Chapter 535: Nearly Five Hundred Years Of Solitude [Part 1] When Alex opened his eyes, he found himself in what seemed to be a narrow alley. His body ached all over, but upon realizing he was all alone, he forgot all his pain and forced himself to stand up, wanting to get a better understanding of his current situation. "Fran?" Alex looked at his surroundings. "Where are you, Fran?!" After calling out to the fairy’s name multiple times, reality finally hit him. She was truly nowhere. Emerging from the alley, the crowded bustling streets welcomed him. Special decorations were hung all around the place, as if there was some sort of festival going on. Alex stopped the first local he saw to ask what was happening, to which the latter happily answered. "Today is the victory celebration for the time when the human kingdoms successfully drove the Demons away from their territories," a chubby man said with a smile. "After the Demon Lord entrapment in the Shadow Forest, the demons struggled and failed to mount up any form of resistance, then we won. "To this day, the Demon Lord is apparently still trapped there, unable to leave. Even the Elves are keeping watch on the place to ensure that the barrier will not break apart." Alex’s eyes widened in shock after hearing this story. No one understood what was happening inside the dome of darkness inside the Shadow Forest more than he did, so hearing that the humans had used this opportunity to drive the demons away was new to him. "Relax." The chubby man patted Alex’s shoulder. "It’s been five hundred years since the Demon has been trapped inside that forest. Even if he manages to escape, he won’t be able to threaten anyone anymore." "W-What did you say?!" Alex looked at the chubby man in disbelief. "Five hundred years?!" "Young man, is there something wrong?" The chubby man blinked. "Do you have amnesia or something?" "C-can you please tell me the date today?" Alex pleaded. "And where am I right now?" The chubby man frowned, but still answered the question asked of him. "Today is the 12th Day of the Empress in the 845th Era of The Fool," the chubby man replied. "Also, we are in Arian City. Do you see that giant building over there? That is the Little Hearth Orphanage. "The Heroes who protected the realm from the Demon Lord were the one who founded it. The King bestowed it with a special privilege and made sure that it became a beacon of light for children who had lost their families and home." The revelation shocked Alex to his core. It had been five hundred years since he and Fran had been trapped inside the Shadow Forest. But the most surprising fact of all was the date. "The 12th Day of the Empress..." Alex muttered. This was a significant piece of information because Fran’s and Alex’s birthday was on the 13th of the Month of Empress. However, he remembered another piece of information that made his face turn pale. "Sir, is the barrier in the Shadow Forest still active?" Alex asked, desperately hoping for a miracle. "I passed through that forest a month ago, and the barrier is still up," the Chubby Man replied. "I’m sure that it will remain that way for many more yea—" Alex didn’t even wait for the chubby man to finish his words and rushed toward the north gate of the city. Since the barrier was still up, it only meant one thing. ’Fran!’ Alex gritted his teeth as he forced himself to run despite his entire body aching all over. But perhaps his current state was simply too frail that he tripped and fell on the ground. "Ugh..." Alex groaned as he rolled his body to the side in order to prop himself up. But when his gaze landed on a mirror that was facing his direction, his eyes widened in shock when he saw his reflection. A young man with silver-white hair and blue eyes stared back at him. "T-This..." Alex was seeing his own reflection in the mirror. He no longer looked like the Thief "Alex" who had accompanied the Dawnseekers in their adventure. His shock lasted for nearly a minute before he finally pushed himself up from the ground in order to stand up. The young man then dragged himself to the North Gate of the Forest. After leaving the city, Alex summoned a magical shield and jumped on top of it. Facing the direction where he and his party members had traveled in the past, he activated his skill, Shield Chaser, allowing his shield to soar across the sky like a missile. The consumption of mana to activate this skill for long periods of time was harsh, but Alex poured all of his strength to get as close to the Shadow Forest as possible. He would travel for an hour, then rest for two hours, then repeat the same process over and over again. What had taken seven days by carriage was only reached by a single day through his Shield Chaser skill. When Alex finally saw the dome of darkness in front of him, he couldn’t help but feel an ache in his heart as he guided his shield to descend from the sky. The Elves guarding the barrier glanced in his direction, but after seeing that he was a human, they no longer paid any attention to him. As soon as he landed, Alex pressed his hand on the barrier. But, the barrier repelled him, which sent him flying. The elves who saw this smiled faintly as this wasn’t the first time they had seen this happen. It had almost been a tradition to see curious people go to the Shadow Forest to check if the Heroic Stories were true or not. Alex was already exhausted from his journey, and yet, his desire to see Fran overcame all exhaustion and weakness. Slowly but surely, he walked once more towards the barrier with shaky legs. The Elves watched him with amusement but didn’t make any move to stop him. The young man slowly reached out his right hand to touch his barrier, fully knowing that he might get repelled again. However, he didn’t stop. The moment his hands touched the barrier, he felt as if an electric current had struck his body, but he didn’t back down and kept holding onto it. A moment later, something unexpected happened. Golden light shone radiantly on Alex’s right hand, particularly on the place of his ring finger. There, a ring slowly materialized in existence, and it was none other than the Gaia Ring. With a roar that refused to surrender, Alex pushed against the barrier that was trying to repel him away. However, the Gaia Ring wrapped around Alex’s body, allowing him to pass through it, making the Elves gasp in shock after seeing that someone actually managed to enter the barrier that they had been guarding for five hundred years. Alex didn’t know what kind of commotion he had caused outside the barrier nor did he care. Panting for breath, he slowly stood up, and walked toward the center of the forest, hoping desperately to find the person that he was looking for.