“We’ll leave ourselves in your capable hands.” Althea smiled at the Lord of Shadows.

  He peeked out of the cave to scout their surroundings, and confirming that they were safe, the long journey began. For most of the time, Umbra slithered over the ground, avoiding unnecessary conflict and risks while Asterios and the girls sat tight inside his shadows. It was quite draining even if they weren’t the ones exerting themselves. Asterios and Miria took it the best out of them.

  Fortunately, they figured out a way to make it easier to pass the time. Broadening their shared bond, they formed a stable connection between their minds, becoming one. It allowed them to enter a kind of trance while they conversed mentally and explored their heads. It allowed them to even experience actual sunlight and blue skies again as their imagination worked wonders. It was like they were living inside their memories for a while.

  Something like that couldn’t be upheld forever without straining their minds to a similar extent as just bearing with the eerie form of transport would, so the group interlaced the periods of either, effectively training their psyche. That would prove to be useful in a place like this. Umbra was now more vigilant about any potential mental attacks, but it never hurt getting better themselves.

  The first half of the trip wrapped up without any larger issues. They had almost been spotted a few times while moving through an extremely complex labyrinth of vile canyons, but otherwise had an easy time. Stopping from time to time so they could recover their strength, they were happy with their progress.

  During the last few days of the journey, they experienced a change in scenery more pronounced than any minor differences they had spotted before. The ground resembled something akin to dark glittering crystal with a perfectly refined surface. It wasn’t completely flat and still assumed irregular angles like any other region. The edges were simply smooth, making everything appear as if someone had laid a thin blanket atop the entire region.

  Additionally, instead of trees, flora, or rocky formations, the uncanny place was full of floating vertical pillars of the same crystal. Bigger, smaller, they all had the same shape of an elongated octahedron. Purplish streaks of energy zapped the air and ground in their vicinity, resembling lightning strikes. No monsters were in sight, but that didn’t mean no entities lurked around, hiding their presence.

  ~This is as close as we can get,~ Umbra said at one moment. ~Prepare to step out. And watch your footing.~

  They had camped over this region a few times, but always in some kind of an alcove, wrapped up in Abyss’ energy, so it would technically be the first time they were coming in contact with the weird crystalized land. Their coachman stopped, and they emerged from the shadows. The second his darkness disappeared, Miria yelped and almost slipped, catching herself on Ast’s side.

  “It’s so slippery!” She giggled awkwardly. “Why is it like this? I can’t put any weight on my feet! I’m not that clumsy! Or am I?”

  Asterios snickered, fighting against the slickness too, albeit with much better results. “You are one of the most graceful ladies I know. Plus, you are a gorgeous feline, so no, I don’t think you are the problem here.”

  Looking at the other women, that proved to be correct. Everyone struggled to a certain extent.

  “It’s because you aren’t actually touching the ground,” Umbra explained, making a few of the girls frown.

  Tina crouched down, almost falling flat on her face, but managed to lie on her belly. She immediately noticed that her body truly didn’t touch the crystal surface. Glancing at everyone’s feet, she further confirmed that they hovered a hair’s breadth above the ground. Sharing her perspective with her companions, she flopped onto her back and pushed herself towards Asterios, gliding over to him like she was on ice.

  He laughed at her silly expression as she glanced up at him from below and carefully helped her up, taking the fine lady into his arms. “How can this be?”

  “The static energy infused with mana forms a layer over everything,” Abyss shared thoughtfully. “That’s why everything looks so glazed. It’s not by my design. What happened here?”

  “A failed spell,” the Duke answered. “The caster was gravely injured during the preparation, and it went out of control. Also, this is still the very edge of the blast. We are nowhere near the epicenter yet. Where I’m afraid the golden beam is leading us to.”

  “It shouldn’t surprise us anymore that the facilities are in the middle of post-cataclysm zones,” Selene commented. “They are like magnets for conflict and war.”

