Gloomy, solemn, deathly still—the atmosphere here exuded an oppressive air, reminiscent of the confinement endured by penitents. Even though Ren had never entered the Elysian Realm before, he could clearly sense the danger here.
It was starkly different from the Elysian Realm proper he had intended to reach.
However, he showed no sign of discontent. Instead, a faint smile remained on his face. He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking meaningfully at Sakura.
"Planning to break our agreement, Miss Sakura?"
Sakura, however, was calmer than he expected, perhaps having anticipated her trap would be exposed. She simply shook her head, her gaze fixed on the unending darkness of the Deep End.
"Please don't misunderstand. Although you promised to tell me the truth, I've borne the shackles of the Discipline for tens of thousands of years. Even if I hear the truth, I cannot judge its veracity. It's better to find the one who imposed these shackles and, with your help, have the Discipline removed directly."
Sakura spoke naturally, her logic sound, but the evasion in her eyes betrayed her true thoughts. Ultimately, despite their differences, the Thirteen Flame-Chasers were comrades who fought against the Honkai to the very end.
Their bonds ensured Sakura wouldn't truly betray them. Ren knew she could help him deal with Mobius partly because she knew Mobius could resurrect. Guiding him here was likely her attempt to use the power of this domain's Flame-Chaser to stop him.
But Sakura didn't know this was already one of Ren's intended destinations.
"I see." Ren nodded, pretending not to grasp her true motive. "In that case, Miss Sakura, please wait here. Truthfully, I'm also quite curious about the Flame-Chaser capable of wielding the Discipline." He adopted a curious facade and walked resolutely into the Deep End.
...
Dim, void-like.
The Deep End lived up to its name—the furthest reach of the Elysian Realm, a place untouched by the Realm's core programming, where light struggled to penetrate.
Walking through the darkness, everything visible was pure emptiness. Besides the endless black-and-white tiled corridor underfoot, only his own breathing and footsteps broke the silence. Ren didn't know how long he walked in this oppressive environment, but it was clear he was far from the end.
"An endless corridor, stripping away any sense of direction amid boundless darkness," he mused. "Indeed, this certainly fits the definition of the Deep End."
He paused, a thoughtful expression crossing his brow. The surroundings were utterly uniform; even he couldn't discern any difference. Turning back yielded no change. After a while, it became impossible to tell if he was moving forward or backward.
This was a dangerous situation. The high mortality rates in deserts and snowfields weren't just due to extreme conditions, but often the inability to navigate. Without direction, humans lose their sense of security. Instinct drives them forward relentlessly, but this only leads to frantic, aimless wandering, exhausting energy until death inevitably arrives.
Ren faced the same predicament, compounded by visibility limited to less than a meter. Even if his stamina allowed him to walk indefinitely, the psychological pressure threatened to erode his sense of self.
"It seems the master of this place isn't very welcoming." In just a few minutes, he could already feel a thick shadow enveloping his thoughts. The Deep End wasn't just disorienting him; it was constantly applying some form of psychological suggestion.
Perhaps I should leave here. The thought surfaced naturally in Ren's mind.
It was a reasonable idea; getting lost indefinitely would only lead to entrapment. Leaving seemed the best option. Coincidentally, he did have the ability to leave. The next moment, as if responding, an exit materialized behind him.
It was close, barely two meters away, emitting a faint glow—a beacon of salvation in the boundless darkness. Such a short distance; a few steps were all it would take to leave.
"Indeed, staying here only wastes time," he murmured aloud, yet his body didn't move an inch. He simply watched the suddenly appeared portal, his expression calm.
I should leave. The thought resurfaced, yet Ren remained motionless.
Just two steps, and I can leave this damned place.
"..."
The thought grew stronger, yet Ren didn't yield, almost finding it amusing.
Leave. Soon, that single thought dominated his mind. His instincts, his will, his entire being seemed to urge him to hurry and depart.
But the more insistent the urge, the more steadfastly Ren stood, like a statue bolted to the floor.
"Ah, walking for so long really tired me out. Since the exit is so close, I think I'll just wait a bit before leaving," he said to himself.
As soon as he spoke, the exit actually moved a little closer. Simultaneously, the thought echoed again: This place is too dangerous. I should leave first and rest later.
"But I really don't feel like moving at all. How about you give me a hand?" he stretched languidly, his gaze drifting into the darkness as he spoke, seemingly nonchalantly.
...
His words were met with silence from the voice in his head. Gradually, the urge to leave dissipated. Seeing the voice fall silent, Ren couldn't help but smile.
Clearly, the desire to leave hadn't originated from within him but was induced by some external influence. Ren's existence was a threat to the Elysian Realm. When he entered the Deep End, its master had immediately sensed his presence.
Both the endless corridor and the boundless darkness were atmospheres deliberately crafted with a single purpose: to drive him away.
However, things didn't go as planned. Despite the long walk, Ren showed no signs of giving up. More inconveniently, he was actually heading towards the true location of the Deep End's core. Left with no choice, the master resorted to direct psychological suggestion, attempting to coax him into leaving.
"So this is the so-called Discipline?" Ren clicked his tongue, intrigued. Psychological suggestion was a potent ability, capable of subtly influencing perception and consciousness—Sakura's sealed memories were proof of that.
Even powerful MANTISes could be easily affected; ordinary people would instantly become puppets of the Discipline.
Unfortunately for the manipulator, she was facing Ren.
Firstly, the endless corridor was merely a pale imitation of the Theater of Domination's own infinite maze. Secondly, his own consciousness was too strong to be influenced.
Most importantly, the mental defenses provided by Senti completely shielded him from the Elysian Realm's interference. To him, the supposed disorientation was no different from walking with a map.
Sure enough, after walking just a few more minutes, the surrounding darkness began to recede. At the end of the corridor appeared a prison cell.
Inside the cell, a woman with long golden hair knelt on the floor, her eyes tightly closed as if in repentance.