章 57: Echoes of Souls

When he reopened his eyes, his soul shuddered, and his pupils constricted.

Instead of Julius' familiar room, he found himself in the center of a cave. Its only source of lighting, a vast magic circle composed of various magic symbols, radiated below him.

'Something is terribly wrong.'

Dread wrapped around his mind, and his excellent mood crumbled like a sand castle rocked by a tsunami.

His eyes darted left and right, taking the ominous cave's surroundings in. A split second later, he saw Julius, bound by chains and unmoving in the middle of the circle.

Traces of dried tears covered his tender cheeks. He recognised his expression in a heartbeat: sadness, despair... and guilt.

Then, he gazed at the other individual present.

A one-armed old man seated on the desk comfortably peered at him as if scanning his soul with his unique blue eye. But his delicate lips, raised into a malevolent grin, struck him the most.