  “Will we be able to dig through this?” Althea tried tapping the surface stronger and stronger, but didn’t even reach it. “We might have a bit of a problem searching for the underground vault.”

  Umbra snickered. “Don’t worry. We won’t have to. While it certainly will be problematic, it’s not for the reasons you think of. You’ll understand when we get there. Should I help you move?”

  “No need. This might actually be fun. As long as nothing ambushes us.” Asterios completed his half-draconic transformation and flapped his wings.

  Propelling himself forward, he slid over the mystical crystal with a chuckle, swinging his legs to control the momentum and direction. He had to fight for both, but it was very entertaining. Besides, it could double as an eccentric practice method.

  Miria clapped her hands joyfully and maxed her bloodline without growing. Crouching down, she managed to somehow leap forward, over a much smaller distance than she had expected, but it still sent her sliding as she landed just like her beloved master. She almost crashed into him, but he jumped over her, both of them laughing merrily. The others soon joined them through their own means, and the whole party glided forward while bumping into each other.

  They were having a small race when Umbra’s shadows suddenly stopped them in their tracks and gathered them together. Surprised, they glanced at their friendly butler.

  “We are here,” he announced. “You wouldn’t want to suddenly drop into the bottomless pit, would you?”

  A bit confused, they peered ahead, and after a few seconds, they finally noticed the almost seamless transition between the crystal ground and the lack thereof. Asterios carefully flapped his wings to bring himself closer and peeked past the smooth edge. A gigantic chasm stood before him, reaching further ahead and to the sides than he could see. It was completely dark, glittering just like its walls.

  “This is the very middle of the explosion. As you can see, it was quite powerful.” Umbra let out an echoing chuckle.

  “What’s even capable of so much destruction?” Silvia pondered out loud. “Does this hole ever end?”

  “Legends say no, but maybe no one simply dared to seek the bottom,” he replied.

  “Isn’t this pointless?” Miria groaned. “There’s no way the facility exists after the spell was set off. Just look at the size of this thing. Looks like we wasted our time.”

  “I wouldn’t say so,” Abyss joined in. “I can feel the traces of the cluster’s spiritual signature in our vicinity. He might have wrapped it up in enough protection that it was pushed to the very bottom while experiencing the blast or such. I think the badge wouldn’t direct us to inactive power sites, or else it would have shown the ones we already visited.”

  “Sounds logical,” Asterios agreed. “How are we going to descend?”

  “Jump,” the Duke responded mirthfully.

  He blinked at his familiar, then stared into the glittering abyss. Selene shrugged and did as he’d suggested. Everyone got ready to join the fox lady before she plunged too far ahead, but they paused after witnessing the perplexing sight.

  “Wha—” The fox-eared goddess waved her limbs chaotically.

  After dropping below the ground level, Selene’s descent suddenly stopped. Her body began rotating in random directions as she floated up with velocity matching her fall. She was launched slightly into the air before sinking below the invisible surface once more. Everyone’s eyes followed her bouncing up and down repeatedly in the middle of nothing while Umbra kept snickering behind them.

  When she lost all the momentum and found her bearings, her body hovered in the air vertically, her head being the only part poking over the edge of the chasm. They noticed that depending on how far to the sides their white-haired friend extended her arms, the depth at which she hung changed, either lifting or bringing her down. Utterly flabbergasted, she stared at the group on the shore.

  “What is this sorcery?” Selene inquired, leaning to the back and being raised equal to the ground level as she lay in empty air.

  “This is the source of the static-infused mana.” Umbra finally decided to fill them in. “It flows right from here and spreads over the crystal, creating that thin layer of invisible pressure. You are basically swimming in it right now as it tries to push you away.”

  Miria suddenly dove into the hole and started paddling at a steep angle, moving lower and lower. At least until she stopped and was brought back to Selene in a flash. Breaking through the surface, she took a deep breath, then looked in the party’s direction and turned deep red.

  “Oh. Oops. I think I have subconsciously held my breath.” She giggled shyly.

