Enveloped in total darkness, pain becomes Azreal's only anchor to reality. He longs to cry out, yet, deprived of his five senses, he finds himself incapable of even discerning if he could. An unknown amount of time passes, his mind at the precipice of insanity. Azreal bargains with the pain, "Stop! Please, I cannot take any more. Help me! I will do anything!"

Bargaining with a feeling, Azreal’s mind reaches depths he did not know existed. "I am going insane; a feeling will not be able to answer my pleas." Another unknown amount of time passes, seemingly locked in an infinite cycle of pain and nothingness, before a sudden, deep, and ethereal voice crashes into the fragile frame of his mind. "Azreal, finally, you’ve returned to the game of Heavens. I have long awaited your return. I cannot believe you have been missing from the Heavens for over a thousand years. I know that you will be confused and scared. I apologise for the pain I caused you; your old self instructed me to engrave my mark so deep onto his soul, that it would survive the cycle of reincarnation," the deep voice becomes more distressed as the conversation continues.

"I do not have enough time to answer any of your questions, so I will leave with you a small bread crumb, if you can follow the path that I will lead you on. You will be able to grasp but a small part of what occurred, all those years ago when we first met in the First Heaven. Seek out the Grand Ancestor of the Oblivion Garden Sect; you will need to reach the peak of your realm to stand before him, but he made an oath to your previous life," said the deep voice, shame laced in his tone.

"When the time comes, and you find yourself before him, recite the oath's opening words, 'By the eternal Heavens, a debt due in a debt that must be paid, where past and future intertwine, I summon the bond sealed by our soul’s might.' The Great Ancestor will respond aggressively until they remember their youth, and they will be able to provide you with a small fragment that will greatly help you once you ascend to the second Heavens. I wish I could interfere further, but the price I will pay for this message is almost too immense for any but your closest companions. Farewell and good luck, Azreal." The voice drifted away as their speech ended.

As the voice faded, Azreal felt each of his senses return; his smell was first, with the familiar smell of his own sweat filling his nostrils. His sense of touch shortly after, feeling the wooden floor and the destroyed bedding underneath himself. The sense of hearing returned next, the sounds of disciples moving about their day filling his ears. His sense of taste returned shortly after, a metallic filling his mouth. His sight, the last to return, allows him to examine the scene.

Looking down, he notices the room is mostly the same; however, most of the loose furniture and the small amount of bedding is torn to shreds. Azreal looks down to his chest, noticing blood that is slowly drying. Moving his hand to feel the blood, he follows the feeling of sticky dampness, finding the blood was caked up his neck and chin. "The power of that voice must have damaged my physical body and soul; truly terrifying. I have to reach the zenith of this Heaven and find this Ancestor of the Oblivion Garden Sect. I must ask my Master when I next see her." Azreal's mind races, as his body racks with pain. "I do not know why, but that voice felt familiar and trustworthy. I hope it’s not some twisted ploy just to mess with me," pushing these thoughts aside for now.

His mind and body had gone through intense pain and agony for an unknown amount of time, the only indicator being the warm and yellow sunlight flickering through the small curtains of his room. "I have been in here all day? Nightfall is soon, and I must meet with Lin Xue again," Azreal’s thoughts stop once he notices the blinking notification on the very edge of his vision.

<Congratulations, You’ve just made a breakthrough! You have reached the fourth level of Martial Adept and Soul Initiate>

<Name: Azreal>

<Title: The Fallen Prince>

<Cultivation Pathway: Heaven's Exile>

<Cultivation Level: Martial Adept 4, Soul Initiate 4>

<Qi Accumulation: 2000/4000>

<Strength: 75>

<Vitality: 60>

<Dexterity: 90>

<Intelligence: 95>

<Spirit: 130>

<Abilities: Heaven's Exile, Revenging Pathway (Poisonous Sword Stance), Celestial Gaze, Stormblade Surge (First and Second Stage)>

<Equipment: Outer Disciple Robes of The Unbound Pavilion, Pink and Gold Talisman, Wooden Disciple Talisman, Steel Sword>

<Master! I am so happy you're making progress, you are the best!>

Azreal's heart skipped a beat, his eyes widening, his breath becoming heavier, the sight of his stats increasing excited him, while the amount of Qi required to reach the fifth level of Martial Adept and Soul Initiate shocked Azreal.

"It really is going to exponentially increase, isn't it…" Azreal sighs as he forces his body to stand. "I was so refreshed after my other breakthroughs; I wonder if the pain I felt when I initially broke through and this was related? Will others reach out to me using a similar method? I really hope not, please, just send me a letter or something, please!"

Azreal began moving all of his furniture out of his room, leaving nothing but a small cushion and a lantern inside. "Good enough to cultivate in; this way, I won't destroy anything, and it seems that sleep is not required if I cultivate this quickly." Moving towards the pool, Azreal strips off his robes, using the still water's surface as a mirror, Azreal cleans the blood from his face and body before finally getting a good look at his face and body in this world.

Azreal's reflection in the small pool of his dorm is a revelation. For the first time since his arrival in the Heavenly Universe, he truly sees the transformation his physical form has undergone. His body, now full of lean muscle, is a sensation Azreal never hoped to imagine in his previous life. His height, just passing six feet tall, an uncommon sight within the Sect, gives him a presence that's hard to ignore, yet it's the details of his face that hold him captivated.

