Chapter 102: Void Realm

The "Magic Devour," or in full "Magic Net Reversal," has long been confined to ancient tomes that have been sealed away for countless years. As a result, the vast majority of people have never even heard of it. Yet when it comes to the "Magic Net," it is a concept known to all—almost every individual is repeatedly warned by their elders during their upbringing that an invisible "Magic Net" surrounds the world in which we live. Constructed by countless magical elements according to their respective laws, the "Magic Net" acts like a protective mesh, or a dynamic field, shielding living beings so they may survive safely and continue to thrive.

In a broad sense, the "Magic Net" permeates every corner of human existence. Consequently, when the "Magic Net" undergoes a reversal, its effect on people's lives is profound. Since the dawn of recorded human history, the occurrences of "Magic Devour" have been few and far between, but each one has heralded an approaching great catastrophe—with no exceptions!

On the nineteenth of March, Year 328 of the Empire, at noon, a "Magic Devour" that swept across more than half the Northern Continent struck like an invisible earthquake, leaving repercussions that would be felt for ages. According to incomplete post-event statistics, this "Magic Devour" affected the entirety of the Empire, most of the Beastman Alliance territories, and the northeastern regions of the Dwarf tribes. Even the natural realms at the southern tip of the continent were implicated.

Since the reversal this time stemmed from spatial laws, countless magical teleportation points worldwide malfunctioned. Only a small fraction completed their teleportations successfully; the vast majority of beings and possessions caught in transit were engulfed in spatial turbulence. In the end, after a century, only a tiny number of the afflicted managed to survive by the barest chance...

-- Selected from Tairessa's Alchemical Notes

Instant darkness enveloped more than half the Northern Continent, igniting panic. Countless cities rang emergency bells long unused for decades or even centuries. Countless people screamed and fled in terror and helplessness. Though the darkness lasted merely thirteen seconds, for everyone who witnessed it, those thirteen seconds of panic would be forever etched into the depths of their souls!

Daylight returned, and Mu gazed without expression at the half-destroyed teleportation platform, his heart as cold as ice—Tairessa had been swept into the spatial turbulence, her fate unknown. How would he explain this to Angaman, and how would he face Andrew-Anga!

His heart gradually sank, gradually turning cold and unfeeling. Unconsciously, piercing cold seeped through his body. A layer of azure-blue ice spread silently from Mu's feet, and at the same time, snowflakes falling from the sky froze into ice when they approached within about two meters of him. Before long, a spherical layer of ice formed around Mu's body, and the ice layer continued to thicken...

A crisp "ding" sounded in the backyard of the old mansion, and a golden light flashed past Mu's eyes. He fixed his gaze, seeing a golden sphere slowly unfolding on the slate bricks, like a flower in full bloom. Countless golden threads bloomed, swirling in the air, slowly receding from gold to reveal their original azure-blue hue—before long, a blue eagle with azure-blue plumage and shallow golden edges on its wings and tail stood on the slate bricks. Its gaze was dazed, as if it had just woken from sleep.

The daze vanished in an instant, replaced by a sharp glint. The eagle flapped its wings and rose rapidly. First, it circled in the air for a few turns, then accelerated sharply, transforming into a streak of azure light that vanished in an instant!

Mu kept his eyes narrowed, staring fixedly at the blue eagle. When it suddenly accelerated, his eyes brightened as though thawed, and his frozen features slowly revealed a faint smile—He had caught it!

☆☆☆

Cold water slid down the throat, causing a series of shivers. Tairessa woke under this cold sensation, letting out a low groan. She opened her eyes, only to see utter darkness before her—no light at all!

The panic of possible blindness jolted her fully awake. Her whole body trembled violently, followed by wave after wave of pain—all over her body, every bone felt wrong, every inch of skin was protesting...

After a long time, the pain slowly receded, and she felt utterly drained. Gazing with wide eyes, she panted small breaths, gasping. At this moment, Tairessa felt an overwhelming sense of frustration and helplessness. Various grievances rose unbidden in her heart, and tears flowed uncontrollably...

Cry, cry. Midway through crying, she felt something touching her lips. Then, cold liquid slid into her mouth. For a moment, from the mouth to the throat to the stomach, everything received a cold bath.

"Master, drink, don't cry." A soft, sweet voice sounded beside her ear. Tairessa immediately recognized it as Little Golden Wolf's voice. She was instantly excited, like grabbing a lifeline, and blurted out all her questions and worries. This went on until her throat was dry and hoarse, and she finally stopped her meaningless rambling. In a hoarse voice, she asked the key question: "Where are we now? What's wrong with my body?"

