In the blink of an eye, Hoggus turned his gaze to a different Voodoo Doctor, and the scene he saw was quite peculiar. Within the Mirror of the Mind, the Voodoo Doctor was seated cross-legged in a temple. Opposite him sat a man who looked strikingly similar, yet subtly different—as if he were his twin brother. Then, both the Voodoo Doctor and the other man burst into flames.
"This is quite similar to what happened with that little girl before, only this time it's brotherly bonds," Hoggus mused. He respected human emotions, but after countless millennia of existence and witnessing countless phenomena, the concept of such bonds had become exceedingly rare to him. Therefore, psychological obstacles arising from friendship, love, or familial affection no longer affected Hoggus.
"Hmm? Who is this little one?" Hoggus couldn't help but ask as he glanced at the Mirror of the Mind showing the only sorcerer among Chen Chen and the others whose identity remained unknown.
Before him, the Heartscape World shimmered in a dazzling, kaleidoscopic realm of vibrant yet bizarre hues. It was a kaleidoscope of dazzling and ever-shifting beauty, yet it also exuded a deathly, hollow void. Floating in the air were countless remnants, as if everything had been utterly consumed, leaving only the dregs of celestial bodies.
If Chen Chen were present, he would have recognized it instantly: the Mysterious Sorcerer's Heartscape World was none other than the Dark Dimension, the domain of Dark Lord Dormammu, Chen Chen's defeated foe.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
On the Mirror of the Mind, a blurry purple figure darted through the void. Each movement of this entity in the Dark Dimension ripped through the void like thunder, accompanied by earth-shattering roars.
Suddenly, intensely powerful energy beams rained down from the sky, bombarding the ground and sending plumes of sand swirling into the air. Moments later, a face wreathed in purple demonic flames materialized, exuding an aura of malevolent power: Dark Lord Dormammu.
Watching the scene unfold in the Mirror of the Mind, observing the standoff between the Mysterious Sorcerer and Dormammu, the tiger-headed creature smiled faintly, revealing its sharp fangs. "Interesting... quite interesting."
Among the five candidates, Hoggus already knew the true identity of the mysterious sorcerer whose background remained unknown.
"But he's really bold. With such a sensitive background, he dares to come here for the Supreme Mage selection. Logically, this young man wouldn't need to participate. Could it be that he's here for him?"
Turning his gaze to the last sorcerer, Hoggus had sensed a Dark Dimension aura from Chen Chen during the first assessment. Though deliberately concealed, Hoggus had still detected it.
"Chen Chen... truly mysterious," Hoggus murmured, considering the Ancient One's endorsement of Chen Chen, his formidable strength, and the fact that this mysterious sorcerer might also be here for him. "Then let's see what your Heartscape World looks like."
The mental realm above Chen Chen's head was reflecting the state of his Heartscape World. Hoggus looked up, but his expression froze. The mirror's surface was now pitch-black, revealing nothing.
"What's going on? Is the Mirror of the Mind malfunctioning? Did that old bastard Tanliyatiwan give me a counterfeit?" Hoggus leaned closer, carefully examining the Mirror of the Mind. He found no signs of malfunction or counterfeit; the waves emanating from it clearly indicated it was operating normally.
"Could this pitch-black vision... be Chen Chen's Heartscape World?" Hoggus's tiger-like eyes widened gradually, and a long-forgotten emotion—"astonishment"—began to stir deep within his heart. As he continued to observe Chen Chen's Heartscape World, his expression gradually shifted from wonder to solemnity.
*No eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, body, or mind. No form, sound, scent, taste, touch, or law.*
This seemed to be the perfect description of Chen Chen's Heartscape World—everything was void, everything was illusory.
"A Heartscape World that transcends time, space, and all concepts, retaining only its own existence... this is madness beyond measure," Hoggus murmured, his gaze fixed on the Mirror of the Mind.
With everything except his own being reduced to nothingness, this ultimate transcendence would be a torment even for a God.
*If I were in Chen Chen's position, I'd probably go mad in this darkness,* Hoggus thought.
In the Heartscape World, a lone figure wandered through the darkness, moving forward without end.
Within the darkness, time flowed as if a century had passed.
The figure's steps remained identical, unwavering, as he traversed the void. He seemed to have forgotten himself, the darkness, everything.
"I wander alone through the darkness, for no other reason than my own existence."
Within the darkness, a divine thought quietly spread. The figure, who had been walking for an immeasurable time, slowly came to a halt.
"When will I ever escape this world?" he murmured, his voice flat and hollow, before resuming his slow, steady pace.
After another stretch of time, the figure stopped once more.
This time, the moment he halted, a single ray of light suddenly emerged from behind him, extending across the endless darkness until it reached his feet. With this sight, all he had to do was turn and step into the light to shatter the boundless darkness.
The dazzling light pooled at his feet. He lowered his head, gazing at the radiance he hadn't seen in what felt like an eternity. A spark of life suddenly flickered in his hollow eyes.
There, he saw a young face etched with endless weariness, and a faint, serene smile slowly spread across Chen Chen's face.
Just as he was about to step into the light, he suddenly stopped. He stood silently at the boundary between light and darkness, his eyes reflecting a complex mix of conflicting emotions.
After countless journeys and explorations through the desolate darkness, Chen Chen's mind had grown exceptionally weary. Yet, through this gradual process of exploration, his spirit had also become weathered and resilient. In the end, he had nearly forgotten his own existence, with only one goal remaining: to escape this place.
Now, gazing at the light he was about to reach, Chen Chen's pupils darted back and forth, clearly wavering. Then, he took a deep breath, his gaze hardening as he fixed his eyes on the light ahead.
"All things are illusory. All things are divided into yin and yang."
"If this despairing, lonely darkness is my own heart's shadow, then what am I truly running from?"
"Accept this darkness. Accept my own vulnerability. Accept my own fear."
"Confront my true self."
He murmured these words to himself, and after a moment, Chen Chen chuckled softly.
-----------------------
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