His hair, jet black and slightly messy, gives him a wild, untamed look that's oddly fitting for this world, or so Azreal thinks, smiling at his reflection. As he further studies his reflection, Azreal can't help but notice the striking crystal blue of his eyes, a stark contrast to the deep indigo of the Sect's robes that lay discarded beside the pool.

Azreal allows himself a moment to appreciate the changes, his fingers tracing the contours of his face, noting the sharpness of his jawline and the youthfulness of his face. He borders between dashingly handsome and a daring bad boy. "I would give anything to look like this on Earth; I would be forever thankful. Stop focusing on what will never happen and focus on the good. While in this VR world, I am handsome, and I should use this to its fullest."

A charming smile looking back at him from the depths of the pond. "It does feel weird to be in this body, seeing this reflection, when my real life is simply hell. Am I just hiding by using the system? No! Stop this pathetic excuse to be sad; it is time to go training!"

Azreal, donned his robes after letting the small breeze dry his body, left his dorm and made his way to the isolated training grounds; he spent the entirety of last night training with Lin Xue. He was halfway to the training grounds when he spotted a duo who he had no desire to interact with, talking to a core disciple of the Crimson Sword Pavilion, who was commanding respect from both Zhen Kuli and Killion. The core disciples body was slim, yet his muscles were highly defined. Azreal, pushing his luck, examined the inner disciple further.

"That really looks like Zhen Kuli; must be a brother or a cousin. I am sure he is an entitled arsehole as well," Azreal cursed his luck. "I am going to avoid whoever that might be; I do not fucking need this today. I need to meet Lin Xue, and as everyone has warned me, avoid confrontation while I am so weak!" a proud smile appeared on Azreal’s face.

Azreal darts behind a set of dorms, making his way towards one of the lower pathways, in hopes it will lead to the Unbound Pavilion's Training grounds. As Azreal rounds the first dorm, his luck finally turning, he notices Xin Hao off in the distance talking with Lin Xue. Without skipping a beat, Azreal sets off towards his Senior Sister Xue and Senior Disciple Hao.

Azreal, not thinking as he believed his luck turned and wanting to ensure distance between himself and the Kuli Duo, sprints towards Lin Xue and Xin Hao without making any noise. He bridged the distance with incredible speed, managing to get within a few feet before either of them noticed. However, Azreal’s face became pale as he felt a sword placed against his neck, and Lin Xue’s image flickering in and out of existence before fading into dust. "It’s me! Senior Sister Xue, please lower your sword; it’s only me!" pleaded Azreal.

"Eh?" a cute sound escaping Lin Xue’s mouth. "Azreal, I advise you to not sneak up on anyone without proper forethought or protection. If this was outside the Sect walls, I would've killed anyone who approached me while hiding their aura, especially at that speed," said Lin Xue while sheathing her sword. Xin Hao nodded his head, "That was a dangerous move, but you are new, so we should be more forgiving. Sister Xue, I do not think your sword pressed against his neck was necessary."

"Ah, sorry," said Azreal, as he moved his hand to the back of his head in embarrassment, a forced awkward smile on his face. "I actually ran over here in hopes of avoiding a few people from the Crimson Sword Pavilion, and I was hoping to meet Senior Sister Xue at the training grounds. And luckily enough, I found you both when I darted behind one of the dorms trying to get to this pathway."

"Why are you hiding from the Crimson Sword Pavilion?" questions Xin Hao. "I had a run-in with the Zhen family; have you heard of them?" replied Azreal. Both Xin Hao and Lin Xue’s faces became slightly more serious before nodding. "Their newest disciple of the Sect, Zhen Kuli, felt it was necessary to set his guard dog, Killion, onto me. Luckily, Darian knew them from his hometown and managed to calm the situation down before it really escalated. I avoided them because I don’t have a death wish, especially if a core disciple is speaking with them," said Azreal, as the trio began moving towards the training grounds.

"If that is the case, good work. I think staying out of the way of the Zhen family is a smart move. And avoiding getting onto the radar of core disciples this early can only benefit you, Azreal," said Xin Hao, with an impressed expression. The trio walks and discusses basic aspects of Sect life, allowing Azreal to glean experience from their encounters, which sound much harsher than he has been faced with. "We have to continue our meetings about you and the new disciples; expect to meet us at the Unbound Pavilion's headquarters at sunrise tomorrow," Said Xin Hao, departing from the trio as he returns to his meeting to discuss the new inner disciples.

"Are you ready? We will continue from where we left off last night. I can see you’ve made another breakthrough, you remind of the core disciples, always performing miracles, I don’t think it will be long before you join them,” said Lin Xue, a small cute smile on her face. 

 “So, training tonight will be brought to your new level. I will ensure your body is training and not just your Qi, okay?" said Lin Xue, whose eyes quickly became as cold as ice. Lin Xue and Azreal began to train, focusing once again on real sparring, increasing her tempo. At first, Azreal found it hard to keep up with her speed; his eyes would react, but his body wouldn’t follow. A few hours went past as Azreal took beating after beating, each time a slight improvement could be seen in his abilities.