Rivers of the Night

Theron's eyes shot open to an endless spring of darkness. But it wasn't just a lack of light—he could hardly move.

When he tried to shift his hand from one side to the next, his shoulders bumped into strong, structural walls, and he couldn't bend his knees without them hitting up against something solid.

'Coffin.'

Theron wasn't a fool. He understood that when he appeared in whatever this outside world was, he would be coming out of Alauna's or Sadie's—or whoever's—body in some way, shape, or form.

However, what he wasn't expecting was to be buried so soon.

He was more ready for battle than he was to have been buried alive. But to his surprise, it hardly felt like he had been buried at all. Instead, he felt…

So refreshed, thriving, even—despite the foul smell.

If the continent's Mana had been like a small stream, this was more like a raging waterfall. It felt like he could just eat, drink, and sleep to stumble his way to the Quasi Gold Mancy Realm.

It was absolutely ridiculous.

What was more shocking was that this world had Dark Mana as by far its highest affinity. That meant the fact Theron still felt Water Mana as akin to a raging waterfall was all the more ridiculous. If he went to a more neutral ground, or even a place where Water Mana was dense, just how much of it would there be?

Even without improving his Resonance at all, Theron felt like his power had increased dozens of times over just by the sheer quantity of Mana he had at his disposal now.

But he knew that this feeling was to Mana what inflation was to money. The buying power was still the same. In fact, it might even be worse.

He was surrounded by people who had been born, grown up, and cultivated in this environment all their lives. What was novel to him was only natural to them.

Even if he was dozens of times more powerful, all things being equal, he had about the same standing in this world as he had had in the other.

It was just a matter of whether that standing was enough or not.

'They buried her so quickly? Or is there a time dilation difference?'

The rotting stench made Theron question several things. Even the body of a mortal wouldn't decay so fast, let alone a cultivator of Sadie's caliber. So he wasn't really sure what was happening.

He knew that if he wanted his revenge, he would have to find a way out of whatever place Sadie was in safely. But this situation… well, he wasn't 100% sure how to deal with it.

'First, acclimate.'

Theron had already pushed the foul scent bombarding him out of his mind. His main focus right now was to exchange the Water Mana in his body subtly enough that those on the surface didn't sense anything that was going on.

Though this situation was outside of his expectations, it had its benefits.

Normally, if he tried to cast spells in an unfamiliar world, his mastery would take a little dip, especially since the Mana in this place was so thick.

Now that he had a chance to adjust first, he didn't hesitate to take it.

Very quickly, though, Theron's "adjustment" became cultivation.

He found that with Mana being this thick, he had more room to stuff it into his Core.

It was odd. It seemed that not only was the Mana denser, but its quality was higher, its Laws more complete.

'This Incarnation of Sadie was a Dark Mancer. Could that be why? The Water Laws in her dantian were insignificant compared to what they are even in this Dark Mana–rich place…'

That still left Theron with too many questions.

If that was the case, why did he have so many Water Mana treasures? His father's sword? The necklace?

Wait… couldn't those even be considered Water Mana treasures?

His father's short sword only displayed cohesion with Water Mana because he poured his Resonance into it. Would it have adapted to any Resonance?

And the necklace… it seemed to respond to his emotions—that of control and losing control, respectively. But was Water Mancy the only Path this would work for? Or would it work for others?

Then, when it came to the other Treasures, they were completely unrelated. In fact, the Ebonstone Mines were far closer to Darkness than anything else, even functioning on Dark Mana—or what seemed like it, at least.

Theron pushed these thoughts out of his mind. First, he would escape. Then he would consider these things. But he had to be subtle about it.

If Sadie really had been buried, even if there was a time dilation, it meant that there were people who at least cared for her. A cultivator with a grave was far rarer than it should be—at least if this world was the same as the one he was used to.

That meant that there might be people frequenting the grave or people even mourning over it. If the grave was located in a spot with many graves, that could be both a good and bad thing.

On the good side, it meant that Sadie might be a god to him, but was of inferior standing in this world. After all, if she was buried with many other graves, it more than likely meant she wasn't all that important.

But, if she was buried alone…

Theron's Third Eye slowly spread, inching cautiously—not upward, but across. If there were other graves around here, then…

'None.'

Theron's eyes narrowed.

Sadie was buried alone, and seemingly in a place with such rich Mana.

It was hard to tell if it was this world that was so special, or Sadie herself. But… what was clear was that this place was secluded.

This could be a good and bad thing as well.

Before Theron could decide his next step, though, he was facing another problem.

The material of this coffin…

It was far too high quality.

…

On the surface, in the shade of a nearby tree, the Dark Spirit slowly rose from its shadow, its foggy eyes suddenly focusing on Sadie's grave.