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The grimoire fell straight to the ground. With a loud plop it slammed open and the pages started turning one by one.

Runes and magical symbols in unknown languages fluttered past its countless pages becoming more pronounced with every new page until they looked like they had flown off from its surface.

Whatever spell it was required quite a bit of effort as the runes started rotating counterclockwise over the book in a perfect half-meter-wide horizontal circle.

Hao Xuan\'s gaze was locked on the rotating circle to fish for any potential clues but even with all his accumulated knowledge, he wasn\'t able to decipher the origins of a single one of those runes.

And this only made him more uncertain of his decision to meet this entity.

When almost 2 full minutes had passed the runes were rotating with such speed that even with his superior senses Hao Xuan wasn\'t able to make out the individual ones. And then finally without making a sound a 1.5-meter-long vertical slit opened above the magic circle.

It was a spatial crack unlike any that Hao Xuan had seen before. There were no accompanying disturbances that would normally be present. No change in temperature, air quality, or even spiritual energy.

In fact it was so eerily quiet and tranquil that Hao Xuan was even doubting what was right in front of his eyes.

\'I have never seen this level of control. It could open up inside an enclosed space and no one would be the wiser.\'

The main reason why most larger powers were so confident in themselves was because they knew that at the very least their main houses were safe and could not be attacked as long as the space around them was locked down.

But if what Hao Xuan was seeing was actually real then no one was safe, not really.

The slit began to open bit by bit. Tendrils of black goo could be seen connecting both sides together like the maw of some hungry beast salivating at the thought of swallowing him whole.

Nothing could be seen on the other side either. It was dark, completely and utterly devoid of any life.

Despite mentally preparing himself Hao Xuan could not help but feel a seed of apprehension take root within his heart.

He had arrived at this juncture by just following the path that had been laid out in front of him but now that he was here, it felt like nothing could ever be the same if he persisted.

"Everything will change," he unconsciously muttered out loud.

Claudia who was standing by his side leaned closer, "Master?"

"Hmm?"

"It\'s ready. You can go in," she gestured towards the drooling mouth welcoming him with open warms.

"But...should I?"

"Sorry?"

He looked her in the eye, "Should I go in?"

He was genuinely asking her. Maybe because she was the only one there or maybe because he felt like he could trust her but his sincerity caught her off guard.

\'He is serious? He is really asking me?\'

The last time Claudia had such a look in her eyes was when she was just a child. Decades ago when she lost her innocence, when she was lied to and sold off like cattle in the name of creating relations.

What she would have given for someone to just tell her the truth so she would not spend the next fifteen years waiting and hoping for help that was never coming.

Now she was standing on the other side and she knew how much weight her words held.

She could change his fate and the fate of countless others that would be affected by this choice.

She thought about it for a moment and decided to be as honest as she possibly could in her situation.

"If you want answers you should go. She will tell you what you need to know and some of what you want to know as long as you are willing to pay the price but...there will be no turning back. That place, that woman, whatever she is, you can\'t trust her. No, you can\'t trust anyone, not me either."

A burning red eye opened within her shadow just before the flesh on her back began to sizzle. She flinched from the pain but remained steadfast. This was expected.

And even before she could finish the sentence a hoof print was branded on her back but it only egged her on more.

"M-Master, you must not falter. No matter what they tell you, no matter what they promise, it will come at a cost. They will try to confuse you with half-truths and flowery lies but rest assured, they need you much more than you need them."

"I can\'t tell you what to do but...you are right. Nothing will ever be the same once you go in."