There was no expected darkness, no energy fluctuations. The next instant, Lind felt his consciousness being abruptly pulled away, his vision went black, and he was plunged into an indescribable state.
nothingness.
Absolute, pure, all-consuming nothingness.
There was no light, no darkness, no up, down, left, or right, and no passage of time.
All perception loses its meaning here.
Sight, hearing, touch, smell... all senses are as if they have been stripped away, and all that comes back is a lifeless blankness.
Linde felt as if he were floating in the "nothingness" before or after the birth of the universe, where even the concept of "self" became blurred and could be diluted or erased at any moment.
"Why? Why is this happening after activating the halo?" Linde asked himself deep in his consciousness, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, receiving no response. Even his thoughts seemed to be frozen by this boundless "emptiness".
A fear of complete annihilation, stemming from a life-or-death instinct, quietly began to grow.
This is definitely not the form that he understands "halo" should take!
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately deactivated the Shadow Abyss Aura.
Buzz!
It was as if a drowning person had been suddenly pulled to the surface, their senses instantly returning! The glow of holy runes on the walls of the secret vault, the lingering purifying aura in the air, the cold touch of the floor beneath them…
All the familiar sensations rushed back like a tide, making him gasp for breath and his heart pound wildly.
In the blink of an eye, he felt as if he had spent eternity in that void.
However, before he could calm himself down, a small voice filled with confusion and grievance rang out from the corner of the secret vault:
"Meow...? How did I get out here?"
Lind turned his head sharply and saw Nix curled up in the darkest corner of the vault, her little face filled with confusion and disbelief.
She stretched out her claws, looked at the shadow at Lind's feet, and then looked around blankly—this was a secret chamber with nothing but containers and stone walls, and no other shadows at all.
"I was only kicked out when I was completely obscured by the bright light..."
Nix's voice was tinged with doubt and confusion; clearly, this sudden "expulsion" had startled and greatly perplexed her.
"I was just hiding in your shadow, doing a nap! How did I end up here in the blink of an eye?"
Linde's pupils contracted slightly.
Nix's explanation confirmed his guess: the moment he activated the Abyss Halo, that absolute nothingness replaced his own existence, including the shadow he projected!
With the shadow gone, Nix, who was attached to it, was naturally "squeezed" out.
This is not driven away by strong light, but rather the temporary annihilation of "existence" itself that leads to the complete disappearance of the shadow!
"I see……"
Lind whispered, watching Nix's panicked expression, and an idea quickly took shape.
Nix possesses an extremely high affinity for the Abyss; perhaps she can become the key to exploring that void, or at least offer a different perspective.
"Nix, come here."
Linde's voice carried a hint of reassurance, but more so an undeniable sense of inquiry.
"Meow? Lord Linde?"
Although Nix was still in a daze, she instinctively obeyed Lind's command and cautiously shuffled over.
Linde reached out and pulled the petite catgirl into his arms.
Nix stiffened slightly, then relaxed, habitually finding a comfortable spot to curl up in his arms, her tail gently wrapping around his arm.
Hold me tight, don't be afraid.
Linde said in a deep voice, his gaze becoming sharp and focused once again.
"Meow? Oh..."
Although Nix didn't understand why, she obediently hugged Lind's neck tightly.
Linde took a deep breath and activated [Shadow Abyss Aura] once more!
Buzz!
The exact same feeling as last time washed over me, and my consciousness was instantly pulled away, plunged into that absolute nothingness that devoured everything.
However, the weight and warmth in my arms vanished the instant the halo was activated!
Nix... is gone!
Linde (or rather, his "consciousness" that was struggling to survive in this nothingness) was once again suspended alone in this "nothingness".
The expected "key" did not follow them inside.
"So... even she can't do it?"
Linde pondered in the void, "Does this space reject all 'existence'? Even the Shadow Abyss creatures themselves cannot enter? Or... is my method of entry incorrect? Is my authorization insufficient?"
Many questions remained. But having already entered twice, Linde's innate desire to explore and control the unknown was completely ignited.
He decided to stop waiting passively and take the initiative to explore this void, even if he could only rely on this faint, almost non-existent "consciousness" to perceive it.
He began to concentrate all his mental energy, trying to "perceive" something "existing" in this "nothingness." This process was extremely difficult, like searching for a wisp of air in an absolute vacuum, or discerning a color in absolute darkness.
At first, there was only a deathly silence and nothingness.
But gradually, as his will reached its limit, he seemed to capture an extremely faint and indescribable "texture".
That wasn't light, not matter, not even energy fluctuations. It was more like... a sense of existence of "non-existence" itself? A pure, cold, empty essence that rejected any attached "meaning".
It is unimaginably vast, yet so "thin" as a membrane of no thickness, enveloping... or rather, it is "nothingness" itself.
Linde tried to "understand" it, to "connect" with it.
However, each attempt caused him to feel a violent "dizziness" and "detachment" in his consciousness, as if his foundation as an "existing individual" was being dissolved and assimilated by this "non-existence".
Countless chaotic and illogical fragments of information, like background noise from the universe, tried to flood his mind, dragging him into utter madness and deconstruction.
He immediately stopped this dangerous attempt. It was something he couldn't understand or touch at this moment.
Just then, a cold, emotionless notification box abruptly appeared in his almost completely nihilistic "vision"—it was a system notification:
[WARNING: User consciousness detected exposed to the surface of the 'Null-Sea'. Mental stability is rapidly decreasing.]
[Insufficient permissions to parse or anchor the coordinates of this area.]
[Recommendation: Increase the core energy threshold or acquire a higher-tier 'Shadow Abyss Mark' to enhance resistance and analysis privileges.]
[Force exit program startup... 3... 2... 1...]
Buzz!
Before Linde could react, that familiar feeling of detachment returned.
The scene before my eyes instantly shifted; the dim light of the secret vault, the texture of the stone walls, and the familiar weight and warmth in my arms... all returned.
"Meow!"
Nix let out a short shriek, clearly startled by the sudden "disappearance and reappearance." She clung tightly to Lind like a frightened animal, her tail bristling.
"Master! You just went deeper in, meow?"
Linde looked down at the still-shaken catgirl in his arms, gently patting her back to comfort her, but his eyes were unusually deep, like a bottomless cold pool.
"Deeper? What do you mean?"
Nix gave Lind a frantic explanation, essentially saying that the space in the shadows where she usually stayed was the surface. The deeper layer, however, was a place she couldn't and shouldn't go.
"So... I went to the depths of the Shadow Abyss?"
“The Sea of Nothingness…” he repeated the term from the system prompt in a low voice, each syllable seemingly carrying shards of ice.
This confirmed part of his guess: that space repelled "existence," and Nix was repelled out, but the moment she activated the halo, she seemed to have also come into contact with that terrifying edge.
The system prompts for "insufficient permissions," "increase energy threshold," and "obtain higher-level Shadow Abyss Marks" pointed him in the right direction.
This so-called "Shadow Abyss Aura" is not a buff or area-of-effect skill in the traditional sense.
It's more like a key to unlock a forbidden land, leading to a terrifying place called the "Sea of Nothingness," a place where even the Shadow Abyss itself may just be a superficial derivative!
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