Elemental Magnetic Star

Chapter 152 An Unexpected Encounter

Raina Grace, adept at combating dark matter, instantly activated her elemental magnetic power for defense. Indeed, the thick, black, viscous material couldn't get closer, but it accumulated around her, becoming denser and gradually obscuring the spiritual fin's light.

Surrounded by dark matter, Raina had to push through a dense "black wall" with every step, making progress extremely difficult. Trapped in a completely enclosed "black wall," she couldn't determine her direction, meaning escape was nearly impossible.

After losing her sense of direction, she tried to use touch to find balance, but everything became slippery and greasy due to the dark matter's contamination, forcing her to abandon the attempt.

Wandering blindly in the cave for an unknown duration, she suddenly heard a whimpering sound from afar. Initially thought to be an illusion, she confirmed it might be the panting of some animal. Unlike the occasional insect chirping in the silent cave, this panting was heavy and rapid, seemingly with warmth, like the fearful and desperate whimpering of a beast trapped in a snare.

Regardless of the source, it at least provided a direction. Similarly trapped creatures, if gathered, could be a source of strength; moreover, such whimpering pulled at her heartstrings, reminiscent of Lightning's cries when trapped. Stimulated by her imagination, Raina urgently moved towards the sound.

The whimpering grew louder, and the once subdued sound suddenly intensified, seemingly laced with excitement. Could it be aware of someone approaching?

However, the "black wall" thickened around her, reducing her space as her strength waned, nearly encapsulating her in a "cocoon."

Sensing the trapped animal was just ahead, Raina wielded the Floating Rope to agitate the thick, liquid-like dark matter in front of her, attempting to create an opening. Eventually, a bit of purple light appeared, likely from the spiritual fin. As the gap widened, Raina finally saw a shadow: a person sitting motionless on the ground, cradling a bit of purple light. The calls of a beast, which had guided her here, came from below him. The faint light didn't illuminate him clearly, but his whimpers, mixed with a semblance of pleading and jubilation, were unmistakably familiar.

The Floating Rope began to slow, and Raina increased her elemental magnetic power output, making a final effort to escape the "cocoon." She then discovered the small space's existence was due to another person desperately maintaining it.

The person, startled by her sudden emergence, nearly collapsed but quickly expanded the space, murmuring her name with difficulty: "Rain...a..."

Raina couldn't believe her ears: "Flicker Shadow?"

Suppressing all questions and astonishments, Raina quickly defended Flicker Shadow with the Floating Rope to stabilize their space, then asked, "How are you here? What happened to Lightning? Who's the person on the ground, is it Luminous Harmony?"

Her questions were numerous, but aside from wondering how Flicker Shadow ended up in the abyss and with Luminous Harmony, she had guessed the answers. The spiritual fin had led her here because it found Luminous Harmony; Lightning's cries were calls for her.

Flicker Shadow, overwhelmed, felt he was hallucinating due to prolonged entrapment in the abyss: "Is it really you, Raina? How are you here? Is this a pre-death hallucination? I've longed to see you, so the god of freedom summoned your shadow to my side?" He cautiously touched her hair, marveling at its reality.

As Raina continued to stabilize the space with the Floating Rope, requiring continuous elemental magnetic power output, she couldn't help but laugh at Flicker Shadow's words, momentarily losing control. She quickly steadied herself, responding, "It's really me, Flicker Shadow. Let's not dwell on this; we need to find a way out."

Flicker Shadow, regaining his senses and accepting Raina's presence as a divine gift, decided to address all questions later, even if it meant after death. "The exit is behind us, but Lightning was suddenly invaded by dark matter and couldn't move. Without help, Luminous Harmony couldn't move either, so we've been trapped here," he briefly explained their predicament.

Now, even with Raina joining, one person needed to continuously defend against the dark matter, making it impossible to assist both Lightning and Luminous Harmony simultaneously. If only Lightning could regain its mobility.

Recalling how WeeStick had once been invaded by dark matter and later developed resistance with her help, Raina wondered if she could do the same for Lightning. "Can you keep this space stable a bit longer? I'll try to help Lightning stand again."

"Of course," Flicker Shadow immediately positioned himself in front of her, single-handedly holding off the dense black wall.

Raina, noticing Flicker Shadow's diminishing strength, rushed to Lightning's side without hesitation, comforting the creature, "Don't be afraid, Lightning. I'm here to help you." Lightning weakly nudged her hand, trying to stand on its hind legs but unable to move its front limbs, falling again with a low cry.

"It's your front legs that are infected," Raina consoled, "Stay still; let me handle this."

She activated her elemental magnetic power to inspect the infected areas on Lightning's body, finding black substances creeping toward its head. Fearing the loss of consciousness if it reached Lightning's eyes, she disregarded the revulsion and focused on clearing the infection.

However, the surrounding black energy surged, attempting to overwhelm the blue light, yet simultaneously seemed deterred by the blue light, unable to approach. After several tug-of-war rounds, Raina was nearly exhausted before the dark matter finally turned into "ash," dissipating due to the lack of energy nourishment. Lightning stood again, affectionately licking her hand.

Raina had just enough time to pat its head before pushing it away: "Lightning, run first; we'll follow soon." Then, she rushed to support Flicker Shadow, who was about to collapse, asking, "Can you carry Luminous Harmony while we escape?"

Flicker Shadow, barely able to stand, asked Raina, "What about you? How will you manage?"

"Don't worry; I won't be infected by the dark matter. I can leave directly after you're safe," she assured him, promising to follow immediately after their departure.

After a pause, possibly hesitating or gathering strength, Flicker Shadow stood up, supported Luminous Harmony, and moved towards the exit. "If you don't come out, I'll come back for you, even if I have to tear this place apart to bring you with us!"