A Long Wait

Just as Arran expected, the strength of the Essence that lingered in the city grew stronger as he came closer to its center. Yet although he was prepared for the increase, he hadn't expected its sheer magnitude.

At about a mile from the heart of the city, the violent pressure of the Essence had grown so strong that even the ruins and rubble seemed to have disintegrated. Instead, the ground was covered in a smooth layer of a material that resembled dark, cloudy glass.

Arran made several attempts to gather some of the material, but without any success. Neither his fists nor the starmetal sword — his only weapon that could withstand the Essence in the area — left even the slightest scratch on it, no matter how hard he tried.

Eventually, he gave up on acquiring the glassy material, but instead decided to leave his sword out in the open while he trained. It didn't seem to be negatively affected by the hostile environment, and perhaps it would benefit in some way.