"We're in the 'Void Realm,'" Little Golden Wolf obediently answered. "Master is fine, it's just that the flesh body is newly entering the 'Void Realm' and is adapting."

Void Realm? What is that?

Before the question could fully form, the book spirit that liked to answer questions appeared uninvited, chattering away and explaining the "Void Realm" clearly.

The so-called "Void Realm" is a filtering world between the material world and the pure spiritual world. It's a world on the edge of the "Magic Net." The greatest characteristic of the "Void Realm" is the confusion between spiritual energy and material objects—the rules of the "Void Realm" are chaotic, allowing pure spiritual entities to have bodies as tangible as material ones here. Long-term immersion in this realm by material beings will also make them permeated by pure spiritual energy, turning them chaotic.

Tairessa, however, entered this "Void Realm" as a purely material being. Influenced by the energy here, her body is adapting to the new environment.

Knowing this, Tairessa let out a long breath of relief, rejoicing in her good fortune—In the face of such a disaster, she had miraculously survived, and not only that, she was intact without any missing limbs or disabilities. So, what more could she possibly wish for?

Under relaxation, fatigue surged like a tidal wave, sweeping her into a deep sleep...

...

When Tairessa woke up again, it was from the noise of "bang bang clang clang" impacts. This time, she felt her body condition much better than before—at least she could move her body carefully without pain. At the same time, her vision was blurry but no longer completely blind like before.

As soon as she woke, Little Golden Wolf ran over pattering, pouring more of that icy liquid into her mouth. This time, she could finally appreciate the benefits of the liquid. As the cold sensation spread through her body, she felt strength flowing into her like threads.

"Little Wolf, what was that sound?" The impact sound continued, becoming more and more dense, like a fight.

"Master, don't worry," Little Golden Wolf answered in a soft voice, "the little eagle is teaching an unworthy guy a lesson."

Little eagle? Tairessa was taken aback again. The little eagle that had been left behind at the "old mansion" after eating too many "Hunting Magic Orbs" and preparing to evolve was here?

Little Golden Wolf sensed her question and smiled: "The little eagle has almost finished the fight. Let it explain."

Tairessa became even more focused, listening to the fight sounds. Amid the chaotic clanging, a huge "bang" exploded. Shortly after, she felt a familiar presence approaching. Then, two icy cool things were pressed against her eyes—

"Master, using this will let your eyes see things faster." A voice like that of a seven- or eight-year-old boy sounded beside Tairessa's ear. She turned her ear to track the source.

"...Little eagle?" Tairessa hesitated slightly and spoke. At this moment, she suddenly realized another issue—she wasn't perceiving the information from Little Wolf and Little Eagle through her mind, but actually hearing it!

"Master, I've evolved successfully," Little Eagle said proudly, "due to interference from abnormal energy, I gained an additional special skill—I can autonomously open spatial channels."

"So powerful?" Tairessa was dumbfounded. Space magic is something only a level 6 magician can use freely!

"Uh, actually not that powerful..." Little Eagle said a bit embarrassed, "the spatial channels I open can only allow me to pass through myself—once I evolve again, I'll probably be able to take the master through the space channel!"

"So how can I evolve again?" Tairessa asked with anticipation.

Little Eagle drooled: "A 'Hunting Magic Orb' or 'Soul Pearl' with purity 5 or above, a thousand of them, and you'll have a chance to evolve!"

Purity 5... a thousand... is there a mistake? A 'Hunting Magic Orb' or 'Soul Pearl' above purity 5 is worth over a hundred gold coins each, so a thousand would be at least 100,000 gold coins—selling her wouldn't even bring that much money!

Tairessa was stunned for a moment, then decided to ignore this conversation and shift focus: "Who were you fighting with earlier? Is this place not safe?"

Little Eagle sighed regretfully and said obediently, "It's still okay here, they're just some insignificant creatures. With me and Little Wolf around, it's fine, master don't worry. Hey, master, the eye patches have all been absorbed, try to see if you can see things."

Hearing this, Tairessa was excited. She slowly opened her eyes. First, she saw chaos, then grayish, and then shapes of things began to appear...

After about five or six minutes, Tairessa finally saw the world clearly. This was a world shrouded in gray. Above was an endless, rolling deep gray "cloud layer." In front was a shallow gray gravel desert. Not far away, an old tree stretched its body, its branches bare without a single leaf. Under the old tree was a shallow pool of water, and what Tairessa was leaning against was a dead tree trunk.

This was a lifeless world. "The only three" things with color were Tairessa and her companions.

(To be continued)