Tower of Heaven

Clang!

The sound of chains breaking resounded through the world. A body fell to the ground, but that was where the similarities to Horus’ situation ended.

It was another story that unfolded at the same time.

Artemia and Horus had been transported to the Underworld through the same mechanism, but Horus was never a target. He’d only been sent to the Underworld as a byproduct.

Artemia was the original target of the attack. The energy of that artifact went directly to her and swallowed her first.

Her mind was left in disarray when she arrived in the Underworld. She had built up her own sense of resolve through the experiences she had in the Tower, however, it was unable to hold any weight.

With her mental state completely shut down, she was held in those chains for what would have been an eternity.

She was freed by a one-horned woman who looked exactly like the one Horus met. Only, as she was unconscious when she was freed, she was unable to follow that woman and gain an understanding of what was happening.

Her body collapsed onto the ground and stayed there.

The next time she saw light, she was in the back of a carriage. The small windows high on its walls were barred, meant for criminals. Artemia also had her wrists and ankles cuffed.

Her eyes narrowed as she tried to ascertain the situation, but there was nothing for her to do.

She could not scream, she could not resist, and she could not fight. She could barely wiggle herself into a position where she could see outside the window.

The dark red plains and crimson sky were her first impressions of hell. Only at this point was she able to realize that she had been brought to another realm, but…

Artemia’s story was not a forgiving one.

Did the Underworld realize how much support she’d been given throughout her life? Did it punish her more because she hadn’t been forced to experience suffering in the land of the living?

It was unknown why the world was so cruel to Artemia, but from the moment she opened her eyes, she truly experienced hell.

That carriage took her to a dark place that she still remembered vividly. She was walked down a long hallway and led down a winding staircase that ended deep into the ground.

There, she was placed into the cell where she would spend the next year.

"A living soul…how rare…"

"We can’t damage her too much. She’s a valuable product."

"I won’t take her life essence, so don’t worry. Just…I can have some fun, right?"

"Well, if it’s only external damage…"

She would learn later that her captors were guards belonging to an influence called the Vengeful Flameguard.

They were something like official guards of a specific portion of the Outer Wilds. By the rules, after finding a living soul like Artemia, they were supposed to transfer her to higher authorities who would deal with her as the realm’s ruler decided.

This chain of command was ignored. Living souls had life essence that all undead beings thirsted for. How could they hand her over so easily?

If they sold her to the highest bidder, they’d be able to fill their pockets enough to become powerful undead spirits as well.

That wasn’t an opportunity they were going to miss.

They placed her in this prison that was mostly unknown by the masses in order to keep her safe until she could be sold.

However, not all of them were kind people. And, Artemia wasn’t being sold for her looks. The essence inside of her would still be present even if she was scarred deeply.

She was, at the very least, safe from having her dignity touched.

But that didn’t mean she was safe.

For the next year, she experienced the same kind of torture Atlas experienced as he trudged to this Underworld.

She was flayed, skinned, and tortured in every way her captors could think of. They were using her screams for pleasure. They weren’t skilled, but that didn’t make them less brutal.

Artemia couldn’t fight back. The Underworld’s qi wasn’t compatible with the body of any mortal, but she as a Divine Beast was even less able to cope with it.

She couldn’t use her energy, and her physical strength was suppressed by the great stress her body was put through. She was forced to endure and endure, holding her voice as much as she could as the people of Vengeful Flameguard treated her as a tool to exercise their darkest desires.

In the Underworld, where they were sent to atone for their sins, they finally found a way to truly sin again.

A year of torture was more than enough to change a person.

By the time it ended, Artemia was no longer the woman she was when she was trapped.

If she was that same woman, she wouldn’t have ever been able to escape.

However, she did.

Throughout that year, in all of the time when she was allowed to be alone, she trained.

She trained every muscle in her body. She was chained to the wall, sure, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t move her body.

Artemia had been learning from young about the world of cultivation. Alaric raised her as he raised the rest of her siblings. She knew all of the foundational techniques that turned an Azure Dragon’s body indestructible.

Only, she’d never practiced them as much as she should have.

She’d never given them attention, believing in her talent. The first time this mentality was challenged was when she met Atlas. This was only the second time.

Yet, two times were enough. Everything she missed or neglected was immediately filled. The lessons of her youth that she couldn’t understand in her immaturity were fully digested when she was forced to experience the darkness.

She grew powerful in the darkness. She gained physical strength with every passing day, and subtly, the qi of the Underworld was attracted to her.

It couldn’t enter her dantian without harming her, but it still submerged itself into her muscles and bones. At first, she was corroded by the energy, but as time went by, the corrosion started fortifying her as well.

And, in the end, she was able to break free of her chains.

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The moment she was unchained was like the release of a great monster. She slaughtered anyone she saw in the vicinity, then she waited at the prison for anyone who went to visit it.

She killed and killed and killed until the only members of Vengeful Flameguard still alive were its leaders and most powerful elites.

After one year, she finally escaped her torment.

However, in the process of taking revenge, she attracted too much attention.

Forces related to Vengeful Flameguard and anyone interested in the mass slaughter that occurred in the prison directed their eyes to her.

Her status as a living soul was broadcasted to the world, painting a target more obvious on her back than even the most ornamental of gowns.

One year passed for her, but it would still be two more years before she met with Horus.

Though she never allowed herself to be captured again…

To say her journey became easier would be a lie.

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