"Hehe, how was the experience, Nephew Max?" Ralph asked, noticing Max's calm expression.
Max smiled wryly. "If I hadn't t up with my sister's soul, I would have said the entire thing was designed to torture soone," he said bitterly, though a smile remained on his face.
Ralph smiled, his eyes narrowing. "Well, this illusion was set to the max level for you. Freya specifically asked to set it to the highest difficulty when you ca here."
Max glanced at him and nodded. "I guess she just wanted to warn about illusions and such," he said, then shrugged. "But if I can't even tell whether I'm under the effect of an illusion, then everything here is useless."
Ralph nodded. "Illusions are tricks made from the use of Soul power. If there is a drastic difference in soul power between the one who created the illusion and the one affected by it, the latter won't even realize they're under the illusion," he explained.
"I see." Max nodded thoughtfully. "That ans what happened to was probably because the illusion was created by soone with far higher soul power than mine, right?"
Ralph smirked. "Exactly. And this illusion was set by , so of course, you stood no chance against ."
"It was you?" Max was surprised, but his surprise soon turned into frustration. But now that he knew it was all under Ralph's control, he sighed and said wryly, "Uncle Ralph, you really are good at this illusion thing."
Ralph shrugged. "It was a basic illusion, sothing Freya asked to set for you. The first stage was to test how you would react if you knew you were under the influence of an illusion. The main goal of the first illusion was to help you understand how to use your soul power to break free."
Max raised an eyebrow. "You an, if I had been trapped there longer, soone would have co to teach how to use Soul power to counter the illusion?"
Ralph nodded, his eyes sharpening. "I'm curious, though—how did you manage to break free on your own?"
Max smiled. "I know how to draw runes, and since drawing them requires the use of soul power, I just replicated that process. But in the end, instead of drawing the soul power into my brush, I let it spread around ."
Ralph laughed, nodding. "Alright, you are indeed the brother of Freya Voidwalker."
He added, "The second stage is called the Illusion of Death. In that stage, you have to accept death to break free from the illusion. Otherwise, no matter what you do, you'll keep repeating the entire illusion over and over again."
Max smiled, though it was a sowhat forced smile. It was just a coincidence that he decided to die in that illusion; if he hadn't, he would have had to go through it again and again. 'Damn, this illusion is scary.'
Ralph smiled and explained, "Your death was the only repeating factor in that illusion. If you don't accept your death, the illusion will keep repeating, and you'll keep dying until you do."
He added, "I was surprised you passed that illusion on your first try."
"It was just a coincidence." Max smiled wryly.
Ralph shook his head. "Coincident or not, your decisiveness is praiseworthy."
Max nodded, his expression turning serious. "What about the last illusion?"
Ralph pondered for a mont before speaking. "It's an illusion that tests your heart. Everyone in this world has mories, regrets, and heartbreaks buried deep in their hearts. This illusion brings those things into reality. The way to break it is to face them directly and not let them affect you."
Max nodded, his expression darkening. 'Why did that dream show up in my illusion and not sothing related to my parents or sister?' he wondered.
There was a ti when this dream had left him feeling unsettled, but now that he had grown, he understood that not all dreams held aning. And even if this one did, he would face it when the ti ca.
"So all of this was planned by my sister?" Max asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
Ralph nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I still rember her words from back then. She said sothing like, 'He's still just a kid who doesn't know anything. How will he manage if I leave? What will beco of him? If there were any way to change my situation, I would have done it without hesitation, but... sigh... I can't leave for nothing. I'll make arrangents for Maxy. If he ever cos here, it'll be your responsibility to look after him.'"
He added, "And that's how this situation ca to be."
Max nodded in understanding. "Did she leave anything else for ?" he asked.
Ralph smiled and tossed a small wooden box.
Max caught it and examined it. It was a small box ant to store sothing delicate.
Curious, he opened it and found a scroll inside.
"Skill scroll?" Max muttered, taking the scroll out.
He unrolled the scroll and read its contents, his eyes widening. "No, this isn't a skill scroll; it's a technique—a technique related to Soul power," he muttered in shock.
'So that's why she made go through the illusions,' Max thought, understanding his sister's intentions.
The na of the soul technique was 'Hundred Refining Threads Soul'. It had a strange na, but Max didn't doubt its authenticity, considering it had been left behind by his sister.
Max smiled, putting the soul technique away, and bowed to Ralph. "Uncle Ralph, you've helped a lot today, and I'm very grateful."
Ralph laughed warmly. "No need to thank , Nephew Max. Freya has done more for than you can even imagine. The least I can do is repay the favor."
Max smiled, and a thought crossed his mind. "Uncle Ralph, do you happen to have a doctor here?"
Ralph beca curious. "What happened?" he asked, worried.
Max briefly explained his condition. "I passed out so ti ago and woke up three days ago. A sudden weakness ca over at that ti."
Ralph's expression turned serious. "I'll provide a residence for you. Stay the night here, and tomorrow morning, I'll have my finest doctor check on you."
He added, "Let's go, I'll show you to your residence."
Max nodded as he left the room with him.
What greeted him next was a long, narrow hall made of rocks and stones. The residence of the Thorne Family was a massive castle. While the interior had been modernized, the outer structure still carried an ancient vibe.
After walking and talking through the halls, Ralph led Max to a luxurious room, complete with all the anities one could ask for.
"Nephew Max, spend the night here. If you need anything, just contact ," Ralph said.
Max glanced around the room, finding it to his liking. "Uncle Ralph, with all these facilities, you can be sure I won't be going anywhere."
Ralph smiled. "Hahaha, good, Nephew Max. I'll see you soon." With that, he turned and disappeared from Max's sight.
Max sighed. "Thorne Family sure is rich," he muttered, smiling. Find your next read on empire
Without much thought, he entered his room and locked the door. He check the bed and found it to his liking.
"Let's check the Soul Technique." Max sat down, unrolled the scroll, and began reading its contents.
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