Book One – Chapter 10

So the darkness Midnight controlled outside of her body was unrestricted, like the shadebeast, but the darkness she shifted into, the darkness she became, was not. During the last days, Midnight had shifted to move faster and to access difficult paths, overcoming the traps and silently trespassing the territories of various beasts. She could sift through impossibly small passages and crevasses, but she had nonetheless adhered to the existing tunnel structures. She had never considered passing through walls. Even now, the idea unsettled her greatly, and besides, she was still carrying her wizard’s messenger strings and the two Rings of Light, which she surely could not take with her — but these thoughts were beside the point!

Why was he better? Why was he more?

Compared to the shadebeast, Midnight’s merger with darkness was incomplete. Was it possible that she possessed this ability but had not yet felt it, or did she have to acquire it? Midnight struggled with the implications of this newfound understanding. Could she learn to shift her Rothar alongside her body, enabling her to pass through walls and obstacles like the shadebeast? If her Rothar became darkness that split and merged like he did, he would not be able to rupture this part of her.

Why did he not reach for her and rupture her already?

Midnights still could not discern whether he was hunting or skilfully directing her; whether he could not catch up with her or whether he held back and prolonged the chase on purpose — but for what purpose?

They raced into the grandest cavern Midnight had seen since entering the mountain. Its sheer size dwarfed even the expansive crystal golem chamber. It was a giant pit, its depth exceeding 800 meters, the breath surging upwards thick with the scent of ice. Entering near the ceiling, Midnight found herself perched on a narrow ledge that clung to the cavern’s rough-hewn wall. She dashed along as far as she found footing, before launching herself into the air, hurtling towards a platform 30 meters below. The impact was harsh, sending a cascade of loose rocks plummeting into the chasm below. Midnight rebounded swiftly and dashed across a series of protrusions and precarious outcroppings that jutted out from the cavern walls at varying heights.