Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

Lin Yi's figure blended into the dark corridor on the top floor of the main castle. The [Castle Key] he had just obtained felt cold to the touch and had a strange texture that was neither metal nor wood.

It emitted a faint glow, drawing his senses toward the attic at the highest point of the castle.

The staircase leading to the attic was hidden at the end of a narrow, steep, almost vertical wooden corridor, covered in a thick layer of dust, clearly untouched for many years.

The air was heavy, filled with the smell of decaying wood and old books.

Lin Yi climbed the steps, his footsteps sounding exceptionally clear in the silence.

There was no keyhole on the door, only an elaborate and dazzling relief of the family crest—a roaring wolf's head with interlocking claws, symbolizing the power and protection of the Heinrich family.

"Click."

With a soft thud, the heavy oak door slid open silently, revealing the interior of the attic.

The place was filled with discarded furniture, dusty oil painting frames, broken armor parts, and some long-forgotten junk. The light was dim, with only a few rays of moonlight filtering through the narrow windows barely outlining the objects.

The pull of the key did not disappear; instead, it became even stronger, like an invisible thread pointing directly to a huge floor-to-ceiling mirror covered in thick dust deep inside the attic.

The mirror is nearly three meters tall, and its frame is decorated with elaborate and ornate Baroque-style silver plating.

However, time is merciless; the once-shiny silver plating has long since oxidized and turned black, and many of the relief details are now filled with dust.

The mirror itself was covered with a thick layer of grime, and the edges even had spiderweb-like cracks, so it could only reflect a hazy and distorted blurry image, turning the entire messy attic space into a chaotic grayness.

Lin Yi walked to the mirror, where his blurry figure was reflected, along with a mountain of clutter behind him.

The light from the key pointed to the mirror, and Lin Yi stretched out his finger to gently brush away the dust in the center of the mirror.

The moment the fingertips touched the cool mirror, the mirror rippled like water with a pebble thrown in. The previously blurry image on the mirror instantly became crystal clear, and what was reflected was no longer the clutter in the attic, but a tightly closed oak door.

The tip of the key lit up again, and Lin Yi pressed it towards the keyhole of the door in the mirror.

"Om-!"

The moment the key touched the mirror, it didn't feel like it was being inserted into a solid object. Instead, the entire mirror surface rippled like molten mercury, forming a rotating silver vortex.

A powerful and strange suction force came, and Lin Yi did not resist, letting the force pull him into the vortex.

A brief feeling of weightlessness and dizziness from spatial displacement came over me.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he found himself in a small space.

The huge floor-to-ceiling mirror behind him was still there, but its surface had returned to its normal reflective state, reflecting the scene of the small room behind him.

The moment he regained his footing, something unexpected happened.

An invisible energy surge suddenly rushed towards him from all sides of the room.

This power had an eerie dark red hue, like congealed blood, and carried a nauseatingly sweet and fishy smell.

It ignored physical defenses, directly penetrating clothing and attempting to invade Lin Yi's body, and even his deeper soul.

[Warning: You are being corrupted by the power of crimson!]

The Crimson Power and the Abyss Power will be assessed in this round.

[Judgment completed. 】

The priority of Abyssal Power is 11.

The priority of Crimson Power is 9.5.

[Because the host is currently in a state of passively enduring erosion, the negative effects experienced will be dynamically calculated based on the intensity and duration of the erosion.]

You will be affected by the corrosive effects of the Crimson Power, causing a temporary decrease in your maximum health. The extent and duration of this decrease will depend on the degree of corrosion.

Sensing the threat, the power of the abyss seeped out from Lin Yi's body, quickly forming a thin black film on his skin.

At the same time, the crimson power, like a leech, frantically assaulted the black membrane, trying to penetrate it.

Chi chi chi——! ! !
The moment the two forces came into contact, a violent sound, like cold water being poured into boiling oil, erupted.

On Lin Yi's body surface, black and red light flashed, extinguished, and regenerated intensely.

