As soon as it clicked to the two who Lith was talking about, they jumped and clinged to him.

"YOUR HIGHNESS, YOU SERIOUSSS!!!??" Dennis shook Lith's shoulder and asked in a hyperactive manner.

Touching the Prince like this could get one beheaded, however, Dennis was exempted from all of it for obvious reasons.

Lith laughed. "Who knows?"

"How did this happen?" Ralph tugged onto Lith's sleeve and asked in a calm manner, unlike Dennis.

"Umu. Umu. How? How?" Dennis asked Lith again.

Chuckling, Lith felt he shouldn't keep this thing a secret from his only two friends for long.

"Well"

Lith began reciting his love story with his two cute wives and gave the necessary details that would fulfil the curiosity of these two.

Let alone Dennis, even the calm Ralph was starting to make a shocked expression.

Their faces were a delight to see and made Lith laugh.

Once he finished reciting the tale, Dennis, with a newfound respect for Lith, bowed and said, "impeccable charisma, mine noble Prince. I must profess, none other can compare to thee. Pray, bestow upon this humble subject of thine some sage counsel."

Dennis was so impressed, he suddenly turned into an old English playwright.

"Unbelievable. Unmatchable. Unfathomable." Ralph only said three words, but it was enough to express all the shock he was feeling.

Lith chuckled. "You guys sure like to exaggerate."

Ralph and Dennis sharply turned to look at Lith with an expression that read: 'What the fuck did you just say?'

Exaggeration was the least of these things!

Lith patted the two's shoulders. "Anyway, we should get going. Ren is gonna get hungry, I gotta feed him something. Let's go hunt inside."

The two didn't know what to say more and just nodded their heads in response.

Along with Ren on shoulder, Lith went inside the Crimson Gate with Ralph and Dennis.

As soon as he took a step inside

*

BOOM!

"It's time to step inside." A blonde-haired teen in a formal black suit said as he looked at the Crimson Gate in front of him blast its aura.

The teen turned back before stepping in and said, "if I die inside, everything of mine is yours, Marco. Good bye."

"Master" A man in a butler outfit was about to ask his master to not say such things, but his master was gone.

He sighed and stared at the empty space in front of him after his master disappeared in the gate.

*

Sitting on a mighty throne was a tall red-haired girl, unbothered by the Crimson Gate that loomed above her.

Her expression was neutral, there was blood on her clothes, and beneath, beside, at the back, and at the front, everywhere there was a pile of corpses.

The girl was staring at the space in front of her and tapping her feet, waiting for something.

The heavens, as if listening to her thoughts, blasted the Crimson Gate's aura at the red-haired girl.

The girl, still unbothered, got up slowly and extending her hand forwards, had a staff manifest within her palm.

She looked up at the gate and said with her lips curving slightly upwards, "my wait is finally over. We are going to meet now, it seems."

She licked her lips as her eyes turned murderous. "It'll be fun."

The girl did a flip and vanished into the gate above.

Just like the red-haired girl and the blonde-haired teen, at three other places, the Crimson Gate blasted its aura and signalled the ones standing in front of it to enter.

The three people entered and once everyone was in, the Crimson Gate vanished.

Vanished from all places in the universe.

.

.

.

.

.

"WHERE DID THE GATE GO!?" Adventurers around the gate in Lith's world shouted in panic.

After Lith and his party entered, the gate suddenly vanished, bringing out some chaos in the place.

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED!?" Some cursed, in frustration, in pain, in agony, and in jealousy.

Everyone was here to reap whatever rewards there were available. They had also realized that it was pretty safe inside and other than losing memories, there were no problems.

But such a thing was now gone and everyone just couldn't take it well.

After the initial panic, fights broke out in that place since it was a lawless land and the usual conflict among adventurers began.

*

Stepping inside the Crimson Gate, Lith found himself standing atop a towering sand dune in a fantastical desert.

The atmosphere was cold and eerie, it was dark here, but the blue moon hanging in the skies illuminated everything quite well.

Lith didn't even need to look around as he entered a strange place as right in front of him was a bottomless pit, within which was a maze that spiralled its way towards the skies; its end unknown.

Lith took a deep breath and shook his head.

"I have no idea why, but everytime I enter strange places, I am left all alone."

Beside him, Ralph and Dennis weren't there, neither was Ren.

He was alone once again and commented in an annoyed tone.

He was really looking forward to having an adventure with those three.

In any case, nothing could be done now and he could just move forward.

Lith looked at the maze in front and analyzed it.

The maze was intricately designed, its walls, adorned with ancient carvings and mystical symbols, seemed to float suspended in mid-air.

The sheer scale and complexity of the maze were both daunting and enticing, making Lith want to embark on a remarkable journey of exploration and discovery.

From his vantage point on the sand dune, Lith gazed at the twisting paths and towering walls of the maze, stretching as far as his eyes could see.

The labyrinthine structure seemed to defy the laws of physics, with stairways that spiralled upwards, bridges that defied gravity, and portals that shimmered with enchantment.

As Lith contemplated the challenge that lay ahead, he could feel the whispers of ancient secrets and hidden treasures calling out to him.

"I feel the calling already" Lith said, as he felt the unspoken whispers.

Shaking his head, he began his descent down the sandy slope, preparing himself to navigate the mysterious depths of the suspended maze.

Lith bravely charged towards the maze and once he was at the entrance, he saw a dark path in front of him.

Taking a step inside, bright lamps illuminated the path in front of him which seemed to have no end.

Not being afraid, he ventured inside.

As Lith delved deeper into the suspended maze, he encountered a perplexing obstaclea corridor shrouded in a disorienting illusion.

The once solid walls appeared to shift and morph, creating a deceptive path that led astray.

Undeterred, Lith took a moment to steady his mind and focus his senses.

'An illusion.' Lith immediately caught up with the situation.

He knew that this was an illusion and illusions often hid the truth. He just needed to see through the mirage before him.

Lith closed his eyes and shut off his senses, then continuing to venture further inside.

With a newfound clarity approached the illusory corridor.

As he stepped forward, he opened his eyes and observed the subtle detailsthe slight inconsistencies in the patterns, the flickering light casting irregular shadows.

Drawing upon his analytical skills, Lith experimented with different perspectives. He tilted his head, shifted his gaze, and examined the surroundings from various angles.

Gradually, he deciphered the hidden pattern concealed within the illusion.

With a confident stride, Lith took a step to the side, bypassing the illusory corridor altogether. As he did, the walls that seemed to twist and turn before him dissolved, revealing a straightforward path forward.

The obstacle of illusion had been overcome through his astute observation and keen perception.

'Easy.' Lith smiled and shook his head.

Lith continued his journey through the maze, ready to face the next challenge that awaited him, knowing that his resolve and sharp mind would guide him through the enigmatic labyrinth.

Pressing on with renewed determination, Lith traversed the maze's winding pathways. Each turn brought new challengesa shifting floor that threatened to drop him into an abyss, walls that closed in on him with a deafening rumble, and deceptive mirrors reflecting false images.

But remaining undeterred, Lith relied on his instincts and intellect to navigate the treacherous terrain.

He solved puzzles that demanded logic and creativity, evaded traps with nimble agility, and even enlisted the aid of ancient relics he discovered along the way.

With every obstacle conquered, Lith grew stronger, wiser, and more attuned to the mystical energies of the maze.

He honed his intuition, distinguishing truth from illusion with ease. And as he pressed forward, inch by inch, the path before him seemed to unravel, leading him closer to the heart of the mysterious desert maze.