Linde's crystalline body, holding the purple-haired little girl's hand, stepped out of the spatial rift and returned to the dark, distorted reality of the Howling Abyss.
Beneath my feet lay solid black rock, the air thick with the scent of sulfur and dust, and in the distance came the eternal howling of the abyss.
Compared to that chaotic and energy-filled boundary, this place even seems somewhat... "plain" and "thin".
Having just escaped a highly energetic environment, the little girl was clearly not used to it.
A clear look of bewilderment and helplessness appeared in her deep, black eyes, which were dotted with purple stars. She subconsciously gripped Lin De's cold, crystalline fingers even tighter.
Her fair skin seemed to have taken on a slightly uncomfortably pale hue, and her breathing (if she needed to breathe) became somewhat shallow and rapid. The faint Shadow Abyss aura that had been flowing naturally around her became somewhat disordered, as if a fish out of water could survive but felt a suffocating discomfort.
She approached Linde somewhat uneasily, her other small hand grasping his crystalline arm armor. She tilted her head back, her eyes timid, carrying a hint of barely perceptible grievance, as if silently expressing her discomfort here.
Linde looked down at her, her head slightly turned, the deep red sensor light steadily illuminating her small face.
He naturally understood the source of this discomfort—the rules of the material world instinctively rejected and suppressed her, a life form composed purely of high-concentration Shadow Abyss energy and fragments of rules.
Although not fatal, it's like suddenly pulling a deep-sea fish into shallow water—it always feels uncomfortable.
“It seems we need a little ‘assistance’,” Linde’s cold voice rang out.
He released his crystalline arm from her small hand, signaling her to calm down.
Then, he raised his hands, palms facing each other, and held them in front of his chest.
Buzz—
A dark power, far purer, deeper, and more chilling than the Howling Abyss Rift itself, quietly emanated from Lind's body!
That wasn't the mixed Shadow Abyss aura escaping from the rift, but rather the primordial power of that source of all shadows, the end of all things, connected by the [Shadow Abyss Halo]! It was the ultimate darkness, transformed by the system and perfectly controlled by Lind!
The surrounding light seemed to be sucked away instantly, and the temperature plummeted!
Even the eternally wailing winds of the abyss seemed to freeze at this moment!
In the distance, the Shadowbinder soldiers who had been on high alert and trying their best to hide their presence began to tremble uncontrollably at almost the same moment!
They were more familiar with the power of Shadow Abyss than anyone else, and that was why they could better appreciate the terrifying level of the power that Linde was unleashing at this moment!
"What...what is that?!"
A soldier's teeth chattered, his voice barely audible yet filled with utter terror, "More terrifying than the rift...more terrifying than the Thousand Eyes...no! More terrifying than the 'Supreme Darkness' we worship..."
He couldn't find the words to describe it; the feeling was like a stream looking up at an abyss, or a firefly peering into a black hole—an absolute awe and sense of insignificance stemming from a life instinct, a feeling of facing the source of power!
Another soldier covered his mouth tightly, afraid of making a sound that might disturb the being.
His wide eyes reflected the indescribable, ultimate darkness that was gradually gathering in Lind's palm, and he felt as if his soul was being sucked in!
"He...He is drawing upon the true essence of the Shadow Abyss...as easily as...breathing..."
A slightly more knowledgeable squad leader was screaming inwardly, his worldview crumbling and rebuilding. The Shadow Abyss Power, which their alliance had painstakingly pursued, carefully guided, and even frequently suffered from backlash against, was now as docile as a domesticated pet in the hands of that being!
Under the gaze of countless horrified eyes, the ultimate darkness in Linde's palm began to combine with the azure crystalline particles that appeared out of thin air.
The crystalline remains are no longer the main body, but rather serve as a framework and container to hold the darkness.
Under his skillful manipulation, darkness and light flowed like silk threads in the hands of the most skillful weaver, rapidly intertwining, entwining, and shaping!
As the light shimmered, the outline of a necklace quickly emerged.
The chain is composed of countless fine, stardust-like, dark blue crystalline particles, giving it a cold, metallic feel, yet it is exceptionally flexible.
The necklace's pendant is the heart of the piece—a dark teardrop that appears to be frozen and is constantly collapsing inward!
This teardrop was formed entirely from the highly condensed power of the Shadow Abyss, drawn by Linde. Inside, it seemed as if countless miniature galaxies were being created and destroyed, emitting a soft yet incredibly profound ethereal light.
It is perfectly set on an extremely exquisite star-shaped base surrounded by thorns outlined by crystals, which is both a constraint and a protection and amplification.
