A familiar forest appeared before my eyes, an infinite tangle of trees rising towards the sky hidden by the dense fog that envelops everything in a grayish cloak. The trees, tall and leafy, cluster in dense forests that seem to have no end, their intertwined branches creating a canopy that barely lets the sunlight through, diffused and weak through the mist.

The fog, thick and enveloping, glides between the trunks and branches like an ethereal veil, hiding the details of the landscape and creating an atmosphere of mystery and bewilderment.

The air is laden with moisture, making it heavy and difficult to breathe, while the ground is covered by a carpet of thick fog; if you take off your shoes in certain areas, you will find damp moss and fallen leaves that cushion your steps.

Silence reigns in this place, sounds seem to distort in the fog, creating a sense of unreality and making it easy to get lost in this labyrinth of trees.

As you advance, the shapes of the trees become increasingly blurred, fading into the fog that envelops everything. There are no clear reference points, only the feeling of being immersed in a sea of greenery and grayish vapor.

The fog occasionally opens momentarily, revealing fleeting glimpses of distant trees or indistinct shadows moving among the branches. But soon it closes again, devouring everything in its path and plunging the forest once again into its ghostly embrace.

In this place lost in time and space, the passage of the day becomes irrelevant, as the sunlight barely manages to penetrate the thick fog, creating an eternal twilight that seems to envelop the forest in an eternal dream.

"Well, I guess we'll be here another month to try to get as far as possible towards my goal," I said as I looked at Elsa. She was certainly very different from me, her past self looking around with fear. Now, her sharp eyes looked in all directions for any movement around her. In her blue eyes, there was a firm will to be of help this time. She was wearing the armor that Roberto gave us.

Each piece on every part of her body made her feel very elegant; the pieces, although in the midst of all that fog, did not lose their distinctive ethereal shine. Of course, it should be noted that her armor is of epic rank. Hanging from her waist was the sheath of her unsheathed sword.

"Did you find anything?" I asked her.

Elsa frowned, looking around repeatedly. "I can't sense any presence beyond my visibility. It's like I'm blind if I try to look beyond my field of vision."

So it wasn't just me; this place somehow restricts you even further, making you feel more vulnerable than you already are.

After a few minutes of hesitation, we decided to keep walking. Every step in this labyrinth of greenery and vapor was uncertain, every turn revealing only more confusion in the form of ghostly trees and dancing shadows. In this fog-shrouded forest, time seemed to stand still, creating a sense of eternity suspended in the mist.

*****

In the midst of an unknown place, atop a rugged and desolate mountain, a solitary figure stood with determination amidst a majestic and challenging landscape. The wind whipped at their clothes and hair, but their posture was firm, defiant against the imposing scenery unfolding before their eyes.

Around this person, a celestial dance unfolded in the air. Multiple Eastern dragons, of intense red and deep black, large and majestic, snaked through the sky with fluid and graceful movements. Their scaly bodies shone under the sunlight, reflecting glimmers of light that illuminated the scene as if they were living jewels in the sky.

The dragons danced around the human figure with supernatural elegance, their movements synchronized as if in perfect harmony with the universe. As they moved through the air, they created gusts of wind that stirred the air, but they did not seem to threaten the person at the center of their attention. Rather, they seemed to honor her with their presence.

The person at the center of this magnificent spectacle seemed to be in communion with the dragons, their serene gaze and upright posture conveying a sense of mutual respect and understanding. There was no fear in their eyes, only a deep admiration for the beauty and majesty of these legendary creatures surrounding them.

The dragons' dance was a symphony of movement and grace, each one coordinating their movements with astonishing precision. The sound of their roars echoed in the air, deep and resonant, like the echo of ancient legends awakening in the mountain's memory.

As the dance continued, the dragons seemed to weave an invisible bond with the person at the center, as if they were sharing a sacred and ancestral moment at the top of the mountain. It was a scene of power and grace, of connection between two worlds meeting at that precise moment, in a place where time seemed to stand still and only the beauty of the moment endured.

"I will never tire of this, no matter how many times I see it," a deep voice could be heard.

The man with white hair and penetrating red eyes said, "You're supposed to be in the empire, what are you doing in this place?" Noah asked his friend with confusion.

Shrugging, Gabriel simply said, "It's very boring to spend all day in an office listening to the complaints of the old men in the court, you know how they are."

The dragons paid no mind to the presence of another being of high-level existence and continued their magnificent dance, apparently already somewhat accustomed. They continued flying around the great mountain.

"So, do you think you'll ascend to sacred now?" Gabriel with a subtle glint in his eyes asked Noah.

"No, I still need a little more soul essence," Noah replied, raising an eyebrow as he looked at his soul within.

Gabriel, sensing the subtle change in the air, smiled with amusement and walked away from Noah.

A mysterious resonance was perceived in the air. The majestic beings, amidst their turns and contortions, seemed to capture an ancestral call vibrating in the depths of their being. Their eyes, filled with ancient wisdom, sparkled with recognition as they felt the connection with the human being at the center.

Without fear or hesitation, the dragons began to converge towards the human figure with indescribable grace. Their movements became even more synchronized, as if they were following the call of a divine melody that only they could hear. With each step they took, the energy they emanated seemed to intensify, enveloping them in a radiant aura.

In a moment of perfect harmony, the dragons drew closer and closer to the human being at the center, as if they were being drawn by an invisible magnet. Then, in a moment of pure transcendence, the dragons merged into a dazzling glow that enveloped the human being in a sphere of radiant light.

The human figure, wrapped in this embrace of divine energy, rose from the ground in a celestial dance with the dragons. Their forms intertwined in a cosmic fusion, each sharing their essence with the other in a sacred communion that transcended the limits of time and space.

In this sacred union, the dragons and the human being became one entity, a manifestation of power and unity that radiated love and peace throughout the universe. It was a moment of pure magic, where the connection between all forms of life became evident in its highest expression.

"Undoubtedly, every time I see your dance I feel at peace with myself," Gabriel said with a small smile on his face.

"I know you have other reasons for being here, what happened?" Noah asked him, looking him in the eyes.

"The man I sent on the reconnaissance mission in zone 7 failed the mission... Guess who he encountered on his way? The Serpent of Damnation was in the midst of a battle with another ancient creature, but as you can deduce, the serpent emerged victorious.

Amidst all this chaos, the agent finally managed to observe what the chains surrounding its huge body are for," Gabriel said with a serene look on his face.

"What kind of power does it have?" Noah's eyes shone with great depth, a small killing intent gleaming within.

"Space. Its chains, when unleashed from its body, begin to spin extremely fast in a circle, thus creating a black hole," Gabriel commented to Noah.

"I see, is the agent okay?" Noah asked him.

"Yes, he managed to get out in time before the hole swallowed him completely," Gabriel replied to Noah before disappearing from the place.

Noah looked around. His eyes still emitted a small killing intent. For him, the creature "Serpent of Damnation the Ancient" was his sworn enemy and he had unfinished business with that creature from the past, he had to kill it with his own hands, only then could he ascend to the sacred rank.