Chapter 287

For several moments, Arran stared at the ominous dark mass that lay at the center of the space . The knowledge that it was a connection to a Shadow Realm should have comforted him — he used Shadow Essence every day, after all . And yet, even looking at it caused him to feel an almost instinctive sense of dread .

Finally, he tore his eyes away from the darkness and turned to Karanos . “How dangerous is it?”

There was no need to ask whether it was dangerous — just the look of it made that all too clear . And if Karanos tried to deny its danger, Arran would know the black mass was a death trap .

But the white-eyed mage made no attempt to conceal the truth . “Very,” he said . “With my protection, you stand a good chance of making it out again, but I cannot guarantee that either of us will survive . There are enemies inside that neither swords nor magic can harm, and our lives will depend on avoiding them . “

Though the answer was hardly encouraging, Arran found some comfort in Karanos’s honesty . Had the man intended to lead him to his death, he would likely have tried to downplay the risk .

Still, Arran wasn’t convinced yet . “What if I refuse?” he asked, his expression calm even as he prepared for trouble .

“Then I will let you leave,” Karanos replied . “With what you have seen here, you know what will happen if word gets out — many will die, and you will be among them . “

Arran nodded, knowing it to be the truth . He had only briefly witnessed Karanos’s shard of Living Shadow, but that was enough to know that it was a treasure beyond compare . Just the suspicion that Arran had such a thing would get him killed anywhere in the world .

Some doubts still lingered within his mind, however . If Karanos trusted Arran not to throw away his life by revealing the mines’ location, there was no reason for the man to guide him into the Shadow Realm — gift or not, Arran was already bound to silence .

“Why do you want me to go inside?” he asked, forehead creased in a frown . “And why do you want me to have a shard of Living Shadow?”

A small smile crossed Karanos’s lips, almost as if he was pleased that Arran had rejected his earlier explanation . “The Shadow Realm holds a warning,” he said . “A warning that your Shadowflame Society should know about . “

Arran looked at the white-eyed mage with a confused expression . “A warning? But I thought you didn’t want me to spread word of this place?”

“I don’t,” Karanos said . “But you are strong — stronger than an adept has any right to be . And strength like that requires resources beyond those a normal teacher would provide . Which means you’re the personal apprentice of one of the Valley’s Elders, or perhaps even the Patriarch . “

“The Matriarch,” Arran corrected him, slightly relieved that there were still things the gaunt mage did not know .

“So the old bastard is dead?” An expression of joy flashed across Karanos’s face, but it disappeared an instant later, and he continued, “The Matriarch, then . And if you’re her apprentice, then you will eventually become an Elder yourself — perhaps even a Patriarch . By then, you may know what to do with the warning . “

Once more, Arran was reminded that powerful mages were very long-lived . While the plan Karanos had laid out wasn’t unreasonable, it would take centuries to come to fruition .

He thought for some moments, casting another glance at the mass of darkness in the distance . Just looking at it unsettled him, and the idea of entering it almost made him nauseous . Yet he had already made his decision .

“All right,” he said . “So what do we do?”

Karanos gave Arran a reassuring smile, though the man’s white eyes made even that look somewhat disquieting . “To start,” he began, “you will need to close off all your Realms but Shadow . I assume you have a way to do that?”

Arran nodded, then sealed off his Realms and released the Essence his body still held with a few quick attacks at the starmetal wall . “Anything else?”

“Your void bags won’t work in the Shadow Realm,” Karanos said . “So you’ll need to subsist on Essence, circulating it through your body to nourish yourself . ” Seeing Arran’s troubled look, he added, “Look closely — it isn’t too difficult, but it helps to know what to do beforehand . I nearly starved before I figured it out . “

He briefly demonstrated a simple circulation technique that was little different from the ones Arran already knew, and after observing it for a few moments, Arran nodded . Yet even as he practiced the technique, a thought occurred to him .

“How long will we be gone?” he asked, feeling some worry . If he needed to subsist on Essence, then they would be gone for a long time .

“No more than a few years,” Karanos answered . “Though on this side, only days will pass . “

“Time doesn’t work the same in the Shadow Realm?” Arran asked, surprised . He had expected the Shadow Realm to be different from the real world, but he had not imagined that even time itself would be altered .

