Chapter 289

Karanos frowned as he saw Arran’s non-comprehending stare . A thoughtful expression appeared on his face, and a moment later, he made a small gesture with his right hand .

Again, his lips moved, and this time words reached Arran’s ears .

“Keep your voice down . It’s dangerous here . “

The sound of Karanos’s voice was muffled and distorted, and Arran understood the white-eyed mage had used some sort of magic to make it travel through the cloud of Shadow Essence that filled the small cave .

It wasn’t just the air that was saturated with Shadow Essence, he Sensed — the stone floor and walls were filled with it, too . And although Arran could Sense no further than that, he had little doubt that the dark Essence didn’t stop there .

In the Shadow Realm, he suspected, there wouldn’t be a single rock or pebble that wasn’t steeped in Shadow Essence .

“Where are we?” he asked in a soft voice . It was obvious that the small cave wasn’t where they had arrived — it held no sign of any portal back to the real world .

“Somewhere out of sight,” Karanos replied . “Unless you draw attention, we can remain here at least a few more days . “

Arran realized that Karanos must have moved him repeatedly while he was trapped inside his mind, transporting him between shelters to keep him safe . And if he had been gone as long as he suspected, that had been no small task .

He considered asking his companion how long it had been, but after a thought, he decided against it .

How many years had passed made little difference . And, more importantly, if he was older than Brightblade now, that was a piece of knowledge he could do without .

“What’s next?” he asked instead .

“First, you need to recover,” Karanos replied . “At least enough to travel . Our destination is not far from here, but once we reach it, we will need to leave in a hurry . “

Arran responded with a short nod . That his body would need time to recover was clear — even if he had nourished it with Essence, years without movement and food had left him withered and weak . “How long do I have?”

“A few days,” Karanos said . “I will venture outside, and wait until the area is clear . Once I see an opportunity, we will leave immediately . “

“That short?” A few days was far less than Arran needed — barely enough for him to stretch his atrophied muscles, if that . With that little time, he might be able to walk, but not much more than that .

Karanos shrugged . “It’s either that, or leave the area for a decade . Our window grows short, and soon, this area will become a death trap . “

“Something is about to happen?” Arran asked, curious to hear more about this world and the dangers it held .

“Winter is approaching,” Karanos explained . “In this world, that means a decade of darkness even worse than the darkness of summer . And when the dark arrives, it will bring creatures with it — ones I have no desire to face . “

Arran creased his brow in thought . “Then what did you do before I awoke?” he asked after a moment . Although he didn’t know how long he’d been gone, he knew it had been far more than a mere decade .

“We sheltered, but far away from the cities,” Karanos said . “The cities are what draws most of the creatures . Out in the wilderness, some safety can be found . “

“Then we’re in a city right now?” A puzzled expression crossed Arran’s face . He’d thought the world a dead one — certainly not a place that had its own cities .

“The remains of one,” Karanos answered . “But you will see that for yourself when we leave . Right now, your attention is best spent on recovering your strength . “Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www . webnovel . com for visiting .

He got up from the ground, then headed toward the small cave’s exit, disappearing beyond the range of Arran’s Sense a few moments later .

Arran did not waste any time after Karanos left . At once, he forced himself to get to his feet, then clenched his jaw and began to walk around the small cave .

The state of his body was every bit as bad as he feared . He struggled just to walk, and the first few steps already caused jabs of pain to shoot through his back and legs . He endured the pain stoically, but even so, his strength failed him after a few short minutes, and he collapsed to the ground .

A wry smile crossed his face as he sat up again .

He knew he would regain his strength eventually, but for now, it seemed he was stuck with the body of a crippled old man — which was fitting, though unpleasant .

To recover from the brief bit of exercise, he began to circulate Essence through his body . Dragon meat would have been more useful, but all his food was stored in his void ring . For now, he would have to settle for Essence .

As Arran nourished his body, he considered the progress he had made while trapped in the Shadow .

The most obvious step forward was that he had become a Master, but he knew that this was also the least useful . As the Sixth Valley’s Patriarch had told it, the Master, Grandmaster, and Archmage ranks only described a mage’s supply of Essence, and little more than that .

In fact, Arran clearly recalled that the Patriarch had said it was possible to become an Archmage without knowing even a single spell . What truly mattered was skill, and of that, rank said little .

