, whether desolate and magnificent or splendid and dazzling. The scenes of the Dark Emperor’s dominance flowed through his heart like water, merging into his ocean of memories.

Time passed swiftly. Komer didn’t know how long he had been standing there. It was only when the sea breeze, carrying a faint salty smell from outside the hall, blew in that he was awakened from his thoughts and memories.

With a self-mocking smile, Komer realized he was somewhat hungry. Looking around, he saw that the magnificent walls of the hall were built from exquisite red flame stones. The huge surfaces were polished to a high shine, and patterns as fine as hair or as thick as arms were engraved on them without leaving any trace. Only the delicate or bold styles of painting allowed one to appreciate the unique charm that set this place apart from anywhere else.

Inside the solemn hall, there was no furniture. Looking toward the open doors, twelve tall columns were adorned with papyrus decorations typical of the South, making it easy to guess that this place was in the South.

As Komer strolled around, the humid and warm sea breeze hit him, giving his face a tingling sensation he had never experienced before. This must be somewhere in the south, likely on an island or by the coast. Soon, Komer confirmed his guess.

Looking from the entrance of the grand hall, a series of terraced areas housed numerous buildings—colonnades, temples, and sanctuaries, spread out in an orderly manner. What surprised Komer, however, was that such a vast complex was completely empty. Turning around, he saw towering cliffs that allowed a view of the sea stretching for miles in all directions. This was indeed an island, but it was puzzling why anyone would build such a magnificent temple here—one dedicated to the dark guardian god, Hades.

Komer wandered among these temples and sanctuaries. Besides Hades, there were also many shrines dedicated to his servants—Chaos, the supreme lord of the dead, and Thasos, the king of demons. This was a typical place of worship for the gods of darkness. Even Chaos, the servant of Hades, was worshipped here; he was the ruler whose power necromancers sought to harness. Such worship seemed quite rare in the southern part of the Blue Continent.

A nearby temple appeared dilapidated, with broken columns causing half of the building to collapse. It was unclear why this ruined structure had been preserved, standing in sharp contrast to the grandeur of the other buildings.

The endless sea made Komer stop abruptly on the beach. Gazing at the vast expanse of water, he could only sigh helplessly. Though he had accepted the immense magical power of King Kenifer III, he was still powerless in the face of this boundless ocean. There wasn’t a single piece of wood on the island, making it impossible to leave by any means. Komer didn’t know where this place was, but his intuition told him it didn’t resemble an alternate dimension as he had imagined—it seemed more like the depths of the southern seas.

“Sigh, even meeting two merfolk would be nice,” he mused, staring blankly at the sea. Helplessly, he turned the fish he had cooked with fire magic. Though there was no salt or spices, the hungry Komer ate it with relish. But this way of life couldn’t go on forever. An island with nothing—was he doomed to be trapped here forever?

Miracles often happen when people are in despair. After spending ten days on this deserted island, bored and lying on the stairs gazing at the sea, a sail gradually appeared on the horizon. Komer, who had barely believed his own eyes, was overjoyed—ten days of frustration had finally given way to hope.

The huge flames that erupted quickly caught the ship’s attention, but for some reason, the ship refused to get too close to the island’s only dock, leaving Komer, hidden in the shadows below the stairs, increasingly anxious. It took almost an hour before the ship, clearly a merchant vessel, slowly approached the dock. Only then did Komer truly feel relieved.

The few sailors and crew members who disembarked were cautious, carefully inspecting the area around the dock but finding nothing unusual. They didn’t even climb the stairs to search the temple before returning to the ship. By then, Komer had already boarded the merchant vessel using a deception spell.

It was a typical three-masted sailing ship. From the heavy salt bags in the cargo hold and the slightly foul smell of fish, Komer guessed it was a ship transporting seafood. Many islands at sea had excellent fishing grounds, producing herring, sturgeon, and mackerel—excellent ingredients for meals. The abundant sea salt also helped preserve these seafoods.

“Captain, there’s nothing. We followed your orders and searched the shore, but we didn’t climb the stairs or see any flames or signs of life. It might be a mirage caused by the sunlight.”

“Yes, Captain. There’s no sign of anyone up there. It’s long past the time for worship, and no one would dare to provoke and set foot on Gozo.”

“Hmm, maybe it’s a mirage. Let’s leave immediately. It would be bad if the people of Piraeus misunderstood us.” A high-pitched voice grew sharper. “Raise the anchor quickly! Who’s to blame for having those dwarfs on board?”

“Captain, bad news! The lookout has sent a signal—there are ships from Piraeus ahead. They’ve already signaled us to stop and be inspected!” a panicked voice cried.

“Oh, Hades, why am I so unlucky? Damn it! Throw those dwarfs overboard!” a furious voice roared. “Hurry up!”