NOVEL WEB chapter 320 - Shadow Realm
- Realm of Shadow.
Located Behind the reality that humans know, there lurks an invisible parallel world, the Shadow World, the realm where all shadows originate.
It is not simply a dark reflection of the real world, but a dimension entirely of its own.
This world is a mirror image of the real world, but instead of earth, water, and air, this world is made of darkness that pulses with a mysterious energy.
Buildings tower in dense silhouettes, trees sway like a black mist that rustles without wind, and the sky is an eternal void filled with a dim light from an unknown source.
The inhabitants of the Shadow World are not human beings but shadowy entities; some are faint reflections of people in the real world, while others are creatures native to this realm of darkness, entities formed from nightmares, hidden secrets, and unspoken tales.
They move lifelessly and without a clear direction. They are able to traverse the human world in the form of ordinary shadows but without control over themselves. Observing or even whispering their influence to those who are unaware
But the Shadow World is not simply a passive realm. It has its own laws and its own ruler, an entity that binds the denizens of the Shadow World to never reveal themselves openly; that ruler is that world itself.
But there is a gap between the two worlds. When night falls or when the light casts the deepest shadows, the line between the real world and the Shadow World becomes thin. Those who are sensitive enough may see something moving out of the corner of their eye, hear whispers without a source, or even feel a chill creep up their spine as if something from the shadow world is watching.
This is an untouched world where there is no way in or out; this shadow world will continue to exist as long as the real world still exists.
But all that changed today when an entity that was not a shadow entered this shadow world.
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After entering the shadow world, Taufik was able to see his surroundings for the first time because he had not had time due to the presence of the Master of the Singularis Magic Tower, Eldrin.
"... This is how it looks Inside the Shadow? How should I say it? It's... Full of Shadow... System?"
[Yes Master?]
"How is the flow of time here?"
[There's none, Master]
"There's none? What does it mean?"
[There's no such thing as (Time) in here, Master]
Hearing this, Taufik was a little amazed, stroking his chin to try to figure out how this shadow world worked.
"... Hmm~ Interesting... Time, as an abstract concept, has no physical form, and if something has no form, then it should have no shadow... Is that what you mean, System?"
[Yes Master, exactly like that]
" Interesting, very Interesting... So no matter how long I'm staying in here, not even a second pass in the real world, And I also can't feel any Mana around... So in this shadow world, anything that doesn't have a form in the real world, won't exist in this shadow world, is that it, System? "
[... That's probably it, Master]
Hearing the system's answer, Taufik was amazed even more when he found out that in this shadow world, the concept of time does not exist because this was the first time he heard the System answer something as if he was hesitant.
"Why do you sound hesitant, System?"
[I'm sorry, Master, there's no such data over this world that I can access, It's like this world is completely new, a world that was created just because you have the Concept of Darkness as part of Master Concept Power qu, so I'm not entirely sure about my answers]
"... That's quite surprising... So are you saying that the world exists solely because of me?"
[... That's most likely it, Master]
After hearing the explanation from the System, Taufik did not ask any more questions and then began to pay attention to the environment around him.
"... This is Amazing"
Said Taufik who then immediately manifested his Mana wings and immediately flew into the sky.
Explaining how this world looks might be a bit complex because everything here is just a shadow; the sea surrounding the island that Taufik was standing on earlier looks like a vast expanse of shadows that move eerily.
Taufik paused for a moment in the air, admiring what his eyes saw. But...
*Woosh!*
*!!!*
Suddenly, Taufik felt the movement from behind him which made him reflexively pull out his katana.
What Taufik saw was a giant hand made purely of shadows trying to reach him.
But something surprising happened when Taufik tried to ward off the hand with his Katana.
"... What?"
Said Taufik when he saw his Katana move past the hand as if it didn't touch anything.
"Shit!"
*Grip!*
The shadow's hand then gripped Taufik's body tightly.
"What the hell!"
The hand continued to grip him tightly.
"*Ugh!* "
Taufik tried to free himself, but no matter what he did, the grip of the hand seemed unyielding.
Taufik kept trying to free himself, but whatever he did seemed useless, Taufik tried to create a Mana explosion by using the pure Mana stored within himself.
But as if he knew what he wanted to try to do, more shadowy hands appeared around him, and then immediately grabbed him until Taufik's form could no longer be seen.
Darkness consumed him.
Taufik could feel his entire body restrained, his strength useless against the intangible yet overwhelming force of the shadow hands.
He struggled, but it was like fighting against something that didn't exist, it's like he was fighting against nothingness, his katana, his mana, even his very presence seemed to have no weight in this world.
The pressure increased. Taufik's breathing became heavy. A strange sensation crept into his mind, a whisper, not in words, but directly inside his mind.
"You… are not one of us" Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire
Taufik's eyes widened.
It wasn't the System speaking. This voice was deeper, older, something beyond mere intelligence. It resonated through his very mind and bones.
"Who are you?"
Taufik asked, gritted out, his body trembling under the unseen force.
"... You're... Intruder"
The darkness tightened. The grip was no longer just physical, it was suffocating his essence, his existence.
His thoughts blurred. His vision darkened. For the first time in a long time, a cold sensation prickled down his spine.
Fear for the first time in his life, Taufik felt fear. But then
*Fwoosh!*
A spark. No, a flare. A pulse of pure darkness erupted from within him, pushing back against the shadow hands. Taufik's eyes snapped open, glowing with an eerie black. His Concept of Darkness reacting, his very essence, rebelled against this shadow world's order.
"... Shameful, really shameful... I never thought I would be afraid of something I should have control over"
Taufik muttered, almost sounded like a whisper, insulting, as if insulting himself.
The shadow's hands hesitated. And Taufik grinned.
"... I'm the ruler of the Darkness, and a mare shadow, should just obey my order"
Taufik said and then, with a single breath, his power surged.
The grasping hands shattered into wisps of black mist.
Taufik fell for a split second before he caught himself in midair, his wings reforming.
As The world around him trembled.
The voice from before returned, but this time, it was not just a whisper but it seemed to be heard from all directions.
"Then prove it"
The sky of the Shadow World rippled, and from the horizon, countless shadow creatures emerged. Some crawled, others flew, but all had one thing in common, they were coming for him.
Taufik exhaled, gripping his katana tightly. And with a grin on his face, Taufik said.
"Now this… is getting interesting"
Then, they attacked.
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- In the real world, Windsor Castle, Training Field.
On the training field that looked to have been partially destroyed, three people were seen: two men and one woman; the woman looked stunned as she watched the two men, one lying on the ground and the other kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath.
"... Amazing, what an amazing power... That man, does he want to create a family filled with monsters?"
Said the man lying on the ground.
"You are also amazing, your sword, Excalibur, is truly amazing, Uncle... It has a lot of potential if developed well"
"Are you trying to mock me, Aksa? The power to cut reality itself, that is no longer a power that can be held by humans... What exactly are you, father and son, made of?"
"This is nothing compared to what my father can do, Uncle... I still need a lot of practice to reach his level"
"You don't have to worry, Aksa... your potential is real... I'm sure you can reach your father's level, one day... I believe that...
Caldwell said, who then immediately got up, looked at Aksa, and said again.
"Speaking of your father... You also felt the aura explosion just now, right? Does it have something to do with him? What other crazy things is he trying to do?"
"Well, that Aura, there's no mistake, that's my father..."
Asked Caldwell, who also stood up.
"... You guys... Are you two crazy?!"
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