I emerged in a strange place with a massive round gate behind me, leading back to Loistavadvaar. That was mostly all I could see because the plaza I landed on, was quite foggy. This, combined with only a little bit of light, coming from artificial sources like lanterns, looming in the distance, made it very hard to get a good grasp on what that place actually looked like.
I started with a relatively slow jog, of course for a normal human being that would be more than a full-speed sprint, but I wasn't a normal human being. Traveling further and looking around, I actually realized that up in the sky, was something blocking the incoming light from the local star.
There seemed to be platforms drifting above because I saw in the distance an open space between them, which was much brighter, so that was the new location where I chose to head to.
I confirmed my suspicions a little later, upon arrival. Then I used a little bit of 'Shadow fusion' to get up, on one of those platforms. From there I was finally able to have a good view of the alien city I just found myself in.
First of all, there was a lot more light there, and the fog also seemed to be less thick, to the point one could actually look around.
There were tall and bulky skyscrapers on those platforms in tight clusters, with also very pointy and slim ones. Mostly on separate little islands, drifting around. There were also more flat platforms with rock formations on them, some kind of parks, stadiums, and other things one could expect in a massive city. Overall, I noticed barely any vegetation.
p The previously mentioned clusters of rocks were the closest thing to nature out there. Of course, you could spot occasionally a tree, but it was quite a rare sight.
I also noticed smaller platforms, occupied by machinery I can only classify as spaceships. Those seemed to be there just o their own, like put in a parking lot. The view was very weird, but I realized rather quickly, that my purpose was not to admire the architecture, or try to figure out the purpose of what I saw, but rather to hunt ghosts.
This though put me back on the right track, and I stopped paying too much attention to the building and started looking for movement, or anything which potentially could be what I was actually searching for.
I didn't have to try that hard, as, after a few moments of running around, I saw one. He was wearing heavily damaged black clothes, decorated with golden patterns. His head was exposed, and just like I remembered, he looked practically like a dried-out corpse.
I started the assault by summoning some firebirds, which began circling around the area, covering it with orange light. With that prepared, I charged, which made him also spot me.
I still had a short window of time to use my usual powers, summoning my domain, and making the void essence curse through my veins, and slip into that world.
A barrage of a few dozen curved daggers suddenly went flying at me, but I just pulled out the pudao from my vault and smacked them away, as I kept rushing forward. They immediately followed after me, but I had a clean shot at the ghost, or at least that was what I thought.
Unfortunately, he had more cards hidden in his sleeve. I got blasted by his psychic powers and thrown back at the sharp knives lurking at my back, so I had to evacuate using 'Shadow walk'. I moved more to the side, just to have to do the same thing again, as the ground shattered under my feet, responding to the ghost's call.
The pieces of something, which looked like concrete, with metal inside, clearly for the reinforcement purpose, went flying, joining the daggers in a chase after my person, so I had no other choice but to increase the speed.
That was the first thought that appeared in my mind, and that was something I would do in such a situation back in the day, fishing for an opening, to attack directly, but then I saw a different possibility.
I shadow walked straight to him, dropping my pudao back to the vault, and just used my fists.
He avoided the first few punches, matching my speed and reflexes. He really wanted to get the hell out from me, though, as he kept retreating, but I followed him, staying up close. The rubble and daggers stayed in the vicinity, but he refrained from sending them after me, because he could hit himself.
Instead, he tried to push me away with his psychic powers, straight at the dangerous wall of sharp items which followed us, but I kept returning utilizing 'Shadow walk'.
As the brawl between us progressed, I noticed something, which I probably would miss if not for the fact that I had to fight for such a long time without my powers. I was able to move in a way, that was interrupting his movement, basically guiding him as I wanted, and preventing him from having a good opportunity to strike back. It was like a weird dance between the two of us.
If not for his annoying telekinetic attempts to shove me back, I would tear him apart in a few seconds, but since he possessed such powers, he was able to stay alive in his undeath state, even in such a dire situation.
Each second, though, I was learning more and more about his moves, and my speed was also increasing, so the ghost was getting closer and closer to the point where he would be unable to match me.
In a desperate attempt, he shattered the ground around us, to make me lose my footing, but I only saw an opening in that. I repositioned above him, and summoning all my power, blasted him with my fist, only decimating the platform even more.
He turned into smoke, revealing a nice crystal, which I caught immediately using 'Telekinesis' and placed safely in my vault, but the platform we fought on was still falling apart and crumbling.
I shadow walked a few times to get myself to another one, and then watched as the massive construction fell, decimating the city below.