"Let me take a wild guess," Ryuk said, when he was finally within hearing distance.
"This place is a reclusive part of the Dominare Royal Grounds?" Ryuk asked.
The man chuckled. "Your guess is the truth," he confirmed.
Ryuk nodded, then turned to the sky.
Even though it looked open, he could still see the thin veil of ripple-like restricting rune energy that made flying out almost certainly impossible without having to break through the veil.
"And if I may guess, you already discovered the restrictive formation set all around the area?" the man asked, earning a nod from Ryuk.
"I have to say, you possess a very good sensory ability."
"The number of people I’ve seen fly up to the sky, trying to escape this area, only to slam into the protective cover above... It’s happened more than a couple of dozen times," he said, shaking his head.
Ryuk got what he needed.
"So, this acts like some sort of restrictive area to stop people from leaving? Like a cultivation prison of some sort? If so, why are you here then?" Ryuk asked as the man resumed walking, Ryuk leisurely following behind.
"This place, to us Fallens, is called Koenka."
"It literally means Fortress of Restrained Bonds. And its aim? Everyone knows it as the place where the Family Elders are imprisoned for a set duration of time," he explained as they continued through the glassy plane.
Soon, they stopped before a path where violet-colored flowers grew in abundance.
Ryuk watched as the old man raised his staff and tapped the floor beneath them four times.
Immediately, the ground trembled a bit, and the patch of flooring where the violet grass grew shifted to the side.
It revealed an entrance—stone steps leading deeper into the earth.
"I’d like to show you something first, if you don’t mind," he said before descending the underground path.
Ryuk hummed faintly but didn’t hesitate long before following him.
’If it was something bad or destructive, he could’ve forced me down here while I was unconscious instead of waiting for me to wake up,’ he reasoned logically, before stepping after the man.
The path behind them shut, but instead of darkness, golden motes of light began illuminating the underground.
The source was firefly-like creatures whose glow provided a soft, golden illumination.
"So, you said this area is used to imprison Family Elders for some duration?" Ryuk asked, continuing the conversation.
"Yes, that’s correct."
"Sometimes even the Elders misbehave and do inappropriate things. If they’re not disciplined, they may go too far, turning bad, and causing disorder in the family," he said.
Ryuk’s mind flashed to the memory of Elder Nogarasukue. Somehow, he was the first one to come to mind.
"But the reason we’re able to subdue such Elders is due to the restrictive formation. Within this formation, anyone below the Peak Apocrypha stage will feel as light as a feather, unable to muster even a single ounce of strength."
"Their energy is greatly restricted and locked down, and they’re forced to stay here for as long as their crimes deem worthy," he explained.
Ryuk’s brows knit together—something the man seemed to notice even with his back turned.
"Does that sound less harsh?" the old man asked with a humorous smile.
"It might be a punishment for ordinary people, but for such powerful cultivators?" he said, prompting a chuckle from the man.
"You’re more lighthearted than I expected."
"But what you may not know is, as much as being housed in the dark is frightening for the young, the feeling of being stuck in a place with no strength is worse for cultivators—often more so than being whipped or beaten," he explained.
"Those with great strength have lived their lives with the safety gained from power."
"Like a strong man with his muscles, as long as they feel energy flowing through their veins, they feel confident, safe, calm in most situations."
"They have something to rely on."
"Take that away, and you take away their confidence and safety."
"They become frantic, cautious, and scared of even the slightest sound."
"That’s one of the worst feelings you can give to a strong cultivator like the Elders. Something they will never want to experience a second time," he said with a dark chuckle, as realization crossed Ryuk’s face.
"And you? Are you an Elder imprisoned here, too?" Ryuk asked, but the man shook his head.
"No, no. I’m not an Elder."
"I’m just an old man who found comfort in such a quiet, reclusive place compared to the world outside," he explained, something Ryuk wasn’t sure how to take.
Even though the man radiated no aura—likely due to the restrictive runes that dampen all presence—the way he carried himself, how he gripped his staff, and how firmly his steps held the ground were all signs of one who was either strong or once strong.
Ten seconds hadn’t passed after his words when they arrived at a dead end.
But he knew it wasn’t truly a dead end—he could already hear the sounds of dangling chains from the other side of the wall, along with the heavy gurgling of liquid.
As Ryuk had guessed, the man raised his staff and tapped seven random spots on the wall.
As he did so, he explained:
"There are times when the sins of Elders are so great that simply housing them without strength isn’t punishment enough."
"In those cases, we raise the stakes a bit," the old man said with a smile as the stone door opened.
When it did, Ryuk immediately felt a heatwave slam against his face.
’Hot,’ He thought silently, but the old man continued without stopping, and he followed after him as both passed through the stone doorway, which soon shut closed behind them with a BANG!
What he found in the new area surprised him and was starkly different from everything he had encountered in this place so far.
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In and Out_SnowySmoos