For the first time, Lin Yi's face showed surprise. As a member of the Abyss class, he knew better than anyone the terror of this power.

It represents the ultimate essence of destruction and is one of the supreme forces standing at the very top of the pyramid in the void system. It naturally possesses the characteristics of suppressing and devouring other energies.

He has only ever seen two kinds of power that can directly resist and contend with the power of the abyss.

The pure and vast power of the elements, representing the power of life, naturally forms a balance of opposites with the abyss, which represents "the end".

Another type is the "Azure Steel Shadow" energy unique to Su Xiao, the Destroyer of Laws. That energy has a restraining power against magic systems and energy bodies that is almost at the level of laws, and its essence is equally unfathomable.

Even the power of ancient gods, when the absolute quantity and purity are comparable, is often of a lower essential level than the power of the abyss.

Unless it is an ancient god whose power level far exceeds Lin Yi's own, only an absolute advantage in rank can forcefully suppress the resistance of the abyss's power and create an overwhelming force.

Although the "scarlet power" before us is at a disadvantage, its tenacious resistance and corrosiveness in a short period of time are enough to prove that it is by no means ordinary.

[Based on the degree of erosion and the host's negative resistance, your maximum health has temporarily dropped from 100% to 99.8%.]

This effect lasts for 5 calendar days (this is the shortest duration of the Crimson Power's erosion).

Upon seeing the notification from the Paradise of Reincarnation, Lin Yi then used a purification spell to dispel the negative effects of the Crimson Power.

“Interesting…” Lin Yi felt neither fear nor pressure; instead, he developed a strong interest in this unknown energy that could “wrestle” with the power of the abyss. The stalemate did not last long. As the crimson power accumulated in the secret chamber was continuously depleted and its strength waned, the power of the abyss quickly gained the upper hand.

The dark red corrosive light on Lin Yi's body faded at a visible speed, eventually being completely devoured by the power of the abyss.

He looked around and saw that the secret room was indeed very small, only about ten square meters in size, with rough stone walls and no decorations.

The air was thick with the smell of dust and the strange lingering odor from the recent energy clash.

The room was furnished very simply and was easy to understand at a glance.

A sturdy oak desk was placed against the wall, its tabletop and legs covered in a thick layer of dust.

A similarly old wooden chair.

The only conspicuous item on the desk was a notebook wrapped in thick black leather with severely worn edges.

Next to the notebook was a palm-sized brass compass, its pointer remaining perfectly still.

On the wall opposite the desk hung a dusty portrait of a middle-aged man with a serious face, dressed in old aristocratic attire. This man was none other than his adoptive grandfather, Count Edwin Heinrich.

In the corner, a strangely styled short sword leaned casually against the wall.

The scabbard was made of some kind of dark wood, and the hilt was wrapped in heavily worn leather. It had no fancy decorations and looked plain and even a bit old.

Lin Yi's gaze immediately fell on the thick stack of parchment notebooks.

He walked to the desk, brushed away the thick dust on the cover, revealing the title written in elegant cursive: "Bloodclaw Fortress and My Sins - Edwin Heinrich's Last Words".

Lin Yi pulled out a chair, sat down, and turned to the first page.

The dusty history slowly unfolded before his eyes with the words on the yellowed parchment.

[To future descendants of Heinrich: Whoever you are, whatever your reasons for entering this place, when you read these words, I, Edwin Heinrich, may already be nothing but bones in a grave, or perhaps... I am enduring endless punishment in some unimaginable depths of purgatory. I write this not to defend myself, nor to beg for forgiveness—I know my sins are grave, unforgivable even by death. I write this not to defend myself, but to state a truth buried by time, and the sins I have committed.]

The Heinrich family is not, as the kingdom's annals state, nor as the tavern bards sing of, some 'meritorious noble family from the imperial expansion era, who migrated here to guard the royal borders.' Our roots lie deep beneath this cursed land, upon the very foundation upon which Bloodclaw Fortress stands. The exact date of our origins is shrouded in mystery, even in the oldest family records, our very source obscured by a thick fog. The only thing clearly imprinted in the soul of every patriarch is that unquestionable mission—to protect.

