Birth of the Demonic Sword

"That's too much," Pellio exclaimed as he lost himself in Noah's dream.

The simple scene of the sword piercing the sky had accompanied Noah for a long time. It had been the foundation behind the Elemental Forging method and one of the strongest expressions of his ambition.

Noah could have tampered with the scene given to Pellio. He could have added his mature view of the world, his experience, and the various improvements he had made to his existence to add more power to his dreams.

However, Noah didn't change anything in that vision. Dreams were supposed to be unreasonable. They didn't need any attachment to reality, so Pellio could experience the simple form that Noah's ambition had taken when he was a mere human cultivator.

The dream didn't make any sense, but it didn't need to. Noah had dreamt about piercing the sky when he didn't know anything about the actual structure of the world. He wasn't even aware of the existence of a higher plane. Yet, he had desired to create a hole in what he saw as nothing more than a prison anyway, and Pellio experienced that seemingly boundless will.

"You were only a mere human," Pellio commented.

"That's the point of dreams, isn't it?" Noah laughed.

"But this isn't a dream," Pellio exclaimed as his eyes remained closed. "This is a curse applied on someone with no power."

"I have power now," Noah replied.

"How did you even survive?" Pellio asked. "How did you avoid being crushed by the weight of your ambition?"

Noah shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't there to talk about his life. He had gone through so much, but he had survived through sheer determination and ruthlessness. Describing that would take too long, and Noah preferred Pellio to reach his own conclusions.

After all, Noah had given Pellio his dream to trigger a reaction inside the expert. Noah didn't really care about the eyes' state as long as his new companion remained useful. He wasn't there to help anyone. He only wanted allies.

Pellio played the dream multiple times. He couldn't explain how someone in the human ranks could give birth to such a strong feeling. It felt impossible, but Noah was right in front of him.

Noah saw Pellio's eyes moving left and right under his closed eyelids. He sensed the expert's desire to open them, but he didn't say anything. Pellio had to make that decision on his own.

"Do I really have to hold back against the creators of the Labyrinth?" Pellio eventually asked as his gentle smile replaced his surprised expression.

"At least until I shatter the sky," Noah exclaimed. "Besides, I have the vague sensation that you aren't the same expert they have imprisoned here."

"I have indeed changed," Pellio sighed. "I should consider myself lucky to be alive."

Pellio sighed again before pointing his face at Noah. His eyelids trembled, and he slowly began to lift them. Noah soon became able to see Pellio's eyes, and the changing color of his irises immediately attracted his attention.

Pellio's eyes didn't have a fixed color. His irises weren't even circular either. They had the shape of an uneven mass that launched tiny flares on the sclera. They resembled small tentacles that changed shades every second.

"How is reality?" Noah joked.

"Limiting as always," Pellio responded while moving his eyes across the room, "But also true."

"What do you want to make true then?" Noah asked.

"I still have your ambition running through my head," Pellio admitted. "I think I want to destroy the sky."

"That's good," Noah stated, "But that's my dream. I think it's time to recover yours."

"My dream lies outside the Cursed Labyrinth," Pellio explained.

"Let's get out then," Noah ordered.

"Yes, boss," Pellio exclaimed, and the house instantly vanished.

June and the others didn't miss that change. Noah and Pellio appeared in the open, but the environment continued to transform. The sky and the prairie started to flow toward Pellio's eyes, leaving nothing but black areas on the fourth floor.

The magical beasts, the clouds, the filter, and even the dimension hidden under the floor vanished. The group found themselves among complete blackness, and only the separate reality's edges remained in their place to remind everyone that they were still inside the Cursed Labyrinth.

"Why did you even create such a strange environment?" Noah asked as he straightened his position.

"It was an old memory," Pellio revealed. "I could only lose myself in better times after remaining stuck here for so long."

"You aren't free yet," Noah laughed.

"That's why I've decided to follow you," Pellio exclaimed. "I need you to retrieve my dream."

"Are you using me then?" Noah asked.

"Of course," Pellio admitted. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not at all," Noah stated. "I would have found it strange otherwise."

"I'll decide if I want to join your organization after leaving the Labyrinth," Pellio explained.

"You don't get it, do you?" Noah chuckled. "You have already accepted my ambition. You are part of my organization whether you want it or not."

Pellio smiled but didn't answer. He knew that Noah was probably right. His dreams couldn't find a way out of the floor back then, but he could see it clearly now. He only needed to glance at the blackness to understand what to do.

"What's happening?" The upper tier turtle asked while shooting toward Noah.

June and the others imitated the upper tier turtle, and Pellio's figure inevitably attracted their attention. They wanted to study the expert, but they found themselves unable to uncover anything about his power.

Noah was in the same situation as his companions, but he knew the reason behind that strange feature. Pellio wouldn't regain his world until he left the Cursed Labyrinth. Still, he could call upon part of his power since his influence spread far past reality.

"He is opening the path," Noah limited himself to explain. "He is Pellio. He makes tea."

Pellio laughed loudly as his eyes closed. The blackness started to tremble, and the iconic force of the Labyrinth began to envelop the group. The structure tried to teleport everyone in different places, but Noah unfolded the dark world to keep everyone close.

The dark world struggled to gain a grasp of Pellio's figure, but the latter fixed the issue. The edges of his body condensed into the fabric of reality and allowed Noah to contain him through his technique.

'He definitely is a solid stage cultivator,' Noah commented in his mind as he inspected the transformations of the floor. 'The same should go for the creators of the Labyrinth. I guess I need to reach the liquid stage before leaving this structure.'

Noah had no intention to fall prey to the whims of stronger existences, and his solution was pretty simple. He would improve before meeting the creator so that they would be forced to follow him.

A piercing gaze fell on his figure while he remained immersed in those ambitious thoughts. Noah turned toward the source of that sensation and smiled when he found June wearing a confident smile.. She had understood what was going through his mind, and she had every intention to follow him.