This was a quiet, harmonious world. Not a single sound could be heard, as though the entire world had fallen asleep.
Yet this world was also a shattered one.
The sky was broken into patches of black void, as though holes had been torn through it. On the ground, every forest lay in fragments, some still burning as smoke and sparks danced through the air.
Most of the land was covered in deep craters, resembling the surface of the moon.
Countless corpses lay strewn every which way, and waves of foul stench assailed the senses from time to time.
Yet gentle ripples repeatedly washed over the world. Wherever they passed, the blazing wildfires gradually died out, the sky slowly returned to azure blue, and rain occasionally filled the space between heaven and earth.
Gradually, the world's wounds vanished.
The forests grew anew. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, forming dappled shadows that fell softly over the grass. In the deep mountain forests beyond, birds chirped.
In the distance, sunlight spilled across a road leading straight toward a mountain peak. The peak's corridors were lined with white marble pillars, around which emerald-green vines climbed.
Several waterfalls had formed rushing streams, while golden radiance covered the mountains and rivers.
Yet amid such beautiful scenery, only a few figures wandered between the colonnades and trees, bathing in the radiance displayed by the gods.
A splendid palace, forged from crystal and gold, gave off a silver glow. A fresh fragrance lingered in every inch of it. Yet there were even fewer people within the palace; only occasionally could a few Holy Spirits, flickering with golden light, be seen passing through its silent halls.
At the deepest part of the palace, Anion awoke. As he opened his eyes, his memories returned to his heart bit by