[What are we guarding? We guard the ruins buried deep beneath this castle, deep within the earth. It is taboo, Pandora's box. The family's ancestral precept is singular: at all costs, prevent anyone from approaching those ruins! Anyone who attempts to pry into their secrets, regardless of identity, will be killed without mercy. Bloodclaw Castle's existence is not, in essence, to rule this barren, exiled land, but to guard it. We are the silent guardians of the graveyard, the final barrier to the ruins' entrance.]

Ironically, this almost suffocating duty of guardianship, and the ever-present desolation of the exile, ultimately bred me—the greatest rebel and the most foolish gravedigger in the family's history.

In my youth, I grew weary of this endless vigil, weary of the monotonous life facing the wasteland and ignorant people. I craved excitement, glory, and the discovery of secrets that could shake the world! The warnings of my family? The admonitions of my ancestors? Before ambition and curiosity, they seemed so pale and laughable, dismissed with disdain. Back then, I arrogantly believed myself to be special, chosen by fate to unveil the secrets of history.

And so I found her—the witch Margaret. She had been ostracized by her sorority for studying some 'dangerous' ancient knowledge and was now exiled to the edge of the land. Her knowledge was the key I needed. I showed her fragmented records of the ruins held by my family and outlined a shared vision of exploring ancient secrets and gaining power and wealth. Margaret, this restless witch, became my first and most important accomplice.

With Margaret's help, we bypassed some of the hidden defenses left by our ancestors within the castle and secretly opened a passage leading to the underground ruins. Like two thieves who had broken into the land of giants, we ventured deeper into the ruins amidst awe and elation.

The exploration was long; the depths of the ruins lurked unspeakable monsters, bizarre traps, and ever-present, mind-corroding whispers. But thanks to Margaret's sorcery and my luck, we managed to advance to the very heart of the ruins.

There, we found a door.

The door was covered with intricate and despair-inducing energy circuits and sealing runes, their sophistication and power far exceeding Margaret's comprehension. We tried every known method… even resorting to several powerful ancient artifacts from our family's secret collection, but the door remained unmoved, as if it had stood there since time immemorial, separating the two worlds.

Just when we were almost in despair and ready to give up, fate struck with a cruel twist. That day, I was conducting my routine patrol of the ruins' passageways alone when, before that massive door, I saw her—a woman dressed in a magnificent, bright red court dress.

She appeared out of thin air deep within the desolate ruins, standing before the unopenable door. Her long, silver hair was as if woven from moonlight, and her face was so perfect it seemed otherworldly, possessing a beauty that transcended the mortal realm. At that moment, my heart almost stopped beating. Who was she? Where did she come from? How could she be here?

She called herself "Celia," a "lost soul from the world beyond the gate." She told me that the world we inhabit was a colossal mistake, a new layer that had risen from ruins after an ancient catastrophe. The world beyond the gate, she said, was "Ain Salah," the legendary Eternal Forest, the birthplace of the earliest elven civilization.

She described the magnificent world beyond the door: forests flowing with the spring of life, the towering World Tree, the lost Elven royal court, endless ancient knowledge, and… eternal life and power! She claimed to be a banished guardian, yearning to return, and willing to help us 'blinded newcomers' open this 'door of return' and share in the glory beyond.

The frustrations of my long exploration, my thirst for power, and my rebellion against my family's duty to protect them all crumbled before the grand vision she painted. I forgot the warnings of my ancestors, forgot the eeriness of the ruins themselves, and regarded her as a key bestowed by heaven, respectfully welcoming her back to Bloodclaw Keep.

Margaret was the first to sense something was wrong with 'Celia.' Her witch's intuition told her she sensed pure malice emanating from the woman in red. She warned me in horror that this woman was no longer the lost one; she was more like part of the seal, or a tentacle reaching out from behind the door, trying to break free of its restraints.

