Chapter 1807 1807: Her
"Her?"
Valyr took notice that Arcane had emphasized a specific word in her response.
Because of that, the young man looked back at her for a bit as curiosity began to blossom within his mind.
'Who's Arcane talking about?' he asked himself, the gears in his mind turning.
Of course, with how the two of them were within the Void Core, it did not take long for him to come to the conclusion that the 'Her' Arcane mentioned had something to do with the Shadow Plane.
But that was all.
With that in mind, Valyr stopped his train of thought from continuing any further as he turned to look at Arcane once more.
Though, this time, he looked back at her with purpose in his eyes.
After all, no one knew who 'Her' was better… than the being in front of him.
"Who's this… Her you're talking about?" Taking in a deep breath to compose his thoughts, Valyr soon let out a soft exhale as he asked the being in front of him the question that had been lingering in his mind.
"She…" the latter replied, only to fall silent as she thought about what kind of answer she should give him.
Thankfully, it only took a couple of moments for her to make up her mind.
"She… is a lot of things," said Arcane, causing Valyr's expression to become solemn. "She has achieved multiple accomplishments, is known under multiple names, and is immortalized by various civilizations."
"However, to you, she's probably best known… for being the one that created Shadow Energy."
At the very moment he heard those words, the young man felt as if a bomb had gone off in his mind.
Though an identity like that connected to someone like 'Her' made a lot of sense considering Arcane's mentioning of a final wish, Valyr did not come to that conclusion.
Or more specifically, he could not come to that conclusion in the first place.
After all, though the knowledge and experience he had accumulated on Greater Beyond was more than enough for him to be far ahead of the current player base, it was still a drop in the bucket when compared to the grand scheme of things.
Plus, who would immediately think of someone like the creator of Shadow Energy after hearing something about a final wish?
"Who…" Spending a bit of time wrapping his head around the great identity that was connected to 'Her', Valyr was eventually able to compose himself once more as he let out a faint exhale.
Though, rather than ask about the final wish related to 'Her' as a follow-up question, he instead asked Arcane more about the being itself.
"Who… is 'Her', specifically?" The young man looked at Arcane, the curiosity on his face greatly evident.
"As I've said, she's the one created Shadow Energy," replied the latter, giving off the feeling that she was looking back at him as if he were stupid.
"You already told me that." Valyr ignored the feeling she gave off. "What I want to know is the person behind it."
"The person…" Hearing the young man clarify himself, Arcane immediately understood what he wanted to know.
Yet, rather than satiate his curiosity by giving him the answer he wanted, she gave the young man a shake of the head as she told him, "You're not allowed to know who she is."
"Hmm?" Valyr raised his eyebrow at those words.
"Don't make me explain why," said Arcane the moment she heard that, already understanding what the former was planning to do. "No matter how many times you ask me, I won't tell you who she is."
"Or rather, I'm not allowed to tell you who she is."
"At most, I can tell you more about her connection to the Shadow Plane," she said, causing the young man to fall silent.
"…" For a while after that, the latter stared at the former as if he doubted her's claims of being unable to tell him more about 'Her'.
After all, with how powerful Arcane was, surely she was allowed to talk about anything she wanted, right?
Though, by the time a couple of minutes passed with neither of the two uttering even a single word, the young man was eventually forced to believe that she was indeed unable to tell him what he wanted to know.
"…Alright." In the end, he gave up on his original line of questioning, letting out a faint sigh while doing so.
"Thank you," replied Arcane, inwardly letting out a sigh of relief. "Now, I suppose you want to know more about her connection to the Shadow Plane?"
Valyr nodded in response.
"Where should I start?" Nodding back in return, the former went silent for a bit as she pondered over how she'd going about explaining the entire thing to the young man.
Fortunately, it only took a few seconds for her to find her starting point, as she gave him the feeling of a slight smile.
"Though she was the creator of Shadow Energy, she actually didn't create the Shadow Plane," Arcane said to him. "However, even though she didn't create the plane, she had a great hand in transforming it into the Shadow Plane we know today."
"Wait…" Not expecting a riddle to be the way Arcane started her explanation, Valyr asked her to stop for a bit as he forced the gears in his head to start turning. "She didn't create the Shadow Plane, but she created Shadow Energy."
"Yep."
"But even though she didn't create the Shadow Plane, she helped the Shadow Plane turn into what it is today."
"Correct."
"Did she become the Saintess of the Shadow Plane or something?" the young man asked, feeling like that was the only way it made sense. "Or was she the first Overseer of the Shadow Plane?"
"Neither," Arcane replied. "If you didn't already know, creating a brand new type of energy prompts the universe to form a concept plane based on that energy."
"Of course, as the origin of that plane's energy, one would gain a certain privilege that would give them greater authority than even the plane's Overseer."
"However, that same privilege also stops you from becoming an Overseer or a Saint of that same concept plane."
"Why is that?" asked Valyr, feeling as if a new door had been opened right in front of him.
"Because the strength of the concept plane is inherently based on one's current strength," answered Arcane. "Even if one were to become the Overseer of the Saint of the concept plane born from their energy, nothing would happen."
"Instead, it's through the infusion of outside forces that the concept plane grows, allowing it to evolve into a middle or an upper concept plane."
"In any case, back to the topic at hand," she reminded the young man, prompting the latter to realize that they had gone off topic.
"Now, you might be wondering. How did she help transform the Shadow Plane into what it is today?"
Feeling Arcane look at him in the eye, Valyr paused for a bit before nodding in agreement.
"Quite simple, really," she said after receiving a response. "She integrated a powerful inheritance into the Shadow Plane, which allowed the concept plane to become well-known throughout the universe."
"Wait…" At those words, it did not take long for Valyr to realize something. "Are you saying…?"
"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then yes." Arcane nodded.
"The Void Core you're currently in is exactly that inheritance."