The Prelude

"Ah... It feels like waking up from a long slumber, doesn't it? Or was I truly asleep for that long?"

I woke up from my sleep, my head still aching from the long slumber I had endured for decades. Ughh... I remember how I used to be before I fell into this state.

"This place is quite a mess now. How long have I been asleep?"

I looked around, slowly rising from the cylindrical tube filled with blue gas, unmistakably nitrogen. The tube was designed to freeze someone inside it, allowing them to survive in a state of slumber for countless years.

"The cables are still functioning, but this place is surrounded by numerous roots and shrubs. Has the castle fallen into ruin? I must hurry to Sanctum Tower."

My steps were slow and deliberate, my body still weak from the prolonged sleep. Ahh... My waist felt as if it might shatter; that's what I thought as I walked and lifted my body.

The sensation of the ground beneath me was rough and simultaneously cold. I trod on leaves and grass on the room's floor, feeling their chill due to the dew that had settled.

"I'm back."

That's what I said when I felt I had returned to civilization. I couldn't wait to navigate this life; I knew I was now in the future. I wondered, how advanced was the technology in this era compared to my time?

I continued my journey until I reached a door about 5 meters high, made of steel and coated with other metals. Despite its decay over time, I could still recognize it as the same door I had seen before I fell into my slumber.

"Its mechanism must still be the same as before."

I placed my hand on an octagonal-shaped hole in the middle of the door. As soon as my hand touched it, the octagonal hole rotated slowly, opening the door and sliding to the side. The creaking sound of the door and the scattered dust made me cough, but once it was open, I saw a staircase leading upwards.

I ascended the stairs cautiously, even though it was my own castle, so much seemed to have changed during my sleep. The stairs, once made of high-quality marble and metal, were now nothing more than a broken staircase that barely resembled its original form.

After climbing what felt like a considerable number of steps, my back still slightly aching, I arrived in a room that was familiar to me. Sunlight pierced through the ceiling, which was riddled with holes due to the deteriorating walls, and shrubs were growing everywhere, entwining around what used to be a bed and a wardrobe. Ah, this was my bedroom. There seemed to be a secret passage in my room leading to the Cryogenic chamber.

I looked around my bedroom, which used to be adorned with white walls and gold-lined ornaments, and shades of blue were added for luxury and aesthetics. Well, my palace was predominantly white, so it shouldn't be surprising that my room was also white.

My hand touched what used to be my bed, now nothing more than a heap of garbage. Even the cloth had vanished, probably decayed into oblivion. Even the wood supporting the bed had deteriorated, although it seemed not entirely broken.

I walked towards the exit door of my room, but it was gone. What? Had it been devoured by these trees?

"These roots are blocking my way out. I guess I have no choice but to burn them."

I used my fire magic, which I surprisingly still remembered how to use. Soon after, the roots obstructing my path turned to ashes. I looked back at my once-white room, now barely discernible as white due to its age.

"Although I feel like I've returned, this place is no longer the home I recognize. I don't want to waste any more time here; I must get to Sanctum Tower as soon as possible."

Alright, I walked out and found that it was no longer a palace. I surveyed the hall, which used to be the palace, now reduced to ruins and overrun by trees.

"Indeed, I don't recognize anything in this main hall. Even from above, it looks like a tomb turned demon king's lair."

Hey, don't blame me for likening a tomb to a demon king's lair; in my time, demon kings indeed had lairs filled with graves. I don't even know why demons have such tastes.

"Even the stairs leading to the lower floor are covered in tree roots. Why is nature so cruel to my palace?"

I shouldn't blame nature; it didn't do anything wrong. It merely used this place as a haven for survival.

I used my fire magic again and burned the roots and small trees surrounding the stairs leading to the lower floor, clearing my path.

Finally, I reached the ground floor and noticed that the trees growing in the main hall were incredibly large when viewed from below.

"Wow, nature is truly terrifying. I should befriend nature and apologize for my earlier words."

Never mind, I do tend to be that way sometimes.

The palace hall was divided into three parts: the front hall, the main hall, and the back hall. I walked through a door to the front hall, where I usually received guests and where there should have been a red carpet circling the circular room. There were two staircases on my right and left, leading to the second floor of the front hall, connected to the second floor of the main hall.

I walked until I reached a rather large door, shaped somewhat like a box; approximately, it was a box shape because I didn't know how else to describe it.

The door was damaged, much like the other doors, but still retained a portion of its sturdy structure. Besides time, it seemed impervious to physical or magical attacks. But it was now useless, merely a broken object.

"Mhhmmm... Ahh... It's so heavy."

I used my earth magic to move the door, the mechanism being already damaged, I had to resort to brute force. Still, even with my magic, the door remained incredibly heavy. I felt both proud and saddened at the same time.

Eventually, I reached the terrace, where I was greeted with an even worse sight. The exterior of the palace no longer resembled a beautiful garden, where fountains and such once stood. I observed how the vast grassy field truly amazed me.

I walked forward and looked around to see if the tower I sought was still there. Fortunately, the tower still stood tall not far from the current state of my palace. The tower was only about 120 meters from the palace gate, which should have led to the city. However, since the city was no more, I could forget about the once prosperous and thriving city.

"Well, I guess I should head to that tower."

My steps became determined and confident.