  Trying to hide her embarrassment, she started swimming in circles around her sister-mate.

  “I can’t believe I’m still getting surprised.” Silvia shook her head with a tiny hint of a smile.

  “Right?” Tina chuckled next to her.

  “Well, I guess it’s time we go diving in an invisible lake.” Asterios laughed. “Am I right to assume that the higher the mass, the easier it will be to descend?”

  “Naturally.” Umbra nodded.

  “Do you require assistance?” Abyss asked calmly.

  “I’ll hold you onto that for now. I have an idea.” Asterios grinned while looking at the cheerfully panthergirl.

  Sensing his gaze, she looked back at him and perceived his intentions as their eyes met. Also grinning gleefully, Miria hastily swam to him and hoisted herself back onto the ground, standing in front of Asterios while brimming with excitement. He chuckled and offered his cute mate a kiss. She was always so eager to be useful.

  “We need to tie ourselves together with something durable,” he said to the others.

  Althea pulled out a tiny sack from her spatial storage, unraveled the cord around it, and picked up a few greenish seeds. Hiding away the rest, she whispered to those gathered above her palm, and a trail of emerald mana wafted toward them. A moment later, they began to grow and expand, joining together. Waiting for Selene to meet them ashore, she then signaled her readiness, and Asterios nodded at her.

  Tough but gentle vines wrapped themselves around everyone’s waists, including her own. She tested their strength by pulling forcefully, utilizing her draconic strength, but they held.

  “Thank you.” Asterios shared a smile with his mentor. “Miria? Your turn.”

  “Yay!” The panthergirl pecked his cheek and stepped aside.

  The party watched her shift and grow until she once again turned into a feline beast rivaling Ast’s draconic size. Althea made sure the vines didn’t squeeze her too much, adjusting the diameter of the loop. The sizable panther let out soft growls and looked ready to pounce.

  “I don’t think this will be enough,” Selene pointed out. “Wouldn’t your True Dragon body be heavier, my Lord?”

  “I’m sure I’ll be getting a lot of smack for saying this, but she has the potential to be the heaviest of us all.” He smirked at her. “Let’s go.”

  Miria roared and launched herself forward. Mid-leap, Asterios snapped his fingers, and a string of whitish energy traveled over the panther’s entire body. In a blink, her fur was replaced with an extremely smooth silvery surface, turning the feline girl into a living statue of reflective metal.

  In the next moment, she dropped into the chasm like a boulder into a lake, yanking everyone after her.

  “Youuuuuuuuuuu caaaaaaaaaaan’t saaaaaaaaay thaaaaaaaaat abouuuuuuuuuuuut aaaaaaa laaaaaaaaaaadyyyyyyyyy!” Tina screamed as they plunged into the darkness at breakneck speed.

  They all just laughed while swinging wildly, trying not to hit each other.

  Soon enough, they descended so far they couldn’t find the top anymore, and everything merged into one giant nothingness around them. They felt like they were falling through a glittering, starry sky. Asterios pulled himself closer to the silvery figure of Miria and hugged his metallic familiar, using his wings to direct them further to the center of the immense crater.

  For a few minutes, they were alone in that eerie darkness, but at a certain depth, some creepy shapes started showing up. It wasn’t unthinkable for creatures to live down here, just like fish and other animals lived in the depths of an ocean. However, the disfigured horrors zipping past them turned out to be rather aggressive.

  Umbra took it upon himself to protect the party and chased all the instigators away, smacking them with his shadows or outright killing off the bolder assailants. His menacing form swirled around the group, merging with the artificial night, ambushing the so-called predators whenever they least expected it. No one was able to get close to Asterios and the girls.

  “Look there!” Silvia shouted after a few more minutes of falling.

  Amidst the pure black background, the stark white and gold structure glowed like a torch. Everyone spotted the hidden complex floating a distance from and below them, not so hidden anymore. But, at their current rate of descent, they would pass it way before Asterios could bring them closer.

