Chapter 966: Leaving the Void
"Is that a bad thing?" Noting the somber expressions on both Sellifer and Noel's faces, Valyr eventually asked the question that was on his mind. "It's just like the Void World, right?
Where it would take over the Shadow Plane?"
Sellifer shook her head in response. "Not really. If it were just that, then we wouldn't have brought up anything about the Realm of the Abyss and just let you experience it firsthand." "Just so you know, I've already been there multiple times due to a few tasks I needed to do, yet I still dread heading there," she continued, to which Noel nodded in agreement. Seeing the confusion that was gradually surfacing on Valyr's face, the old man began to explain. "Unlike the Void World, which takes over the Shadow Plane for a similar amount of time the latter remains available, the Realm of the Abyss can only be accessed for one hour." "Specifically, the hour where the Void World transitions back to becoming the Shadow Plane." Hearing those words, the young man raised his eyebrow in curiosity, wondering if that was the entire reason why the two feared the Realm of the Abyss.
Though, seeing that Noel still had something else to say, he decided to keep his mouth shut, allowing the former to continue his explanation.
"During that hour, multiple entrances to the Realm of the Abyss form all throughout the world, making use of the dissonance of natures between the Void World and the Shadow Plane to do so."
"Do you only enter the Realm of the Abyss when you pass through one of those entrances?" At this point, Valyr could not restrain his curiosity anymore, prompting him to ask a few questions that would eventually get to the question he had in mind.
"You do." Looking back at Valyr, Noel nodded in response.
"Then, why are you two making it seem like the Realm of the Abyss is more dangerous than it is?"
"Here's the thing, Valyr." Hearing the young man's question, Sellifer decided to answer in Noel's stead. "It's natural to think that there's an exit to every entrance, right?"
"Yeah?" Valyr nodded with a hint of confusion, not understanding what she was getting at. Fortunately, Sellifer's response was more than enough to clear the confusion he was feeling. "Now, what if I told there's no exit to the Realm of the Abyss?"
"Well, not that there's no exit, but the exit only appears to those who are either strong enough to leave the place," Sellifer clarified herself, only to glance at Noel soon after. "Or to those who have control over Abyssal Energy, like Noel."
"Not only that, but the entrances to the Realm of the Abyss seem to have a mind of their own if any being gets close to them," said Noel as he decided to continue where the woman left off.
"As long as you seem weak enough in their eyes, they would devour you and put you into the Realm of the Abyss without fail."
Listening to their explanations up to this point, Valyr felt a chill up his back as the gears in his mind began to whir like crazy.
Then, taking in a few deep breaths to compose himself, he then asked the two, "What's the minimum level of strength to be able to leave the Realm of the Abyss, then?"
"You'd probably have to be a Myth to be able to leave the Realm of the Abyss if you don't have access to Abyssal Energy," replied Noel to his question.
Sellifer nodded in agreement with the old man's words, adding on soon after, "Specifically, you'd have to be Rank 8 at the very least. And even then, the chances of you being able to leave the Realm of the Abyss isn't that guaranteed."
"Hiss..." Sucking in a breath of cold air at their responses, Valyr now understood why both of them had solemn expressions on their faces when the Realm of the Abyss was mentioned.
Yet, even though he knew that the best course of action was to return to Veldanyr before the Realm of the Abyss appeared, a stray thought surfaced in the young man's mind at that moment, only to blossom the more he thought about it.
"Would it be possible to take a look at the Realm of the Abyss from afar before we leave?" Becoming silent for quite some time after listening to the words of the two, Valyr eventually pluck up the courage to speak out the stray thought in his mind.
And surprisingly, the two weren't really against the thought.
"There might be a problem if it were any other person," replied Sellifer after pondering over the question for a bit.
understanding.
'Probably the 9th sensation,' thought the young man after some time, briefly recalling the difference that made Void Energy stand out from Shadow Energy.
Continuing to stare at the gate for a bit more to become more well-accustomed to the energy, Valyr eventually gave the two a signal that the three had agreed upon earlier.
With that, Sellifer and Noel looked at each other for a bit before nodding in tacit agreement.
Whoosh!
Dispelling the barrier of Abyssal Energy he'd conjured, Noel proceeded to create a rift that
would return him and Valyr back to Veldanyr.
Swoosh!
As for Sellifer, she reinforced the barrier of Azure Energy she'd created, giving the two more
than enough time to return.
"Thank you for everything, Sellifer." With Noel giving him a signal that they were ready to cross the rift back to Veldanyr, Valyr gave Sellifer a look of gratitude, prompting the latter to
chuckle in response.
"Not a problem," she replied. "I've quite enjoyed this small escapade we did, believe it or
not."
"Speaking of which... have this." After saying those words, she then conjured a small bead of
energy that she then sent Valyr's way.
Whoosh!
Grabbing the bead of energy with both hands, Valyr's eyes widened in surprise after seeing
the bead melt into his body.
Not long after, bits and pieces of information soon appeared in his mind, causing his eyes to widen in surprise as he briefly glanced at Sellifer one more time.
"Just so you don't have to embarrass me in front of Vaughn again, here's a way for you to contact me," said Sellifer in response to the young man's look. "Anyways, off you go."
Whoosh!
With Sellifer casting a gust of Azure Energy after that, both Noel and Valyr were then sent tumbling through the rift back to Veldanyr, thus ending their tale in the Shadow Plane.