Niara kept flying forward. Darian could feel exactly where they needed to go, since there was an area ahead so thick with power and karma it was like a beacon. It didn't take long before they entered an extremely dark region, completely taken over by miasma.

So far inside this place, strangely enough, they hadn't run into the Risen. It became clear that every one of them had a very specific mission focused on a single point inside the World of Life—so this had to be it.

Unfortunately, the Risen Lords were just pieces used by the Celestial Shadow. Howlyn knew a lot of things, but there was also plenty she didn't know. She'd been given a task by him and knew everything related to only that.

The other Risen Lords also had specific roles. That sinister will didn't reveal everything to anyone. It split up the info and moved each piece according to its own plans.

After a full day of travel, a massive mass of green clouds appeared ahead of them.

"This is the place," Darian confirmed.

Niara swallowed hard. Those clouds weren't normal. They were pure power from the Divine Dragon bloodline, which deeply shook her.

The huge cloud cluster completely covered whatever was inside, but they could faintly hear roars coming from within.

Darian focused on the clouds for a moment. He sensed hundreds of Risen inside... but also picked up on a weird spatial distortion. The space inside was probably broken into several small separate zones, like the one where the World Tree was.

Niara took a deep breath, and Darian asked her to go in.

The moment she crossed the clouds, she felt like she was being pulled into a spatial tunnel. A roar echoed even louder in her ears.

But suddenly, the sounds vanished, and everything went silent. Niara and Darian found themselves in a desolate world. The smell of blood hung in the air, along with a strong aura of decay.

Looking ahead, Niara's heart began to race. White bones filled her vision, forming a scene that was downright macabre.

Each one of those bones had a strong connection to her. It felt like millions of dead had been gathered into one place, and their remains had been arranged into a huge circular structure, bigger than a house.

"They're... bones of the Mannaz with dragon bloodlines from the past, the ones who died in the final battle at the academy..." Darian muttered, thoughtful. "The Risen gathered the strongest in one place and did this…"

Niara clenched her fists tight. Those dead belonged to an era where the Divine Dragon bloodline was a hundred times denser than in the current generation. Even after death, the dragon's power still lingered in their remains. The Risen had taken advantage of that to build this structure.

"Let's go in," Darian calmly said, and she nodded and moved.

She quickened her pace. The closer she got, the more tense she felt. The draconic power pouring out from that structure made her blood and bloodline stir. Her body was automatically covered in scales—against her will.

Niara found an opening and jumped in.

"..."

The inside was strangely lit, with a strong glow coming from the bones around them. There were countless holes and bone-walls everywhere, forming a full-on maze.

Darian took a deep breath. Each path ahead twisted space, leading someone to a different arena. That place was some kind of high-level array, with everything connected—probably built over a long time by the Risen who came through here.

Darian could feel exactly where the hundreds of Risen were scattered. They were in several groups, each in a different area and direction.

But… he also clearly felt a massive concentration of corruption coming from a single direction. In that place, the corruption was way, way denser and stronger than usual.

His senses in here were absurdly sharp, so he wasn't worried about getting lost.

Following Darian's guidance, Niara moved. As soon as she stepped into one of the paths, the world around them shifted. They entered a new space and, before they could even see what was around them, a black blade came flying at them.

"!"

The sharp blade carried a heavy aura of death. But it wasn't solid—it was an attack made of pure energy.

*BOOM!*

Niara dodged on instinct and it exploded on the ground. But a wave of dizziness almost knocked her out.

Her soul was hit hard, a sharp pain took over. She had never felt anything like it before—it left her stunned.

Darian was surprised. A strange energy had invaded her soul like poison. He waved his rings; it was similar to soul power, but much weaker. He quickly overpowered it and removed it.

Niara felt the relief instantly. Then, out of pure reflex, she roared and struck the air in front of her — but hit nothing. She didn't see anything either.

"Are those ghosts?" she asked, tense.

Darian sighed. "No... these things are manifestations of the hatred and resentment of the ones these bones used to belong to. Looks like this structure triggered the leftover power in their bodies to create them."

Niara took a deep breath and clenched her fists. Everyone who died here had been Summoners with extremely powerful partners — and because of that, they themselves were strong too. On top of that, their bloodlines were much denser, and people at that level carry a will that can interfere with the world. Even after death, it lingers in the body for a while.

Normally it fades, but this structure kept it alive. And more than that — it gave them the power to attack the souls of intruders.

Niara was now alert, scanning their surroundings. The attack hadn't been strong, but it was anything but pleasant.

That kind of power was the hardest to deal with, but Darian could remove it easily. No Summoner below four rings — or even the beasts that lived in that world — could make it in and out of there alive.

Another black figure rushed at Niara while she was moving. This time, she saw it clearly. It wasn't solid, but looked like a scaly Mannaz wearing black armor and swinging a saber.

With his guard up, Darian activated his rings and messed with the target's power. Niara struck it, and the creature exploded, vanishing without a trace.

After about an hour of walking and taking down dozens of them, the path ahead suddenly opened. A dark forest appeared in front of them.

"Did we get teleported out?" Niara asked, confused. That forest stretched out farther than the eye could see. The aura there was totally different from before — there wasn't even a trace of draconic power.

Darian took a deep breath, analyzing. That place was different, and even the dragon bloodline didn't exist there. But the insanely dense karma he was feeling was still up ahead — now even closer.

"No. We're still in one of the spatial worlds. There are tons of places like this, each one linked to multiple entrances. There's only one main route... I picked the most direct one to the core."

Niara nodded and moved forward. They quickly realized that forest was a fragment of a place that once existed on the planet that later became the World of Life. But without its connection to the World Tree for so long, it had turned dark and half-dead.

All the little worlds in here were probably similar preserved places. Sadly, there was nothing of value left where they were.

"The Risen are the only ones who can enter this structure. So they probably all have missions to comb through these places looking for treasures. But after all this time, there's nothing left in most of them. There are just too many small worlds... I can feel the Risen nearby, searching."

Darian muttered. Those wills existed in some areas, but not in others. The whole structure they were in was like a giant training ground and treasure hunting site, made just for the Risen.

Niara took off at full speed and crossed the forest in a few minutes. They quickly passed through an invisible door.

Now they found themselves in a corridor made entirely of white bones. The pressure from the dragon bloodline returned — but now it was way stronger. It felt like the souls of dragons were embedded in the bone walls.

"We're at the core," Darian confirmed.

The dragon power was insanely strong here. That feeling hit Niara especially hard, since she carried the same bloodline. It felt like she was burning. If she didn't suppress it to the limit, her bloodline would've fully awakened, causing a huge disturbance.

Niara moved forward, walking through the bone corridor. Just a few seconds later, they arrived at what looked like a massive hall.

She stopped, her heart pounding like a drum. In the center of the hall, floating, was a glowing white sword, covered in black lines.

All the bloodline runes in her body reacted immediately. She was sure: that sword... was made from the body of the Divine Dragon she descended from.

"The primordial weapon..." Darian muttered, excited.

But... he suddenly felt something approaching.

"It's the Risen. Hurry!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.