Thump, thump! His heart beat.
Suddenly, heaven and earth fell silent. All he could hear was the heartbeat in his own chest.
A great river appeared before him.
For a moment, everything lost its color. There was no up or down, no left or right. Everything vanished, leaving only the river before his eyes. Even the ground disappeared, and the river seemed to flow through the void, winding into the distance.
Ruger stared blankly, unable to tear his gaze away.
It was as though this was how the world was meant to look, and staring at this river was exactly what he ought to do.
Blood-red water flowed soundlessly, becoming the only thing in all of heaven and earth.
An uncanny sight, utterly silent.
He wanted to step forward, but his feet would not move. He could only watch from afar, gazing at the river that stretched all the way to the horizon.
He had no idea how much time passed. Like sound, time seemed not to exist here.
The world's silence was suddenly broken. A few blood-red splashes lapped against the bank, bringing sound back into the world.
Ruger jolted awake in alarm. All kinds of sounds and the smell of earth returned. Clutching his chest, he lay on the ground and gasped for breath.
The smell of earth drifted through his nostrils, lending everything a greater sense of reality.
He was still on his way to the edge of the depression.
He felt several gazes on him.
Ruger raised his head. Amid the distant sound of Mushrooms chewing on hard-shelled insects, the Golden Demon's gaze was the first to catch his attention.
The Golden Demon stood at the edge of the depression, looking down at him with an intent gaze.
From the Golden Demon's posture and the angle