Hero of Darkness



In an alternate reality, a strange yet distinctive phenomenon appeared. 

Thump! 

Thump! 

Like the heartbeat of a man upon seeing his crush, a vast area spanning thousands of kilometers vibrated rhythmically, resonating with the endless sky filled with thousands of reflective gateways, each spanning between one to two kilometers and floating in perfect harmony. 

Among them, a few hundred were linked together to form the shape of a hexagonal prism, resembling beehives. 

However, at the center of this realm sat a man with shoulder-length black hair on a platform exuding a greenish glow. He sat naked in a lotus Buddha stance, with a tranquil and elated expression, radiating peace. 

Hours passed as he meditated in this entrancing world, while an ethereal blue fog coalesced around and got absorbed into his body. 

"Phew! I can never feel content enough no matter how much time I spend inside the Conjunction of Space." spoke the man with a rustic yet authoritative voice. 

He gazed at the thousands of floating gateways that suspended themselves in the vast sky, forming a massive school of fish. 

Through each gateway, he could observe a different reality, or to be precise, a completely different dimension. 

Despite their great numbers, surprisingly not a single one of these gateways led to any places or regions that were part of Vantrea. 

Nevertheless, the man's composure was that of devotion as he kept gazing at this unceasingly beautiful dance of dimensions. 

This man was the current Hero of Darkness... Kahn Salvatore.

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Several months ago...

Upon his initial arrival, Kahn was awestruck by the First Walkers, the supposed best architects and creators of the world and the first civilization of Vantrea, comprised of the Primordial Titans, as relayed by both Rathnaar and Vildred. 

Unlike their mindless and wild brethren, the First Walkers were colossal beings bigger than tallest mountains; capable of controlling various elements and laws of reality as part of their inherent abilities, unlike how Titans were typically depicted on Earth. 

This place was entirely surreal, and it should not have been able to exist harmoniously without tearing reality to shreds or collapsing in on itself like a black hole. All the dimensions, which were akin to completely different worlds on their own, even moved through time differently, and yet, they managed to coexist in perfect balance.

But why did Kahn come to this specific area of the Chamber of Exaltation? 

The reason was straightforward yet subtle. 

Back when Kahn commenced his actual training under Romulus and Vildred, Rathnaar divulged the actual function of the Chamber of Exaltation and revealed the true form of this deity-born creation. Upon Rathnaar bringing Kahn inside the Chamber of Exaltation for the first time, the latter felt a sense of calling from this place. 

However, he had other priorities and training regimes to follow, so he let go of this mild connection.

As the days went by after Rathnaar taught Kahn how to utilize the Hall of Sentience, the birthplace of the Element of Origin, Kahn managed to achieve a 30% Space Law infusion with the Dimensional Domain by consistently feeding it his Space Force daily. 

And for some inexplicable reason, his gradual progression in infusing his Space Law also strengthened his mental connection to this place, although Kahn could not trace its origin. 

However, only after crossing the 50% Space Law infusion with the Dimensional Domain, did a surge of emotions cloud his mind. It was as if Kahn was connected to this place via threads of destiny, feeling a strong pressure that was akin to suffocating under an unknown weight that he could not identify.

But the moment Kahn entered the Conjunction of Space through a well-hidden gateway that even Rathnaar had no knowledge of, a new and different feeling arose in his heart, one that he had never felt before on Earth or in Vantrea. 

It was the emotion of 'belonging'.

For the first time in the past few years... Kahn felt relaxed, carefree, and reborn. 

He felt like he was finally… home.

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After entering the Conjunction of Space, Kahn and his companions encountered an enigmatic bluish fog of an unknown energy that even Vildred, a sage in the law of magic, could not comprehend. 

The origins of this fog were the gateways in the sky which leaked an ethereal energy from their interconnecting points. 

Remarkably, the fog seemed to have a will of its own, as it assimilated into Kahn's body without causing any harm to his physical, mental, or spiritual being. 

Upon researching, Kahn discovered that the bluish fog was referred to as Cosmic Aether, a byproduct of different dimensions and their respective laws blending together to some extent.

From Vildred's personal archives and ancient records that he gathered centuries ago before he was imprisoned, it became evident that the only place where such reserves of Cosmic Aether were found was in the Erdve Empire, also known as the Empire of Space. 

As Kahn absorbed this Cosmic Aether, he felt his control over space law increasing at a rapid pace. He also recognized that the Cosmic Aether was similar to his Space Force, but denser and more potent, akin to how mana and world energy were interrelated.

However, they were not fundamentally the same either since the Space Force seemed more reclusive and only relevant to Vantrea while Cosmic Aether was a mixture of space law but from different worlds and realities, unrestricted to a single dimension. 

Most importantly, with every moment spent absorbing this cosmic aether, Kahn felt a transformative process occurring within his Dimensional Domain, as if it was evolving into a higher form.

Finally, Kahn understood why the conjunction was capable of creating a perfect synergy between gateways leading to distinct worlds, a feat that seemed nigh impossible even in Vantrea. 

His previous assumptions were only half-true as he comprehended why or how could such a realm exists inside a creation of a deity. 

It was not just a simple construct of the First Walkers; rather, it was either a fragment or a linchpin…

Of the Multiverse.