A blur of darkness shot through the opening left by the retracting golden branches. Ace's figure flickered through the collapsing chamber, his senses sharp as the rumbling echoes from behind.
The moment he crossed through, he felt the weightlessness of free fall. Below him stretched a vast expanse of shimmering water—an unfamiliar lake, unlike anything he had ever seen.
Each ripple cast tiny reflections of the sky, like a mirror to the stars, but what truly stunned him was the white lotuses floating across its surface, glowing faintly in the dim light.
Ace's instincts flared as he twisted midair, landing effortlessly on a small patch of land nestled at the heart of the Lotus Lake. The instant his feet touched the ground, an invisible ripple pulsed through the ancient remnant, carrying an ominous tremor throughout its depths.
BOOOOM!
