Chapter 61 - Darkness and Sand
Silas stood up and started looking around. Luna was correct, there was no mana in the air, nothing at all. For a mage like them, the mana inside their core became the limited resources.
Silas frowned and channeled his mind into his core and found that his core was also empty. For some reason, he didn’t find a single hint of mana both inside and outside.
It was like everything was cut off. Silas sighed and asked.
"Where is Roland and Eli?"
"They look around."
"They can see here?" Silas asked.
"Roland can. He said he can still use energy inside his body but only by internal force. I don’t know how Eli can see here." Luna said quietly.
Silas looked in her direction. He could pinpoint the exact location she was in, he could envision her. He walked up to her and grabbed her hand.
It was cold and trembling.
He rubbed her hand to give her comfort. "Relax. I will show you a magic trick."
"Magic?" Luna looked at him. He could see the sparkling in the darkness.
Silas laughed and shook his head. "Not true magic. I am not a God. But it will be an interesting one."
Silas shoved his hand into the pocket and took out a small crystal. A hint of light inside the crystal shone brightly in this pure darkness they were in.
"Mana crystal." Luna muttered.
"Correct. Sadly, there is no point for you. I can’t absorb the mana inside the crystal but I can do it." Silas said and channeled his pure willpower into it.
His will shaped the mana inside the crystal forcefully and crafted a crest effortlessly. His training was not in vain. Due to the constant playing with mana, he could interact with mana more freely with his will.
The mana crystal released a bright light, illuminating the surroundings. Silas took out a piece of thin thread and tied the crystal, making it like a lantern.
"Now we can use our eyes." Silas smiled.
He noticed Luna hiding her face with her hands. He ignored her and looked around the place they were in.
The ceiling was high up and they seemed to be in the middle of the two paths. The wall was unevenly made and most likely created by a large amount of water.
’Are we in Palm mountain or have we teleported somewhere?’ Silas thought and decided to wait for the other two to arrive.
He still had plenty of mana crystals left in him. Enough to last for a whole month. He could create water, fire and light.
Unless something else happened, he was good. Roland could probably use his sword technique as well.
As he was looking around, he heard a rustle from the left side of the opening. Silas moved fast and took out the mana crystal, ready to attack.
"Wait. Wait." Luna said, still hiding her face. "They took that way, so it must be Roland and Eli."
"Just to be sure." Silas said and didn’t drop his guard, looking at the rustle intensely.
"You are going to push through my skin with your eyes, Silas." Roland’s voice came out from the darkness and he appeared.
He was still the same, wearing a calm expression on his face. Eli was behind him, looking at Silas with interest.
He glanced at the mana crystal and nodded. "Ah, I forgot about that." He muttered silently.
Silas out back the crystal and nodded the incoming two. "What is the situation?"
"Dead end." Ronald answered. "But we found a few bones on the way."
"Probably from the monster." Eli added.
Silas nodded and deeply pondered about their next steps.
"Which one of you can attack?"
"I can." Roland said, pointing out his sword. "But I can project my energy outside due to interference. So my strength is probably around the third circle, since that is where martial artists can use inner force."
"That is good enough." Silas sighed in relief. At least, they were not powerless here.
"But I haven’t talked about the bad news."
Silas lifted up his eyes and waited.
"I can’t replenish the used energy. I tried and nothing generated inside me." Roland said.
"Count me as well." Eli said from the side.
"You can fight?" Silas was taken back. Eli was pure mana just like him so Silas assumed that he was talking about Spirit art.
"Yeah. With my will, I can establish a domain and lower the effect of the world."
"Huh?" Silas voiced.
"Oh, since you are not a seventh circle you probably don’t understand but just know that I can fight."
"Ah, sure. What about your spirit?"
"Can’t call them. Seems like this space was cut off from the world." Eli said, looking around.
Silas nodded and began explaining everything he could do to the group. After that, they decided to move to the other path.
They walked quietly as there was nothing to discuss other than looking around at their surroundings.
Sand now talking over the hard ground they walked deeper inside. Silas frowned and shook his boot as sand started to fill in. It was an annoying feeling, countless particles touching his feet.
He wasn’t even worried the rubbing it would cause but instead annoyed at the feeling.
"It is so quiet here." Silas said.
Silas collided with something in the sand, lossing his balance, falling into the sand. He fell face down.
He sat up quickly, breathing in a langful of full of sand that was in the air in the process and coughed violently.
"Ugh!" He cursed.
Spliting out the sand, he struggled to stand up. Luna helped him and Silas finally got up.
He turned back and crunched down, digging the place where he lost his balance.
Roland stood beside and checked.
His hand hit something hard. He grabbed it and yanked it out from the sand.
It was a head. Not from flesh as it was made from stone.
Color drained from Silas’s face as he saw his own face etched in the head. Luna gasped from behind.
Roland tightened his grip on the sword as he felt uncomfortable feeling washing over.
"What is this?" Silas muttered.