They arrived at the island, but not without taking precautions.

Liora made masks that could filter toxicity and enable them to breathe properly, as they feared the fog might contain some sort of poison, especially since it surrounded the island like a fence.

Marlon led the invasion of the island, striding in front of the others while his eyes scanned the place from time to time.

He stepped into the fog. It was dense and thick, pressing heavily around them. They had to move deeper for about three minutes before they finally reached its end, stepping out and arriving on the island.

"Wow..."

The Vereenas exclaimed in low voices as the main structure revealed itself before them.

They had expected dark features, perhaps tall, jagged mountains with an ominous presence, or maybe even a dark castle looming in silence.

Yet what appeared in front of them was far from their dark imagination.

It was a very beautiful mountainous view, with lush greenery carpeting the ground. Not so far away, there stood a larger mountain, a glistening stream running down its middle. The gentle sound of water flowing could be heard clearly. It was peaceful. Extremely peaceful.

The sky above was blue and bright. There was no sun present, yet the entire place was properly illuminated.

Marlon frowned.

Orion was visibly confused.

The other Lunar Pathos, who had tried to peer into the island before they arrived, were just as confused as their leader.

This place had not held any of this peaceful atmosphere when they looked into it earlier. It had been dark, ominous, and filled with a strange presence of death.

One could easily imagine their confusion now, as such a beautiful scene stood before them, and the dark presence they had once felt was completely absent.

Some of the Vereenas seemed gladdened by the sight. They were not used to such oppressive environments like the ocean of lava, and the sudden shift brought them a sense of relief. Slowly, they began to step forward one after the other. Some even squatted down, reaching out to feel the flowers blossoming around them.

Marlon reacted instantly.

He summoned a few of his mirror clone units.

The clones moved rapidly, following his silent instructions. They intercepted the Vereenas, swiftly stopping them from moving any further. Those who had already reached out were restrained before they could touch anything.

"Don’t be daft," Marlon’s cold voice spread across the area. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The Vereenas turned toward him, giving him questioning looks. They could not understand why he remained so tense despite the beautiful scenery before them.

Marlon did not give them the chance to speak.

"This place is not real."

He saw no need to say anything further.

Orion stepped forward at once.

"Marlon is correct. Earlier, when I peered inside, this is not what I saw, nor what I felt. We are currently trapped inside an illusion of some sort, a powerful one that bends reality," Orion explained firmly.

The other Vereenas fell silent.

They understood how accurate and serious the Lunar Pathos were when it came to their perceptions. They were almost never wrong.

Some still looked like they wanted to protest.

But before any of them could say a word, the scene before them began to peel away.

The beautiful brown color of the mountain melted and twisted, turning into jagged black. The gentle sound of flowing water warped and faded, replaced by a violent breeze that swept across the area. The flowers on the ground began to rot at a rapid pace before vanishing completely, leaving behind rocky terrain filled with subtle cracks that revealed veins of lava drifting beneath.

The veins of lava spread outward, interconnecting in a growing web. It expanded steadily, reaching the distant mountains and forming an even more terrifying landscape. The mountains themselves cracked open, lava glowing within them, and from atop several peaks, eruptions burst out in explosive displays.

The clouds darkened once more.

Two half moons hung close to each other in the sky, their crescents casting a sinister glow over the mountainous island. Lightning crackled above, and thunder roared intermittently, echoing across the terrain.

In just a few seconds, the scene in front of them transformed completely.

From gorgeous to dangerous.

"W-what..."

They exclaimed, their voices filled with shock.

Fortunately, they were still protected. The heat-resisting robes made by the Stellar Pathos shielded them from the rising temperature, while the Gravity boots given to them by Axel Storm allowed them to withstand the violent gusts of wind.

Marlon scanned the area carefully.

’Someone is controlling everything around here,’ he thought.

Yet there was no living being in sight.

Orion and the other Lunar Pathos attempted to use their psychic powers to scan for threats.

"My powers are not working. Something is blocking them," Orion said, his tone carrying clear worry.

"I thought I was the only one," another Lunar Pathos added.

"What the heck is with this planet? We’ve not even spent close to two hours here, but it is already this dark," Solan complained.

Nox, who had already equipped his Omniblade, scanned the area in silence. His usual nonchalance had faded, replaced by a focused alertness brought on by the danger.

No one was calm.

Even Marlon felt a slight sense of unease.

It was one thing to fight a powerful enemy.

It was another thing entirely to fight an invisible one.

The latter was far more difficult.

You simply cannot fight what you cannot see.

The terrain mapping orb failed to function properly within the island, making the situation even more threatening.

Still, Marlon steadied himself and encouraged everyone to remain calm and follow him.

He summoned his death clones and sent them ahead. If there were traps waiting, the clones would detect or trigger them first.

With over fifty death clones striding ahead, the Vereenas followed closely behind as they ventured deeper together.

They stepped onto the cracked rocky path, which radiated heat and released faint smoke from the lava drifting through its fissures. The sound of lava slowly melting the rock could be heard, adding further weight to the already sinister atmosphere.

Soon, they entered the mountain range.

In this position, every sound they had heard earlier became amplified.

The wind howled louder. The ground seemed to hum faintly beneath their feet.

And for the first time since they stepped into this world, they felt it.

A presence.

As they scanned their surroundings, the impossible began to unfold.

All the massive mountains around them started to vibrate.

At first, it was subtle.

Then it became violent.

The mountains shattered into countless smaller boulders. The fragments shifted and hovered briefly before beginning to move again, merging together in a new form.

But they did not return to being mountains.

They changed.

They became something else.

By the time the transformation was complete, the Vereenas found themselves surrounded on all sides.

Twelve colossal stone titans stood around them.

Each one towered like a living mountain, their massive bodies veined with molten lava that pulsed like a heartbeat beneath cracked obsidian skin.

Each of the colossal stone titans carried a distinct presence.

One leaned on a titanic greatsword that was stabbed deep into the ground, its red eyes fixed on the humans before it.

Another held an enormous obsidian bow, with dozens of massive arrows ready to be fired at any moment.

The others wielded different weapons, each just as imposing.

And the two positioned at the center stood apart.

They bore crowns instead of weapons.

These two, in particular, were not looking at the group.

They were staring at one person.

Marlon.