Arran’s skills had also advanced, however . While he had not learned any new spells or practiced his casting techniques, countless years of commanding Shadow Essence — both his own and the alien kind — had increased his control considerably .

Yet what had improved most was his Sense .

Once, this had been among his weakest points, perhaps even the weakest . But no longer . Years of studying the infinitesimal differences within Shadow Essence had sharpened his Sense so far he suspected it would put even most Archmages to shame .

That was something that would help him in many ways — in his studies, in avoiding traps, and even in combat . Even if it would not directly strengthen him, a strong Sense was an invaluable tool for mages . And Arran’s should now rank among the strongest .

Still, he could not help but feel slightly disappointed .

The one thing that had not improved was his strength . Once he unsealed his other Realms, he knew he would find them no stronger than before . His offensive magic had not improved in the least — if anything, he would need to practice just to return to his old level .

And his body was worse . Weak and withered as he was, it would take him months to regain his old strength, and his techniques must have suffered from years of disuse .

All considered, it seemed a poor result for countless years spent trapped in darkness . But complaining wouldn’t change that, and after a brief sigh, Arran turned his attention back to his recovery .

In the days that followed, he divided his time between training — if it could even be called that — and nourishing his body with Shadow Essence, using both his own and the foreign Essence that surrounded him .

The efforts allowed Arran to recover, after a fashion . While he was still far from regaining his full strength, his feebleness mostly subsided . As long as he managed to avoid battle, that should be enough to travel, if only barely .

Several more days passed without any sign of Karanos . At first, Arran was glad for the extra time this gave him to recover, but as more days passed, he began to feel some worry .

But then, after ten days, Karanos suddenly stepped into the cave again . And although Arran could only use his Sense to see, even the limited sight that gave him was enough for him to know that the gaunt mage was worried .

“We need to leave,” Karanos said . “Right now . “

Arran faced the mage, raising his eyebrow . “That opening you mentioned… I take it that didn’t work out as planned?”

“It didn’t,” Karanos replied . “But we’ll have to chance it . The creatures are already arriving, weeks earlier than they should . Even if we flee now and return in a decade, I fear the situation will only have grown worse . “

He shook his head in frustration, then continued, “Each time I’ve been in the Shadow Realm, it was worse than the previous times . But these past years, it’s as if it has begun to deteriorate more rapidly . “

“So we’re heading out?” Arran asked . While Karanos’s obvious concern caused him some unease, his lack of familiarity with the Shadow Realm meant he had no way to judge the danger .

“Right now,” Karanos confirmed . “Follow me . And whatever you do, once we’re outside, don’t allow even a shred of your Essence to leave your body . “

Without waiting for a reply, he headed for the cave’s entrance, with Arran following close behind him .

When they stepped outside, Arran was immediately struck by his surroundings . Everything around him was pitch black, not even the slightest sliver of light passing through the thick layer of Shadow Essence that covered the land .

If this was summer, as Karanos had said, Arran wondered what the supposed darkness of winter must be like, and how the mage could even tell the difference between the two . Because as far as he could tell, the world was already plunged in utter darkness .

Yet his Sense allowed him to inspect the area, and he immediately realized that this was a city — or that it had been one, at least, countless thousands of years ago . As far as his Sense reached, the land was covered in worn-down ruins, crumbling reminders that the place had once been inhabited .

However, this examination was interrupted when he Sensed something farther in the distance — a creature, seemingly made of Essence . And although the type of animal it had once been was unfamiliar to him, he recognized the kind of creature it had become at once — except this one was vastly larger than the ones he had seen before .

“A Remnant,” he whispered .

“That’s what they’re called?” Karanos’s asked in a subdued voice . But a moment later, he continued, “No matter . We need to leave before it Senses us . Come!”

Crouching, he hurried in the opposite direction of the creature, and Arran quickly followed after him, anxious to move away from the monster in the distance .

While the Essence Remnants he had seen in the mountains near the Ninth Valley had been terrifying, this one was something else entirely . Hundreds of feet tall, the colossal monster lumbered through the ruined city, and Arran had no interest in finding out what would happen if it spotted them .

For over an hour, Karanos and Arran rushed through the seemingly endless ruins of what must once have been a vast city . Then, finally, they came to a halt .

Crouching behind a crumbled wall, Karanos turned to Arran . In a tense voice, he asked, “The creature… you’ve seen ones like it before?”