Chapter 81: The Sea of Bitterness (II)
She didn't have to mention it, as Ember had already discovered that during his first brush with the abyssal currents.
"This doesn't look like an exit to me," he said after gaining control over his mana.
"No," she agreed. "It's perhaps the main hub of these facilities. We'll venture after the wind clears."
That was the good thing about wind; it was rarely ever stale. It did take a good few minutes, but the chilling, biting wind dispersed through the gap as the gate opened wide.
Abyssal auras were more common than the currents or winds, according to Dawn. But after centuries of contact with the abyssal currents, and only the System knew what, the air there had been warped by the abyssal aura to gain its intimidating characteristics.
"Usually, they aren't as menacing," she explained. "Abyssal aura is commonplace in rifts, though it rarely carries such a biting edge as it does here."
"Curious," Ember asked, "is this abyssal aura dangerous to anyone without a mana foundation?"
"That's even worse. If you don't have mana, or a quantifiable amount of will, you'll have nothing to defend against the abyssal aura. Most people will likely die if they remain in contact with that warped power for long. For a beast, however, the situation can be different. On many occasions, they end up warped by the aura instead, transforming into a more beastly, monstrous form. I'm sure you've noticed a few of those over the years."
He nodded. While a dimensional rift was fairly common these days, the Abyss still couldn't quite send their troops through the hole. Whenever a rift opens, it usually vomits out a deluge of warped aura that transforms the local flora or fauna into monstrous things. Ember had already learned about that, though he hadn't known that the monsterification in action was actually related to the abyssal aura.