"This was..." Xalier arrive just a step from where he was standing, but just as he started to speak to Temorsth, he shut up.
"Uh? Son?" Turning his head to look around he called out, and after he saw nothing he released his divine sense to search the surrounding area.
"No! Where is my baby!?" And following him, Elah was doing the same. And as she too found nothing, she screamed.
...
"Where am I?" Temorsth turned to look around.
"Why is every color so dark?" The colors of the world around him changed, everything was either different dark shades of white, blue, and green or it was completely black.
The place he was in was strange, the surrounding looked almost the same as he was at a moment ago, but there were slight differences.
"Where is the big sycamore tree...?" The tree that was the gate to his home was missing.
"Dad, are you here?"
"..."
"Hey, is anyone here!?" He called for help, but the only thing that answered was again silence.
"..."
'Hey Aidana, do you hear me?' After a thought, Temorsth called for someone who was looking at him all the time.
'Aidana?' But even she didn't answer now.
"I can't communicate with anyone and no one is here... Hmh, what a troublesome predicament." Even though the strange situation, Temorsth didn't start to panic.
Raising his hand to his chin, he started to think.
"What can I do?" And just as he asked himself.
"Did I make a mistake? I tough someone came to challenge me again." A slow and ambiguous voice sounded.
"...!?" And hearing this distorted voice, Temorsth started to look around to find the source.
"Who?" Just as he asked from not seeing anyone, a body without any features, looking exactly like a white male mannequin, appeared high in the sky.
As it stood in the air, with hands behind its back, it looked around for someone.
"Hm?" And with a slight downward motion of its head, the mannequin looked at Temrosth.
"Uh?" Temorsth got surprised as without any action or movement, the mannequin appeared right before him.
"Oh, a mortal Knight?" As the mannequin slightly leaned forward, a voice came from the featureless and empty face.
As he looked Temorsth up and down, he raised one of his hands to his chin.
'Knight...?' Temorsth didn't move away. At the same time, he tried to understand what the mannequin said, he looked at its blank face, which didn't even have a mouth but the voice clearly came from it.
After a moment of silence, the mannequin started speaking again. "Hey, little boy, why did you come to the world of shadows? Aren't you afraid of death?"
'World of Shadows?' Temorsth filtered the mannequin's words and understood where he was.
"Hey, are you so scared you can't speak?" With the words, he waved his hands before Temorsth's face.
"No, I'm not. And no, why would I be scared of death?"
"Hm... Why do I feel arrogance in your tone? You are just a little knight of darkness, do you even know who I am?"
"No, I don't."
"Uh?" With a light answer, Temorsth didn't look bothered by the raised tone of the mannequin.
"..." Yet it was apparent that the mannequin didn't expect this answer, since its movements completely froze.
'Knight of darkness...' And all the while the mannequin stood in silence, Temorsth made note of every word he thought could be important.
"Then... Then why are you so high? Aren't you afraid that I could kill you a thousand times?"
"No."
"But why?"
"Because I am immortal."
"...?" Temorsth's nonchalant words which told something unbelievable, froze him again, but then.
*HAHAHA...* Laughter resounded from the emotionless empty face of the mannequin.
"Hm? Don't laugh, I told the truth!" Temorsth frowned, he didn't like that his truthful words were laughed at.
*Haha...haha...*
"..." The laughter continued for a little before it stopped with the loud sound of the mannequin slamming its hand onto its face.
"You deny death..." The mannequin leaned back, and while his back bent deeply, he spread his arms open and started laughing again.
*HAHAHA... HAHA...*
But then... the laughter died out like it wasn't even there a moment ago.
"...in my presence!?" The voice turned heavy and dark followed by a dark aura bursting out around the white body.
*Bang* He stomped his foot on the ground, after which he quickly rose and leaned over Temorsth.
"..." This time eyes appeared and opened on the mannequin.
'Green...' While the mannequin stared down at him, Termorsth looked at his green eyes.
"..."
"No..." After a moment, a light answer was formed.
"...?" A slight confusion appeared on the featureless face from hearing the word without any fear.
'What is this little one... I just wanted to scare him a little, but despite releasing energy that would make any Mortal, even an Immortal, shit themself in fear, this little kid isn't even fazed?'
"I was just stating a fact." Temorsth fished his words, which tried to make clear he wasn't denying anything.
"...!" As he heard the words, a slight surprise showed on the blank white face before it continued.
"I like you..." While straightening his back he took a step back to give Temorsth some space.
"I'll spare your life." The mannequin closed his eyes and with it, they disappeared and his face went back to complete featurelessness.
"Thanks, I guess..."
"Now go back to where you came from." He said when he turned around to go away.
"Uh wait..." Seeing that the mannequin started to dissipate, Temorth stopped him.
"Hm?"
"How can I leave?" Seeing that he turned his head to listen to him, Temrosth asked for help.
"How did you come here?"
"I used the ability I have just learned."
"Then use it one more time." He said without thinking or delaying.
If Temorsth had used something other than a skill it wouldn't be weird if he couldn't go back, but a skill can most definitely travel back and forth.
"Hm, alright. Thanks for the help." And hearing the certainty the mannequin had in the words, Temorsth accepted it as certain too.
"Go go, before I change my mind."
"Goodbye..." As Temosrsth raised his leg, he waved goodbye to the one who helped him in a dire situation.