  The others realized that too.

  “We will help!” Selene announced.

  She started pushing herself aside with celestial platforms. Tina strained her new flying ability to do the same. Silvia used flames to propel herself. Althea decided to focus on keeping the vines stable and watch carefully in case she needed to regenerate them.

  Unfortunately, they didn’t make it in time, and the bright complex zipped upwards right before them.

  “A little more!” Asterios ordered. “Then get ready to inverse!”

  They combined their efforts until he judged them far enough to slip underneath the structure, then canceled his spell on Miria. The silvery panther returned to its natural state and immediately shifted back into their furry-eared friend. Instantly, the pressure struck them hard, and they began ascending even faster than they had been falling.

  “Wohohohoho!” Miria cheered, hugging Asterios tightly. “This is so much fun!”

  He chuckled but kept himself focused. Making sure he positioned everyone beneath the white chambers, he prepared to shift. Moments before they crashed into the outer walls of the complex, he turned into a True Dragon and flapped his wings, temporarily fighting against the current that pulled them upwards.

  The ladies gasped and yelped at the violent tug, but their velocity dropped just enough to let them land on the structure without hurting themselves. Asterios carefully dropped between them, making sure not to step onto any of his precious lovers. Assuring that they were safe, he changed back and joined the ladies in sitting upside down below the hideout.

  “Whew. That was real something.” Tina snickered, lying on her back with a pretty smile.

  “Again!” Miria squealed excitedly. “Let’s do it one more time!”

  “No way.” Silvia let out a charming laugh, shaking her head. “I have had enough falling for a lifetime.”

  “You better get used to it.” Althea smirked. “With a True Dragon for a mate, you will spend more time above than on the ground at some point.”

  “I take my words back, my Lord. Your plan was commendable. From start to finish.” Selene crawled to him, ending with her head in his lap as he played with her soft ears. “What exactly did Miria turn into?”

  “One of the heaviest non-magical metals, platinum,” he replied, enjoying watching her relaxed expression. “It worked better than expected. Maybe we can see for ourselves if this chasm truly is never-ending when we have some free time on our hands.”

  “I’m down!” Miria raised her hand eagerly. “Literally!”

  They all chuckled and rested a moment before gathering up to find a way into the next facility.

  Chapter 21

  The Prelude to Dusk

  “This is starting to get really disorienting.” Tina groaned as she sat up, or rather down, considering their current position.

  They were literally on the ceiling, pushed into the bottom of the white structure from below by eerie spiritual pressure.

  “Then we should wrap our business here quickly and leave this place,” Selene replied, coming closer to her to help the Summoner girl up.

  “How come this building hasn’t dropped to the bottom of the hole?” Miria tilted her head cutely at Asterios. “I couldn’t have been heavier than this whole thing... Right?”

  A few chuckles answered her as the ladies smiled mirthfully. She pouted at them, pinching her sides a tiny bit. Asterios shook his head and crouched to place his hands over hers and lead them over her smooth stomach.

  “You are perfect, and you know it.” He placed a fluffy kiss on top of her nose. “And no, you certainly don’t and haven’t weighed more than this facility. Something else must be happening here that keeps it anchored at this specific position.”

  “It might be the cluster,” Abyss chimed in. “From what I can see, while the walls and formations survived the blast, they didn’t escape its might unscathed. There is damage here and there, some of the sealed energy leaking through the cracks, interfering with the characteristics of this chasm.”

  “That would explain why the building is not going up or down,” Althea said thoughtfully. “Not enough of the cluster’s mana must have been present in the first minutes after the incident, causing the facility to drop. Then, it coated the structure with a layer that reacted to the surrounding force, slowing down the descent until it completely ceased.”

  “Well, thanks to that, we don’t have to dive any further,” Silvia commented. “Now, how are we going to get inside? It looks like the complex is in the right position, which would mean the entrance is somewhere on the side. It might be risky to peek past the edge, but at least we have the rope.”