Under the Stars: The Hermit's Path

Lin Yi and the mysterious man were trapped in a castle filled with a gloomy atmosphere. The creepy laughter echoed in their ears like a ghost, sending chills down their spines. However, despite their fear, they did not retreat. Instead, they continued to explore the castle with even greater vigilance.

They cautiously advanced along the dimly lit corridor. Ancient and mysterious portraits hung on the walls. The figures in these portraits seemed to closely watch their every move, giving Lin Yi a strong sense of being watched. He felt as if every step forward was like stepping into a bottomless, dark abyss filled with unknown fear.

"This place is so weird, we have to be extra careful!" Lin Yi tried to lower his voice as much as possible to avoid attracting unnecessary attention, while carefully observing the movements around him.

The mysterious man nodded silently in response, his wand tightly gripped in his hand, a faint but powerful magical light gleaming from the tip. It was clear that he was ready to deal with any unexpected situation at any time.

At that moment, a dark shadow flashed past them like lightning, bringing with it a gust of icy wind. Lin Yi reacted quickly, spun around to see what it was, but saw nothing but an empty corridor.

"What the hell is this?" Lin Yi's heart began to beat rapidly and uncontrollably, and a layer of fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.

At that moment, the heavy wooden door in front of him, which had been closed for a long time and was covered with dust and cobwebs, slowly opened to both sides with a low and slow creak. A very faint but eye-catching light shone through the door, like the first rays of morning light penetrating the thick fog at dawn, bringing a glimmer of life and hope to the entire dark and depressing environment.

With trepidation, they cautiously stepped onto the stone path leading to the room. Each step was taken with extreme caution, as if fearing to awaken some unknown terror slumbering within. When they finally entered, they were immediately struck by the sight before them—in the very center of the room, a magical circle of immense scale lay. This circle occupied almost half the room, its intricate lines and patterns interwoven into a dazzling, mystical scene. And the faint light emanated continuously from this vast magical circle.

"Is this... another sinister trap set by the dark forces?" Lin Yi's eyes widened as he muttered to himself in confusion. He stared intently at the magical circle shimmering with strange light, secretly speculating about the dangers that might be hidden within.

The mysterious figure beside him walked quickly forward without a word. Once he was near the magic circle, he squatted down and began to observe it intently. As time went on, the mysterious figure's expression became increasingly solemn, and a hint of deep worry gradually emerged in his previously calm eyes.

After a long while, the mysterious figure stood up and spoke in a heavy voice, "This is indeed a very powerful sealing magic circle, but unfortunately, it seems to have been partially damaged. This level of damage is definitely not caused by ordinary forces. I'm afraid there is an extremely terrifying evil force hidden behind it..."

Before they could delve deeper, the seemingly calm magic circle suddenly erupted like a flaming gunpowder barrel, its light blazing brightly. The dazzling light nearly blinded anyone, and at the same time, an overwhelmingly powerful force, like a ferocious beast opening its bloody maw, sucked them all in.

Lin Yi and the mysterious man felt their vision suddenly go dark, and the entire world seemed to be plunged into endless darkness. When they struggled to open their eyes again, trying to see the surrounding scene clearly, they were shocked to find that they were in a completely unfamiliar and mysterious space.

Thick fog permeated the entire space. The white mist, like a heavy curtain, completely obscured everything, making it impossible to distinguish east from west, south from north. Lin Yi couldn't help but feel a surge of panic. He asked in a trembling voice, "Where... where are we?"

The mysterious figure at the side seemed relatively calm. He frowned, looked around cautiously, and then slowly spoke, "In my opinion, this is very likely a special space sealed by a powerful force. The most important thing for us right now is to find a way to leave here as soon as possible."

So, the two of them cautiously groped their way forward in this mysterious, foggy space. The ground beneath their feet was soft and sank a little with every step. It felt like walking on a pile of cotton, with no real sense of support at all.

They walked like this for an unknown amount of time, and just as they were beginning to feel a little hopeless, they suddenly caught sight of a vague figure ahead. Lin Yi was startled, and subconsciously raised his voice and shouted, "Who? Who's there?" However, the figure didn't respond to his question, remaining motionless and silent.

Filled with doubt and uneasiness, Lin Yi and the mysterious man slowly approached the figure. As they got closer, they finally got a clearer look at the figure – it turned out to be an old man in ancient robes!

The old man with white hair and a weathered face slowly raised his head, which had been lowered for a long time. His eyes, which had been turbid before, now shone with a mysterious light, as if they could see through everything in the world.

All I could hear was the old man saying in a low and slightly majestic voice: "You really shouldn't set foot here!"

The mysterious man standing nearby felt a pang of fear upon hearing this, but he managed to calm himself down and quickly bowed to the old man and asked, "Senior, could you please tell me exactly where this place is? And how can we leave safely?"

After hearing this, the old man sighed deeply before explaining, "This place is a strange dimension long forgotten by the world, filled with numerous dangers and endless unknown secrets. If you wish to escape, you must find a way to locate the core of this dimension and repair the broken seal."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man's figure gradually became thinner like smoke, and finally completely dissipated into the air without leaving any trace.

Faced with this situation, Lin Yi and the mysterious man felt helpless. At this point, they had no other choice but to continue groping forward in this mysterious space, searching for any glimmer of hope and a way out.