"..."
"This was strange..." Feeling the energy of the child vanish, the mannequin spoke to itself.
"Hmh... This little thing..." *Mhmhm* With a low chuckle his words continued.
"It was quite refreshing seeing something so silly."
...
[Notice: You survived the meeting with a "Great Creature of Darkness".]
[Congratulation: Your authority over "The Dark" has greatly increased.]
"Hm... I'm back?" Looking around Temorsth recognized the part of the forest he was in.
[Hey! Where have you been!?]
'Uh... I'm not really sure...' Temorsth didn't lie.
Even though he had a guess he wasn't sure. Temorsth didn't want to hurt Aidana, the problem was he still didn't know why she was helping him.
[Ugh... Are you hurt anywhere?]
'No, expect the already existing wounds, I'm not hurt.'
[Uh... I got scared... my connection to your system was cut for a moment. I tough something bad happened.]
'Hm... So there is a way to get severed from her...' Brilliance instantly saved this moment in his mind.
"No! Where is my baby!?"
"Mom?" Hearing Elah's scream, he turned in that direction.
"Hm?" As he was about to start running a thought came to his mind.
'Should I try it one more time?' Even though he was questioning he was already rising his leg to use Shadow Step one more time.
"It's the same..." As his feet hit the ground his world slowed for a moment.
"Hm... this feeling..." Noticing something from the energy around him, he called to Aidana to calm her beforehand. 'Aidana I be back in a second.'
[Uh? Where are you goi...] As Temorsth finished his step, Aidana's voice got cut off.
...
"Hi." Temorsth waved.
"..." The mannequin already turned around to look at him before he even arrived.
"It looks like I can come here with my skill."
"What the...?" The mannequin was confused from feeling the disturbance of the world's barrier.
"Can I come to explore this gray world of shadows?"
"..."
"Can I...?" Since the silence was long he asked again.
"You can't! Disappear this instant!" But the new words woke up the white mannequin and his words were loud and angry.
"Oh... sad... Then, bye-bye..." Temorsth waved goodbye one more time and used Shadow Step to go back.
"..."
"What is this little thing? He really isn't afraid..."
...
[Congratulation: Your Ruler of Dark authority is starting to break through the limits of the Knight rank.]
'Knight? Oh, was he referring to my authority with the title?' Hearing the system he understood why the mannequin called him the Knight of Darkness.
[What the hell was this!?] As Temorsth arrived a little farther away from the point of his step, he heard Aidana's scream in his head.
'Hm... its looks as if this unique ability takes me somewhere else you can't reach or something.'
[I know, but that is not the problem! I have never heard of a skill that can do this. It's almost like you travel to a completely different plane of existence... Ugh...] Yet again, saying something she wasn't supposed to, Aidana groaned from noticing the loss of plausibility.
'Different plane of existence?'
[I can't...]
'Thought so, but I think I understand it. You don't need to worry.' Temorsth already placed the pieces together so he already understood the situation even without the explanation.
[...]
"Baby!" Elah's scream sounded one more time but this time it had a different tone.
'I think mom noticed me...' Knowing what happened, he raised his leg for a step.
'If I'm thinking correctly, I can use it like...' Temorsth used Shadow Step again, but this time he didn't step into the world of shadows, he simply stepped into a shadow.
'Yes! I understand how this unique ability works.' This time he simply appeared a few steps away in the shadows of a tree.
"I'm coming!" With the words, Temorsth activated Shadow Step, since he couldn't travel as big of a distance as his father, he activated it again and again until he arrived outside of the forest.
"Sorry, I think I used the ability wrong or something so I arrived in the forest." Scratching the back of his head before his parents and An, Temorsth apologized for scaring them.
"Used it wrong?" Xalier told the words to himself to calm his suspicious mind.
'I alone will be the ruler of the heaven and the earth...' Remembering the words and the dark tone it had, Xalier's eyes darkened.
'That voice... was that really my son?'
*AHAH* Hearing his father's words, an awkward laugh sounded from Temorsth.
"Sorry..."
"..."
'Right... I too, and everyone said stupid things when they were kids...' Seeing Temorsth now, Xalier gave up on the useless thought.
In the first place, it wasn't that he was suspicious of his son, it was just that he was worried for his safety.
"But don't worry Dad, I can do it now, look-look." With excitement in his voice, Temorsth used Shadow Step to arrive right in his father's shadow.
"See? And I can do it many times too..." He used his energy and took one more step arriving at the shadow of a tree and then another step.
"Ah... Son..."
"Yes?" While Temrosrsth was jumping from place to place, Xalier raised his hand with a slight worry.
"Using it so many times..."
"Uh..." As Temorsth arrived at his last destination and turned around to take one more step. "I'm dizzy..." He raised his hand to his head.
"...times it will deplete all your stamina and mana..." As Temorsth started to fall, Xalier fished his sentence and lowered his hand.
"Baby!" Seeing this Elah went to reach for her falling son, but since she wasn't the closest one it was not her who got him.
"Uh..." As Temorsth fell into her embrace, Antanasia shuddered from the stare she felt on her back.
"Oh, he is growing up so fast."
"...!" Hearing the words, Elah's stare turned towards Xalier.
"You!"
"Uh... Me?" While pointing at himself, this time it was Xalier who shuddered.