The male figure fell silent at her words, the reality of mortality heavy on his mind.
To him, death had become a distant dream, something unreachable and long forgotten from a life that seemed like it belonged to someone else.
The thought of Mortal's life stirred something deep within him—a mix of envy and sadness for the mortal who, at the very least, could experience the finality of life.
The two hovered there, floating in silence, watching the vortex of miasma churn endlessly.
The male figure sighed, knowing that despite their desires, they were trapped in this place, bound to the pagoda and to each other. For them, the cycle of hope and despair would continue, as unending as the vortex itself.
As the two figures prepared to return to the pagoda, a sudden burst of light stopped them in their tracks.
The door, which had dimmed after the tree had left, now glowed with a bright. Ancient engravings on the door lit up, pulsing with a bright energy like a heartbeat.
The male figure's eyes widened in shock.
"The formation... it's activating?" he exclaimed, disbelief clear in his voice.
As the creators of this teleportation formation, they both knew it was impossible for the door to open from the other side. Yet, what they were witnessing defied all logic.
"What's happening?" he asked aloud, his voice filled with uncertainty. "Did something go wrong with the formation?"
Before they could start to guess what might be happening, the shimmering door rippled as if it were made of water.
From its surface, a dark, clawed paw emerged, followed by another, and then a head.
The massive form of Chaos slowly appeared, his shadow stretching across the ground as he stepped through the door.
The female figure gasped, her eyes narrowing in recognition. "Isn't that the creature that followed those two? Why has it come back, and how?"
Chaos's body began to grow, expanding with each passing second until he towered over the red pagoda.
His once-small, gecko-like form transformed into a colossal, intimidating beast.
His sharp gaze locked onto the two ethereal figures, and with deliberate slowness, he opened his jaw, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.
The two figures watched in a mix of awe and dread, unable to understand what was happening.
"What is it doing?" the male figure muttered, barely above a whisper.
As chaos opened its jaw, before the two figure's eyes, a small, dark vortex began to form atop the pagoda.
The air around crackled with energy, and the very fabric of space seemed to warp and twist.
The female figure's expression turned to one of horror as she realized what was happening.
"What...?" she stammered, her voice trembling.
It didn't take long before the vortex turned its insatiable hunger toward the red pagoda.
Slowly but steadily, the vortex expanded, reaching down with tendrils of dark energy that wrapped around the pagoda like a serpent.
The once-mighty structure, which had stood as a symbol of its creators' power, began to crumble. Piece by piece, it was torn apart, the ancient stones and intricate carvings disintegrating into nothingness as they were consumed by the vortex. Experience new stories on m v|l e'-novelhall.net
In moments, the entire pagoda was swallowed whole, leaving nothing behind.
The vortex, having fulfilled its purpose, collapsed in on itself, its dark energy folding inward until it vanished completely, as if it had never existed.
For a moment, silence reigned. The air, heavy with the weight of ancient power, was still. But this stillness didn't last.
As if reacting to the disappearance of the red pagoda, the other pagodas around the edges of the crater began to shimmer.
The chains connecting them clanked and rattled, vibrating with an ancient energy that had long been dormant.
Suddenly, the ground where the red pagoda once stood began to tremble. The earth cracked, and debris, stones, and dust from the surrounding area started to gather at a single point.
The remnants of the destroyed pagoda were drawn together, forming a small, jagged mountain of rubble.
This mass of stone and dust began to shift and reshape itself, the debris slowly aligning and compacting with a force that defied the natural order.
In the next few moments, what had been a chaotic pile of debris transformed into a new structure.
Stone by stone, the mass took on the familiar shape of a tall pagoda. It was as if the land itself was compelled to replace what had been lost, restoring the balance that had been momentarily disrupted.
The chains, sensing the new structure, quickly latched onto it, securing it in place.
The new pagoda shimmered with a soft radiance, its surface glowing faintly as the energy from the surrounding pagodas flowed through the connecting chains. Once again, the circle was complete, and the balance was restored.
Chaos, who had been watching the entire process, appeared uninterested.
His gaze, which had briefly flickered toward the new pagoda, shifted back to the center of the crater. The swirling vortex of miasma, dark and foreboding, captured his attention.
Standing on the edge of the crater, his massive form cast a long shadow over the desolate landscape.
His large, reptilian eyes blinked slowly, narrowing as he focused on the vortex.
The swirling darkness within seemed to call to him, a silent whisper only he could hear. For a moment, Chaos remained still, contemplating the abyss before him.
Then, with a snort of what could have been indifference or disdain, he turned away.
Taking a few slow steps, Chaos's form began to shimmer.
His massive body faded from view, blending with the shadows until he disappeared completely.
Now, in this no man's land, the constant swirling of the vortex was the only sound that remained. The land, once disturbed by the presence of the red pagoda and the two ethereal figures, had returned to its lifeless state.
Once again, the no man's land lived up to its name—a barren, desolate realm where nothing living dared to tread, and where the remnants of ancient powers continued their silent watch.