Chapter 126: Law of Space
The moment Evan heard those notifications, he couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of déjà vu.
The last time something like this had happened was when he first came into contact with Void Energy. Back then, he had gone through what had only been a short period of time, yet it had felt like absolute hell while his body adapted to it.
The same thing had happened when he encountered that strange creature while trying to steal more Life Energy from that bizarre castle in the forgotten city he’d connected to through the Abyss Gate.
Now he had the feeling something similar was about to happen, and he didn’t like it one bit.
’Screw my life. Why do I always end up in situations like this? ’ he mentally cursed his luck as he braced for the worst.
He didn’t have to wait long.
His skin, which until now had been strangely immune to the ice forming around him, started showing patches of frost spreading rapidly across multiple points. And the more it spread, the more notifications he started receiving.
[Ding! Your body is attempting to resist the Law of Space.]
[Failed.]
[Ding! Your body is attempting to resist the Law of Space.]
[Failed.]
[Ding! Your body is attempting to resist the Law of Space.]
[Failed.]
...
This went on for a while. Time passed, seconds, then minutes, then Evan lost all sense of it entirely, his awareness of time dissolving as a strange agony overtook him.
He felt as if his body were being pierced by hundreds of needles along every single nerve, while each of his limbs fought against being torn apart or crushed by some invisible force.
And it wasn’t just his limbs, it was every organ, his brain included, which gave him a splitting headache he couldn’t shake.
He felt his strength draining away, and only now did he understand just how terrifying the Law of Space truly was.
He finally understood why Seraphine had called it a rare concept. Who in their right mind could endure something like this?
Just as he was losing himself in the agony, a sense of warmth seemed to burst from his chest and spread outward, and the pain slowly began to dull.
[Ding! Your body is attempting to resist the Law of Space.]
[Failed.]
"There’s nothing you can do, don’t fight it, just keep holding on," a gentle voice brushed against his ear out of nowhere, one that had an oddly calming effect.
Evan struggled to make sense of the voice, the agony made it hard to form any coherent thought, but the more he focused on it, the more clarity returned, along with recognition.
It was Seraphine.
[Ding! Your body is attempting to resist the Law of Space.]
[Failed.]
"Don’t force it. Let it settle into you. Let your body understand what it is and how to use it," she said, words that made no sense to him at first.
’Let it keep doing its thing, let my body understand it? how exactly am I supposed to do that?’ he wondered, frustrated by the whole situation. But as much as he wanted to complain, he knew there wasn’t much else he could do, so he tried his best to follow her instructions.
[Ding! Your body is attempting to resist the Law of Space.]
[Failed.]
At first, he had no luck, all he could feel was the pain. But soon, he managed to isolate it, in part thanks to his life energy helping calm his mind.
"Perfect, just like that. Keep going." Seraphine said, her melodic voice seeming to give his consciousness a gentle push as it sank further and further into the sensation of the Law of Space tearing through his body.
At first he felt several points across his body being struck, each one aching. He pushed the pain out of his perception, leaving behind only a strange sensation, he could feel it now. Chaotic energy.
Yet unlike anything he had encountered before.
It didn’t burn like fire, nor did it feel violent like Void Energy. Instead, it carried an indescribable sense of disorder, as though its very existence denied the idea that anything should remain where it was.
The longer he focused on it, the stranger the sensation became.
It was almost as if his body no longer belonged to a single place.
His flesh, his bones, even the blood flowing through his veins seemed to drift ever so slightly, each trying to occupy a different position before an invisible force relentlessly pulled them back together.
It lasted for no more than an instant.
A subtle feeling.
One that should have been impossible to notice.
Yet now that his consciousness was immersed within that energy, he could perceive it with startling clarity.
Only then did a vague understanding begin to take shape in his mind.
This wasn’t simply power.
It was something that sought to dictate where everything existed.
Perhaps...
This was what the Law of Space truly was.
[Ding! Your understanding of the Law of Space has increased.]
[Ding! Your body is attempting to resist the Law of Space.]
[Your body has begun assimilating the concept of Space.]
...
[Congratulations! Your body has developed an affinity with the Space element!]
[Ding! Your affinity with the Space element has increased!]
[Resistance: Failed]
[Ding! Your affinity with the Space element has increased!]
[Resistance: Failed]
[Ding! Your affinity with the Space element has increased!]
[Resistance: Succeeded]
Evan, lost deep in his understanding of the Law of Space, heard those last notifications and couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as he finally let his mind settle.
’Ah, finally over,’ he thought.
His body immediately began recovering at an astonishing speed, the Life Energy once again performing its work flawlessly as it always had.
The tension finally released, calming his mind, which immediately began to drift. Evan wanted to fight it, but couldn’t.
Just then, a soft, comforting sensation gently enveloped him, and before he completely lost consciousness, he heard Seraphine’s voice one last time.
"See? I told you you could do it. Rest now, you’ve earned it,"
Those were the last words he heard before his mind slipped away entirely.