Nightblade (Darkest night)-Chapter 166: Calm after the storm.

The knowledge that Morgan had obtained within the span of a night was simply mind-boggling.

Some of it still seemed unreal even up to this point.

He could tell that his body had undergone several changes after that agonizing ordeal.

For one, he could clearly feel his connection with the Void World much more clearly and much more intricately. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Before, the Void World had been elusive, even taking a certain degree of concentration on his part to access.

But now he could clearly feel its presence within his being.

His connection with Sarenus and Kazarax had also undergone a palpable change, becoming more potent and much more vivid.

He could already see the effect of this with Sarenus.

Although the Lord of Drayghar still retained his shadowy form, his presence outside of the Void World was now much stronger.

And even though his body was still in the process of adjusting to undergo new, newfound source of power, he was quite sure that it could now withstand Sarenus’s power for longer periods of time.

The Lord of the Drayghar’s harrowing power was quite effective on several fronts, a truly versatile ability.

His immolating flames, when used in tandem with the darkness of the Void, could be used to obliterate and deal with multiple enemies, but using them also refined his body literally, making him much more durable than he’d noticed.

A truly interesting development.

Morgan slowly made his way through the ruins, quietly mulling over everything that had happened so far.

" I wonder where the others are and if they managed to make it safely..."

Hissing slightly, he grasped his head, letting out a shaky breath. Despite his body healing completely, short bursts of searing pain flared through his head at sporadic intervals.

He was still coming to terms with everything that Sarenus had said.

Void World Wielders that had the strength to stand on equal footing with Lords.

A Void World Wielder who fought to a standstill with a Lord.

"That’s insane..."

The power wielded by Lords simply defied imagination, and to think of any other being other than a Lord that was capable of nstching that indicator of power was nearly unimaginable.

Of course, wielding such power came at a price.

The Empty lived at a risk of delving into the depths of madness, which potentially made the power that they wielded a double-edged sword.

The Void World was both a blessing and a curse, two sides of the same coin.

The memory of the excruciating pain from accepting the veliscera wraith into his Void World was still fresh in his memory.

The thought of enduring such harrowing agony each time he accepted a wraith was not exactly comfortable.

"Look around you," Sarenus muttered quietly.

Morgan slowly raised his head, turning his gaze to the back of the dark ruins.

He frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"What am I supposed to be looking for?"

Sarenus grinned, gesturing with his hands.

"Not what you’re supposed to be looking for but what you aren’t seeing..."

Morgan’s eyes narrowed, then widened in shock.

Staring at the ruins of Azaroth, he realized that an extremely crucial detail was missing.

The ever-present fog that had covered perpetually lingered in the eerie city was nowhere to be seen.

"The fog...it’s gone.."

"That’s it, attaboy."

M.organ scrutinized the crumbling ruins, seeing them in a new light.

"How did this even happen?"

For the first time in centuries, the pale light of the twin moons washed over the city without anything obscuring Azaroth from their ethereal light.

The ghostly green and azure light of the moon bathed the buildings in a luminous glow, painting one side of the city one side of the city in a panoramic blue and the other in a ghostly green.

The soft light filtered through ruins, its glow illuminating the dark city like a nocturnal sun.

It was a palpable change.

"Well, your fight with the veliscera had an outcome that we probably didn’t account for. We may have unwittingly wiped out all the veliscera in Azaroth."

" The fog is a key element in the Realm of Dreams, an extension of Velagrew’s power. The veliscera were conduits for that power, and without them, in a place like Tenebris, there’s no plausible foothold for the Lord of the Realm Between to exert his authority here.

"The absence of the fog that you’re seeing means Velagrew’s influence in Azaroth has been vanquished. "

Sarenus threw back his head, laughing slightly, his dark, shadowy form rippling on the ground.

"And that also means that he has likely sensed an anomaly along with the dissipation of his power.

Sarenus smiled darkly, cooking his head in amusement.

That also probably means that he had sensed the disruption of his power here...."

Suddenly, Morgan felt a dreadful sense of foreboding, his pulse quickening slightly.

