Build an ancient-level power in the nightmare world

The tentacles in the black smoke did not touch Chris.

The tentacles wriggled haphazardly inside the house, and whenever they were about to touch Chris, they would deliberately turn away to avoid his location.

At the same time, Chris also noticed that the black smoke that filled the surroundings seemed to only exist about one centimeter away from his body.

No matter how Chris moves within the black fog, the fog always maintains a distance of one centimeter from him.

Chris's eyes flickered slightly. He also noticed that after the black mist appeared, the furniture, floors, and other items in the room became blurry in a very short time, as if they were glass that had been sanded.

The black fog grew thicker and thicker, and Chris could no longer see his surroundings through it.

At this point, continuing the operation seemed pointless.

The floor beneath Chris's feet, except for the area he was standing on, was covered in black mist.

Chris considered moving, but as soon as he lifted his foot, the surrounding black mist began to stir.

The black mist seemed eager to cover everything immediately, turning the area beneath Chris's feet that had not yet been covered by the mist into its territory.

As the last burning candle in the room went out, the light disappeared completely from Chris's eyes.

All that remained were the soft rustling sounds of the tentacles spreading and swaying.

These sounds rang incessantly in Chris's ears. Because he couldn't see anything, his mind began to uncontrollably conjure up terrifying images in the darkness.

Fortunately, the moment this thought arose, it was dispelled by the faint glow of the ancient key in his mind.

Although he managed to stay rational, Chris, now plunged into the purest darkness, couldn't help but feel his heart beat a little faster.

The composure he had displayed when confronting Valentine and the others had completely vanished at this moment.

Chris, engulfed in darkness, couldn't even perceive the passage of time.

Gradually, as darkness fell, the rustling sounds around us completely disappeared.

In this absolutely dark and silent environment, Chris even lost his sense of touch, and his sense of temperature and gravity.

He fell into a strange state where all his senses completely failed.

It was as if Chris had drifted into the dark and silent space; he could no longer feel his own body.

But his mind was unusually clear, and in this environment, the key in his mind became the only thing Chris could "see".

Just as Chris was staring at the key in his mind, a glimmer of light suddenly entered his field of vision.

…………

Dark clouds filled the sky, and rumbles of thunder echoed continuously.

Raindrops the size of soybeans pattered on the granite tombstones, splashing up tiny water droplets.

In a family cemetery, a boy stands quietly in front of a tombstone that is only half-built, holding a black umbrella.

Following the traces left by the rain, one can vaguely see the life story of the buried person engraved on the tombstone.

"...Remember Lawrence Hall... October 744..."

The boy stared intently at the tombstone before him, his eyes revealing not a trace of sadness, but rather a resolute determination.

Despite his young age, he wore an old-fashioned monocle on his left eye.

Upon closer inspection, it can be seen that this monocle is covered with traces of repair.

Not far away, two men in black suits, also holding black umbrellas, stood side by side, silently watching the boy in front of the tombstone.

"Are you really sure? Let Benjamin join the Torchbearers. He's so young and not even married yet." One of the handsome men, with blond hair, blue eyes, and shoulder-length curly hair, slowly spoke as he looked at the boy not far away.

"This is Benjamin's wish. He is fulfilling the mission of the Hall family, just like his ancestors in the cemetery," replied another middle-aged man with short black hair and round black-rimmed glasses.

"But in their lineage, only Benjamin is left as a male," the blond man continued.

"I will do everything I can to protect him," the middle-aged man with black hair said firmly.

"His eagerness to join the Torchbearers is clearly to investigate his father's affairs. Are you sure you can protect him?" The blond man gradually withdrew his gaze and looked at the black-haired middle-aged man beside him, asking again.

"He has no chance." The middle-aged man with black hair lowered his gaze, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes, and continued, "Even if his talent is no less than his father's, given another twenty years, he may not be able to reach a position where he has enough authority to read the files of that accident back then."

"The incident back then was determined to have involved suspected Saint-level power."

When the middle-aged man with black hair said this, his voice trembled slightly uncontrollably, and he lowered his voice to the lowest possible level.

Upon hearing this, the blond man standing nearby also showed a hint of seriousness in his eyes, as he was also aware of what had happened back then.

The topic ended abruptly there.

The two fell silent again in the rain.

The rain was getting heavier, making a pattering sound as it hit the umbrella.

"It's time to go back," the blond man suddenly said.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man with black hair glanced one last time at Benjamin, who was still standing in the rain not far away, nodded slightly, and then the two figures gradually disappeared into the rain.

Benjamin stood for a long time in front of the broken tombstone.

Throughout the cemetery, there are many other broken tombstones like this one.

Beneath these broken tombstones lie the remains of members of the Hall family who died unnatural deaths.

In reality, beneath these broken tombstones are mostly cenotaphs.

As an extraordinary family that has continued for hundreds of years, the Hall family members who died in extraordinary events either had their bodies disappear during the events or were severely contaminated, making them unable to be buried normally.

Ultimately, they could only be buried here in the form of a cenotaph.

Rumors circulated among several extraordinary families in the vicinity that the Hall family was cursed by some unknown curse because of their ancestor.

For over a hundred years, very few of the male members of the family have lived to the age of 30.

Most of them died in various extraordinary events.

Even ordinary family members who do not become extraordinary are always drawn into extraordinary events by various coincidences, and ultimately cannot escape the fate of dying young.

That's why Benjamin was so eager to join the Torchbearers.

At the age of 14, he embarked on the same sacred path as his father, Lawrence Hall, to the Echo Wall.

He is 15 years old this year and has already inscribed two holy seals. His talent is definitely among the best in the nearby extraordinary families.

But the path of the extraordinary is never one where high talent alone guarantees a long journey.

Ironically, the reality may be quite the opposite.