Chapter 31: Shadow Essence. (Part 2)

Inside the cavernous interior, the air flowed like water currents, drawn not only from the environment itself but from the connected pathways. It circled through the tunnels before circulating around its source, a boy seated cross-legged, radiating an ominous, dark energy. 

His eyes pulsed with a black glow, his breath rough and uneven, cold sweat trickled down his face. 

"I miscalculated..." he thought, his breathing growing heavier. 

He glanced down at his chest. Even though he couldn't see it, he could sense the energy filling his core. It was too much, far beyond what he was equipped to handle.

[Energy: 100%]

His energy was at full capacity, yet the force of the [Shadow Essence] within his body continued to grow.

"What the hell is happening...? With each passing second, the amount of energy I have to absorb increases! This never occurred with the Phoenix Feather!" 

A surge of pain began welling within Dawn's chest. An agonizing throbbing accompanied by a feeling of painful fullness, all stemming from his core. 

"My core is being overwhelmed with energy even though it's already at its limit. I've stopped trying to contain the energy within my core, but it's still flowing into it! It feels like my core will burst at this rate!" 

Dawn's heart thudded in terror. He had underestimated the power he was dealing with. Everything had gone smoothly, leading him to trust the alien substance, a grave mistake he had committed.

'Is this some kind of cruel joke...? After everything... am I really going to die from something like... this…'

Before Dawn could complete his thoughts, his head sagged and consciousness slipped away.

.

.

.

Dawn's eyes fluttered open, finding himself once again suspended in a boundless void. At its center, a massive dark sphere rotated, drawing air into its orbit.

"How did I end up here again...?" Dawn murmured, perplexed as he observed the dark sphere. 

Upon closer inspection, Dawn realized, it wasn't just air it was pulling in, but dark energy too. Its source was directly behind him. 

Slowly, Dawn pivoted to see the origin and when he did, his eyes widened as he craned his neck upwards, attempting to discern the extent of it.

It was a large, swirling nebula of pure darkness—akin to a sky devoid of moonlight.

"It's the shadow essence… but the size, it's significantly larger here than outside. It could fit in my palm out there, yet here it's twice the size of my core."

Dawn cast another glance back at his core, it began to pulse, emanating dark waves of energy that gently nudged him each time it swept past. 

Simultaneously, cracks started to form on the top of his core.

"Damn, is it going to shatter...!? What will happen to me if it does!? I don't want to find out!"

With that thought, Dawn began desperately attempting to sever the connection between the shadow essence and his core, but to no avail. The core continued to draw in the essence as the fractures advanced.

Dawn's desperation increased as he frantically searched for a resolution to the predicament, but nothing came to mind.

"Something, there has to be something…!" 

Just as he was on the brink of despair, something caught his eye. From the edge of his vision, a massive crimson crystal pulsed ominously in the distant void, seemingly beckoning him.

"The prototype..."

It was a scene reminiscent of the previous time Dawn found himself in this space. He didn't know what impact it would have, but in that moment, he reached out his hand towards the crystal and mumbled a single command.

"Come–"

The instant Dawn called out, the crystal hurtled towards him, materializing in his presence within a blink.

And before he even uttered his intention, it made its move. The crystal began voraciously drawing energy from the [Shadow Essence.]

Dawn watched as both his core and the prototype began to absorb the shadow essence simultaneously. It appeared as though the burden was being lifted from his core; the cracks that had formed began to reverse, as if the core was healing itself—or perhaps the prototype was facilitating its repair.

Dawn could only watch as the unfolding events played out before him. The Shadow Essence rapidly diminished as they continued to aggressively siphon off its energy.

However, before Dawn could witness the complete depletion of the Shadow Essence, he too was pulled into his sphere, the force swallowing him entirely.

-

-

-

Dawn's eyes flew open again, finding himself once more within the cave-like interior, seated cross-legged on the rocky floor.

"Did I lose consciousness...?"

The energy flow, which had previously been overwhelming and nearly unbearable, had now become manageable. Noticing this, he quickly resumed his rhythmic breathing technique to confine the rest of the energy within his core.

However, as he did so, Dawn noticed something unusual. Peering down, he could see the crimson crystal peeking out from his chest, pulsing as it too absorbed energy from the shadow essence.

"So, that wasn't just a dream." Dawn sighed with relief.

Together, they absorbed the energy, and in no time at all, the energy was entirely consumed.

[You have fully absorbed the potent energy of the Shadow Essence.]

Following the notification, a powerful surge of dark energy exploded from Dawn into the surroundings. 

Although his temporary power had waned, he felt stronger. His muscles seemed more toned, his physique more muscular and healthier than before. Looking down at himself in disbelief, he saw the transformation.

His eyes then lifted to another notification that had appeared before him.

[+5 Strength.]

[+5 Agility.]

[+5 Stamina.]

[+5 Sense.]

[Ability Skill: Wraith has levelled up.]

[The Wraith Level 1 -> Level 2]

[Wraith Lv.2]

[Allows the user to teleport to any location within their line of sight. Direct sunlight inhibits teleportation. The range at which the user can teleport has increased to 75 metres.]

As Dawn's gaze fell upon the updates, a flicker of surprise lit up his eyes. It was the first occasion his ability skill had experienced a level up, especially noteworthy since he hadn't actively been using or honing it.

'Did it level up because of the shadow essence? It must've been compatible with it. I didn't even know something like that was possible... That will be useful knowledge,' Dawn silently mused, his lips curving into an excited smile.

He was eager to explore the newly enhanced ability skill, to test it and see its effects. However, recalling that they had yet to receive clearance to freely use their abilities, he withheld. The potential repercussions loomed large in his mind.

'There's no way to be sure they won't detect if I use my ability. Better not to take the risk...'

He then checked his status screen to verify whether the status enhancements were permanent.

[HP: 80/100%]

[Energy: 100/100%]

[Strength: 11]

[Agility: 11]

[Stamina: 11]

[Sense: 12]

'They're permanent, looks I was only able to retain a quarter of the temporary stat boost... I nearly lost my life over it, but it's still better than the single stat point I received from the Phoenix Feather.'

"I did it…," he chuckled. "That was terrifying..." he added before collapsing onto the cold floor.

After crumpling down, he turned his head for comfort and, upon doing so, froze

To his left, positioned against the wall, was Aella. She sat with her arms encircling her knees, her expression impassive as she watched him. His startled gaze connected with hers, and for a few moments, silence hung between them. 

'A-Ah… how long has she been there?' He thought to himself, maintaining eye contact with her.