Chapter 76 The Astral Realm

Altheria's POVInstinctively, I reached out and tugged at Ethan's soft cheeks but I quickly regretted this whimsical impulse of mine as I felt a cold and sharp stare boring into me from my side.

"What are you doing, Altheria? You claimed to have no abnormal intentions toward my disciple. But it seems you can't control your urges. You're not planning to drink his blood afterward, are you?"

Nyx's cold voice sent an icy chill through me that froze me in place. Years of experience had hardened me to such confrontations and I floated back to her side, lifting myself to match her height to match her aggression.

"Hmph, you don't need to overreact. I was just pulling his cheeks a little. After all, he is still a cute little boy," I replied in an unwavering tone.

My explanation, however, did little to convince her. Her narrowed eyes bore into me clearly filled with suspicion, but I held my ground and refused to waver beneath her scrutiny.

Nyx didn't respond verbally but instead moved forward. Her eyes narrowed into vertical slits again, giving her an intimidating and predatory air. I braced myself for her next move only to watch in confusion as she bypassed me entirely and leaped onto the bed.

She towered over Ethan and stood still for a moment. At that moment, I found myself wondering what exactly she was planning.

My thoughts raced with uneasy possibilities but soon I let out a breath of relief as it wasn't what I had feared.

Nyx lowered her head bringing her forehead down to rest against Ethan's. Her long and dexterous fingers moved quickly but with astonishing delicacy as she gently opened his eyelids.

Despite the lethal sharpness of her black nails, her touch was so careful and precise that there was no risk of harm.

Ethan's eyelids rolled up to reveal only the whites of his eyes, making it clear he was in some kind of suspended state. Two golden rays shot from Nyx's eyes that silently bored into Ethan's as she worked her magic.

It became clear what she was doing. Amid our earlier scuffling and her flaring rage we had overlooked the most important matter and that was diagnosing the root cause of Ethan's predicament.

Though it didn't seem life-threatening, in reality it was undoubtedly a very dangerous situation.

It appeared that Nyx who had cooled her mind had remembered this crucial step. She was focusing intently, unraveling the mystery of what had trapped Ethan in this state. As her concentration deepened, I could see her body pressing tightly against his in the process.

Doesn't she realize how inappropriate this proximity might seem? I wondered, my eyebrows furrowing slightly. Ethan was, after all, her disciple and a young man, no less. Yet Nyx seemed utterly unbothered by such concerns with her fixation solely on his condition.

It seems that this proximity is not rare and they must be doing this regularly. A sly smile and a thrilling feeling coursed through my body. I was perplexed by this feeling but a sudden urge to tell Nyx's secret to that white dragon and demon woman erupted in my mind.

I need to have a proper talk with her about this, I resolved. Her dubious and weird actions were well-intentioned but it clearly revealed a strange obsession with her disciple.

And it had become glaringly obvious to me in just a single day. Her complete obliviousness to it was almost as baffling as the behavior itself.

Nyx's POV

My soul-penetrating Draconic Soulgaze pierced Ethan's soul space while I ensured he wasn't harmed in any way during the process. The bit of soul sense ingrained in the draconic soulgaze's golden rays crossed from the physical world to the astral realm.

I swam through the interweaving and twisting dark shapes including the eerie suspended things that floated in the dark expanse. They eyed me with greedy gazes but I paid no heed to them and continued searching for Ethan's existence.

The Draconic Soulgaze's golden barrier protected my soul sense from the encroaching darkness.

I crossed the dark expanse after a long time seemed to have passed and like a bubble popping, I was ejected into a different realm full of beautiful and surreal seven-colored lights. It was like the most exquisite tapestry in existence.

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The sky was filled with seven-colored fog in which several white crystal balls floated. With my realm and power, I could see that the individual crystal balls existed in different dimensions, and reaching them was extraordinarily difficult.

The true identity of those crystals was the souls of all beings present in the world. Be it a small insect or a towering dragon, everyone had a place in the Astral Realm.

Even ordinary people without magical abilities or superpowers could sometimes wander out of their soul space into The Astral Realm in their dreams.

That's why mortals couldn't comprehend the unbelievable things they dreamed of, I mused. They also forget everything as soon as they wake up due to the aftereffects of the Seven-Colored Mist of Oblivion erasing their memories.

I shook my head and I was obviously immune to Oblivion Mist's effects thanks to my power. I pushed these useless thoughts aside and focused intently on sensing my disciple's soul aura.

Soon, I felt the waves of that familiar warm and enveloping darkness that I adored so much.

Found it!

In the form of a golden beam, I streaked through the Astral Realm like a firefly and headed for a secluded dark ball of light amidst the Oblivion Mist. It was entirely isolated from the others and absorbed all the light in its surroundings that made it resemble a miniature black hole.

I was momentarily shocked by its appearance. It seemed to hold the soul power and strength of a Crystal Formation being of darkness origin though its quality and soul waves were even denser and purer.

Come to think of it, I had never paid proper and close attention to Ethan's ascension art.