At that time, I was blinded by the limited power Celia had displayed and her fervent fantasies about the world beyond the door. I dismissed Margaret's warnings as jealousy and delusions stemming from my sorcery research. Under Celia's subtle manipulation and my own stubbornness, Margaret and I had a fierce argument, ultimately leading to a complete break. I stripped her of her right to continue exploring the ruins, even using the Earl's authority to banish her from Bloodclaw Castle's territory, forbidding her from ever returning. I told her that her 'cowardice' and 'jealousy' made her unworthy to share in the great discoveries to come.

With Celia's help, opening the giant gate no longer seemed like an unattainable dream. She possessed a secret technique completely beyond our comprehension. She began guiding me to invest massive amounts of manpower and resources; we frantically dug deeper into the gate, searching for ores containing strange energy as components of the 'key'. She instructed me to secretly capture powerful creatures for some bloody energy sacrifice ritual to 'soften' the seal on the gate.

The money spent flowed like water, and Bloodclaw Castle's accumulated wealth rapidly dried up. Countless lives were lost, and the stench of blood permeated the castle's hidden corners. Loyal guards perished during their explorations, and the innocent wailed on the sacrificial altar. Under my command, Bloodclaw Castle became a machine frantically operating to open that door. The family's mission had long been trampled under my feet; I was immersed in the illusion woven by 'Ceria,' firmly believing that all sacrifices were for a greater purpose.

Finally, after paying an unimaginable price, 'Ceria' told me that preparations for opening the 'Gate of Return' were complete.

The moment was approaching, and I should have been ecstatic. But as preparations deepened, the reason and fear that had been suppressed by my fervor began to awaken little by little.

I realized I might have made an irreparable mistake. 'Ceria's' flawlessness was increasingly resembling an elaborate mask. The power feedback from those sacrificial rituals was filled with chaos, madness, and destruction, a stark contrast to the vibrant 'Eternal Forest' I had initially envisioned. Behind the door…is it truly paradise? Or…the entrance to purgatory?

[A tremendous fear and a belated sense of responsibility gripped me. The secret guarded by the Heinrich family for generations must not be laid bare because of my own selfish desires and folly! Even if I may already have one foot in the abyss, I must leave a final safeguard for my family and for this world.]

So, on the eve of the final ceremony, I did two things.

First, I secretly contacted the Ravens, the oldest mercenary guild in the kingdom, and paid them an exorbitant commission they couldn't refuse, signing a magical contract with them that was to be delayed in taking effect. The contract stipulated that if I didn't personally appear at the Ravens' headquarters within ten years to present a specific family heirship token and cancel the contract, the guild would have to deliver a letter I had already sealed to the most legitimate heir of the Heinrich family bloodline at the time. This letter would contain proof of inheritance to Bloodclaw Castle. I could only hope that the heir was perceptive enough to sense the danger from the castle's unusual activity and the delayed delivery of the letter. This was the last remaining ember of my duty to ensure the continuation of my family bloodline and the protection of the castle.

Secondly, I recorded all my authentic observations during my exploration of the ruins in these notes. Then, using the last remaining esoteric knowledge passed down through my family regarding the core authority of the castle, I created this cognitive interference chamber and hid the notes there. As for Margaret, I cannot apologize to her in person; that would only kill her. I only hope that if she truly hates me, if she truly perceives the truth about 'Celia,' she might guide my successor here at some point.

As I write these words, the day the door opens is fast approaching, and I can feel its restlessness. I know my time has come. Whether the ceremony ultimately succeeds or fails, I, Edwin Heinrich, will have no regrets.

[To those who come after me, if you manage to come here and read these words… then please forgive me, this unworthy ancestor. I have tarnished the Heinrich name and failed in my duty as guardian.]

Beware of 'Celia'. She is not a lost one; she is the 'curse' itself seeping from within the door.

Find Margaret, if she's still alive.

[Finally... if possible... stop her. Stop that door from being fully opened. Use all your strength! This is my only request, the one from a sinner.]

May the spirits of my ancestors... not forsake my soul for long. Edwin Heinrich's last words. (End of Chapter)