“Few things work the same in that place,” the white-eyed mage said . “You will find that it will take you time merely to adjust to it . And the sensation…” He shook his head . “It is not a pleasant one . “

Arran ignored those last words, unwilling to let himself be burdened by any further worries . While being prepared was good, there was little point to idle concern . “Are we ready to go?” he asked .

“I would not be so eager to go, if I were you,” Karanos said . “But yes, we are ready . “

“Then let’s go,” Arran said, turning toward the mass of darkness that lay before them . He frowned, then added, “But I’ll let you enter, first . “

“Very well,” Karanos said . “Follow me — it’s a simple matter of stepping into the darkness . “

Without any further words, he started toward the darkness at the center of the starmetal cavern .

Arran followed a dozen paces behind the gaunt mage, suppressing the unease he felt as he approached the formless black object . Or rather, the black tear — because as he approached it, he saw that it was no object at all . Instead, it was like a hole within the world, with only darkness behind it .

As he came closer, he felt a pulling sensation, as if the tear was trying to swallow him . Instinctively, he braced himself for a moment, but then realized he had to venture forward .

Karanos was the first to reach the tear, and as he reached it, he suddenly disappeared . Arran blinked in surprise when he saw this — while he had seen Karanos reach the darkness, he had not seen the man enter it . Instead, his entire body had vanished the moment he touched the shadow .

Arran paused when he saw this, but only for a second . Then, he took a deep breath, and crossed the last few paces to the tear in the world — the path to the Shadow Realm .

Standing next to the hole in reality, the force that pulled on him was almost irresistible, and he knew he would struggle to break free even if he tried . But he was here to pass into the darkness, and he clenched his jaw as he reached out with his hand . And then—

Nothing .

In an instant, the world around Arran disappeared as he was plunged into darkness . That was something he had expected to happen, but he felt a surge of panic when he realized that it wasn’t just his sight had gone dark .

All his senses abruptly went dark . He couldn’t hear or feel anything — not even his own body . It was as if his consciousness had been ripped away and submerged in an ocean of thick, dark oil .

Despite being unable to feel his body, he tried to speak, to ask Karanos — if he was there — for help, but nothing happened . If he still had a mouth, it didn’t move, and no sound came forward .

The feeling filled Arran with terror, and he instinctively tried to scream . But again, nothing happened . If his body was still there, it did not respond to his mind anymore .

It was a torturous feeling — far worse than being bound or imprisoned . Yet despite Arran’s horror at the situation, there was absolutely nothing he could do . It was as if he had been locked inside his own mind, without a way to escape .

After a long time, Arran’s panic gradually subsided . Not because the situation terrified him any less, but because after days or weeks in this state, he had gradually grown numb to his fear .

As he calmed down, he began to consider the situation . Perhaps this was normal — the unpleasant feeling Karanos had described . Or perhaps the man had deceived him, after all .

Whatever the case, Arran had no way of finding out, and no way to do anything about it . He had no way to do anything — not with neither his body nor his Essence at his command . He was imprisoned in a sea of darkness, and the only thing he had were his thoughts .

More time passed — months, perhaps even years — without anything happening, and gradually, Arran felt his thoughts growing slow and confused . He wondered about this some time, until finally, he realized it must be his body, slowly starving for lack of sustenance .

Even in his muddled state, the realization caused him to grow excited . If his body was starving, it was still there, and his consciousness was still inside it . If nothing else, it meant he wasn’t dead — yet, at least .

He vaguely remembered that Karanos had taught him a technique to sustain his body with Essence . And although it seemed like a long time ago, the technique was simple enough that he still knew how it worked .

Yet he could not feel his body or Sense his Essence, and for a time, he wondered what to do, steadily feeling himself grow more confused as his thoughts seemed to slow even further . Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www . webnovel . com for visiting .

He realized that he could not let this continue . If he waited for much longer, his body would die — of that he was certain .

With no other options, he began to perform the technique blindly, knowing neither whether he was doing it correctly — or at all — nor whether it was having any effects on his body .

For a long time, nothing happened . But then, gradually, he began to feel his thoughts grow clearer, sharper . And as his clarity returned, he saw a small spark of hope in the distance .

It seemed he still had both his body and his Shadow Essence . Now, all he needed was to regain his senses .