He smiled nervously, grabbing his chest.

"Well, isn’t that thrilling?"

The attention of a being like a Lord wasn’t something that he needed directed at himself.

From what he’d witnessed between Alsterius and Malinla, he wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to contend with beings of such harrowing power.

Slowly making his way through the smoldering ruins, he made his way to an abandoned shelter.

"If I’m right, this city should have a sanctuary as well, and that should allow you to get home safely."

Previously w, with the presence of the seemingly impenetrable fog, maneuvering through the obscure city was nigh impossible, especially with the threat of the ever-present threat of theiscera.

"This place, how is this even possible?"

Looking at the tenebrous ruins and the twin moons in the sky, Azaroth felt surreal.

Despite the bizarre things they’d already encountered in Tenebris, the formerly spectre-filled city still managed to make an impression on Morgan.

Looking up, Morgan noticed six figures standing a short distance ahead, blocking off his path.

He came to a stop, his lips curling up into a smile.

Cassius was sporting dark bags under his eyes, and his face was visibly paler. The Talented youth was more haggard and weary-looking.

Apart from a few nasty scratches, Lucian seemed ok for the most part.

Amanda was out of it, her eyes seemingly staring right through him.

Talia stared at him with a dustyrning fascination, her eyes scrutinizing him intently.

Morgan subconsciously shivered.

"What’s her deal?’Sarenus whispered, the flames in Morgan’s shadow dimming and then disappearing completely.

Emily’s expression was aloof, the Taldntrd girl way himg him with just a hint of curiosity.

Samantha stood right next to her, her eyes shining with what looked like relief.

Walking forward, Morgan came to a stop short distance away from them.

The two sides of the group stood, a long aw,kward silence hovering over them.

"Well?’ Morgan asked

"You’re alive..." Lucian said matter-of-factly.

"I am, " Morgan replied coolly.

"How do we know for sure it’s you and not some creepy creature impersonating our friendship?"

Morgan shrugged, smiling slightly.

"I first met you when I was with Scott, you were in your room, and you thought-"

"Stop! It’s definitely you."Lucianhalf-whisperedd half, half-yelled look of panic appearing in his eyes.

Morgan chuckled in amusement, shaking his head slightly.

"How, though?" Talia asked, stepping forward, her brow furrowing in contemplation.

Morgan raised an eyebrow at her question.

"How did you do it? No normal initiate should be alive after such a one-sided battle. Let alone without any visible injuries," she said, scanning his body for wounds.

Morgan grinned, his lips curling into a playful smirk.

"Well, all I did was force the leader of the veliscera into a corner and ask him to swear allegiance to me. And the fight came to a peaceable end. More like in pieces, you get the gist of it."

Talia scoffed at his response, a derisive smile appearing on her face.

" I mean those Veliscera were monstrous...and somehow...you a,,,, me i,niiate ma,naged to walk out that fight unscathed."

"Give it a rest, Talia." Lucian quietly said.

"Or what?"

In the next moment, a faint surge of umbralis rippled through the air.

Morgan’s eyes narrowed, surprise marring his features.

In the next moment, Talia’s presence slightly changed.

"You broke through?" Morgan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Congratulations. "Morgan said with a genuine smile.

In the next moment, Talia burst forward, barreling toward Morgan.

Lucian stared at her with a friend, then let out a weary sigh.

"What is she thinking?"Cassius asked Lucian, frowning slightly.

"Should we stop her?"

Even Amanda wh,o seemed out of it turned, watching her in curiosity.

A split second later, she appeared in front of Morgan la, swinging out with a blistering fist.

Morgan’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at her movement.

Without missing a beat, he leaned back slightly, swaying on his feet.

"You won’t get away, teasinglyLiaa snarle,, grabbing onto the front of his suit.

In the next moment, her fist connected solidly with his cheek, ng his head around.

Morgan remained slumped over.

After a while, he slowly turned back.

The bruise on his cheek healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Well, how’d that feel, Talia? Did you find the answer to your question?"