The necklace looks both mysterious and exquisite, full of inhuman and otherworldly craftsmanship, and the dark teardrop exudes a strange charm that is hard to look away from.
As the last glint of light flashed, the necklace was fully formed, silently hovering in Linde's palm, slowly rotating and radiating a stable and restrained power.
Linde reached out and handed the necklace to the little girl.
"Wear it. It will balance the world's rejection and make you feel comfortable."
The little girl was already deeply attracted to the necklace, especially the dark teardrop.
The aura emanating from it made her feel incredibly close, warm, and longing, giving her a sense of peace far greater than her surroundings.
She eagerly, yet cautiously, took the necklace and awkwardly tried to put it around her neck.
With a slight twitch of her fingertips, the necklace seemed to come alive, automatically flying up and gently encircling her slender neck, the clasp quietly closing.
The size was just right; the dark teardrop pendant hung slightly above her chest.
The moment the necklace was put on—
Buzz!
A faint, almost invisible halo of dark light flashed across the little girl's body and quickly receded back into the necklace.
The chaotic aura of shadow around her instantly became stable and harmonious, no longer causing obvious conflict with the prime material world.
The unpleasant pallor on her face quickly faded, restoring its fair and translucent glow. The bewilderment in her eyes also disappeared, replaced by an expression of utter comfort and peace, as if she had finally returned to the environment that suited her best.
She looked down in surprise, cupped the dark teardrop pendant in her small hands, and felt the steady yet powerful primordial energy emanating from it, like a heartbeat, continuously soothing all her discomfort.
She looked up at Lind, her dark eyes filled with dazzling starlight and a pure, almost overflowing joy and dependence.
"Thank you, Father!"
She smiled sweetly, her voice regaining its previous softness, but with much more vitality.
She released Lind's arm armor and even happily twirled around on the spot, her purple hair fluttering and her little dress woven with shadow energy swaying along with it.
She seems to have fully adapted and can move around freely now.
However, this scene brought even greater horror and shock to the Shadowbinder soldiers in the distance!
"Balance...balances the world's rules of exclusion?!"
The squad leader nearly collapsed to the ground, his voice hoarse, "That necklace... what kind of divine artifact is it?! It can... can deceive the laws of the world itself?!"
"She...she looks completely fine! Just like...a normal girl (though her hair color is a bit strange)! How is this possible?!"
Another soldier felt that all the knowledge he had acquired in his life about the Shadow Abyss was collapsing.
The problem that countless predecessors of their alliance had tried to solve—how to enable Shadowwalkers to move more freely in the Prime Material Plane without being too repelled—made all sorts of painstakingly crafted amulets, potions, and rituals seem like a laughable joke in the face of that seemingly delicate necklace!
That being not only possessed immense power that they could not comprehend, but could also create things with such incredible power that it could achieve unimaginable results!
At this moment, the awe that all the Shadowbinder soldiers felt for Lind reached an unparalleled level, even mixed with a kind of fanaticism and fear akin to religious faith.
Lind ignored the Shadowbinder soldiers in the distance who were on the verge of collapse.
He looked at the little girl in front of him who had finally stopped feeling uncomfortable and instead began to look at everything around her with curiosity, and Jinghai nodded slightly.
"Now that you are reborn, you need a name."
Linde's voice remained calm, yet carried a hint of solemnity as he named the child.
His gaze swept over her deep purple hair and her dark eyes that reflected the starlight.
"From now on, your name will be 'Vise'."
Linde said slowly, "This name means 'Amethyst' and 'Star in the Shadows,' commemorating your origins."
“Vise…”
The little girl—who should be called Weiss now—repeated her name softly, the purple stars in her black eyes twinkling happily, as if she really liked the pronunciation and the meaning it contained.
"Yes! Weiss! Father named her that!"
She happily hugged the pendant to her chest, her smile radiant.
"Let's go, Weiss."
Linde turned around, his crystalline body striding towards the direction from the abyss. "I'll take you to see the real 'world'."
Weiss immediately took small steps and obediently followed, one hand still unconsciously holding the fingers of Lind's crystal skeleton, while the other hand carefully held the dark teardrop pendant.
She would occasionally look around curiously. Although the Howling Abyss was still desolate and dark, with the necklace protecting it, it all became a novel sight in her eyes.
Two figures, one large and one small, one a cold, crystalline creation, and the other a mysterious Shadow Abyss girl, slowly disappeared into the mist of the abyss.
Only a group of Shadowbinder soldiers remained, still immersed in immense shock and fear, unable to recover for a long time, along with their completely refreshed understanding of power and existence.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com