Third Person’s POV

The curse runes had been slowly frozen into a dormant state.

An entire year of exposure to the unimaginable cold had weakened the curse more and more until it finally became sluggish and inactive to an extreme extent.

Now, unless the Dark Emperor himself appeared near Ethan once again and personally reinvigorated the curse using his own cursed dark energy, the curse would remain silent indefinitely.

Not even the other members of the royal Malakar Dark Clan could revive these curse runes, as this Hexweave Spider Curse was innate only to the Dark Emperor himself.

The enormous distance between Ethan and the Dark Emperor, combined with the miraculous cold properties of the Frost Soul Orchid, had severed the curse from its original source of power almost completely.

And because of that, Ethan’s soul had finally begun awakening once more, though the fact that his coffin had been taken out of that deep cold by Arlene and her group was the main reason why his awakening was happening.

However, after remaining sealed in frozen slumber for an entire year, both his body and soul had seemingly entered a strange hibernating state.

The connection between them had become extremely sluggish and numb, and even his thoughts felt heavy and distant.

Just thinking about anything made him feel like he was a snail, but gradually, Ethan began to recollect fragmented memories.

He remembered the Eagle Peak of the Abyssal Sanctum Realm.

He remembered being imprisoned there because of Enforcement Elder Solomon’s schemes, even after being saved by the Red Lady.

And after that, he remembered being dragged into endless darkness by some monstrous and irresistible force that had emerged from beneath the abyss at some point in time after that.

He had difficulty in recalling that exact instant when he had lost his sense of self.

Even now, merely recalling that horrifying sensation made his soul tremble faintly.

That terrifying power had been so overwhelming that he had not even possessed the slightest ability to resist.

And then, he finally remembered the radiant white draconic hand that had saved him from the murky depths of the suffocating dark lake and those ugly dark hands that had pulled him into its depths.

After that point, however, everything had descended into unconscious darkness until now.

Just as Ethan remained immersed in confusion and frustration over being unable to even control his own body properly, a familiar figure suddenly appeared before him inside his soul space.

It was a beautiful woman clad in black armor who stood there silently.

She possessed elegant black dragon horns curving upward from her head, long dark hair flowing behind her like a waterfall of shadows, and dark golden draconic eyes that radiated supreme majesty and regality.

Yet despite that terrifying aura, her smile contained nothing except warmth and love when she looked at him.

She was very beautiful, possessing an innocence that mixed with her mature charm, and the instant Ethan saw her, his soul trembled violently.

Shock, disbelief, joy, and longing exploded within him simultaneously because the woman before him was none other than his master, Nyx.

Without hesitation, Ethan’s soul form rushed toward her and embraced her tightly.

Meeting her after facing so many difficulties, tumultuous events where he had felt completely alone, especially the time period where he had lost his sense of self, filled with so much joy that he couldn’t describe.

Nyx hugged him back gently as if soothing a child for a little while, and when she seemed to feel that he had calmed down, she started to speak softly,

"Okay, Little Ethan, listen to me very carefully. This is merely a recorded memory fragment left behind by me for the moment of your awakening.

So do not ask me questions because I possess no true consciousness, but I will simply transfer the information that my main body wished for you to know."

Hearing this, Ethan felt both joy and disappointment simultaneously but still remained silent and listened carefully.

But instead of speaking, the black armored woman dissolved into countless streams of golden particles in the next moment, which entered directly into Ethan’s forehead.

Immediately, fragmented scenes and memories flashed rapidly inside his mind.

However, as Ethan processed the information, dismay gradually appeared within him.

Because the information Nyx left behind was surprisingly vague.

She explained that after he had been attacked by some mysterious existence, she had saved him and brought him safely to the Dark Star Continent just as she had promised to do a week before.

But beyond that, very little was explained clearly about the details.

Nyx only mentioned that the original arrangement, where he would have remained briefly within the Dark Star Continent before meeting his family, had changed completely.

Now his stay there had become indefinite, and as for when he would return, that decision had been left entirely to Nyx herself.

She also explained that she had personally left him somewhere within the Aurora Frost Mountain Range for reasons she did not specify.

From now on, he would need to grow stronger and eventually find his own way back home.

After processing all the information silently for a long while, Ethan gradually frowned.

The more he thought about Nyx’s explanation, the more he felt that she was hiding many things from him intentionally.

Her words contained too many gaps, inconsistencies, and unanswered questions.

It felt less like a proper explanation and more like carefully selected half truths meant to hide something far larger beneath the surface.

But after thinking deeply for some time, Ethan eventually suppressed those doubts.

He understood clearly that no matter how much he questioned things right now, he would not receive answers anytime soon.

And more importantly, one fact overshadowed everything else, and it was that he had finally returned to his home continent.

The moment that realization settled fully within his mind, excitement and longing surged violently through his soul.

His mother, his grandparents, and Aurelia.

Their faces appeared within his thoughts one after another, causing an ache of longing to spread through him.